Destroy For Her - R.B. Hilliard Page 0,12

a farmhouse to a speakeasy. From there, it became a whorehouse and ended up as a hotel. It was abandoned and rundown by the time Alex’s great uncle took it on. He fixed it up and established what was now the MC’s headquarters. Sage hated the place when Gibbs was alive. She’d blamed it for their failing marriage. Now, it felt like home.

They rounded the circular drive and pulled in front of the house. Steele cut the engine. His head turned, his eyes landing on her. “Fair warning, things have changed a little since you were last here.”

“Changed how?” she asked while thinking, they probably added a new bar.

“LuLu,” Alex muttered with a laugh.

“I think it looks better,” Doc commented.

“I’m hungry!” Petal exclaimed.

Steele smiled at Petal, and Sage tried not to stare. Arlan Steele was like a fine wine—he just got better and better with age. She met him when she was nineteen and he was in his late twenties, back when she and Gibbs first hooked up. His hair was dark back then, but what turned heads were those silver-gray eyes. She’d never seen eyes that color. Even though his hair was mostly silver now and he had a few more wrinkles, he was still one of the hottest men she’d ever seen. Not as hot as Alex.

“How about I see if one of the girls can feed you while Ax and I have a chat with your mom?” Steele asked Petal.

Petal’s smile faded to a look of uncertainty—a clear indicator that she wasn’t okay with his suggestion.

“You love Montana, Treena, and Zoe,” Alex interjected.

Petal bent forward, her eyes connecting with Sage’s. “I want to be with you,” she whispered.

Sage shot Steele an apologetic look while Alex unclipped Petal’s seatbelt and lifted her onto his lap.

“We’re right here, baby girl. Steele and I are going to keep you and your momma safe. You’ve been away a long time. Everyone will be so excited to see you, which means they’re gonna want to spend time with you. It’s okay if you want to stick close to your mom, but if you happen to get inside and feel comfortable enough to let us grown-ups talk for a minute, let me know.”

At Petal’s nod, they exited the car. Sage was sore, but thanks to the pain meds, it was now bearable. She wondered where everyone was but then remembered that it was still early.

Doc announced that he was going home and would be back to check on her later before peeling away from the group.

Right as they stepped inside the entry, two men came barreling down the stairs.

“Tiny, Cupcake!” Petal shouted.

Tiny was a gentle giant. Seriously, the guy was taller than Arson, who was at least six-three. Sage wondered if he’d earned his patch while they were in Mexico. If so, she hoped they’d given him one hell of a party. She didn’t know Cupcake, but he seemed like a nice guy nice.

“Pesty!” Tiny called. As he swooped down and lifted Petal into his arms, Sage held her breath.

Before Carlos, Petal had zero reservations when it came to men. Now, she was reserved, even frightened, especially when they were big like Tiny.

“My name is Petal, silly,” Petal replied through a fit of giggles. Sage slowly released her breath.

Tiny smiled. “Are you sure? I thought it was Pesty.” His gaze shifted to Sage, his body tensing as he took in her battered face. “What the fuck?!”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Cupcake said.

“Bad language,” Petal scolded while patting Tiny’s cheek like a dog.

Sage’s eyes dropped to her feet, her face heating with embarrassment. She’d been so consumed with Petal that she’d forgotten.

Steele, thankfully, intervened. “I take it you spoke to Ego. I want two men on the gate at all times, and I want the two of you in charge of making that happen.”

“Got it,” they both replied.

Tiny bent over and carefully lowered Petal to the ground. “I’ll see you later, princess,” he told her. His eyes sliced to Sage, his jaw hardening in anger. He gave them a stiff nod, then exited out the front door.

“If you need me to kill someone, just holler,” Cupcake told her before following Tiny out the door.

Sage had a feeling she was going to experience a lot of that.

“Food first or sleep?” Alex asked.

“Talk first, then food, bath, and sleep,” she replied.

“You got it.” He took her uninjured hand in his and shivers rolled through her as he steered her toward the kitchen.

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