Page 50 of Savage

Lurch:Not an emergency, everything is handled, and no one is hurt. But when you can, we need you both back here. We have a situation.

Savage tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling for a moment. It seemed like if it wasn’t one thing it was something else. After a moment he typed out his reply and sent it back.

Savage:We were just getting ready to head back. We’ll be there soon.

He pocketed his phone and glanced toward the bathroom door, hoping she was all right and wondering what was going on that they wanted them back at the clearing. It couldn’t be too bad, he told himself, or Lurch would have given him a heads up before just calling them back.

When she was finished and stepped out, he waited while she stepped close, then he pulled her into his arms, enjoying the moment as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face against his chest.

“Are we okay, babe?” He bent and dropped a gentle kiss on top of her head. “You still mad about the way I hauled you out of there?”

“We’re good,” she said, her face still buried against his chest.

“Good. We need to head back. I don’t know what’s up, but Lurch messaged me. He says we’re needed up at the clearing.”

“Is everything all right?” She looked up at him, a frown on her face.

“I don’t know. Let’s go find out.” He looked around and made sure they hadn’t left a mess, then stepped outside, making sure to latch the door before taking Donna’s hand and walking back to the clearing.

Lurch sat next to Kerry as they approached the clearing but seeing them approach, he said something to her and stood, meeting them before they made it to the rest of the group.

“I need to talk to Savage for a moment, Donna, if you don’t mind. I’m sure it won’t take long. Why don’t you go join the women?” Lurch said as he approached them.

“Go ahead,” Savage kissed the top of her head again. “I’m sure this won’t take long then we can get something to eat.” He glanced at Lurch. “Dinner will be before too long, right?”

“It will. I’ve got men working on it now.” He tilted the top of his head toward the outdoor kitchen where meals had been served since their arrival. There were a couple of men there working.

“All right.” She looked back and forth between him and Lurch for a moment before going to where the women sat and taking a seat.

They were too far away to hear what was being said but he could tell the women were asking about his hauling her off the way he had.

“You said you needed us both, what’s up?” Savage didn’t turn to look at Lurch as he asked.

“Let’s go into the horse barn for a minute.” Lurch turned, but waited until Savage turned and joined him before walking away.

“I thought you wanted us both?” Savage asked.

“I did, and I do, but I decided to run this by you first. Let you make a decision, and depending on which way it goes, we’ll decide how much to tell her.”

Savage scowled. What the hell was going on? He didn’t have long to wait. As they reached the barn Lurch spoke again.

“You know we’ve got the prospects keeping an eye on the road into the ranch, right?”

“Yeah,” savage said. He knew it wasn’t just the local prospects too. Boomer and Demon, who had come up from Tucson with them, were taking shifts out there too. When those assignments had been made, Savage had been glad not to be a prospect anymore, but if they’d asked him to, he would have done it.

“Well, after that SUV showed and left, and after you hauled your girl off, we reached out to Boomer, who’s the one watching the road, to make sure they were leaving. He reported the SUV leaving, but only one person in it.” They walked down the wide aisle between stalls.

Savage’s body flashed hot, then cold. “That fucker is out there waiting to get his hands on her.”

“Not anymore.” Lurch came to a stop, turned to look at Savage. “It didn’t take us long to follow the road out and find where they’d stopped, and he got out. The idiot is so stupid even I could track him and I’m just a dumb redneck from Louisiana.” Lurch pushed open the stall and swept one hand inside, as if showing off some prize. Savage wasn’t sure what he meant until he looked in the stall. There, lying bound and gagged in the hay was the fucker who’d abused Donna. It took everything in him not stomp in his head then and there.

“So, we have some options. We can get the police involved, Tuck’s more than willing to press charges for trespassing.”

Savage turned and looked at Lurch as he continued to tell him what was going on. Focusing on the local president, helped Savage keep from kicking the little fucker in the ribs over and over.

“He’d already been told to leave, that he didn’t is more than enough grounds to press charges. But I also know that your girl’s had a bit of trouble with him. It might be better off, and easier for her if he just disappears. We can handle that, if you think that will work better. I’m going to let you decide. Whatever you think will be better, for the club, for your girl, that’s what we’ll do.”

Savage stared at the man lying in the straw, hands and feet bound, and fought the urge to kick the shit out of him. Instinct told him that if they killed the useless fucker then he couldn’t cause any more trouble.

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