Page 5 of October's Ride with Atlas

What I want to say is I'm pissed I didn't find her before now. That I’m angry that she was left at the hand of those assholes this whole time.

“I know who you are. You are the guy that sent my dad to jail,” she says, her eyes watching my every move.

What she says starts to sink in, and everything clicks into place.My body goes ice cold.

“Your dad is Malice,” I say, sitting in a chair by the bed, processing this.

“Yes, and you are the guy who had set him up to take the fall on his last deployment,” she says, crossing her arms.

It’s obvious he has his own version of the story. While I expected that, I thought she would be relieved to be away from the Savage Bones, as all the women we have rescued have been. Of course, my girl isn't thrilled about it.

“I think your dad has been feeding you a very different story than what has been going on. How much do you know about what your father is doing to the town of Mustang Mountain?” I ask, trying to gauge how much she knows.

“He's trying to save it from the likes of you,” she says, rolling her eyes.

“By kidnapping and assaulting innocent women? By forcing farmers to get him supplies to make meth? By blowing up people's cabins, destroying businesses and people’s lives?” I ask.

Before she steals her emotions, I can see a hint of doubt on her face.

“You can say what you want, but I don't believe you.”

Her loyalty is to be commended even if I hate it.

“You don't have to, but I am going to earn your trust,” I tell her, meaning every word.

“Yeah, kidnapping me is a great way to do that. Just let me go and my dad won't come and kill you and your club,” she says, and I can tell she truly believes it.

“Princess, we haven't lost a club member yet. Your dad is down to four main people, including himself and a bunch of lackeys he picked up for hire. He's weak and scared and has noshot in hell of beating us. Especially not since we flushed out his spy,” I tell her.

I can tell she is trying to piece everything together. She doesn't know what to believe, but she knows things aren't adding up. I hope I can prove to her I'm one of the good guys.

“Get some sleep. It's just after midnight. We can talk more in the morning, but I promise you will be safe here,” I tell her. Then, I pick up the blankets and pillow from the dresser and make my bed in front of the bedroom door.

She may be safe, but I'm not taking any chances of her trying to sneak out in the middle of the night, either. This way, she can't even open the door with me lying here, but she still has access to a bathroom. If she tries to go out the window, I'll hear it because that window squeaks so loud it could wake the dead.

It's going to be a long night because I know I'm not going to be able to sleep with her so close.

When I wake up, I find Bex still asleep in bed. So, I quietly gather some clothes and head to the bathroom to get ready, leaving the door open in case she tries anything. Once I'm done, I step back into the room and find her sitting up in bed.

“Listen, we grabbed some of your stuff. It's in the dresser there. Why don't you slowly get up and get dressed? We will go downstairs and get you some real food. The girls are excited to meet you, and I’m sure you will feel better around them anyway,” I tell her, gesturing toward the dresser where I put her things.

Nodding, she slowly stands up. When I'm sure she can walk on her own, I open the bathroom door for her and step outside the room to give her privacy as she gets ready. I check my emails,but none of them seem important when my girl is just on the other side of the wall.

A text from Sheriff Cade does catch my attention.

Sheriff: Talked to Malice. He isn't interested in meeting, especially not on your terms.

I do find it interesting there is nothing about his daughter in it, but my guess is he doesn't know we have her just yet. Time to let him in on the secret.

Me: I figured as much. It's okay. We took what we wanted anyway.

I'm not normally one to talk in riddles, but I find messing with Malice and Sheriff Cade pretty damn fun. When my bedroom door creaks open, I slip my phone into my pocket and take in Bex, who stands hesitantly in the doorway.

Her face has a light pink tint and her complexion is smooth and unblemished, making me want to kiss her. Her blonde hair is up in a messy bun like the one I saw in the photo of her. She is in jeans and a t-shirt and looks stunning.

“The kitchen is this way,” I tell her, leading her toward the stairs.

She takes in the clubhouse as she makes her way downstairs, and I don't know if she is admiring the building or looking for an escape route. When we get to the kitchen, Six and Ginger are there, along with Thunder and Ashley. Perfect. Both girls can tell stories of Savage Bones, and I’m shocked Ginger and Bex haven't crossed paths. At least they don't seem to recognize each other.

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