Page 38 of Tack’s Bounty

“Babe, it’s okay to cry,” he offered.

She turned her face up to him, her brow furrowed. “But you’re in a motorcycle club, and you need a strong woman.”

He tilted her chin a little farther up to capture her lips. The feel of her plush lips and the way she sweetly met his tongue with her tentative licks had him relaxing for the first time today. He broke the kiss, staring into her eyes.

“Being strong doesn’t mean not crying. It means we’ll always be here for each other. You did what you needed to do in the moment, but you’ve lost a lot. I can’t imagine how it feels to know that they did all that for a treasure that may or may not exist,” he tightened his arms, dropping a kiss on her nose. “Now, what do you need?”

She slipped her arms around his back, burying her head against his chest. A sniff was the only warning he had before she was sobbing and shaking in his arms. The deluge of tears welling up out of her after all she’d been through broke his heart but was needed.

He patted her back, holding her as she cried. He couldn’t protect her from everything, but he’d always be there to soothe her. He kissed her head, thinking through what he needed to do. Although he loved the farmhouse, he wondered if she’d be agreeable to splitting their time. He could build a house like Justice and Pit had done, providing a safe place behind the compound walls. They could split their time between the farmhouse and the compound depending on schedules.

He wondered if Sophia would be agreeable to having a Prospect on duty at the farm all the time. It would give Tack peace of mind, especially when he was on duty and wasn’t with her there.

They may have neutralized the threat of Jolene and Rufus, but her house and clinic being at the edge of the street with land near her would always make her a target for someone thinking the house would be an easy mark.

Sophia’s sobs were quieting.

“I love you, Sophia. I wish I could have spent more time with your parents, getting to know them, because they raised an amazing woman,” Tack whispered against her hair.

She sniffed, turning to stare at him with her reddened eyes, “They would have loved seeing me with you. At least, you knew them a little.”

Tack held his woman in his arms, knowing that at some point they’d need to decide what to do with Jolene and Rufus. Even though he was a one-percenter, he was inclined to let them go to jail for bigamy and what they’d done, but then Sophia might have to deal with a trial if Rufus and Jolene wouldn’t take a deal.

“Hey, babe, if you could choose Rufus and Jolene’s fate, what would it be?” Tack asked.

Sophia was quiet for a while before replying. He let her think, though he wished this was one of those times that she was thinking aloud.

“I can’t bring my parents back, so I want them out of my life. I don’t want to see Jolene every time I look across the street. I want to get on with our life. Didn’t you promise me a property cut?” she said softly against his chest.

“I did,” he replied. It was supposed to be finished tomorrow. Originally, he wanted to present it at the party on Friday, but it wasn’t something required in their bylaws. “It’s supposed to be here no later than Wednesday.”

She snuggled against him. “I want a ride with you wearing my Property cut and maybe dancing?” she murmured before her deep breathing let him know she’d fallen asleep.

He could make that happen because it was what she wanted. They’d discuss in Church how best to deal with Rufus and Jolene, then she could close that chapter of her life and look toward the beautiful life Tack planned on giving her.

Chapter Twenty

Sophia watched Harvey patrol the house, making his rounds to check out the front door before taking his place by the back door off the kitchen. Yesterday morning, after Tack had dropped her off, she’d checked Harvey’s wounds and deemed he was well enough to be in the house. He didn’t even need a cone because his wounds were good enough that he wasn’t trying to lick them. The sigh he gave as he settled on the rug near the door brought a smile to her face before the anger coursed through her again.

She’d had plenty of time to think after Tack had dropped her off on his way to his shift. Although watching the squirrels scare Jolene and Rufus was fun, it didn’t seem quite enough because they had a lot to atone for. Rufus had stabbed Harvey, causing him pain, and Sophia had almost lost him. They’d orchestrated the accident that had killed her parents, and Sophia had never had a valid marriage. There were numerous other things they’d done, including the marks she’d wear on her skin forever.

With the information the club had now, Cuffs was diving deeper before the club decided what to do with Jolene and Rufus. Despite everything, Rufus and Jolene were refusing to name the “he” that Rufus had mentioned when she and Ruthy were listening in. Sophia didn’t want to have to testify at a trial, and she never wanted to see them again. She’d left it up to Tack and the club to give them a satisfying punishment.

What really shot her anger through the roof was that Rufus and Jolene had done it all because of the promise of a treasure—a treasure that might not even exist. Which brought up the point that she needed to check the tree. She could wait for Tack, but she didn’t want to derail their evening. He promised he’d have her cut tonight and that they’d go on a date.

She’d seen the patients she needed to this morning, eaten lunch, and she had the afternoon free. She wondered if Freedom and Lake wanted to help her do a little treasure hunting.

“Freedom, Lake,” she called.

Freedom walked into the kitchen and cocked her eyebrow. Lake came tramping down the stairs. She had on jeans, a T-shirt, Jolene’s journal, and a compass.

“Ready and waiting to go search for a treasure,” Lake quipped.

Sophia giggled at her friend. Offering Freedom and Lake room and board had been one of the best decisions of her life. “Umm, we know where to check because, hello, the tree. What’s the compass for?”

“You never know when we’ll need it. I watched so many treasure movies last night—The Goonies, National Treasure, National Treasure 2, (not as good in my opinion), and Holes. What if when we dig by the tree, there’s a note that says go five paces to the northwest? I want to be prepared,” Lake informed them, nodding her head.

“I’m not going to say no to a compass, but we probably need a couple of shovels. Let’s grab those and take one of the ATVs there,” Sophia suggested.