Page 44 of Double the Redemption

“You think I don’t already fucking know that?” Ink barked, unable to hold back. “You think I don’t feel bad enough as it is?”

“Not bad enough, considering how upset she is. I should beat your ass for terrifying her the way you two idiots did.” Taz looked at Savage. “She should have fucking clipped you and knocked some sense into you.”

Savage’s expression hardened, and he seared Taz with a glare. Taz ignored him and looked back at Ink. “She told me she explained to you what would happen if they found her. Was that worth trying to get your dick wet?”

“Fuck you, Taz,” Ink seethed. “I don’t want anything to do with Kayla or any of the other club girls. I’ve been stuck on Naomi since she fucking got here. You think I wouldn’t have rather taken that bullet than see her so fucking scared? Knowing I had a huge part in scaring Asher? It’s tearing me up. You want to beat on me, fine, but I’m not letting you take her away.”

“That’s not up to you,” Simba stated. “It’s Naomi’s choice, and ours if we believe she has been compromised. This is far bigger than you and your wants, Ink. Her safety and her son’s safety are our responsibility, and you’ve proven that giving you a second chance might be too big a risk.”

“So that’s it? You’re going to squirrel her away in some safe house where she’s going to end up all alone again? You guys aren’t going to stick around when you’re on a mission and leave her vulnerable. So why would she be better off with you?”

“Because we know how to protect the people in our care and don’t put a party ahead of their protection,” Warg said. “And she would never be unprotected.”

Ink wanted to bare his teeth at them. He wanted to pound his fists on the table and demand they leave and let him fix it with Naomi. Prove that he’d protect her and Asher with everything he had.

Instead, he bit his tongue and glared at them.

“Alright, enough,” Savage snapped. “All this back-and-forth is wasting time. What do you want from us? What do you need to make this right? Ink’s made it clear he wants Naomi and Asher. He spent hours with her today, trying to fix it. That means something. And I’ll give you an apology for fucking shit up. That’s on me, and I’ll correct it so it never happens again. That includes dealing with the prospects.”

Simba looked at Glitch, who nodded. “Karissa and I accept our roles in this as well. We should have ensured that, and that’s on us.” She looked at Savage. “Until Naomi’s situation and testimony are presented in federal court, Karissa and I will serve as members of our club. No parties. Our only jobs are to support the team on missions and to secure Naomi’s protection. We will coordinate with you and your prospects to assure adequate coverage of the compound.”

Savage said nothing for a moment, but Ink could tell he didn’t like it. It was a clear blow to their egos. They had messed up, and now two of the women would be running part of the show.

On the other hand, he could see the benefit. It kept the lines from getting muddy, and it meant that maybe Naomi would feel safer.

“We’re also going to leave one of our team here, and we’ll alternate out when we pass through,” Simba added. His tone left no room for argument. “Between the three of them, there shouldn’t be any more problems.”

“So you’re going to keep her here?” Ink tried not to let hope seep into his voice but didn’t quite manage it.

Simba glared at him. “It was no small feat. You don’t understand how fucking close you were to losing her and never seeing her again, Ink. She was half packed before we talked to her.”

“How’d you convince her to stay?” Fury asked, brow arched. “She seemed pretty bound and determined to go.”

“The twins stopped by.”

Rogue cursed. “I told them to stay fucking put.”

“When have they ever listened to you?” Razor scoffed.

“The girls came in and said they heard what happened,” Simba continued. “They called you all every name in the book too.” His lips quirked just a bit, and Rogue sighed. “Asher might be repeating a few of those words, but Naomi let it slide. The two of them started in on how stupid every single one of you is, and why MCs need women in them to keep you all in line. Then they oh-so-cleverly reminded her that if she went with us, she’d be around a bunch of idiot men again, and that we’d be far worse than you. What did she call us?” he asked Taz.

Taz’s grin was quick and sharp. “Overbearing douchebags who got off on ordering women around and had the emotional intelligence of a slug. There might have been a couple more insults in there, but those really stood out.”

A small chuckle echoed around the room.

“But it was the fact that they said they understood how scared she was of the entire situation. They said they’d been through something similar, and that Scarlett had to trust a couple of men to help them, and they fucked up a few times along the way. But holding onto that fear wasn’t living. It also made you bitter. They agreed that you all needed to know you’d screwed up, but maybe to give you a second chance. Especially if some of us are sticking around.”

“They also pointed out that if she wanted to explore whatever it was between her and Ink, it was the perfect time to see how far they could make him grovel and crawl,” Taz added, with a dark smile aimed at Ink.

Wait, they saw that there was something between them? Did Naomi want him too?

Ink’s head reeled at the thought. A small kernel of hope bloomed in his belly.

“She finally agreed to stay as long as one of us is here, along with Karissa and Glitch, and she’s been given a weapon for self-defense.” Simba gave Savage a slow smile, and Savage let out a low groan before nodding his agreement.

“Oh, and no more parties,” Warg added. “If you want to party, do it without bringing anyone else. If you want to get your dicks wet, leave the grounds and don’t bring anyone back here. We’ll make sure of that.”

“Careful,” Savage warned. “I’ve held my tongue, but don’t make the mistake of thinking you have a say on these grounds.”