Page 36 of Savage Guardian

She headed toward the door, peering through the open doorway into the parking lot. In the parking lot, the police barricades and crowd and news vans blocked her way to her rental.

“Fae,” Teddy called, making her turn to look over her shoulder. He approached her, his usual flat expression now one of deep concern. He raised a hand and gently grabbed her elbow, pulling her back from the door toward the corner furthest from Carrie and the rest. Teddy was just taller than Fae, stick thin with a bit of a pooch, and thinning ginger hair he pulled back into a ponytail.

“God, Fae,” he rasped, leaning in. Startled by the movement, she leaned back. “If I’d known what was in that box, I would have left it outside and called the cops.”

She offered him a small, sad smile. “Come on, Teddy, there’s no way you could have seen inside that box. And it can’t be the first package left on the studio doorstep.”

He grunted, rolling his eyes. “No, but I still wish I could have kept you from seeing that craziness.”

“Believe me, I wish I hadn’t seen it either.”

“What’re you gonna do now?” he asked, his head tilted, his eyes curious. He was probably waiting for her to break down—and she probably would…once she was alone.

“I just want to get to the hotel and forget this day happened,” she grumbled. “Carrie and Jimmy can deal with whatever that head in a box means.” Yeah, it had been labeled with her name, but as far as anyone knew,Carriewas Aoibheal. She was the one working with the concert planners. She was the one glamming herself up all over town, blabbing about said concert. No, there hadn’t been an official reveal of Carrie as the face of Aoibheal, but it wasn’t really a secret anymore. Was it wrong of Fae to hope that the crazy person who lobbed off heads was focusing his crazy on Carrie and not her? Probably. At least Carrie had Hawk and SP to keep her safe.

What about you? What if the crazy comes after you?

“You don’t think they’re gonna want to talk to you some more?” Teddy asked, glancing at the bag clutched in Fae’s hands, the one holding her most precious things, like her notebook full of lyrics. “Are you good getting back to the hotel?”

Honestly, the thought of driving anywhere was daunting. It took too much focus and energy to drive in Vegas traffic, let alone after being part of a murder investigation. What were her options, though?

“You want me to drive you?” he offered, making Fae’s brows crinkle. Not once in the weeks since meeting Teddy had the man even shown an interest in her life outside of the recording studio. To Fae, he seemed all business—curt, to the point, and uncaring of anything personal. Why would he offer to take her anywhere? “I can even keep you company in the hotel room until Carrie and Jimmy get back.”

What…why would he offer to do that? She opened her mouth to answer that she’d probably just call for an Uber, but her breath caught as the sounds of growling thunder rumbled through the air.

Hawk.

And from the sounds of it, he hadn’t come alone.

Pulling up to the scene, Hawk took in the police tape, the news vans, the morbid looky-loos pushing up against the police barricade, trying to get a better look inside the wide-open studio doors.

Sliding his ride up beside Hawk, Grimm planted his big, black boots on the asphalt and scoured the gathered people with his silver gaze. As the club’s enforcer and the head of Savage Protection, Grimm needed to be there, especially after the hacking connection between the club, Savage Protection, and Carrie and Fae.

Fae.

Fuck. Where was she? How was she doing? How do you expect her to be doing after finding a goddamn severed head in a box addressed to her sister? The need to go to her, hold her, protect her against the world and all its evils was like a weight grinding against the gears of his heart. A painful need. An ache.

What the hell is wrong with me?

Taking a deep breath to calm himself the fuck down, he counted to ten and turned to his brother, who was staring at him with a curious gleam in his eye.

“You think this was club related? That one of those Cartel fucks threw some threats at one of our legit clients?” Grimm asked, dismounting his bike to come around and meet Hawk, who was standing beside his ride, staring at the doorway to the studio. Fae was in there. Probably terrified. He needed to get to her.

The police officers standing nearest the barricades glared in their direction, no doubt taking in the kuttes on their backs and the rockers stating their brotherhood. Those glares quickly turned to blank stares. It wasn’t a good idea to get on the wrong side of the Raiders.

“I’m thinking this has more to do with that data breach at SP and the clubhouse. Someone wanted dirt on those ladies—”

“Yeah, but what’s that got to do with you? You think whoever has a hard up for Aoibheal is sending heads as a warning…to you?”

He cursed, pushing his fingers through his hair and cursing again.

“Fuck if I know, brother. All I know is that those women don’t deserve this shit, and whatever that head means can’t be a friendly message, yeah?”

Grimm’s gaze scanned Hawk’s face, a contemplative look in his eyes. “What are you going to do? This is your rodeo, brother. It was your assignment to begin with, so I’m letting you lead this.”

Hawk leaned back, crossing his arms. “Yeah?”

Hawk, as the Sergeant-at-Arms, was the second in command in club security under the club enforcer. Grimm giving Hawk the lead was a fucking big deal, especially since Hawk had only been in the position for a few months. His brother’s trust in him made his chest swell.

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