Page 65 of Taking What's Ours

Trez kisses Isabella goodbye then emits a sharp whistle. “Let’s go, brother.”

Baja nods, then turns to me. “Yeah. Same as the patch on my cut.”

“Maybe you should remove it from your truck,” I suggest.

“Maybe I should find these motherfuckers,” he counters, then searches my eyes, and I know what he’s trying to tell me. He is who he is, and that’s not going to change. Even for me. I once told him I didn’t want him to change, and he questioned whether I was sure about that.

Now I don’t know anymore.

“Baja—"

“I’ve got to go.” He presses a kiss to my forehead, and then he’s gone.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Elaina—

I watch out the window as the rumbling of the motorcycles fades into the distance.

“They’ll be okay.” Lola lays a hand on my shoulder. “The Rat Boys are a joke of a club, if you can even call them that.”

“Didn’t seem that way when they pulled their guns,” I mutter under my breath, worry lacing every word. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lola glance at the other girls as if asking for help.

“You know what will help calm your nerves?” Kate smiles and waggles her brows. “Margaritas.”

“I don’t know if drinking is what she really wants to do right now,” Isabella admonishes.

Kate shrugs and walks to the kitchen, pouring margaritas anyway. “If we stopped our lives and lived in fear for our men every time they did something dangerous, we wouldn’t live at all.” Kate hands me a glass.

I take a sip, enjoying the sweet and sour blend and wondering if signing up for this world—Baja’s world—is worth it. I don’t know if I can take this stress and this worry for him.

“Come on, let's get some food in us before Kate gets us all drunk.” Isabella laughs, ushering us to the table.

“Why can’t we do both?” Lola quirks her head to the side and nudges me. “Right, Elaina?”

I force a smile, but I know it doesn’t reach my eyes. I want to push the fear aside and enjoy the night with these ladies, but I can’t seem to do it.

“You coming to the Halloween party?” Kate asks around a chip dipped in queso.

“I think so, but I still need to figure out my costume.” My mind shifts.

“Don’t worry about that, doll. Ginger will hook you up.” Lola waves off my concern. “More importantly, we need to decide who you’re going to be.”

“What are you girls going as?” I ask, plopping a few tortilla shells onto my plate.

“Well, we try to go with some kind of theme.” Isabella smiles. “This year we decided to go as movie characters.”

“Movieheroes,” Lola corrects. “And villains.”

Isabella rolls her eyes. “Potato, po-tah-to.”

“I still can’t believe these men let you dress them up like they’re your own personal dolls.” My face breaks into the first smile since the guys left.

“Oh, dressing up is nothing compared to the things our men have done for us,” Kate informs me.

I frown. “Do tell.”

“Well, Rock roasted a man for Evelyn.” Kate taps her fingers like she’s counting out a list. “Memphis rescued Lola when she was kidnapped, Trez saved Isabella from another club, and my man saved me from a drug dealer.”

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