Page 51 of Savage Secrets

“Does she go to Badlands with other friends?”

“Sometimes she goes out with her brother and his girlfriend.”

The trip to Eden seemed to take forever, with more than one deer leaping onto the road in front of them, forcing them to slow down.

The last thing they needed was a delay. He shot a glance at the phone in Opal’s lap. “Any more texts from her?”

“No. That’s what worries me the most! What if she left with somebody?”

“We’ll find her. The guys will all help me.” The conviction in his tone convinced even him, and then he realized with a jolt that his statement was true.

He and the guys on the Gracey Ranch may not see eye to eye on everything, and they might not like him, but they were protectors, same as him.

“None of us will let Kirsten get hurt.”

She whipped her head to look at him. “What if the person who attacked my father attacked her to get to me? They already took so much from me!”

“Opal. Darlin’. Calm down. It’s okay, and I’m right here.” He slipped an arm around her, and she leaned into him.

If he could, he would take every last goddamn burden from her and give her and Rainie the best life they deserved.

The road straightened out as they entered Eden, and he stomped on the gas. Badlands Bar and Distillery came into sight, the sign lit by landscaping lights in the ground.

Opal reached for the door handle, and he stopped her with a hand on her arm. She turned to pierce him in her gaze.

“I can’t go in there.”

Her dark brows pinched together.

“Because of what happened.” It took everything in him not to say “what I did.” After years of therapy, he had finally accepted that hehadbeen responsible for that man dying, but it had been an act of self-defense. After the incident, he’d spent a week in the hospital for what the guy had done to him.

Even if he’d walked away from that fight, he might have been forced to defend himself, and the outcome might have been the same.

Opal gave him a nod. “I can handle it. There are a lot of people here. I’ll find her!”

She started to climb out, but he tightened his hold on her arm. “Find Carver. If you don’t see him, get the bouncer.”

With another bob of her head, she leaped out.

He watched her bolt to the door of Badlands. She tore it open and ducked out of his sight.

“Fuck!” He slammed the heel of his hand off the steering wheel.

Powerless. He was powerless.

He stared at the door, holding his breath as he waited. One minute ticked by. Pretty soon it was five.

A quiver of anger rolled through him, followed by another. He had to get in there and see what was taking her so long. Badlands wasn’t that big—she should have found Kirsten in the crowd by now.

Ten minutes. Was he just being impatient? Or was he being concerned for his woman?

He ran through the steps of his anger management therapy.

What triggered this anger? What feelings were behind it?

“Fuck this. I already know.”

He had to go in the bar and check on Opal.

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