Chapter Eleven
Jag
Haven looked different in the morning light -- less like a fortress and more like what it was supposed to be.
A temporary sanctuary for women who’d been beaten, traumatized, and needed protection.
I scanned the area as Ada and I approached, noting two prospects and Tiny stationed by the entrance.
Though the club had stepped up security around Haven, they’d done so in a very non-threatening way so the few residents of Haven wouldn’t be terrified.
Tiny nodded as we approached then passed through the gate.
Inside the building, most of the furnishings had already been cleared out, leaving only stacks of labeled boxes awaiting transport. I spotted Knight examining the security panel near the rear exit.
Ada squeezed my hand once before releasing it, immediately moving to where Hannah was sealing a box with packing tape. The two women worked together organizing the rest of the boxes needing to go to the new building.
“They’ve got a rhythm going,” a deep voice observed from beside me.
I glanced up -- way up -- at Tiny, who towered over me like some modern-day giant. Despite his size, there was something oddly gentle about the way he handled the stacks of children’s books he was transferring to a crate.
“Been at it since dawn,” he continued, nodding toward the other women. “Hannah’s got a system. God help anyone who messes it up.” The affection in his voice took any sting out of the words.
I helped the men move the last of the heavy shit from the back, mostly beds and mattresses. Though most things had already been transferred to the temporary facility along with the residents, it still took us a couple of hours to finish up.
“Almost done,” Ada called over to me, wiping sweat from her forehead with the back of her arm. “Just waiting on Tiny’s truck to move the last load.”
“Already backed it up to the loading dock,” Tiny replied, lifting a crate that would have taken two normal men.
His muscles bulged beneath his cut as he carried it toward the rear exit.
I moved to help Hannah with a particularly unwieldy box, steadying it as she secured the contents with bubble wrap.
“Thanks,” she murmured, her quiet voice barely audible over the ambient noise. “This is the last of the breakable stuff.”
I nodded, carefully maneuvering the box onto a dolly. Hannah gave me a grateful look before moving on to the next task, her movements economical and focused.
I looked around until I caught sight of Ada.
I couldn’t seem to keep my attention on anything else.
She helped load smaller boxes into a larger crate, chatting lightly with Hannah and a woman I’d only met when we got here named Darby.
She was Sully’s old lady and a very big handful.
She also seemed to get along with everyone.
Well, everyone she wanted to get along with anyway.
Ada put the last box in the crate when she froze mid-movement. Her expression shifted from concentration to dismay. “Shit!” she exclaimed, loud enough to make Hannah look up in surprise. “The cookies!”
“Cookies?” Hannah echoed, confused.
Ada set down the box she was holding, already moving toward the door. “I made chocolate chip cookies for the kids last night. To help them settle in at the new place.” Her face was a picture of genuine distress. “I left them cooling at the clubhouse and completely forgot to pack them.”
The thought of Ada fixating on something so normal, so goddamn maternal, in the midst of all this chaos made my chest tighten and made me want to smile.
She cared about making these displaced kids feel welcome while the rest of us were focused on security stuff.
She and all the other old ladies. Kiss of Death now was a world away from the Kiss of Death I’d known in the past.
“I need to run back and get them,” she said, already heading toward the door.
I was at her side in three strides. “I’ll come with you,” I offered, the words automatic. The idea of her moving around the compound alone with Rat Man in the vicinity threatened to give me a panic attack.
Ada paused, turning to face me with a soft smile that didn’t quite mask her determination. “It’s right around the corner, Jag. I’ll be ten minutes, tops.” She gestured at the remaining boxes. “They need your help here more than I need an escort for a two-minute walk.”
“Rat Man --” I began.
“Is at the docks, according to Knight’s intel.
” She placed a hand on my arm. “I’ll be practically inside the compound the whole time.
You can literally see the front door to the clubhouse from here.
” She nodded toward the window, where indeed, the edge of the main building was visible beyond the fence line.
I wavered, torn between my need to keep her in my sight and my respect for her independence.
Ada wasn’t some fragile thing to be locked away.
She was strong, capable, and smart -- qualities that had drawn me to her in the first place.
Smothering her with overprotection would only push her away, and I couldn’t have distance between us.
“Text me when you get there,” I said finally, the concession feeling like gravel in my throat. “And again when you’re heading back. If I don’t hear from you in fifteen minutes, I’m coming after you.”
She rolled her eyes but nodded. “Deal.” She stretched up on tiptoes to press a quick kiss to my mouth. “Don’t worry so much. I’ll be right back.”
“I always worry,” I muttered, but she was already halfway to the door, her steps light despite everything.
I watched her go, my stomach knotting with an unease I couldn’t shake.
Being considerate of her feelings and not bossing her around was proving to be harder than I thought.
I just wanted her safe, but I also didn’t want her to be smothered.
Hannah appeared at my side, her quiet presence oddly comforting. “She’ll be fine,” she said, following my gaze. “Ada’s tougher than she looks.”
“I know,” I replied, though it did little to ease the dread pooling in my gut. “Still hard to let her out of my sight.”
Hannah gave me a gentle smile, patting my shoulder as she continued with the last of her work.
I forced myself to turn back to my own task and load the remaining boxes into the truck.
But my gaze kept drifting to the door, waiting for Ada’s return even though she’d just left.
My phone chimed and I checked the screen.
As she’d promised, a text confirming Ada had reached the clubhouse.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.
Still, I couldn’t shake the sensation crawling up my spine, warning me something wasn’t quite right. I’d felt the same sensation before. Usually in the yard before a fight broke out.
“You okay, brother?” Tiny asked, noticing my distraction as I handed him another crate.
I nodded, not trusting my voice. The rational part of me knew Ada was fine. The clubhouse was secure, filled with loyal club members. She was probably chatting with someone while packing up those cookies. Just like she’d lost track of the cookies in the first place.
But the part of me that had survived Terre Haute screamed danger with every heartbeat. Every second that passed without Ada returning ratcheted the tension higher. And why hadn’t she texted to say she’d left the compound?
I checked my phone again. Eight minutes since her text saying she’d arrived.
I’d give her another seven before I went looking.
Not because I didn’t trust her capability, but because I didn’t trust the world not to hurt the one good thing that had happened to me in my life after everything I’d gone through.
And I’d be damned if I let anything take her from me now.
Twenty minutes later and I was a fucking mess. She’d been gone twenty minutes and still no text saying she was heading back.
“She text you yet?” Hannah asked, her voice quiet as she appeared at my side with another box.
I shook my head, eyes still fixed on the door. “Should have been back by now.”
“Maybe she ran into Knight,” Hannah offered, though the concern in her eyes betrayed her own unease. “You know how he gets when he’s in protective brother mode.”
I nodded, wanting to believe it, but the tension in my shoulders only coiled tighter. I dialed Ada’s number, listening to it ring once, twice, three times before going to voicemail. Her voice, cheerful and light, asking me to leave a message. I ended the call without speaking.
Twenty-five minutes.
“Try her again,” Hannah urged, abandoning any pretense of continuing to work.
I did. Straight to voicemail this time. Not even a ring.
Tiny materialized beside us, his massive frame blocking out the overhead lights. “Problem?” he asked, picking up on the tension immediately.
“Ada went to the clubhouse for cookies,” Hannah explained. “She hasn’t come back, and she’s not answering her phone.”
“I’ve been trying to talk myself out of going after her,” I muttered. “The last thing I want to do is smother her.”
Tiny’s expression darkened. “How long?”
“Twenty-seven minutes,” I replied, the words tasting like ash in my mouth. “Something’s wrong.”
I didn’t wait for a response. Couldn’t wait any longer. I moved toward the exit, my strides long and purposeful. I’d wasted enough time trying to be reasonable. The only thing that mattered now was finding Ada. If she got mad, I’d apologize. But I’d absolutely do it again if in the same situation.
“Call Knuckles,” I tossed over my shoulder to Tiny. “Tell him something’s wrong. Tell him to look for Ada and send someone to back you up here.”
I didn’t wait to see if he’d follow through, already sprinting across the yard toward the compound gates. My heart hammered against my ribs, not from exertion but from a fear so primal it bypassed thought altogether.