Chapter 15
Sabre
It’s been two weeks since Dylan got arrested, and I can’t believe how much our life has changed. Linsey is no longer looking over her shoulder, worrying about when Dylan would pop up and ruin her life. Now her life can return to normal, and she can go where she likes, without being stressed.
Her aunt went home ten days ago. The broken window was replaced, and new locks were installed by our security firm. The brothers still randomly ride past her house, presumably because they’re creatures of habit.
Linsey and Noah stayed on with me because this is where they belong. Linsey’s also back to work at The Gilded Fig, and her cooking classes start again next month.
I reach across the bed and find an empty sheet that’s still warm.
Then I hear her getting sick down the hall.
I roll out of bed and am halfway to the ensuite bathroom before I think about it.
When I hit the doorway, I find her kneeling in front of the toilet.
She has one hand braced on the seat and the other holding back her hair.
“I got you, darlin’,” I say as I kneel behind her and gather her hair back out of her face. She tries to shove me away, but I won’t leave her, not when she’s sick.
“Don’t watch me,” she says weakly once she can speak.
“I’ve watched you gut fish,” I remind her. “This ain’t grossing me out at all.”
Before she can answer, she gets sick again. I keep her hair out of the way and stay at her side until the vomiting stops.
When she finally sits back against the tub, her face is pale and there’s sweat along her hairline. I bring her a glass of cold water from the sink, and she rinses her mouth, spits, and takes a few careful sips. Grabbing a towel, I run warm water over it and use it to gently clean her face.
When I shoot her a questioning look, she murmurs, “It must be something I ate at work. Either that, or the leftover chili from the clubhouse.”
“At least you don’t have a fever.”
“Chefs are exposed to more questionable food than everybody else because we taste everything.”
“Seems like someone would invent a device for that,” I grumble. I do not like seeing the woman I love in distress like this.
Before I can stop her, she reaches for the counter to pull herself up. “See? I’m better already.” She catches me watching her. “And don’t worry, I’m well enough to go to the clubhouse today.”
I walk with her back out to the bedroom and monitor her as I dress. She seems to be feeling better, so I kiss her on the forehead and say, “If you need anything at all, just call for me.”
By eight, she appears completely normal, laughing through Noah’s breakfast briefing. He gives us the rundown on the house security checks and tries to plan out a day at the clubhouse, before stealing two pieces of bacon from my plate.
I have something more important to worry about.
It’s hanging in the back of my closet inside a black garment bag.
Before I can get it, Linsey asks me to join her on the porch while Noah is upstairs looking for his other boot.
She sits in one chair with her feet on the rail and her glass of juice balanced on her stomach.
“There’s no danger and therefore no reason for us to keep staying at your place. In case you’ve been too polite to come right out and ask us to leave, I wanted to talk it over.”
I sit beside her and take her hand in mine.
“Look at me, darlin’, I don’t want you staying here just for safety anymore.
” I run my thumb over her knuckles, thinking about how soft and delicate her skin is.
“I want you and Noah here because I fuckin’ love you and this is your home now.
If the two of you leave, this place will go back to being an empty house where I keep my stuff. ”
Her eyes fill with tears, but she blinks them away.
“I want you to stay for good,” I tell her. “Both of you.”
A happy laugh escapes her. “You realize Noah is going to ask if that means the room officially belongs to him.”
“Then we’d better go tell him.”
We find Noah in his room with one boot on and the other in his hand. When he looks up, he can tell by our serious expressions that something is up.
Linsey explains, “We’ve got important news. Sabre has asked us to stay here permanently.”
His eyes move from his mother to me. “This isn’t news, Mom. We already live here. My clothes are in the dresser, and I have security rounds to make, and a computer rig set up.”
“That’s all true, bug. We’re just making it official,” Linsey clarifies.
When he speaks again, his voice is quieter. “Does that mean I get to keep this room forever?”
I go down on one knee in front of him. “It’s been your room since the first night you slept here.”
He throws both arms around my neck. The little arms hug hard, but it only lasts a second or two before he rushes off, happy as anything.
My head twists around to look at Linsey. “You can tell by the way Noah’s always rushin’ around that he’s gonna grow up to be somebody important, ya know?”
“With any luck. I’d settle for him just being self-supporting and happy.”
I pull her against my side and kiss the top of her head. “Me too. Follow me,” I tell her. “I’ve got somethin’ for you.”
I go to our bedroom with her trailing behind me. I pull out the garment bag and hold it up.
“I want to give you somethin’ that holds great importance for me and my club brothers. I need to explain what it means before you decide.”
I unzip the bag and take out the custom property cut I had made for her. The Savage Legion emblem fills the back. Below are the words PROPERTY OF SAbrE. A small custom patch sits over her name on the front right-hand side. It’s a heart-shaped patch with the word CHEF sewn inside.
Linsey knows what a property cut means in general because she’s seen the other old ladies wearing them. She runs her fingers over my road name and looks up at me.
“Tell me what this means to you, babe. I want to know.”
“Wearing my property cut makes you my old lady. Everyone will know that you’re mine and I’m yours.
If someone disrespects you, they’ve disrespected me.
If they’ve disrespected me, they’ve disrespected the club.
You’ll have a place at the clubhouse and no longer simply be my guest. It also means the whole Savage Legion will stand behind you and Noah if anything ever happens to me.
When a brother falls, we protect and care for his old lady. ”
She slowly nods. “I’m honored to be your old lady.” Smiling up at me, she adds, “I want to wear it right now.”
The eagerness in her voice hits me right in the feels. I quickly slide the cut up her arms and let it settle across her shoulders.
Her honey-blonde hair falls over the black leather. Seeing her in my cut creates a tight, possessive feeling in my chest that I don’t have the words to explain.
She catches my gaze in the mirror and turns around slowly. “Thank you, Sabre, for choosing me. Just so you know, I truly am proud to be yours.”
I pull her against me and kiss her. Her fingers hook into my belt loops, and my hand tightens on the leather at her back. The kiss gets hot fast. I force myself to step away because we’ve got plans for today.
When she turns back around to admire the way my property cut looks on her gorgeous body, I feel like a man sorting his fuckin’ life out one glorious piece at a time today.
***
The first brother spots Linsey’s cut before we make it three steps inside the clubhouse.
Talon releases a loud, admiring whistle.
Then every head in the room turns our way, and all the brothers are congratulating us.
Brothers pound me on the back and offer compliments that are crude enough to make Linsey laugh.
Siege leaves his stool and takes both of Linsey’s hands. “The Legion takes care of its own,” he tells her. His voice is serious enough to quiet the people closest to us. “As of today, that includes you and your boy.”
Linsey squeezes his hands. “Thank you, Siege. We’re both proud to be associated with your club.”
The old ladies close around Linsey with Talon’s old lady, Kelly, leading the way.
They liked her before today. But now she’s one of them.
Within ten minutes, she’s added to their group chat and Kelly shows her where the old ladies hide the expensive wine and chocolate.
She laughs as they pull her deeper into their midst.
Linsey spent a decade hiding from her family. Now an entire room full of loud bikers and their families welcomes her into their fold. She’s got a newfound family, one she can count on.
Late in the afternoon, Zen finds me standing beside the coolers and hands me a beer. “You got anything for me today, brother?” I ask.
“I found that rental car we suspect was used by Dylan was here on Thursday afternoon,” he says. “I caught sight of it on the gas station security footage.”
“I thought he was meeting with his parole officer on Friday afternoon.”
“If you’re wondering how he could be in two places at once, so am I,” Zen mutters.
“There’s been no new activity in Montana. I checked Dylan’s visitor logs from the jail as well as his phone records again. He hasn’t had many visitors or calls and all of them were from his family.”
“Do you think he somehow found her on his own?” Zen asks.
I shrug. “I believe Dylan’s in custody, the two houses are secure and my family is having the best day they’ve had in a long time.” I take a drink of my beer. “We’ll keep workin’ at it though.”
Zen taps his bottle against mine.
“That’s a helluva healthy way to look at it.”
The campout at the end of the day is Noah’s idea. He and Siege’s son, Tommy, got talking while we were at the clubhouse, and Linsey and I agreed.
By sunset, my backyard looks like a military base. I pulled out all my old camping gear, so they have sleeping bags that are rated for temperatures this part of California will never experience. They have two lanterns, three flashlights, extra batteries, and a cooler full of drinks and snacks.