Page 9 of Sabotage

“You can’t leave, Ry-Ry,” Ryland states, his voice doing something to me.

“Ryland, I have to. This isn’t home for me. Not anymore. I need to be home. I need to sleep in my bed. Shower and put clean clothes on. I need . . . I . . . I need . . .”

“You need to be here where you’ve always were supposed to be,” Ryland booms, getting to his feet, his chair falling over behind him.

Sabotage gets to his feet, takes me with him, and steps in front of me. “You need to calm the fuck down, Warrant.”

“Don’t tell me what I’ve got to do.”

“Ryland, please,” I murmur, peeking out from behind Sabotage, but the man standing in front of me doesn’t let me finish.

“Think about what you’ve learned today, Warrant. Think about what she went through. Ryann was taken from this area.”

“I fuckin’ know she was taken from this area.” Ryland snarls. “I, more than anyone else, know that bit.”

“Then think about what she’s gone through in the past years. Two years ago, she was pulled out of her hell. She needs to be where she feels safe.”

God, how the hell does this man know me so well? Sure, I said it, but he’s defending it like he knows exactly what I’m feeling.

“Warrant, you want, go to your mom, talk to her, tell her, bring her to our clubhouse,” Viking suggests in an effort to ease rising aggression between Sabotage and my brother.

“Think that would be good,” Risk agrees.I glance at him to find him staring at me, nodding before he gets to his feet. “Warrant, we’ll go talk to Momma.” I want to smile at him calling my mom ‘Momma’. That’s what he’s always called her. “We’ll talk to her and follow after them later.”

“You know, Momma Ray,” Butcher adds. “She’s gonna need time to process this. It’ll be easier, and Ryann won’t end up having a panic attack.”

Butcher is so right. So . . . so . . . right.

“Fine,” Ryland grinds out, eyes narrowing as he points a finger at Sabotage. “Anything happens to her, you’re a dead man.”

“Ain’t gonna let anything happen to her,” Sabotage says, his body relaxing just a bit.

I shift closer to Sabotage. I know the two of us have a lot to talk about, but right now, though I know nothing in this clubhouse and no one in here would hurt me, I still feel safer with him surrounding me with his touch . . . his presence.

“Can we go home now?” I find myself whispering.

“Yeah, gorgeous, we’ll get you back home. But heads up, home is gonna be at the clubhouse.”

“That’s fine,” I agree. The clubhouse is home just as much as the house Nevaeh, Maverick, and I share.

“Good, then let’s get on the road,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “Let us know if you find the bastard.”

“We find him, we’re killin’ him.” Ryland sneers.

“Fine by us,” Viking remarks. “We’ll see y’all when you join us.”

I pull away from Sabotage and go to my brother, wrapping my arms around him and pressing myself into his front. “I’ve missed you, Ryland. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was safe.”

“Missed you too,” he utters for only me to hear. “Felt like I lost a part of me losing you.”

My chest tightens, nearly unbearably so at his confession.

Ryland pulls away and cups the side of my face. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Nodding, I move back to Sabotage as he takes my hand in his.

“Come on, gorgeous, let’s get you home,” he whispers, guiding me out of the clubhouse.

It’s dark out, and I should probably suggest we stay the night, but there’s no way I could stay. I want to be back where I feel the safest.

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