Mav turned to me. “Bring her in.”
I stood up and opened the door. I turned to the couch, expecting to see Lexie and Michael, but was surprised.
“Where’s the kid?”
Lexie raised an eyebrow. “You mean Michael? The sixteen-year-old boy who’s been stuck in a car for ten hours? I sent him to find a shower and dinner.”
My brow furrowed. “I’m not sure if he should be in this clubhouse by himself.”
She rolled her eyes, looking way too cute while doing it. “Give me a little credit. I called Dan. He’ll keep an eye on Michael until we’re done.”
My hand clenched into a fist. Not that damn prospect again. If Lexie needed something, I was the one she should call. Not that I could have answered because I was in church, but still. Though a small part of me did appreciate that she was looking after the kid.
“Come on.” I jerked my head toward the conference room. “We need you to tell us what happened tonight.”
She sighed, her eyes welling. “I feel so bad for leaving Jordan.”
“Don’t. We’ll take care of him.”One way or another.
We stepped into church, and I realized that the only open seat was mine. I grinned. How fortunate.
I sat in the chair and pulled Lexie into my lap.
“Bear! I can stand.” She twisted to look at me.
“Nah, babe. I like you right here.”
“Sorry for the interruption.” Sinner’s video restarted. “I might as well be the fucking warden for all the bullshit I have to deal with in this place.”
Lexie stiffened and her eyes rounded in fear.
“Pixie,” I spoke softly while Mav and Sinner talked prison politics. “You’ve met the rest of the brothers, but our president is on the video screen, Sinner Malone. He’s currently, uh,indisposed as a resident of the state. But we’re able to bring him in on a video when we discuss major issues.”
Her back stiffened, and she buried her face in my neck.
“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t be nervous.” I rubbed my hand down her back, hoping to calm her nerves while she shook her head again. Sinner might not be in the same room, but the man was intimidating. As much as I didn’t want her to fear any of my brothers, I couldn’t help but love that she sought comfort in me.
Mav cleared his throat. “Okay, back to business. Lexie, tell us what happened.”
“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” Sinner leaned back in his chair. “I know I’m a bit out of the loop, but Mav, please tell me you haven’t allowed Bear to bring a piece of snatch into church.”
“Hey!” I shouted, my arms tightening around Lexie. Red-hot anger burned through my veins. Nobody, not even my prez, would talk about her that way. The corner of the screen showed that the camera had moved away from Maverick and zoomed into where I sat holding Lexie. “Lexie is the caterer that saved Tracker’s life. If it wasn’t for her, he’d probably still be laying behind that dumpster with the rats chewing on his body. Tonight, she went into the Diablos clubhouse and will provide us with valuable intel we wouldn’t have otherwise. Including their fucking location. She deserves our respect, and she’ll fucking get it. From everyone.” I stared directly at the camera, hoping that was enough to let Sinner know where I stood.
His eyes softened, and his face zoomed in, like he’d physically moved closer to his laptop.
I felt a soft hand on my cheek and looked down to find Lexie staring up at me. Her blue eyes watered, and my heart almost broke. Had no one stood up for her before? We may have known each other for a short time, but I’d seen all I needed to. This woman who wore her heart on her sleeve also had a hiddenstrength I couldn’t help but admire. She was a heck of a woman, and I wanted, needed, her to be mine.
I would make it my life’s mission to be there for her. I kissed her forehead and leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Can you do that, baby? Can you tell them what happened?” She nodded and sat up, brushing her hair out of her face.
Her blue eyes looked into mine as she gave me a small smile. “Sorry, you must think I’m such a wimp. I’m not usually so clingy, but this feels so nice I can’t help it. And things are about to get… complicated.”
“Sweetheart, these arms are yours anytime you need them. And I don’t mind complicated.”
She turned to face the rest of the group but didn’t try to leave my lap.Good.
“I, um.” Her words caught in her throat as she stared at Sinner’s giant face. She blinked. And blinked again. “Oh.” Her eyes filled with tears and she cleared her throat. She looked back at the screen and chewed her bottom lip. “I, um, got a call about catering.” Her voice hitched and she brushed the tears that ran down her face.
My chest tightened and I rubbed my hands up and down her arms. What the fuck was going on? This was more than nerves.
