everything he had to say, it had to wait. “I need to go inside and find the restroom.”
“Small place, babe. I think you’ll see it right away.” Absinthe stood anyway and walked with her inside, his fingers tangling with hers.
He was right. It was a small coffee shop, but obviously popular. All the tables inside were taken as well, but not by Torpedo Ink members. That didn’t surprise her. None of them seemed the indoor type to her, especially in close quarters. She went straight to the bathroom, grateful it wasn’t in use.
The roar of pipes was very loud through the open window even over the sound of running water as she washed her hands. There hadn’t been eighteen members of Torpedo Ink sitting at the tables, so maybe the rest of Absinthe’s club had come to join them. Still, just the sound of the motorcycles made her tense up. She couldn’t help herself and she needed to get over that if she was really going to make a real effort at a life with him—and she wanted to. This was her one chance with a man who would match her in everything she needed or wanted. Everything. They might have a million issues to work out, but every single one would be well worth the effort.
Before Absinthe got to the part where he pissed her off, she had to do some confessing of her own. He had definitely told her things about himself he wouldn’t have told to just anyone. She had to learn trust all over again. The way her parents had died had shaken her belief in them and in their love for her. She’d lost faith that anyone could actually love her. That was really at the heart of her issues. Not only did she feel the guilt of her sister’s death weighing her down, but she didn’t believe anyone could ever really love her. If her own parents couldn’t stay alive for her and see her through Priscilla’s rape and death, if they blamed her, how could anyone else really love her? Wasn’t a mother’s love unconditional at least?
She looked at herself in the mirror. Her green eyes stared back at her. She’d come into the room believing she had a chance with Absinthe, and just that quickly she’d talked herself out of it. She had to stop and grab at life with both hands while she had the chance. If she didn’t, if she was a coward, the chance wouldn’t come around again.
The moment she stepped outside the restroom door; she knew something was wrong. The man named Savage was inside, one hip leaning lazily against the wall right next to the entrance. Absinthe waited for her beside the glass case of ice cream toppings.
“What is it?” Scarlet asked, looking up at him.
“Stay right in between Savage and me,” Absinthe said. “Give us both room to maneuver just in case. We’re going to walk to my motorcycle. We’ll leave your car here. Savage will cover you while you get on and we’ll head to the clubhouse.”
He spoke very low, but there was something in his voice that told her not to argue and, more, made her want to obey every word. As he talked, he walked her straight toward the door. Savage opened it and then fell into step with the two of them.
Scarlet didn’t ask questions because she saw the small group of bikers heading toward them. She could easily read the name of the club on the cuts. Venomous club. She’d been told by her new attorney how each of the witnesses had been visited by these club members and they were too scared to take the stand and tell the truth of what had happened that night. Her original defense attorney, and the judge, had known the witnesses had been intimidated and were too scared to testify on her behalf, although they’d written out sworn statements.
The men stopped the moment they saw Absinthe and Savage with Scarlet in between them. One stepped forward. A patch proclaimed him as the sergeant at arms.
“Absinthe.”
“Iron.”
“See you got to her first. We were supposed to have a few days’ start. Since you found her first, we’ll share the reward with you. And the fun. Holden wants her used hard, just brought to him alive. We can take her back to our clubhouse …”
“You fucking bastard,” Scarlet hissed softly under her breath. The sense of betrayal made her sick. Her hand moved toward the gun concealed