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“Honey.No one thinks you’re a coward.You’re not a victim either.You’re a survivor.”
“It doesn’t feel like it sometimes.”I didn’t speak loud, all too aware of Wylde close to us.Surprisingly, he’d turned his back and stepped a few steps away, giving us a little bit of privacy to have this conversation.“I still feel broken.”
“You leave that to me, too.You’re healing every single fuckin’ day, Scarlet.I see it in your beautiful smile.”He kissed me once more before letting me go.“Now, please.Just this once.Trust me to take care of whatever’s going on.I need to protect you.As many demons as you have, I have more.This is one of them.”
I stared at him for several moments.Mars didn’t rush me or try to tell me how this was for my own good or some other bullshit.He let me take my time.Think it over before giving him an answer.
“Okay, but you have to tell me everything when you’re done.No sugarcoating it.”
Mars leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my lips once again.It was almost like he couldn’t help himself.I know I was grateful for it because I was growing addicted to those kisses.“I promise.”
“OK, then.”I smiled up at him.It was still hard to believe I was in the care of a man who treated me the way Mars did.The first couple of days I’d been here, he hadn’t let me walk anywhere.He’d either brought me anything I needed or carried me wherever I needed to go.That had stopped.Mostly.But he never left my side for long if he could help it.When he did, he made sure someone else was with me.
Before leaving to go with Wylde, Mars took me to the media room where Apple and Lemon were waiting.Apple greeted me with a big smile and a hug while Lemon lounged in a chair with her leg hooked over the arm.She was blowing bubbles and twirling her hair, but looked bored as all get out.Except her gaze fixed on Mars was keen and all too knowing.The girl might be a year or so younger than me, but she wasn’t a kid.She was a force to be reckoned with.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can.Don’t leave here unless you have one of the brothers with you.”He hiked a thumb over his shoulder.“Breaker and Deacon are outside the door.You need something they can’t get for you, you take one of them with you.”
“I will.”When I smiled up at him, Mars kissed me one more time before leaving, closing the door behind him.
Chapter Eight
Mars
As I followed Wylde to his office, every protective instinct I had was screaming at me that this was gonna be bad.When we entered the office, Sting, Brick, and Roman were right behind us.
“You said it was urgent, Wylde.”Sting didn’t sit, but shut the door before leaning against it.“What’s up?”
“I just got a call from Ripper at Salvation’s Bane.We’ve got trouble headed our way.”
Sting glanced at me.“This has something to do with Scarlet.”It wasn’t a question.
Wylde nodded, the normally snarky, fun-loving man as serious as I’d ever seen him.“This is all through back channels.Ripper’s been keeping an eye on Grim Road ever since Doc took Rocket’s daughter as his woman.He passed this on to me same time as he did Thorn.Seems like Hammer turned up back at the Grim compound in Florida the day after you contacted them.”
There was a knock at the door and Sting moved before opening it.Stitches was there.Another grim-faced member of Tzars.“Finally heard back from Doc at Bane.”
“We were just discussing him,” Sting said.“What’d you find out?”
“That Rocket is pissed as fuck.He’s coming here intent on wipin’ this place of the fuckin’ map.”
“He say why?”
“That would be why I called this meeting,” Wylde interrupted.“Hammer got to Claw before I could.I’m sorry, Sting.Mars.”
Sting grunted.“Not your fault.Hammer’s with Grim Road.He’s gonna have access to the officers easier than us.What happened?”
“Claw and Rocket believe Scarlet’s being held here against her will.That we’re the ones hurting her.”
That was all I could take.I sprang to my feet, crossed the room and punched the wall with all my might.“Fuckin’ Goddamn motherfucker!When I get my fuckin’ hands on him, I’m gonna peel the fuckin’ skin from his fuckin’ body!”
“We’re all gonna have a go,” Sting said softly.“Can you track them, Wylde?”
“Can I track them, he asks.Of course, I can fuckin’ track them.”It was the first sign of Wylde’s personality when he’d been subdued and very serious until now.“That’s the other reason I called you guys.They took their time, getting everyone together.Whatever they were doing -- and I gotta say, it was buried so fuckin’ deep I haven’t figured out what it was yet -- they pulled the fuck out.I can tell you it was important enough they’ve got Bane watchin’ their territory.Took every single member they could spare and fuckin’ left Dodge a few months ago when Doc got together with his woman, Talia.They headed this way from their compound this morning.It’s a fifteen-hour drive, so they’re gonna be here in three hours.”
“Hammer with them?”
“Oh, yeah.”The grin Wylde gave me was positively evil.“He’s the one I’m tracking.Started looking for him the second you brought Scarlet to us.His phone has some serious encryption.Took some doin’ but I got the bastard.His kung-fu is not as strong as he thought.”As always, Wylde looked smug as shit when delivering that news.“Tracking everyone else’s phone too just to shove a leash up their asses, but Hammer was the most important.”He leaned back in his chair.“Been listening in on their conversations.Claw insisted Hammer come with them.Said he wanted Hammer to point out who Scarlet had interactions with.The ones most likely to have snatched her.But he and Rocket have doubts about Hammer.Yes.They’re coming to level this place and wipe out the Tzars in Evansville.But they’re also not cashin’ in all their chips.”He nodded at Sting.“They’ll listen to you.Most importantly, they’ll listen to Scarlet.”
“So they’re coming with an open mind?”Sting didn’t look convinced, but was apparently willing to continue listening.
