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“Nope. I got this.”
“Do you even have your phone?”
“Nope. Was in my shorts pocket and I have no idea where they even are. Probably in the trash by now.”
I chuckled and took out my phone. I aimed to snap a pic, but Lemon seemed to sense what I was doing and hefted the bird up, if a bit weakly. I sent the pic to Wylde who responded back with a rolling-on-the-floor-laughing emoji. Yeah. The man knew her and knew that middle finger meant she was good.
“Want to go to bed?” I kicked off my shoes before walking through the small house to toss my shirt in the bathroom. My jeans followed and I started to march back to the living room only to remember I was naked. Much as I loved the thought of taking her to bed now, any bed-taking would only involve sleep. I didn’t think either of us were up for it. Yet.
I found a pair of clean gym shorts and slung them on before going back to the living room. I hadn’t waited for her answer before, and she hadn’t given one. Which meant she was dead where she sat.
As I stood beside the couch, I studied Lemon. Really studied her. I already knew she was sassy and more full of life than any person I’d ever met. I’d expected her take-charge attitude. The snark was a given. But the way she’d dealt with the members of my club, the club girls, her sisters, and her young charge -- who we needed to check on -- and the men who’d kidnapped them were all surprises. I’m not sure if I expected her to back down -- especially with regard to Falcon -- or what exactly, but to have her take on all those challenges and win wasn’t something I’d been prepared to handle. For the first time since I met Lemon, I wondered if maybe I was the one in over my head. And that was damned hard to admit even to myself.
I was about to pick her up and carry her to bed when she spoke. “If you want to have sex, I’ll try. Not sure how much I can manage.”
“Right. I don’t think either of us are in any kind of shape to fuck.”
She didn’t move and her face was still relaxed. Her eyes closed. “Didn’t say we had to fuck. Damned sure ain’t up for that. But we can have sex. As long as you do all the work. I can be on top if you need me to, but you’ll still have to do most of the work. I’ll just straddle your hips and lay there.”
I laughed then, even though it hurt like a mother bitch. “You are somethin’ else, princess.”
She frowned then, still not opening her eyes or moving. “That’s not goin’ away anytime soon. Is it?”
“Nope.” I leaned in to scoop her up off the couch. She was completely limp in my arms, her head resting against my shoulder as I carried her to my bed. Even though I had no intention of making her mine yet, my cock tented my shorts at full attention. I think I had been hard the entire day since I’d first laid eyes on her. “We’ll get a couple hours sleep, then we’ll meet Bullet for those images. After that, we’ll call and check on your little friend.”
Instantly, Lemon was wide awake. “Effie! I promised her I wouldn’t leave her!” She wiggled, trying to get down. “Your men brought her to the compound. Where is she? I’ve got to bring her back here with us.”
“Stop struggling, princess. You ain’t gettin’ down.” She did stop and looked up at me like a furious little pixie. “And before you go layin’ down the law, Gina has her. She’s a sweet girl, if a bit shy and withdrawn. Especially since Hammer…” I swallowed what I was about to say. The last thing I wanted to do right now was dredge up the past.
“Why would Hammer’s demise affect her?” I could see the calculating look in Lemon’s eyes. She was putting things together quickly.
“She had a thing for Hammer. Was pretty withdrawn before he left with Scarlet, but she’s gotten worse since his death. Hardly ever leaves her house. Byte checks in on her most days. If he’s not with her I’ll be surprised.”
Then Lemon asked a question I hadn’t been expecting. “Did you ever flush out the rat in your club?”
I sat on the bed with Lemon in my lap, my brows narrowing as I tried to see where she was going with this. “No. Crush and Byte have been working on it off and on for over a year. Since right before you came with Scarlet to pick up Sunshine and Rainbow. We’d kinda came to the conclusion Hammer was fuckin’ with her.”
“Are you sure? I mean, really sure? If this Gina wanted Hammer, maybe she’ll want revenge like he did.”
That pulled me up short. Surely to fucking God I wasn’t that fucking stupid. “No. No way. It’s not in her nature to even think about harming a child, let alone threaten or, God forbid, carry through.”
“That’s what I thought.” Lemon wiggled until she got out of my lap. I was so dumbfounded, I let her. “Take me to Effie. I want to see her and I want to talk to this Gina.”
I sighed. “The only reason you’re gettin’ your way this time is because I believe you have a good reason to be concerned. I think you’re wrong, but I’m willing to concede we hadn’t considered her as an actual suspect.”
“Why not?” The woman was determined. I couldn’t blame her. Scarlet was Lemon’s best friend. It was because of Lemon’s interference that Scarlet made it out of her situation alive. Lemon had proven many times over that she took friendship seriously.
“Like I said, it’s just not the way Gina is.”
“Whatever,” Lemon muttered as she shoved her feet into her flops. “Come on. Take me to Effie.”
Chapter Nine
Lemon
The visit with Effie went surprisingly well. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but the subdued young woman patiently looking after Effie wasn’t it. When we first got there, a man not much older than me opened the door. Rocket called him Byte. He didn’t talk much.
“Lemon!” Effie bolted from the couch and threw herself into my arms. I caught her, hugging her back, if a bit awkwardly. I wasn’t a hugger.
