Empire of Savages (Savage Hunt MC #1)

24. Alex

Chapter 24

Alex

Nick had insisted on taking me back to my apartment the next morning, while the two prospects he’d roped into babysitting followed behind in a car filled with lumber and tools to fix the office door. I hadn’t protested because the thought of returning to the garage alone made me feel a little nauseous. Nick had been right. What Maddox called foreplay could’ve easily turned into a vicious rape. His brutal violation of my safe place was severely playing with my head. It was only the years of therapy I had under my belt that was keeping me from falling apart.

Running my finger along the door that had been broken yet again, I stepped inside the office and looked around. Nothing looked out of place. The Post-it notes with dicks that Bliss had drawn were still there. The pile of invoices waiting to get paid. The hole in the vinyl seat cover of one of the chairs in the office. Everything looked the same yet had changed irrevocably.

“Everything’s secure,” Nick said, coming back into the office, Lucifer at his heel. He must’ve read the expression on my face, because he added, “You can change your mind, you know. We can shut the shop. Tell Bliss she has the day off. You can come back to the clubhouse.”

As good as that sounded, I knew I couldn’t cave in to my crippling anxiety. “Bliss doesn’t work on weekends, but even if she was here, I can’t close for the day. I have a couple of long-term clients booked in.”

Nick brought his crooked finger under my chin, lifting my face to his. “You don’t have to be brave if you don’t want to be today. What happened last night was traumatic.”

“Not the worst I’ve been through, though,” I whispered back, reaching down to run my fingers over Lucifer’s short fur when he pressed himself into my side.

Nick’s mouth compressed into a firm line, and I could see how much this was costing him. Letting me make the decision to stay. “Colton won’t leave your side,” he said fiercely.

My gaze shifted to the man in question. He had dark-blond hair that flopped over his forehead, bright blue eyes, and a serious set to his expression. Nick’s fingers tightened on my jaw, urging my focus back onto him.

“You need anything, ask Colton. After Mateo secures the door, he’ll be around, too, but you won’t see him.”

Lucifer whimpered at his feet, and with a roll of his eyes, Nick added, “And Lucifer is here too.”

I hadn’t felt this kind of concern since my brother, and thinking about Luca now made my throat tight. I wondered what he would’ve made of all this—what he would’ve thought of Nick. Knowing my brother, he would’ve given Nick hell before accepting him as a part of my life. “I’ll be fine. It’ll only be half a day, tops. I won’t accept any drop-in clients.”

He stepped closer into my personal space, sealing his mouth on mine in a possessive kiss. I clutched at his cut, holding him against me until Colton cleared his throat. When Nick pulled away, he threw a look of disdain at the prospect and kissed me once more.

“Half a day,” he repeated. “Then Mateo and Colton bring you back to the clubhouse.”

Not wanting to sound like a needy woman, I asked my next question casually. “Will you be there?”

“I have club business today, but I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, and there will be more members at the clubhouse later this afternoon. They’re here for Molly’s funeral tomorrow. I want you to come with me.”

I nibbled on my bottom lip, unsure. “I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“You wouldn’t be. You’d be there with me. I want you there.” He cupped my jaw, pressing a kiss to my lips. “If I’m not there when you get back to the clubhouse, stay in my room.”

I nodded, tipping my head up to accept another kiss.

After Nick left, Colton followed me into the garage, settling onto the rolling stool in the corner of the workshop. The Honda I was working on this morning was already in position to be lifted on the hoist, the other bay empty for the moment. I expected Mrs. Bonville to come in soon with her 1974 Cadillac Seville for its “quarterly checkup.

With the rhythmic hammering coming from the office as the door was fixed, I got on with my work, Lucifer by my side and with the world outside the garage roller doors continuing to roll on by.

About an hour later, Bliss showed up to the garage, checking out the silent sentinel in the corner of the room with a curious look. “What’s with the scary biker man?” she asked, thumbing at him over her shoulder.

I glanced over at Colton, who was doing his best to ignore us. “Just a precaution,” I told her. “Nick…” I stopped, unsure how to even finish the sentence. I cleared my throat. “What are you doing here?”

Bliss shot a wink in Colton’s direction, then said, “Oh. Well,” she began, pulling at the end of her braid. “I was wondering if I could stay here tonight. Possibly tomorrow night, too?”

Grabbing a clean rag from my back pocket, I wiped my hands, running my eyes over her. She’d never asked to stay with me before. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah… Maybe not…” Her shoulders slumped. “No.”

“What’s going on?”

Bliss leaned against the front quarter panel of the Cadillac, and I shot her a warning look. Mrs. Bonville would know in an instant that someone other than me had touched it. She put her hands up in surrender, flashing me a repentant smile.

“What’s going on, Bliss?”

“It’s my roommate,” she whined. “Her boyfriend is visiting from college for the weekend, and I can’t stay in that apartment with them. I can’t . They bang it out like bunnies, which I am all for, except when their banging disrupts my sleep. Think I can stay here until Monday? I can take the couch. You won’t even know I’m there.”

My eyes shifted over to Colton, knowing he was listening to everything that was being said. Helping Bliss out was a no-brainer. I wasn’t staying here anyway, but…

I turned to Colton. “Will my shop be watched twenty-four seven?”

“Twenty-four seven,” he repeated.

Safe in the knowledge that Bliss would be protected while staying in my apartment, I said to her, “Of course. I’m staying with Nick this weekend anyway, so you’ll have the place to yourself.”

Bliss squealed, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing tightly. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Urgh, you have no idea what this means to me.” She ducked outside for a moment, and when she returned, she had a small bright-pink wheelie suitcase dragging behind her, and a pillow tucked under her arm.

I asked her retreating back, “What if I’d said no?”

She threw a wink over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t have.”