Page 24 of Savage

Donnasteppedofftheback of Savage’s motorcycle, bent backwards and rolled her shoulders in order to loosen up her muscles before she took off her helmet and handed it to him to put away.

This was their third stop of the day and while she’d had no idea what to expect, Donna found she’d enjoyed the whole thing a lot more than she had anticipated. The other ladies had been nothing but friendly, making sure to include her in whatever they were doing and not acting like she was any different than the rest of them just because she’d only joined the group a few days before while they’d been with them much longer. Donna couldn’t help but be amazed at how welcoming they’d been. Far different from most of her experiences, especially with what had happened at the commune. She’d never really been accepted there, even as she’d gotten close to the end of the year she’d spent with them. And it wasn’t as if the women could have known what she was planning or that she would be successful in her escape. Or at least she had been so far.

She looked around, not for the first time, making sure there were no faces, other than those from the ranch, that she recognized. She didn’t know if after only a couple of days the commune and Noah would have given up looking for her or not, but the last thing she wanted was to be caught unaware by them if they were looking.

“I don’t think anyone’s following us, babe,” Savage said, coming up beside her and hooking an arm around her neck. “I’ve been keeping an eye out and so have my brothers, though they’re not looking for your ex or his goons specifically. It’s just a habit of ours.”

Donna frowned at him wondering why they would watch for people when they had no idea someone would probably be looking for her. Or maybe they did, had Savage told them?

“We always keep an eye out,” Savage said after catching her look. “We’re all ex-military of one branch or another. We spent too long where knowing what was around us and who might be paying too much attention could mean life or death.”

She blinked several times as his words sank in. They were always watching in case they were being watched or followed. What kind of lives had these men lived before this? Did they still need to watch or was it just so ingrained in them now that they always did it? She didn’t know and wouldn’t ask, but knowing that they were watching too made her feel better. She let her head fall back against Savage’s arm where it was still hooked around her neck.

“Thank you.”

21

Savagehadhatedseeingthe wariness in Donna’s eyes as she’d scanned the area at every stop. He hadn’t seen the harm in letting her know that he and his brothers were watching for people they didn’t recognize to be following them or paying the group too much attention. And while telling her they were all previous military hadn’t been a lie, it also hadn’t been the entire truth either.

The relief in her eyes was worth the tiny bit of guilt he felt at not being entirely truthful. Besides, if she stayed around, he’d have to get used to that because he had no plans to tell her about the Souls and what they were really into. Either what they lead others to believe or the truth. He didn’t know how she’d take either bit of information, and on top of that, he wasn’t willing to put his brothers’ lives at risk.

He noticed that she hadn’t flinched or stiffened when he’d put his arm around her neck and was glad she was getting used to his casual touches. He hoped it wouldn’t be too long until she would welcome more from him, but he would take those cues from her.

They mingled with the other couples for a bit longer before it was time to mount up again and head to the next stop. Together, he and Donna went to his bike, where he pulled the helmets from one saddle bag and handed her hers. She’d gotten pretty good at putting it on, so he didn’t have to fasten it for her and this morning he’d shown her how to turn on the radio between the two so she could talk to him if she wanted, or he could warn her about some upcoming hazard. He wasn’t expecting her to use it once the group was back on the road.

“Can you hear me?” Donna’s voice came over the in-helmet radio loud and clear.

“Perfectly, babe. What’s up?”

“I wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?” He couldn’t help but scowl, even though he knew she couldn’t see it.

“For letting me know you and your brothers have my back. I know you won’t know their faces, but knowing that all of you are looking for people who might be following or watching too close, is a big relief for me. It means I don’t have to know every face. I don’t have to be constantly on the lookout.” She paused a moment and Savage wondered if that was all she was going to say or if there was more. “I don’t even care if you told them about the commune and Noah. I am just so relieved that someone other than me cares if they try to take me back.”

He took one hand off the handlebars, reached down and patted her hands where they sat almost folded around his waist.

“I haven’t told them, not yet. But now that I know you don’t mind, I will. I won’t go into too much detail, but it won’t hurt to have everyone watching for his face specifically. Though in order to get that, it will probably mean we need to get some information from you.”

“I don’t have any pictures or anything.” Her voice sounded as if she wasn’t sure what else she could do.

“That’s okay. I don’t expect you to. It will likely be things you already know like his full name, date of birth, that kind of thing.” She hadn’t had a phone after all, how would she have had a picture of him? Still, with his name, Gizmo would be able to find something with his photo, whether on some kind of social media or from his driver’s license. Savage didn’t care, he just wanted them all on the lookout for the fucker.

“Oh, I can do that.” Her arms shifted around his middle, telling him she’d shrugged, as if the information he’d suggested they would need was no big deal.

“Good. But I won’t tell them until we’re back at the ranch so you can relax about it. No one will ask you while we’re out and about. We can enjoy the rest of the run and maybe win a little cash.” He didn’t know what kind of hand she was holding, but his wouldn’t be a winner, of that he had no doubt. Still, he’d spent the day so far on his bike, with his brothers and the one woman who made him want more than he’d found to date. He couldn’t think of another day that had felt this good in a long, long time.

Severalhourslater,hepulled into the yard at the ranch along with the rest of his brothers. He stopped and had Donna climb off before parking the bike in the barn with the others. Once he’d killed the engine and stepped off, she approached him and gave him back her helmet.

“Thanks, babe,” he said and without thinking about it, bent to drop a peck of a kiss on her lips. It wasn’t until she stood staring up at him with wide eyes that he realized what he’d done. “You okay?” he said turning away to plug in both helmets, so the radios would be charged for their next ride.

“Yeah. I’m a little stiff, but nothing that moving around a little won’t cure. What’s the plan for tonight?”

“Not sure. Probably dinner then I don’t know what. We’ve got a club meeting tonight. That’s when I’ll tell them about your issue. You have your phone on you right?” At her nod, he continued. “Good. I may call or message you later so you can answer some questions for Giz, but it will probably be a laid back evening if you want to call it a night early.”

He didn’t know about her, but most of the day off and on the bike had left him more tired than you would think, not that he’d let that affect him. He’d be at the meeting and do whatever the rest of his brothers needed him to do. No doubt something to do with dinner would be on that list, since the men were doing most of the cooking this trip.

“Hey,” he said as an afterthought, stopping Donna as she’d already turned and was walking away.

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