her into my arms, taking the bag from her and I kiss her like my life fucking depends on it, because it does. She’s my life. Anything happens to her, it’ll destroy me, break me into a million pieces and tear out my heart.
“Okay?” I ask her.
She nods. “I will be.”
“He ain’t getting near you, babe. I promise.”
And it’s a promise I fully intend to keep.
27
Amy
We don’t head to a hotel, but to the Sons clubhouse instead. Shane is convinced he can keep me safer with his brothers at his back, and I agree with him. These men are armed and dangerous and if Rick comes here, he won’t get past the perimeter fences. He’d disappeared for ten minutes or so to tell Omen what was happening and then returned a little while later. I was glad he didn’t leave me alone for too long.
Shane’s room is basic, but clean. There are no real personal effects around the room, which I guess is because he didn’t plan on staying here for long. I have to admit, I feel much safer staying here than I would have done staying in a hotel.
While Shane showers in the small bathroom, I get ready for bed. I’m so tired and now that my adrenaline has fled, I’m ready to crash. I get into my cupcake jammies and climb under the covers. I drift a little until I hear the shower turning off. He comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later and moves over to the bed, slipping in behind me. His thick, strong arms wrap around me, tugging my back against his chest, even as his mouth goes to my neck. He kisses me gently there before snuggling against me.
“You doing okay?”
“Yes.”
“That a lie?”
“Yes,” I admit, biting my bottom lip. “I won’t let this man bully me. It’s bad enough he’s doing it to Natalie. This is how they get away with doing terrible things. They make you think you have no power, no control. They strip that from you a piece at a time.”
He rubs his fingers up my arm. “Is that what happened with you?”
I let out a breath. The last person I want to think about is Dr Hofstadter when I’m in bed with the man I love, but I understand why Shane is curious.
“At first, it seemed harmless. He would get me in on the interesting cases, make sure I was always the nurse assisting him, but that came at a price.” The first time he’d touched me, I’d frozen, like a deer caught in the headlights. I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it happening, even days later. Then a few days later he touched me again and I knew it wasn’t in my head. I knew it happened.
“I want to kill that fucker.”
“Well, you can’t. He’s already dead.”
“Which pisses me the hell off. He got off too easy.”
He did. Hofstadter should have had his name dragged through the mud for what he’d done to me and those other women. Death was the easy way out. He never had to deal with any of the consequences of what he’d done. When it came down to it, though. I’m glad Harlen did what he had to do to keep Harmony safe. The thought of being without her makes my veins fill with ice.
“It’s the past,” I tell him, not wanting to get into it.
Shane isn’t quite so content to let it lie. “He’s why you set up the group?”
“When it happened to me, I felt so alone, so scared. I never wanted others to feel like that. The group gives them a safe space to come and talk, to get advice. I never expected to be dealing with threats.”
“I don’t like you being in the firing line,” he says, nuzzling my neck.
“Usually, I’m not, but this man who is threatening Natalie is different. He’s not like any of the others I’ve dealt with. I hate to say it, but I’m out of my element with him.”
“Babe, you couldn’t have predicted he’d go psycho. The man clearly is a few bikes short of a rally.”
I snort. “A what?”
He tickles my side. “You taking the piss out of me?”
I assume that means am I teasing him. I giggle and try to get away from his fingers. “Would I do that?”
He brings his mouth down on mine and I stop struggling, melting like chocolate in his arms. Shane makes my world calm, makes me feel in control, even if I’m not. For