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Jax reads the page and then the next couple. While he reads, my attention turns back to her. She’s nibbling on her lip as she toys with the hem of her shirt. As the silence wears on, she starts to shuffle on her feet and her face seems a bit paler than before.
After a few more moments, Jax closes the notebook and looks back up at her. “What’s your name?
“Mae. Mae Rose Cole.”
I hear Levi gasp and my gaze snaps to hers in confusion, but she’s watching Smoke with concern. I switch my focus to him and the look on his face is fucking murderous.
A whimper escapes Mae and instinctively, I step in front of her, shielding her in case Smoke flips the fuck out. One of her small hands clutches the back of my cut and I feel her other hand land on my arm.
Shocks shoot down my arm and I inhale sharply. She inhales sharply as well, and some part of me settles when I realize it wasn’t just me that felt that. Also, the need to protect her skyrockets even further.
“I get you’re pissed as fuck, Smoke, and I don’t fucking blame you, but scaring her until she faints isn’t the answer. How about we go inside so she can sit down, and we can talk more? She’s got to be tired as fuck after walking all the way out here under the hot sun and who knows what else to get here.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Levi walking toward Smoke and she hugs him, whispering something in his ear. After a few minutes, his breathing returns to normal and the scowl that’s been a memory since Levi came here is now fully back in place. He gives her a curt nod and thrusts the papers toward Mae. The abrupt action causes her to jump back behind me and another whimper escapes her. I look over my shoulder at her in shock.
Fuck, did her stepdad beat her?
Turning back toward Smoke, I’m guessing he’s thinking the same thing based on the look on his face. I hold out my hand for the papers and after hesitating a minute; he thrusts them into my hand before stalking inside.
I quickly tuck the papers and pictures inside the notebook without looking at them and turn toward her so she’s more at my side. She switches her grip to the front of my cut as she watches his retreating back with a scared and nervous expression on her face. I place a hand on her lower back, resisting the urge to wrap her tight against me. She’s mine, but I’m even more certain that she’ll be hesitant to agree to be mine, which makes my chest ache.
“None of us will hurt you as long as you aren’t trying to bring harm to the club. We don’t hurt women or children,” I say as I look down at her. What I don’t say is that sometimes we do have to take care of women depending on the situation, but Levi and Sasha have handled those instances in the past.
Her face screws up in confusion as she looks up at me. “Why the heck would I intentionally bring harm to the club? All I wanted to do was to meet my dad. Find out his side of the story because I now know my mom and stepdad have been lying to me my whole life. If he’s willing, I was wondering if he’d be able to help me figure out a way to stay safe from my stepdad and Bruce.”
Well, at least she still has a bit of sass and, for some reason, I’m finding her lack of actual cussing adorable as fuck.
Her face pales at the mention of them. “Oh, coconuts. Am I going to be in trouble or hurt if I stay here and Bruce or my stepdad bring their mess to your doors?”
I curse and wrap my arm around her trembling shoulders, pulling her closer to me. “If they come here looking for you, they’ll have a fight on their hands.”
In more way than one.
Levi looks up at me, a question in her eyes and I fucking pray she doesn’t say anything right now. With how scared Mae was before and feeling her trembling increase, I’m afraid she might bolt or faint.
She winks and smirks at me. I return it, and then she turns toward Thor, patting his chest. “I’m going to check on Jax. Be nice, hun.”
He grunts and then smacks her ass as she walks past. She mock glares at him and then shrieks and laughs when Dragon picks her up bridal style, laughing along with her.
“Dragon, put me down! I may be pregnant, but I can still walk, you jackass!”
Their laughter breaks the tension and has the rest of us laughing. Shaking my head, I look down at Mae, who’s staring after them in confusion.
I lean down, whispering to fill her in. “That’s Levi, Thor and Dragon’s Old Lady. They’re getting married next week.”
Shock fills her face before she slightly tilts her head and nods. “Oh, they must have been who Susie and Jordan were talking about.”
Someone abruptly stops next to me and when I look up, I’m surprised to see Axe’s face tight with anger. Thor’s looking between her and Axe as well.
“What’d you say?” Axe asks.
Mae shrinks back a little at his tone and presses closer into me. While I’m glad she’s stepped closer in my arms and is seeking safety with me, I wish she were pressing against me for a different reason. I glare at Axe for scaring her again.
“I’m guessing you’re Axe? Susie’s older brother? I rode the bus from Rixen to here, and met Susie and her son, Jordan. They sat across the aisle from me. I was reading Mom’s journals when the bus broke down. That’s when I heard Jordan complaining that he was bored. Since I didn’t know how long it would take to get fixed, I pulled out some paper.”
Mae twists as she bends down to get something out of her bag. I have to bite my tongue to silence my groan at seeing her cute heart-shaped ass sticking out at me. When she stands back up, she has a notebook and flips to the back before handing it to Axe. She steps closer to me again, and I put my hand back on her hip, relieved when she leans into me further.
“Jordan and I played tic-tac-toe and hangman for about three hours while we waited for a new bus, and then again for almost another half-hour till we arrived in town on the second bus. We talked, and I found out the stuff I read online about the club was true, which is the complete opposite of what Preston told me throughout the years. Susie said they were coming to town to visit you, her parents, and to attend a baby shower as well as a wedding. I assume she means theirs. Or is someone else also getting married and having a baby?”
