Page 46 of Property of Spike

“Absolutely,” Tank says, sitting back in his chair. “Since our President’s not mentally here right now, I’ll override the voting process and approve it.”

“Agreed,” the rest of the room chimes in, their voices in unison.

“I’ll input the bank info,” Skip says, but the man just laughs.

“No need, Skip,” he replies with a smirk. “Already did. I even added some extra bags so you can freeze the milk, ma’am.”

“Please, call me Riley,” I smile, embarrassed, my face feeling like it’s on fire. “Thanks.”

“How did you get our bank info?” Skip asks, still looking suspicious.

“With a few strategically placed ones and zeros. Don’t worry, I made sure to use the main account,” the man chuckles. “I also have some news on the baby. I’ll update everyone whenever the club’s President gets back from his... vacation.”

With Spike still staring at my chest, I place my hands over the wet spots, trying to hide the evidence of my body’s betrayal. This milk is for my son, and my body is wasting it.

Finally, Spike seems to snap out of it. He shoots a glare at the rest of the group, his jaw clenched with irritation.

“If a single one of you fuckers looks at her tits again, I’ll stab you in the dick,” he growls, his voice hard and unmistakably serious.

The room falls into a stunned silence as his threat lingers, and I feel a strange mix of amusement and comfort that he’s so protective.

Standing, Spike reaches down, turns my chair slightly, and pushes me forward against the table.

Without another word, he removes his black vest, shoves my arms through the slits, and drapes it backward over my body, effectively covering my chest.

I watch as he steps back, his eyes scanning my body. Once he’s satisfied, he moves behind my chair, his large hands resting gently on my shoulders. His fingers press into the muscles there, a comforting weight that settles me even more.

“Better?” he asks.

I nod, a slight chuckle escaping me despite myself. “Yeah... much better.”

The rest of the room remains quiet, and I can feel the tension ebb away, both in the room and in my body. Spike’s got this way of making everything feel like it’ll be okay, even if the world’s falling apart.

“Now, what did you find out about Asher?” Spike demands, his voice low but firm, the weight of the question hanging heavy in the air.

“Oh, so you were listening?” Bones chuckles. “I just wonder what was on your mind that you couldn’t remember how to talk earlier?”

“Fuck you, Bones,” Spike mutters. “What do you have for me, Foster?”

The broad man, Foster, leans back in his chair.

“First, Asher’s proof of life is now correctly filed at the hospital,” he says. “It wasn’t anything nefarious. There was a system crash that very morning and everything was done with good old-fashioned pen and paper. They’re just now getting everything logged into the computers.”

“I remember that,” I sigh. “The nurses kept apologizing to me because they were having a hard time getting things done. They couldn’t access the things they needed with a keycard, either. Which included most medications. It was chaos.”

“I image it was,” Foster smiles. “Now, for the other good news. The custody agreement that Ms. Hayes signed,” he says, the smile widening. “It’s null and void now.”

“What?” I ask, leaning forward in my seat, my pulse quickening. “It wasn’t legal?”

“Oh, it was legal,” Foster says, holding up a hand to calm me. “That bastard made sure to file it with the court within an hour of leaving you at the hospital. But here’s the thing. It’s not legal anymore. It’ll take about twenty-four hours for the courts to sort through all the logistics, but you’ll have your son back by this time tomorrow.”

“You’re sure?” Spike asks, his fingers squeezing my shoulders a bit tighter.

“Without a single doubt,” Foster smirks. “By this time tomorrow, baby Asher will be inside these compound walls.”

“What do I need to do?” Spike asks. I’m thankful because my voice doesn’t seem to work. My throat locks up, and my vision blurs with tears.

“You just need to send someone to collect him,” Foster explains. “Give me the name, and I’ll make sure they have clearance to remove the baby from Chuck.”

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