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“You protected my daughter yesterday rather than your own life. For that, I’ll be permanently in your debt. I don’t want anything to happen to her.”
“Hawk, I know what it’s like to lose a child. You’re not in my debt. I hope if I ever have a child one day, then there’ll be someone out there who’d protect my child just the same.”
“Do you stay in touch with your husband?”
“No. I know he’s moved on, and I accept that. To be honest, we probably shouldn’t have even tried for a baby together.”
“Why not?”
“We weren’t in the best place. We’d spoken of divorce a couple of times, and then I found out I was pregnant. For a short time, it was fun. We had the baby to prepare for. To take care of. Our problems seemed to evaporate.”
“Then you lost the baby.”
“Then I lost the baby and nothing was the same again. I mean, in the beginning of our marriage, I loved him. Of course I did, but we both wanted different things. He didn’t want to be a dad, you see. He didn’t suggest I get rid of it or anything. He knew it was what I wanted, and we figured seeing as we were going to be parents, we may as well give our marriage another shot.” She shrugged.
She didn’t look sad about it ending.
“I’ve never been married.”
“You haven’t?”
“Never needed to. Women have come and gone all my life. I imagine it takes a special kind of woman to make a guy do something like that.”
She chuckled. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Haven’t you noticed?”
“I think I may have just figured you out.”
He loved seeing her smile.
“Boss, we have something,” Bear said, coming outside.
Jasmine seemed to wake up, their little bubble being interrupted. Damn it. He liked seeing her smile and relax, listening to her talk. It was so rare for him to have a few moments like this.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Hawk?”
“I’ll be there!” He growled out each word. Bethany started to whimper, and the moment truly was gone.
Jasmine moved behind his daughter, offering her some comfort.
Bear left, but the damage was done.
“I’ll be back,” Hawk said.
“Hawk,” Jasmine said. “Don’t get yourself hurt because of what happened. I’m fine with it. Well, I’m not, but I’m doing okay. I think I’m doing okay.”
She didn’t want him to be hurt.
“I won’t get hurt. I promise.” He nodded at her and at his little girl before heading inside.
Bear was waiting in his office with Red.
“Next time I’m out with her or my daughter, you fucking wait, do you understand?”
“You asked us to come and get you when there’s been a development. There’s been a development.”
“I don’t give a fuck. Don’t ever interrupt me again.”
“Is she your old lady, Prez?” Red asked.
He stared at his two men. He trusted the two of them with his life. They’d been by his side for the last decade, each one showing their loyalty to him and to the club. To claim an old lady added protection to her within the club.
The reason he didn’t care about those women and kids in the parking lot was that he had this place so fucking secure they could do whatever they wanted.
When it came to Jasmine and Bethany, he couldn’t fucking think straight.
“Yeah, she’s my old lady.”
There was no backing out now. Declaring her as such gave him a time limit. She’d have to know what he just declared.
“Make sure all the boys know who she is and that they have to give her respect no matter what. I want her protected.”
“Got it, Boss,” Red said. “Now, to business. We know who ordered the hit on you. It wasn’t Stones’s as we first thought.”
Hawk moved toward the pictures that Red and Bear were looking over.
Things were about to get bloody.
****
Two days later
Bethany was down for the count for an afternoon nap. Jasmine’s shoulder wasn’t hurting her anymore. She was able to use it without much pain, so she made her way down to the kitchen. It had been nearly five days since she made anything. Takeout was starting to all taste the same, and the need to bake something was driving her crazy.
She wanted some fresh cookies, or maybe even a pie. It would all depend on how her arm was with lifting and carrying.
She passed several of the club whores, who avoided her.
Offering them a smile as she passed, she tried not to feel hurt when they completely ignored her.
It wasn’t her problem why they did what they did.
Brushing off their rejection, she went straight into the kitchen to see it bare. Hawk had warned her that no one liked to cook or to clean it up. That as a space within the clubhouse it had been vacant and wasted for a long time.
She saw her machine, and when all this lockdown nonsense was over, she was totally taking it home and having some fun with it.
