Page 69 of April 5

Sitting on the couch, he stretched out with his boots on. As soon as he finished club business, he would seek out Ruger.

Katrina was safe, away from the clubhouse.

It was time to pay the price of his crime.

Chapter Thirty Four

A NEW DAWN BROUGHT clarity. After a fitful sleep, Katrina had breakfast with Cora at the house while Wire rode to the clubhouse. Somehow, through the long hours of the night, she found the strength to fight for what she wanted.

Being by herself last night allowed her to see all sides, and she woke up that morning knowing the only person who had to change was her dad's opinion on continuing to punish Jagger.

She loved her dad, but he was wrong.

The Havlin members lived by the laws of the club, not society's laws, not man's law. In most cases, she understood why they were in place. Bikers were wild and predatory, selfish and reckless. They lived one day at a time. The only thing keeping them civilized were the bylaws they swore their life upon when getting patched in. Their patch meant everything.

But love trumped the patch. It was the motivator behind the bylaws. It was family. It was protecting your brother. It was putting yourself in front of another to save their life.

Her dad had to see that Jagger had no way to stop the love that grew between them, and in the end, hadn't he protected her?

Hadn't her dad protected Jagger by taking the gun and trying to help him get away from the cops? He'd done what the bylaws stated. He had his brother's back.

Now, he needed to step up and admit that Jagger had her back all those years her dad was gone.

She parked her car behind the clubhouse, surprised to find the only Havlin member outside was Camhead, who stood by the back door. Checking her phone, she found several messages in her voicemail. All of them came from Jagger.

Glancing at the clubhouse, her heart raced. Had something happened? She never thought to check her voicemail because Jagger never left messages. Ever.

Her thoughts went instantly to her dad and his safety after getting beaten.

She sat in the driver's seat and listened to the first message. Her pulse pounded at the sound of Jagger's voice, hanging on to every word. As soon as the first message ended, she started the second and then the third, fourth, and fifth.

Grabbing her keys and bag, she hurried out of the car and ran across the parking area to the back door.

Camhead stepped in front of her, barring the door. "Sorry, the clubhouse is closed."

"Why?" she asked.

"Club business."

She exhaled impatiently. "For how long?"

"When they tell me I can open the door."

She dropped her bag to the ground and tapped Jagger's number on her phone. The call went to voicemail. She disconnected without leaving a message. There was nothing she could do until they were done.

Picking up her bag, she walked to the shady spot next to the building and sat on her duffle. She vibrated from the messages left on her phone. Now she understood how much Jagger had held back. He'd never declared his love in such a way it filled her with confidence about their relationship.

He'd fought his feelings for so long. He'd hidden them from everyone but her. It'd taken him the courage to put it all out there for her to hear and accept.

She never thought he'd express himself to her that way. An inkling of doubt crept in. Why would he spill his feelings out on the phone?

She looked at the clubhouse door and shook her head. Jagger wouldn't—dread punched her in the gut, and she scrambled to her feet, running toward the clubhouse.

There was only one reason why Jagger would leave her messages. He was going to approach her dad and take his punishment, and he feared never talking to her again.

Camhead caught her before she reached the door handle. She swung wildly, aiming at his face.

"Let. Go." She grabbed his hair and shook. "I need my dad."

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