Page 55 of Savage Guardian

“Fuck, this knee is going to be the death of me,” Tessa grumbled.

Fae’s second night in the clubhouse, she’d had dinner with Skathi and Tessa, during which Tessa regaled Fae with the story of how the club was betrayed by the previous enforcer and the first old lady, and how Tessa had been kidnapped by a Cartel leader who had mistaken her for Skathi. The engrossing and shocking story of how Skathi and the Raiders rescued Tessa, and then the sickening tale of how Tessa got a bullet to the knee…it had all been startling, to say the least. But Tessa, the badass that she was, didn’t let the loss of her fledgling MMA career stop her from being a badass. She worked days as an EMT, saving lives, and part time at Savage Fist, helping Skathi train up-and-coming fighters. Fae wanted to be like Tessa when she grew up. The woman was thick, gorgeous, strong, and confident—and she didn’t take crap from anyone, especially Fang. If Fae was more like Tessa, maybe Hawk wouldn’t have left her in bed and then chucked her into the friendzone the next morning.

Before Fae could comment, the pounding of many boots clamored up the stairs. When Trouble, then Odin, then Hell Hound came into view, Fae knew something was up. The men gave chin lifts, then headed down the hall to the conference room.

“Shit…looks like Church. An emergency one,” Tessa murmured. If it was Church, that meant Hawk was on his way.

Speak of the Devil….

Hawk stepped onto the landing, his gaze colliding with hers. The gray pools of light and dark making her heart hammer in her chest. Something chilly moved through his eyes, and her belly flipped.

“What’s going on?” she asked, even knowing club policy about sharing club business. She knew that whatever was happening had to deal with whatever the hell was going on with Banshee. She had a right to know.

Hawk shook his head, his expression going flat.

“We’ll talk,” he intoned. She opened her mouth to ask when, but he shook his head again. “After Church, Fae.”

Pinching her lips shut, she watched him disappear into the conference room and close the door behind him.

“You got to know it isn’t personal. They share nothing outside of that room until Odin gives the okay.” Tessa’s hand on Fae’s shoulder was meant to comfort, but Fae felt little comfort at all.

Staring at but not seeing the show on the TV screen, Fae felt the anger simmering in her guts, slowly burning away the years of biting her tongue, of wearing invisibility, of allowing other people to speak and live for her.

“This is fucking bullshit!” she snapped. “This is my life they’re discussing in there!Mylife. And I’m stuck out here, like a freaking afterthought, while they are in there dictating what I need to know. Fuck this shit.” God, it felt good to say that, to just let the anger and frustration burst through all the fear and self-doubt choking her.

Jerking to her feet, she turned to glare down at Tessa. “You feel like hitting a few casinos and getting fucked up?”

Tessa’s smile was slow, devilish, and somewhat terrifying.

“Fuck yeah, girl, let’s go.” It took some maneuvering to get to her feet, but once Tessa was up, she was on her phone, texting. “I’m getting Skathi and Liz in on this.”

Fae hadn’t met Liz, but she assumed that if she was friends with Tessa and Skathi, she was probably a badass, too.

“We’ll hit up Down ‘n’ Dirty. Grab some succulent man ass and some booze,” Tessa gleefully shared.

Fae had heard of Down ‘n’ Dirty, a male revue club a step from the Strip. She’d never had the guts to go to a place like that, but with the “fuck it” as she was feeling just then, she was willing to give it a shot.

“Sounds good to me,” Fae bleated, looking over her shoulder at the closed door, wondering what was going on, what was being said, what Hawk was thinking. And stupidly hoping that he’d care that she was going to a male strip club.

Unless it’s club business, he doesn’t give a crap about you, Fae.

Swallowing the salty taste of rising ire, she followed Tessa toward the stairs.

They were down the stairs and into the common room just as Fang came through the clubhouse doors. His gaze immediately went to Tessa, who pointedly ignored him in favor of snickering down at her phone screen at whatever Skathi or Liz had sent.

“Headed somewhere,corazon?” Fang asked, moving to intercept Tessa on her way to the door.

“None of your business,cabrone,” Tessa replied, grabbing Fae’s elbow to hurry her along—not that she needed it. Fae was more than eager to get the hell out of the clubhouse, to shut down all thoughts having to do with the Raiders, Hawk, Carrie, and the mess that was Aoibheal.

“Don’t be like that,mi amor. You know you can’t just take Fae; she needs someone with her.”

Fae growled.

Tessa scoffed. “You saying I can’t keep one tiny pixie safe? Fuck off, asshole. She doesn’t need a swinging dick all up in her business, keeping her from having fun. The lady needs a night to get wasted and banged, good and hard—withoutHawk and his stooges.”

Fang narrowed his eyes at Tessa, his fists tightening at his sides, his muscles working under his deliciously tanned skin. “You thinkin’ of getting banged, Tessa?”

Before she could open her mouth and, more than likely, tear him a new one, Tessa’s phone beeped. Fae breathed a relieved sigh, grateful that a skirmish had been averted. For the moment. No doubt Fang would have it out with Tessa later.

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