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I watched him go, already silently praying for my friend.
Hawk had to be okay. He had to.
From the living room I heard Raven give a cry as Jet told her about Hawk. Seconds later the front door slammed as brother and sister left. I tried to pull myself together before I went into the living room to help Willa with the kids.
Lexa was playing on the floor in front of the television while Willa sat on the couch watching her. Max bounced on her lap, and she offered the baby a small smile as she seemed to fight back tears. I sat down beside her and reached for the baby who was growing grumpy from not getting the full attention he wanted.
“Well, welcome home,” Willa said with a sad excuse for a laugh. “I guess this is some home-coming, huh?”
I brushed a kiss over Max’s head, hiding my grimace in his hair. “Yeah.”
Her gaze went back to Lexa. “Is it natural to want to grab her and run as fast and as far away as possible from all this shit?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
She nodded and shifted so that her legs were tucked under her on the couch. “That’s what I want to do right now, but I know Spider will only drop everything and go with us. He’s needed here, so here I’ll stay.”
“I won’t say I’m surprised that you ended up with Spider. I’m just curious how you got him to marry you.” I lifted Max high and lowered him to my thighs, repeating it when he giggled, but keeping my attention on Willa. I’d known Spider my entire life. He’d never been into any one female so it was understandable that I was curious how he had gotten married in the time I’d been gone.
Her lips twitched upward and she finally gave in and let herself grin. “He’s crazy about me, I guess.”
“I’m pretty sure Rave gave you this speech before, but I’ll put my two cents in. You hurt him and I’ll kill you.” Spider was one of my closest friends and I wouldn’t hesitate to rip this chick’s heart out if she hurt him.
“Raven said about the same thing. You can cool your jets, though. I don’t plan on ever hurting or letting that man go. He’s stuck with me.” Her grin remained for a few more seconds before her gaze went right back to her niece.
The front door practically bounced open and we both jumped before we realized it was Spider. He must have run back because he was pouring with sweat, but he wasn’t breathing hard. “Pack a few things, Willa. We’re moving to the clubhouse until this shit is cleared up.”
“But I thought there was a package left there?” I reminded him.
He shook his head. “It wasn’t a bomb. We’ve got the place secure and everyone is going on lockdown. Jet wants you and the kids over there as soon as possible.”
Willa stood and hurried up the stairs. I sat there with Max, still bouncing him high to keep him distracted from the tension rolling off of Spider. When Willa returned with a gym bag tossed over her shoulder, Spider pushed us all out of the house and into the garage where a blacked-out SUV was parked. The two car seats already set up in the back surprised me but I didn’t question it as I strapped Max into the smaller one while Willa secured Lexa into the toddler one.
The ride to the clubhouse was short because Spider was driving at least ten miles over the speed limit. The gates outside the old warehouse that had been turned into the MC’s clubhouse long before I’d been born were shut and two MC brothers were standing guard in front of them. Up on the gate’s wall there were three more with machine guns in their hands.
Spider stopped in front of the fence and honked twice before one of the brothers opened the gate for us. Spider tipped his chin up at them as he drove through and parked by the front door to the clubhouse.
Raider was standing inside the doorway with two different females next to him. One I recognized instantly as Quinn but the girl beside her was new to me. As I waited for Spider to open the door for me since the child locks were engaged, I watched him with the two women.
It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Quinn had always been in love with Raider, but everyone knew that Raider wasn’t a one-woman type of guy. Quinn wasn’t a club sheep, unlike her sisters, and had given up on Raider long before I’d moved away so I was surprised to see her there right then.
“Will someone just tell me what’s going on?” I heard her snap at Raider as she glared up at him. “Colt called and told me to get to the clubhouse and to expect a long stay. Why are we going on lockdown? What’s going on?”
“Did you bring a change of clothes?” Raider questioned, ignoring her questions. “If you didn’t, I’ll have someone stop by your house and get you some clothes and anything else you need.” When she continued to glare at him, he turned his head to look at the other woman standing beside him. “Kelli?”
Even as I unbuckled Max from the car seat, I was taking in the new girl. She was younger than Quinn by at least a few years, but the way the two stood so close told me that they were protective of each other. Kelli was beautiful with her makeup-free face and tall, curvy body but Quinn? She was drop-dead gorgeous and wasting her love on the idiot in front of her.
“I threw enough clothes in there for both me and Quinn. If you’ll just point to where we will be staying, I’d like to get some sleep. I’d barely closed my eyes when Colt called.” Her voice had a huskiness to it that made me wonder if she smoked or if her voice was naturally that sexy.
Raider let his gaze go back to the other woman for less than a second before turning back to Kelli. “She knows the way. Her sisters practically live here.”
Quinn flinched as if he’d struck her and I had to remind myself not to squeeze the baby in my arms. That damn asshat. Raider was such a dickhead. Don’t get me wrong, I’d always loved him like a brother, but he was such a fucking douchebag to any female he didn’t consider family.
Kelli’s tired gaze turned glacier. “Yeah. I’m sure they do. Sucking dick is what those cunts do best. Too bad they don’t have a brain in their dumbass heads. Be careful, Raider. I hear it’s contagious…Oh wait. Too late. You’re already a dumb fuck.” She took Quinn’s arm and nudged her through the door before I could reach them.
“Quinn,” I called out to stop her from disappearing into the madhouse I knew the clubhouse was turning into. I’d been on lockdown plenty of times in the past and knew exactly what to expect when I walked through that door. All the sheep were probably rushing to get everything ready for the families that would be with us during lockdown. It was their job to take care of us; cook and clean…and whatever else the MC brothers might need.
Quinn turned and her pale face broke into a smile when she spotted me hurrying toward her. “Flick. God, it’s so good to see you.” Careful of the baby in my arms, she hugged me hard. “When Colt told me you had actually come home with Jet, I couldn’t believe it. You were smart, babe. You got out. I only wish I could do that.” The last was said
