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“Everythin’s gonna be all right, Scarlet,” I murmured.“It’s all gonna be fine.”
“I don’t want to go back to Hammer,” she whispered.“I know it’s what my father wanted, but I can’t do this anymore.”
“Don’t give a fuck what your daddy wants,” I snapped.“You’re stayin’ with me.I’m gonna protect you from now on.No matter what.”I tried to keep my voice soft, for her ears alone.But I was all too aware of the other men in the truck.Didn’t matter.They’d all find out soon enough anyway.Scarlet was staying with me.
She looked up at me and we locked gazes for a long time.Scarlet seemed to be looking for something I had no idea how to give her.There was no give in me right now, and I knew I’d do everything in my power to keep her with me.Once my rational brain kicked back in, maybe I could let her go her own way.But I didn’t think so.
When we pulled into the compound gate, she finally gave me a slow nod.“All right.I’ll stay with you.”
I grunted.“Damned straight, honey.Damned straight.”
Chapter Five
Scarlet
The second I agreed to stay with Mars, an immense peace enveloped me.I’d only seen the guy a couple of times, but the way he held me, refused to let me go, it was comforting.It shouldn’t be.I didn’t know this guy, and hadn’t I just tried to kill myself to get away from a man who refused to let me go?This felt… different.
Mars carried me into the clubhouse and through the common room.Surprisingly, there were only a few club members and no club whores.There was usually one or two hanging around, even when the place was filled with old ladies.I’d only ever seen the place jovial and welcoming.Now, everything was silent.
Sting, the president of Iron Tzars, approached me, his old lady, Iris, at his side.“I’m sorry, Scarlet.”His voice was soft, but his face was blank.
Iris looked like she’d been gutted.She reached out and stroked the hair from my forehead.“I’m so sorry.We should have helped you before…” Her voice broke and she swallowed, shaking her head like she couldn’t bear to voice what had happened.
“I’ve been trying to talk to Claw since Rage followed you home yesterday.”Sting scrubbed a hand over his face.“The guy I spoke with, Wolf, said he was otherwise occupied.He was supposed to reach out to him in the field, but I got the impression his team was unreachable except at certain intervals.”
“Don’t think it matters much.”I hadn’t really meant to say that out loud, but it was a bitter, sore spot.I still hoped Hammer was messing with me, but considering I hadn’t spoken to my dad since we’d left, I was afraid he wasn’t.
“If that’s the case, we want to know that too.”Sting shook his head a couple of times, like he wasn’t sure what to say or do.“I’m sorry we let you down, Scarlet.”
“It wasn’t your fault.”I still clung to Mars, but I managed to look at Sting and Iris.Tears flowed down Iris’s face freely while Sting looked hard as nails.
Sting turned his head.Brick was standing next to him, a hard, angry expression on his face.To be fair, the few times I’d seen Brick, I’d never seen him anything other than very intense unless he was looking at his woman, Serelda.Then Sting seemed to come to a decision.“I’m done being nice.We talk to the highest-ranking person currently present at Grim Road.Now.I don’t care if it’s a fuckin’ prospect.”Sting’s voice was low and menacing, his anger coming through in spades.
“Give me ten minutes.”Wylde spoke softly.“I’ll get someone on the phone.”I’d met Wylde the one time I was at the Tzars clubhouse and laughed when Apple told me tales of him being a snarky, sarcastic riot of fun.Now he was very subdued.He looked as intense and angry as the rest of them.
“What if he says he doesn’t care?What if he says I’m supposed to be with Hammer?It could cause you guys more trouble than I’m worth.”
Mars growled and squeezed me tighter.God, I could barely breathe!It also hurt my bruised chest.But, Goddamned if it didn’t keep me from shattering.Just like before.
“I don’t give a good Goddamn what he wants, Scarlet,” Mars growled.“If he’s that kind of man, if Grim Road is the kind of club to condone the abuse of a woman until she felt like she had no way out, then they all need to fuckin’ die.”
I whimpered again, shaking my head.“No.That’s my family.”
“A family who pushed you into the arms of a fuckin’ monster.”Mars sounded livid, but his arms were still tight around me, like I was as much his lifeline as he was mine.
“Everybody just calm down a minute.”Blaze was obviously trying to infuse some calm into the situation because it seemed like everyone was about to lose their shit.“We need to talk with someone at Grim Road before we assume their vice president is allowing his daughter to be abused.Eagle.You know Rocket.Do you know Claw?”
“Yeah.”Eagle was leaned against the edge of the bar.His woman, Nyla, stood next to him, her arms wrapped around his middle as she watched everything going on in silence.“This isn’t something I’d have thought he’d condone.Either Hammer brought her here to isolate her from the rest of Grim, or Rocket and Claw aren’t the men I thought they were.”
Blaze gave a slow nod.“Rocket’s daughter is with Doc at Salvation’s Bane MC in Palm Beach, Florida.I’ll have Stitches reach out to him and see what he can tell us about Grim Road.Get it from the perspective of a man who took the Grim Road president’s daughter for his old lady.”
“Good.”Sting looked like he felt better about the whole situation but still had lines of anger clearly visible on his face.
“I hope this is all just one big Goddamned misunderstanding,” Blaze muttered.
“We’ll know soon enough.Once Wylde gets them on the fuckin’ phone.”
It took eight minutes for Wylde to deliver, though it wasn’t Claw he got ahold of but Dom.The sergeant at arms for Grim Road.
