Chapter 4
TAMSIN
Istood close enough to Gavin that his hand easily slid to the small of my back every time someone drifted near.
Although he smiled often, I now understood that didn’t mean he wasn’t taking this situation seriously.
He could drop it in a blink, and he was the only one out of everyone here who’d caught things that I had missed.
Which impressed me, much to my irritation.
But I couldn’t give more thought to the intensity of my reaction to him at the moment because my parents were barreling toward us.
“I was terrified you’d been hurt, Tamsin.”
My mom’s voice broke before she finished saying my name. She was on me a moment later, her arms locked around my back hard enough to make it hard to breathe.
When she finally let go, my dad took my face in both hands and pressed a kiss to my forehead. Then he stepped back to check for any injuries. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I promise. And the crew is too. Everyone’s been accounted for.”
“Good.” His chest expanded on a sigh of relief. “But I’m still worried.”
I felt Gavin shift behind me, hyperaware of how close he stood even though he hadn’t said anything yet.
“How come?” I asked.
Dad’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “Your signature was on the final safety approval.”
“It was,” I whispered.
“I know you followed procedure, just like always. But I’m afraid some people will be more interested in finding a scapegoat than the actual facts.”
It didn’t matter that I’d adhered to every rule and regulation, ticking off all the check boxes and then going over everything again just to be safe. I still felt so guilty because I had authorized the display. The rack had failed on my line, and people could have been seriously hurt or killed.
Gavin’s hand pressed against my back, pulling me from my dark thoughts. “She shut the system down before the worst could happen.”
Dad nodded. “I know how capable she is. I’m worried other people won’t.”
“People are often wrong.” Gavin moved to my side to look down at me. “Doesn’t make this your fault.”
His certainty hit differently than my dad’s.
Gavin barely knew me, but he’d backed me up ever since things went horribly awry.
And he knew better than anyone else what had gone down here tonight.
Being so close to the blast, he had been close enough to see the failure happen.
His quick thinking had prevented the worst-case scenario.
And he trusted me after seeing how I’d handled this crisis.
It defied logic that he was so certain of me after only a few hours, but I had a feeling the lack of time didn’t factor into it for him. Gavin struck me as a man who didn’t second-guess himself.
As my father extended his hand and introduced himself to Gavin, Stryker cut across the grass toward us. His expression was blank, but there was a coldness in his eyes that I saw when he got closer.
“Just heard back from the men I sent to the warehouse. It’s been hit.”
“Warehouse?” My dad’s brows drew together. “You mean ours?”
“Yes,” Stryker confirmed. “Loading bay was forced open. Looks like controlled-material cases are missing. Must’ve heard my men coming because some were dumped by the rear access like they ran out of time. Fresh tracks leaving the property.”
Mom pressed trembling fingers to her lips while Dad raked his fingers through his hair and muttered, “Event this big, the place was emptied out.”
“We pulled anyone with experience.” I tilted my head back to meet Gavin’s gaze. “We had our hands full here.”
“They used that window of opportunity to get in.” The look he gave his club president was heavy.
My stomach knotted at what that could mean. Someone had known enough about Bellamy Pyrotechnics to pinpoint the perfect time to steal from us.
Stryker crossed his arms over his chest. “But we slammed that fucker shut when we showed up when they didn’t expect it.”
Gavin nodded. “And they only got part of what had been prepared for removal.”
“Whatever they took is too damn much,” Dad grumbled.
Considering what we stored in that warehouse, that was an understatement.
“Situation is under control here.” Stryker tilted his head toward a group of Black Crowns waiting to our left. “Need to head over there now.”
The Black Crowns’ arrival was the only reason they had not cleaned the place out.
We owed them a debt of gratitude, but that didn’t mean I was just going to sit idly by while they handled everything.
Even if I hadn’t grown up knowing the company would be mine one day, I’d be invested in this because my name was all over the paperwork of the event that the thieves had used.
“I’m going.”
I was gearing up for an argument when Gavin murmured, “We will.”
“Good.” I flashed him a smile that quickly died at his next words.
“After I clear it.”
My eyes narrowed. “I need to tell you what belongs there.”
“You will.” He smirked. “Eventually.”
Equally irritated at his reply and how much his smile affected me, I huffed out a breath. “You’re doing that unreasonable thing again.”
“I never stopped, pretty girl.”
My mother made a small sound that might have been a swallowed laugh, but I refused to look at either of my parents while my cheeks were burning. They let me get away with my avoidance until we got in the car.
There were motorcycles in front, behind, and on either side of us. But with the windows rolled up, none of the Black Crowns could hear our conversation, and my mom took advantage of that.
Twisting in the passenger seat, she grinned at me. “Did I detect some sparks flying between you and Ghost?”
“Really, Mom?” I shook my head with a sigh. “We’re in the middle of a scary situation, and you want to talk about my dating life?”
“Aha, so you admit you’re interested in him,” she crowed.
I shook my head. “I did no such thing.”
“The lady doth protest too much,” Dad teased, tightening his grip on the wheel as he carefully made a right turn.
I slouched in my seat and rolled my eyes. “I honestly don’t know what to do with you guys.”
“Just love us.” Mom turned back around and patted my dad’s thigh. “Because we’re awesome.”
“Very much so,” he agreed.
“And so is our daughter.” Mom did a little dance in her seat. “Which Ghost definitely noticed.”
“He must’ve since he called you ‘pretty girl’ right in front of me.” Dad met my gaze in the rearview mirror. “Bold of him, but I’m not surprised, considering he’s a Black Crown.”
“Just as I was starting to think our baby girl would never meet someone who’d catch her eye…”
My mom let that thought trail off, probably hoping I’d fill the void.
But I just sighed and looked out the passenger window at the motorcycle to our right.
The rider flashed me a familiar grin, and I realized it was Gavin.
Although there was no chance he knew we’d been talking about him, my cheeks heated anyway.
I was worried about what we’d find at the warehouse, but I was relieved when the loading area came into view, already lit and secured.
My dad let out a low whistle. “The Black Crowns have a reputation for not messing around, but I never expected to see them in action for myself.”
There were plenty of rumors around Sable Canyon about the local motorcycle club, but I’d never paid them much attention. Now I wished I had… I had… and not just because we needed their help.
Gavin was already off his bike when we parked in the spot next to him. When he tapped his knuckles against my window, my dad rolled it down. “Stay put.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond to what couldn’t be mistaken as anything other than an order. I watched him go as he strode toward the loading bay, only stopping to say something quick to the men guarding it before he disappeared inside with three other Black Crowns right behind him.
Staying in the car felt worse than standing in the lot, so I got out. Mom and Dad followed, but none of us approached the warehouse.
Filled with nervous energy, I paced the painted line marking the parking spot. Eight or nine steps in either direction, over and over again, while I waited to be told it was safe for us to enter our own building. I checked the time on my phone more than once, as though that would hurry the process.
“Put this on, sweetie.”
I took the jacket my mom had pulled from the trunk of their car and shrugged it on. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” She gently patted my cheek. “Keeping your temper cool is one thing, catching a chill is another.”
“You’re one to talk,” I mumbled. “The red in my hair came from you.”
“Sure did. Which is why I know how much it’s taking you not to run in there right now.”
She was right. I had to keep reminding myself that an unsecured warehouse full of pyrotechnic material that had already been broken into was not the place to win an argument, no matter how badly I wanted to see what had been taken.
The door finally opened, and Gavin came out first. “Clear.”
I headed straight for him, but before I could pass, he caught the back of my jacket just enough to slow me down. “Behind me.”
“You just said it was clear.”
“Which is why you can come inside.” He didn’t let go until I was where he wanted me. “With me in front of you.”
“You’re impossible,” I muttered.
“Like I said before, you’re learning.” He sounded entirely too pleased, but I followed him inside anyway.