Chapter 20 #2
While we're eating he sets his fork down, looks at me serious but still light. "Tonight. I want you to go hang out with Bella, Bri, and Brooke at the clubhouse. All the old ladies and kids are gonna be there. Some of the club is heading out, hopefully putting an end to this threat for good."
I pause mid-bite. "You're going?"
He nods once. "Yeah. But you're safe there. Locked down tight. I need to know you're good while I handle shit."
I reach across the table, lace my fingers through his. "I'll go. But you come back to me in one piece, Lucky. Promise."
He squeezes my hand hard. "Promise. Got too much waiting for me here now. Four kids worth of future. Ain't missing that."
I lean over, kiss him quick, tasting coffee and bacon on his lips. "Hurry back then. We've got plans."
He grins again, that happy, free grin. "Yes ma'am."
We finish breakfast like that, knees touching, hands brushing, talking about nothing and everything.
We pull up to the compound gates on Lucky's bike, the rumble of the engine cutting through the late afternoon quiet.
Two guys in cuts stand at the fence, Prospect and Tank, I think, faces serious as hell.
No jokes, no nods. They just swing the gate open without a word, eyes scanning the road behind us like trouble might roll up any second.
I tighten my arms around Lucky's waist, cheek pressed to his back. Shit feels heavy today.
He rolls through, parks on the far side of Perdition, right by the clubhouse entrance.
The lot's packed with bikes, chrome glinting under the sun.
He kills the engine, plants his boots, and reaches back to help me off.
My legs are still a little wobbly from the ride.
He doesn't let go right away. Instead he slides his hand into mine, laces our fingers tight, thumb brushing over my knuckles like he's saying I've got you without opening his mouth.
We walk in together. The double doors creak open to that familiar smell, leather, beer, faint weed, and whatever they're cooking in the back.
The place is huge, open concrete floors smoothed shiny from years of boots.
To the left, the industrial kitchen with its long bar and stainless everything.
To the right, the living room setup, mismatched couches circling a massive flat-screen that's usually blasting sports or some dumb action flick.
Hallways branch off to the offices, meeting rooms, and that heavy door at the end where they hold church.
The girls are already sprawled out on the couches.
Bella's got baby Jax on her lap, bouncing him while she rubs her rounded belly.
Brooke and Bri are both showing now too, hands resting on their bumps like it's second nature.
Sophie's legs are kicked up on the coffee table, scrolling her phone.
Chloe's chasing her three-year-old around the edge of the carpet.
Jenny and Carlie are on the floor with Carlie's twin boys, five-year-old terrors who look identical except one has a fresh Band-Aid on his forehead.
Toys everywhere, kids shrieking and laughing.
Lucky stops just inside the door, turns me toward him. His free hand cups my jaw, tilts my face up. He kisses me deep, slow, tongue sliding in like he doesn't give a fuck who's watching. When he pulls back his eyes lock on mine.
"Love you," he says low, voice rough. "Stay with the girls. Don't wander. I'll be back soon as I can."
I nod, squeeze his hand once before he lets go. "Be careful."
"Always." He brushes his thumb over my bottom lip, then turns and heads down the hallway toward church. His shoulders are set, cut stretched tight across his back. I watch until the door swings shut behind him.
I take a breath, shake off the knot in my stomach, and walk over to the couches.
Bella spots me first. "There she is. Get over here, mama."
I drop onto the cushion next to her. Jax reaches out with chubby hands, grabs a fistful of my shirt. I let him tug.
Brooke leans forward, elbows on her knees. "You okay? You look like you just rode through a war zone."
"Feels like it," I say. "Gates were locked down tight. Guys weren't messing around."
Bri nods from the other couch. "Yeah. Church got called early. They're rolling out soon. Supposed to handle this shit once and for all."
Sophie snorts. "About damn time. I'm tired of looking over my shoulder every time I go to the grocery store."
Chloe scoops up her toddler before he face-plants into a pile of blocks. "At least we're all here. Kids are safe, we're safe. Let the boys do what they do."
Carlie's twins barrel over, one crashing into my legs. "Aunt Savannah! Play cars!"
I laugh despite everything, ruffle his hair. "In a minute, buddy. Let me catch my breath."
Jenny slides a beer my way across the coffee table. "Here. You look like you need it more than I do."
I crack it open, take a long pull. The cold hits good. "Thanks."
Bella shifts Jax to her hip, eyes on me. "So. You and Lucky. Still disgustingly in love?"
I feel my cheeks heat but I don't bother hiding the smile. "Disgustingly. He just told me he loves me in front of the whole damn room like it's nothing."
Brooke grins. "That's our Lucky. Went from 'I don't do feelings' to 'mine forever' in record time."
Bri laughs. "Told you. Once they lock in, they lock in hard."
I glance toward the hallway. The door's still shut. Voices murmur behind it, low and tense. My stomach twists again.
Chloe notices. "Hey. He's got this. They've all got this. We've been through lockdowns before. Always comes out the other side."
I nod, force a breath. "Yeah. I know."
Sophie kicks her feet off the coffee table, leans forward with her elbows on her knees, eyes sparkling like she's about to get the juiciest gossip. "Okay, enough lockdown talk. Distract yourself, girl. Tell us what's been going on with you two? Spill. All of it."
I take another pull from the beer, set the bottle down on the table with a soft clink. The kids are zooming cars around the carpet, making vroom noises, but the women are all laser-focused on me now.
I shrug one shoulder. "Nothing really. We kind of got into a fight last night."
Bella's eyebrows shoot up. "Wait, what? You two seemed glued together when you walked in."
"Yeah, well." I lean back into the couch, Jax still tugging on my shirt sleeve.
"My ex showed up at my job out of nowhere.
Total surprise. He was being his usual charming asshole self, trying to 'talk.
' Started with the fake concern, then the guilt trips, then that low voice he uses when he's about to flip.
I know the signs. My chest got tight, breathing went shallow, vision tunneled.
Full panic attack right there behind the counter.
I barely got out a text to Lucky before I had to leave work and go home. "
Brooke winces hard. "Shit. The ex who used to..."
"Yeah. That one." I rub my thumb over the condensation on the bottle.
"I texted Lucky that I needed him, then nothing.
Hours of silence. I got home, locked the door, curled up in my closet with my panic attack and two cats.
I thought maybe he was done dealing with my baggage, maybe he saw the text and decided I was too much drama.
All the worst shit spiraling in my head. "
Chloe's toddler toddles over and plops a toy truck in my lap. I hand it back with a small smile. "Then around eight the door bangs open. Lucky storms in, still in his cut, eyes wild like he sprinted the whole way. He bangs on my bedroom door. When I open it, he saw how wrecked I looked."
Bri nods slow. "They hate when we spiral because of something they could've fixed faster."
"Right? So we did a lot of talking and he told me they were wrapped up with all this drama,” I point my finger to the ceiling and circle it around, “When they were finished and he finally checked his phone he saw my text then dropped everything and hauled ass to me."
Sophie whistles low. "That's some ride-or-die energy."
"Yeah." I feel my cheeks heat a little. "We talked for hours. We laid it all out. Then we... made up." I smirk despite myself. "A lot."
Bella bounces Jax on her knee. "Multiple rounds?"
"Multiple rounds," I admit.
Brooke rubs her belly. "That's huge. You went from panic attack to locked-in overnight."
"Feels like it." I glance toward the hallway again. The church door's still shut. "But yeah. Things are better than ever. Scary better. Like I can actually picture the future with him now."
Jenny leans over, clinks her water bottle against my beer. "To panic attacks turning into the best makeup sex of your life."
We all crack up, trying to keep it quiet so the kids don't repeat anything. Carlie's twins look up like they sense the energy shift, then go right back to crashing cars.
I exhale, shoulders finally loosening a little. "Thanks for listening. I needed that."
"Anytime," Bella says. "We're family now. You panic, we catch you. Then we tease you about the makeup sex."
I roll my eyes but I'm grinning. "Fair."
The flat-screen flickers on in the background, someone put cartoons on for the kids. The volume's low, just enough to drown out the tension humming under everything.
I settle deeper into the couch, Jax crawling into my lap now, head on my chest. I wrap an arm around him automatically.