Savy

Walking around the mall isn’t my favorite thing to do, but Ena is babbling along excitedly with her friends Ashleigh and Natalie. They’re talking a mile a minute, being typical teenagers. Truth is, though, Ena is not a typical teenager. She’s a teenager under Havoc’s protection. That means she has a brother with her at all times. Even now, though hidden, we have four prospects with us. Apparently things with Tyler and my father are worse. Caleb wanted to lock Ena and me down again, but I begged Caleb to keep us out of seclusion. It worked, but we have four body guards with us.

Four.

It seems like overkill, but I don’t argue. Caleb wants us protected, so we’re protected. They stay far enough away that the people milling about don’t notice them. They’re in plain clothes so they blend in. I want today to be special for Ena. She loves shopping and I want to treat her for her birthday. Since becoming manager at The Jungle, my pay has increased, by a lot.

A.

Lot.

It’s much more than I would have ever expected, but when I asked Caleb about it he said, “Club business.” So in an unlike me move, I let it go. Now I can afford to get her some new things. Plus, her birthday is tomorrow and I want it to be amazing. She’s turning eighteen so we are having a party at the Compound and I plan on giving her something special. I’ve been holding onto it for ten years.

We walk the entire mall, but I have had a weird feeling all day. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up and I feel like someone is following us. I don’t want to scare the girls, but pay extra attention to everyone around us. Trying not to draw attention to myself, I pull out my phone and send a message to Joker.

His reply isn’t immediate and my stomach turns to knots. I move closer to Ena and her friends who are browsing inside a clothing store geared toward teenage girls. I want to be close in case something happens.

“Ena, honey,” I say. My voice is tight as I try to keep my fear down. I don’t want them knowing I think something is wrong.

“Yeah?” Her eyebrows raise and her eyes dart around the store.

Damnit! She knows something is up.

“I’m not feeling too well, let’s head back to the house, okay.”

“Sure, Savy,” she says.

I’m impressed she’s keeping her cool. Natalie and Ashleigh know a little about Havoc, so we both attempt to keep our cool. They are still considered outsiders, so we aren’t supposed to share about Paul or Tyler or any of the crazy shit happening right now. Also, I don’t want to scare the girls if I don’t have to.

We pay for their clothes and step out of the store. I look side to side as we exit. There aren’t many people in this section of the mall. Directly across from the store, Joker is standing with his hands inside his pockets. He looks like any other shopper, waiting outside of a store. I almost didn’t recognize him. His hair is slicked back and his unruly beard is trimmed and straightened. He looks like a normal person, not the big scary biker I have become fond of.

Nodding my head, we walk toward the exit and Joker follows us. As we continue down the isle of stores, I see Bo. I’m surprised to see him, but I have the strange sensation of being watched again.

Someone is following us.

I look over my shoulder, but I see no one. I can’t prove it, but I’ve learned to trust myself so we are getting the fuck out of here and back to the safety of Havoc. We continue walking and the other prospects appear, unrecognizable in their citizen clothes. Gunner and Tiny follow us as we exit the mall and walk down the lane of cars to where I parked my new sedan.

The girls pile into the back of the car, leaving me up front alone. I let out a sigh of relief as I see the black SUV driven by Bo, pull out of the parking space next to us. Once it’s clear, I pull out and drive toward the exit. Joker pulls out of the space on the opposite side of my car and follows. As we pass the entrance of the mall, I see a man that looks like my father standing outside, staring. I stop the car and tighten my hands on the steering wheel, my fingers turning white from my grip, and we stare at each other. I press on the pedal and proceed out of the lot. The vice in my chest tightens. It’s the first time I’ve seen my father face to face since Oklahoma and those old childhood feelings of helplessness slammed back into me like a sledgehammer to the chest.

I look in my rearview mirror and see that Joker has stopped his car and jumped out. Instead of stopping to see why, I keep driving home, while trying to maintain my composure for the girls in the backseat. I hope Joker is okay.

No matter what I do, he is going to keep pursuing us. Paul is never going to quit.

He won’t stop until I make him stop. The problem is, I don’t know how I’m going to make him stop. You would think aligning myself with a motorcycle club would stop him, but no. It didn’t. I feel helpless as I’m surrounded by Havoc in the cars guiding me to Caleb’s house. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt in a while and one I never want to feel again, but I know I will as long as Paul is around.

* * *

Savy

Caleb was standing in the driveway of his house when we pulled in from our trip to the mall. He was pissed, but played it off well. Joker stopped by a little after we got home, but he didn’t stay long. I think he just showed his face because I told Caleb I was worried about him. Of course, they didn’t tell me what happened.

Now Caleb is hanging out with the girls in the living room watching TV and joking around. I love how he has made Ena and her friends feel welcome in his home.

He will be a great father one day.

I’m not sure where that thought came from so I ignore it. I can’t deal with my wayward thoughts right now.

“Oh Savy,” Ashleigh says. The excitement in her voice is hilarious. She hasn’t taken her eyes off Caleb since getting to the house. It’s adorable how she steals glances at him. He’s kind enough to laugh at her puppy dog glances. “You’re so lucky. Caleb is hot!”

I laugh with the girls as four loud knocks sound on the front door. Looking to Caleb, he nods once and stands, leaving the living room to answer the door. He didn’t grab his gun that is stored inside the table in the foyer, so he must know who it is.

“Skull!” Ena says. Jumping up to run to him and jump in his arms.

Looking at Caleb with a frown, he shakes his head no. I say nothing, but I will be talking to Caleb about Skull and Ena’s relationship. It’s futile right now, I know, but I don’t care. Skull is too old for Ena. Period.

“Hey, little bit,” Skull says. Hugging Ena’s small body against his large frame.

I sigh, knowing Ena and Skull are destined to be together. Why am I even trying to keep them apart? He puts her down, sliding her body against his on her descent. Ashleigh and Natalie are sitting next to each other on the couch, staring at Skull with wide, curious eyes.

Oh hell! Them too?

Their parents are going to be pissed if the men of Havoc corrupt them, too. There’s not much they can say about it though. Both girls are already eighteen.

Fucking hell.

Running my hand through my curly hair, I bite my bottom lip. There’s too much on my mind right now. I’m tired. All I want is to lay down and sleep, but I have too much to do. Tomorrow is Ena’s party and we need to decorate tonight after the girls go to bed.

“I missed you,” Ena says.

“I missed you too, babe.”

Fucking hell.

All eyes turn toward me.

“Did I say that out loud?” I ask.

They all laugh. And eventually I laugh, too. Skull knows how I feel about his relationship with my sister, and Ena knows, too. There’s not much I can do about it, but trust them to respect my wishes. I’ll keep my mouth shut until they give me a reason to speak up.

* * *

Savy

I wake up with a start.

“Shit!” I hop out of bed. Well, I try to hop out of bed, but Caleb snags me around the waist and pulls me back onto the bed.

“Caleb! Let me go! I fell asleep last night. Fuck! I have so much to do today,” I say. “God damn it, Caleb!”

“It’s taken care of, Savy. Go back to sleep.”

“Let me go! I need to make Ena breakfast and get to the club to decorate.”

“Savannah,” he says.

At the sound of my full name, I stop struggling. Caleb only calls me Savannah when he needs to get my attention. And it works.

“I said it’s taken care of. Joss and Lexa decorated last night and Skull is bringing over breakfast for everyone in two hours. Now lay back down and go back to sleep. Fuck, woman, it’s six in the damn morning.”

“Joss and Lexa?” I ask. Those two worked together to decorate? God, I hope they didn’t kill each other. Joss hasn’t been back to the club since the night of the bonfire and Lexa has been avoiding Wolf like the plague. I hope they’ll be able to get along at the party tonight.

“Yes. And I told them they better not fuck this up. They’re getting along.”

Turning to look into those dark eyes I love, I lean in and sear Caleb with a wet kiss. I love this man. He saw I was tired and let me sleep. And instead of leaving the work I needed to get done, left undone, he handled it for me.

“Caleb, I–” Unable to get the words out. I’m still uncomfortable saying them. What if I tell Caleb how I feel and he doesn’t really feel the same way?

“I love you too, little bird,” Caleb says.

My breath stops and my chest squeezes. It does every time he says those words. He does love me. I hate that I need so many reassurances, but I can’t help it. It’s the best feeling in the world to know that the man you love loves you back. Having a man that loves me with all of my craziness and drama. It’s more than I ever imagined possible.

“I love you,” I say. My voice cracks with my words. Leaning over to kiss me again, Caleb shows me how much he loves me, body, mind and soul.