Dragon put me on babysitting duty, which normally I would hate. Not so now, because I get to remain close to Dani. She’s not going to make it easy though. When they all pile into the Tahoe I’m driving, she makes sure to get in back with Nicole, Carrie, and Lips. Nikki piles in beside me, and I find myself hoping like hell she doesn’t mention the night Freak and I shared her. It was before Dani and I ever got together, and I shouldn’t feel a bit of fucking guilt over it. Yet, for some reason sitting in this car beside Nikki feels wrong. I want my woman beside me. As the girls finally get settled and buckled in, my phone vibrates with a text message. Freak. I can’t deal with him right now. He’s trying to convince me to talk with Dragon about this Michael, and I probably should. The truth is, I just don’t want too. I want to handle this. I want to be the one to take care of my woman, make it so she is safe—not just today but every day. So, I ignore the message.

I drive them into town peeking through the rearview mirror at Dani. I catch her staring at me a few times. She doesn’t respond when I wink at her. The next time I catch her eyes, I mouth the words I love you. I wanted some kind of reaction from her this time. I don’t get it. All I can see is sadness so apparent, it pains me. I need to fix this and soon. I can’t let this fester between us. What Dani and I have is too fucking good to let it go sour.

I drop them off at the door of the bridal shop.

“Aren’t you going in, Crush?” Nikki asks, and son of a bitch, I don’t like the way her eyes look me up and down. I should, because she’s a hell of a woman. But I don’t. My dick is owned by the brunette spitfire currently ignoring me and sliding out of the vehicle. Once Dani exits, she slams the door, and I wonder how it stays on its hinges.

“Hell no, I ain’t setting foot in that store. My dick would become permanently limp if I spent much time in there. I’ll be here waiting on you girls.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” she winks and laughs at me. My eyes catch Dani’s and that uncomfortable feeling, only increases.

Shit, this relationship stuff might be the death of me. I need to turn Dani over my knees and spank her ass for running once again. I don’t, because I know this is all my fault. I should kill Freak instead. At the thought of Freak, I remember his message. I pull out my phone and call him.

“Bout fucking time,” he grumbles.

“What’s up?” I ask, my eyes following Dani as she walks into the store. She’s looking so fucking hot in those high-as-fuck shoes of hers and her fucking lipstick. If I wasn’t trying to get her to forgive me, I’d push her up against the wall and make sure that every fucker around knew who’s dick she was taking tonight, and every fucking night.

“Up? I just fucking lied to my fucking brothers for you, you son of a bitch, and I fucking know you ignored my message!”

My back goes straight as his words register. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Surveillance showed someone snooping around Dani’s car last night. I didn’t mention what you had me digging into because if Dragon knows you suspected something and didn’t tell him, he’d shoot us both in the nut-sack for not telling him. You need to get your ass in gear and fix this soon, Crush. Cause, I’m telling you man, if you don’t tell Dragon, I’m going to.”

My head goes down, and I lean against the building. Fucking-hell. “Are you sure this has anything to do with what we’ve been looking into? Maybe it’s just an obsessed fan, pissed because she’s not dancing now?” I’m grasping, I know I am, but there’s no point in jumping the gun too soon.

“Drag and the boys suggested that, but he put a fucking lo-jack on her car. It’s not the cheap kind either, so I think we both know what we’re dealing with here, Crush.”

“Fuck. I’m stuck in town with the women. I’ll be there as soon as I get done. I need to see the footage, and then I’ll talk to Dragon. Can you sit on it until then?”

Silence greets my question, and I know I’m putting Freak in a twisted mess here. I’m asking a lot of him. Thing is, Freak and I are closer than the other brothers, and I know when push comes to shove we have each other’s backs. I just don’t like asking this of him.

“You get today man, and then I’m going to have to talk to Dragon. There’s just too much shit that could go bad. I warned you this Kavanagh wasn’t a fucker to be messed with.”

“Yeah, I got it. Thanks, man. Let me know if anything else comes up. I want to stay close to Dani, just in case.”

“Yeah sure, but get your ass in here when you get your bitch settled.”

I hang up feeling like lead is sitting in my gut. I look through the glass doors of the bridal shop and Dani is up on a pedestal in a pink dress, but it’s different from the others. It’s cool…frosted, and I love it on her. She’s standing there with a small smile on her face, touching the dress with those sweet, soft hands of hers that make me beg, and I make a vow. A damned vow that I will keep her safe and end this fucker Michael once and for all. Not only that, but when it’s all done…I want Dani in a dress, with a smile on her face, saying I do. I’m marrying that woman. I’m claiming her in every fucking way imaginable, and no one is standing in my way—especially some cocksucker in New York that gets his rocks off by hurting women.

Dani looks up and our eyes lock. Hers are haunted, and I want to be the man that takes the ghosts away. I put my hand on the glass, palm open and fingers spread. I want her to know that I am her man. She studies me for a minute, and she looks so hurt, lost, alone, one of them, or hell, maybe all three. Then she gives me a half smile. It doesn’t reach her eyes, it doesn’t overshadow the ghosts. I need to try harder, especially since, I’m the motherfucker who put the sadness there this time.

Yeah, I definitely need to do better.