Page 11 of Trigger

I nodded, and she slipped from the kitchen, her footsteps light on the tile flooring. I set my coffee down and reached for the spatula, carefully flipping each pancake. By the time I was done, Jessica was coming back into the kitchen, a small smile on her lips. “Gidget and Halo will be accompanying you,” she told me. “Try to have a good day, at least?”

I wasn’t sure that would be possible, but I nodded. I had a feeling I’d be going through the motions, and that would be about it.

I finished my coffee in three big gulps that burned the roof of my mouth and my throat, then headed out of the kitchen. Gidget and Halo were waiting for me by the bar. Gidget pushed off thecountertop, grunting at me in greeting. He wasn’t much of a talker. It wasn’t that he didn’t like people. He was just… quiet. Which, from what I understood, was a big change from the man he was when the Texas Charter was first formed. Apparently, he used to be a hot head and loved running his mouth.

His temper apparently used to be so bad, he once put Halo in ICU from a head injury after a pretty bad drunken fight. How they got along now was beyond me. If I’d been the one put into the hospital, I’d still be holding a grudge. But Halo just wasn’t one to hold grudges like that.

“You ready, girly?” Halo asked. “We’re taking Jessica’s SUV. Scorpion doesn’t want you out in the open.”

I nodded. I could’ve protested and demanded we take Chase’s truck, but I didn’t know if I could handle being surrounded by his scent like that.

“Yeah. I just need to run upstairs and get my bag.”

“Sure,” Halo said, smiling at me. “We’ll wait for you.”

“I’ll be in the truck,” Gidget muttered before he walked away, heading for the clubhouse doors.

Halo rolled his eyes. “Well, I’ll wait for you,” he told me. “Swear he wakes up with a stick up his ass every morning.”

I snorted and turned for the staircase. Gabriel was coming inside, Tango hot on his heels, as Halo was speaking. Gabriel frowned at Halo. “Gidget doesn’t have a stick up his ass. He’s actually really nice.”

Halo chuckled, his smile widening to a grin. “Sure, kid.” He nodded once at Tango as I headed for the stairs. “Mornin’, brother.”

Tango grunted in answer. He was about as much of a talker as Gidget was, though I’d heard him hold long conversations with Gabriel. Guessed it just mattered who he was around.

After grabbing my bag from Chase’s desk, I headed back downstairs. Gabriel stopped me on my way to the door, whereHalo was waiting for me. The sweet boy twisted his fingers in front of him and swallowed nervously. “I… Are you okay, Sophia?”

I wanted to smile so I could properly lie because I didn’t want to worry Gabriel, but I just couldn’t bring myself to. Gabriel was so sweet and kind, and he deserved everything good in this world after all the hell he’d endured until Tango took him in and made the boy his. It broke my heart sometimes that he was such a huge empathizer. He felt everyone’s emotions so deeply.

“I’m doing my best,” I told him honestly. And at least that wasn’t a lie. I was trying to do my best. Trigger was being strong for both me and Chase. Had gone out with absolutely no help and no communication with anyone to find our man. The least I could do was hold myself together here while I waited on them to come home.

“If you need help at the bookstore today, I can come,” Gabriel offered.

I shook my head. “It’s your day off,” I gently reminded him. “I’ve got it handled, and I’m sure Halo or Gidget wouldn’t mind helping me if I needed it.”

Gabriel nodded, and just like the tender boy he’d always been, he wrapped his arms around me. My throat closed up, tears threatening for the second time that morning as I hugged him back. The hug ended as quickly as it’d begun, and he forced a tight smile to his lips as he stepped back from me. “Have a good day, Sophia.”

I sighed. “I’ll try.” It was the best I could promise him.

Halo pressed his hand to my upper back when I reached him, and he gently rubbed. I sucked in a shuddering breath as we stepped outside.

“I know it’s hard. We’re all worried, Sophia, but Triggerwillbring him back home, no matter what the fuck it takes.”

“I know,” I rasped.

I just wished Chase hadn’t gone missing in the first place. That I didn’t have to live with this gnawing fear in the pit of my stomach that I was going to lose both him and Trigger forever.

Sleep was impossible. Fear for Chase and Trigger had become a living, buzzing thing inside my stomach, heart, and mind. Despite being exhausted and my eyes so dry they burned, I couldn’t will my eyelids to close. Couldn’t get my mind to shut the fuck up so I could try to drop off into sleep.

I tossed the book I was trying to read aside, a loud groan leaving my chest. Scrubbing my hands down my face, I swallowed down a frustrated scream. Had Chase felt this hopeless on his way to rescue me the night those Russians had broken into my store and raped me? Had he felt this terrified? This fucking sick?

How had he coped on the way to get to me?

I jumped when a knock sounded on my door. Sliding out of bed, I padded barefoot across the floor and pulled it open, blinking in surprise at Gabriel and Tango. It was well after midnight. Why weren’t they home yet? They usually left the clubhouse at about eight or nine.

“Uh… hi,” I finally managed, my hand tightening around the door handle. “What’s up?”

Gabriel held up a book, his hand trembling with nerves. Tango gripped his upper arms and gently tugged him back so Gabriel was pressed against the front of his body. Immediately, the boy relaxed, his nervousness seeming to disappear a little. “Ifigured you couldn’t sleep. Um, would you mind reading this to me?”

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