Chief talked on the phone in the bedroom. Johanna buttoned her top in the bathroom and added a pair of silver hoop earrings to her outfit. It'd been seven days since Chief came home from prison and the first time he needed to leave the house.

She spritzed perfume on the back of her neck and returned to the bedroom. While prepared for him to re-enter his role as president of Brikken, she still wasn't ready to share him.

At home, she could keep him safe, keep him with her, keep him happy.

He lowered the phone from his ear and looked at her. "Beautiful, bug."

She swished her hips as she walked and burst into laughter when she reached him. "I'm trying to tempt you back into bed and to forget about going to the clubhouse."

He tilted his head and looked at the ceiling, and muttered, "What the hell have I created?"

She amused him, and she liked that.

"I could show you." She cupped the front of his jeans. "I'm a fast learner."

Her confidence in herself and in having sex knew no bounds with him. She remained hungry for experience. This week had been the best time in her life with Chief, and she wasn't embarrassed to admit it to him.

He kissed her deeply and removed her hand from his hardening cock. "I've got a meeting with the officers."

She smoothed his beard. "I could braid this for you."

"Bullshit."

"Really." She planted her hands on her hips. "I could braid it when you go out, and you could leave it loose at home."

He frowned, raising her chin with his finger. "Bug, only you're going to be touching my beard. It's always been yours."

Her face warmed. Jealousy wasn't new to her. She'd experienced the ugly emotion the first time Chief visited Nene when she was eight years old. At that young age, she couldn't understand why he'd go in Nene's bedroom when he came to spend time with her.

Because she understood why he'd kept Nene and Karla around and also spent time with the women who slept with every available biker who lived at the clubhouse, she wanted to protect what was hers.

"Still...it'd be a good look for you." She shut her mouth when his gaze intensified.

"I'm yours. Take it, Johanna. I'm not giving it to anyone else." He slapped her butt. "Let's get your ass on the Harley and go to the clubhouse."

Fifteen minutes later, she slid off the seat of the motorcycle and handed Chief her helmet. Slipping her hand into his, she walked to the clubhouse with him greedily spending every possible second with him before he met with the men.

At the door to the clubhouse, Chief kissed her and reached for the door handle. She pulled her hair behind her shoulder and looked up when the door remained closed, and found him completely locked up.

Gaze boring into her.

Shoulder muscles bunched.

Lips set in a flat line.

Her back straightened. Alarm shot straight through her. "What's wrong?"

"Why aren't you wearing your necklace?' he asked, gruffly.

She covered her chest with her hand. "I lost it."

That was the truth. She no longer had the necklace.

"When?"

"About four months ago," she said, telling another truth.

"Where?"

Peppered with questions, she could only hope that someone would walk out of the clubhouse and remind Chief he had a meeting to lead. She swallowed and lowered her hand. "I-I think here, at the clubhouse. I was wearing it all the time when I left the house like you asked me to."

"Did you ask everyone to look around for it?"

She shook her head. His hand dropped from the door, and he tilted her face up. She couldn't tell him the truth now. He'd just got home. She couldn't have him angered or going after Skidd, only to be sent back to prison.

"I'm sorry," she answered too quickly, guilt piling on her at a speed she couldn't deflect.

He studied her without saying a word. She stared at his beard as his shoulders seemed to broaden before her and the seams of his shirt pulled against the strain. His head moved slowly from side to side. She could never hide anything from him, but unless the words came out of her mouth, he could only guess how she lost the necklace. She'd rather have him believe she was careless. Anything other than him losing it and going after Skidd and risking his freedom.

He turned from her and walked into the clubhouse, still holding her hand. A dozen members milled around in the main room.

"Keeffe, order another tag necklace for Johanna." Chief continued walking through the room, pulling her with him. "Chano, have all the rooms searched for my tag. Jett—get your ass in the office."

The men jumped to do what he ordered. Johanna clung to him, trying to keep up with his longer strides.

In the hallway, Chief stopped outside the door to the meeting room and bellowed, "Shore."

The prospect came running around the corner. "Yeah, Chief?"

"Watch over Johanna. She's not to leave the property." He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Already off-center from his questions over the lost necklace, he completely knocked her on her ass bossing her around. She barely got a hand on his chest to slow him down when he walked into the room and slammed the door behind him, shutting her out.

After seven fabulous days of having him to herself, with no conflict between them, she was at a loss on what to do. She knew Chief's moods. They'd been directed at her many times over her life.

Each one warranted.

Shore waited in the hallway for her to move. She walked back to the main room and poured two glasses of ice water, handing one to the prospect. "Sit and relax. I'm not going anywhere."

Ignoring Shore's skepticism, she walked over to the couch and sat down, pulling her phone out of her pocket. Lindsay and Ashley had texted her at least a hundred times over the last week, knowing she wouldn't answer while she spent the time with Chief. But, she wanted them to text if anything exciting happened without her.

She scrolled through hot man alerts, guess who cheated on who, and Ashley's extreme bitching session about a guy she dated on occasion which she caught going out with someone who used to go to school with them. Basically, nothing new or worthy of a text. She smiled as she replied to each girl and mentioned she was at BC—Brikken Clubhouse, and she'd be here tomorrow night, too, for the party, welcoming Chief home.

"You're happy."

She looked up from her phone, found Nene standing a few feet from the couch, and lost her smile. "I am. Chief's home."

Lowering her head, she pulled up her emails. She'd never go out of her way to antagonize Nene. For four years she'd lived comfortably, if not lonely, at Nene's house. Being shuffled around as a child, she could appreciate and respect Nene's hospitality. But, she had no desire to have a conversation with her.

It wasn't until Chief moved her in with Karla that she realized how a loving mother should act and how she should've been treated by Nene.

"He's the reason I'm here." Nene sat down on the couch across from Johanna. "I’m going to meet with him after he finishes the meeting with the men."

Shit.

She refused to look up from the screen of her cell. The day Chief got arrested, he cut off his long-time commitment with Nene. She stared blankly at the phone. God, she hoped he still felt that way.

There's no way she'd tolerate him being with another woman. That was his usual lifestyle. Most of the members of Brikken slept with whoever was willing and available. She'd witnessed the non-emotional hook-ups for a long time, and while she hadn't judged other people, she positively knew that it wasn't for her nor would she want the man she loved involved with anyone else.

"What's your mom think about you living with Chief?" asked Nene.

Johanna shrugged and glanced up. "Karla's made her own life away from Brikken, except to come around to see her sons. She has no say in how I choose to live."

Nene hummed a non-response. Johanna set her phone on her thigh and looked up. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I wasn't talking about Karla." Nene cocked her eyebrow. "You're an adult now, I figured Chief would've told you how to find your real mom."

Caught staring at Nene, Johanna grabbed her phone and stood. "Excuse me."

She walked across the room and pushed her way out the door. Taken off-guard over talk of her mom, she turned around planning on going back inside and sitting somewhere else and ran into Shore.

She grabbed his arms, steadying herself. "Sorry."

"My fault," mumbled Shore stepping away from her.

Rattled, she walked in the opposite direction. Sensing Shore following her, she turned around and stopped him. "I'm going to sit on Chief's motorcycle out in the sunshine. You can stand next to the clubhouse in the shade. If I decide to walk somewhere else, I'll whistle and wave you to follow. Got it?"

Shore nodded.

She walked away and sat on Chief's Harley. Red hot pain scorched her ass, and she slid off the seat, pissed at herself for forgetting the leather got hot in the sunshine. Standing between the sun and the bike to shade the seat, she refused to look to see if Shore witnessed her stupidity.

If she'd been prepared for Nene's question about her mom, she would've stayed in the room to prove that Nene couldn't upset her. But, no one ever talked about her past before Chief took her.

Where had the question come from?

Why would Nene want to know?

Her irritation was more about why Chief contacted Nene to meet with her after the officer's meeting than it was about having her mom's memory dragged back up.

Chief was mad at her for losing the necklace. She was just trying to hold on to Chief and not lose him to the changes coming to both of them. Neither one of them were in a good place at the moment, she couldn't spend the energy on wondering what was behind Nene's motives.