Page 55 of Still Burning

She was quiet for a moment, and I dropped my gaze to check on her. The smile was gone as she stared off, clearly thinking about something.

Stopping at the Escalade, I opened the back door and put her inside.

“That was our cue,” Micah said. “We can leave.”

I nodded and climbed in the captain’s chair closest to the door, then held out my arm for Salem to come sit in my lap. I wasn’t riding anywhere with her that far away. Micah climbed in on the other side and took the seat she had been sitting in, and Brick climbed into the passenger seat.

Salem curled up against me and laid her head on my shoulder.

“Jars, Country and Lick are staying with Liam until it’sfinished,” he said.

Salem lifted her head and looked at me with a slight crease between her brow. “Lick came with you?”

I nodded, trying not to clench my teeth. “Yeah,” I replied, my hold on her tightening.

I’d seen the security footage and watched him go talk to her out by the pond while I was at the fucking doctor’s office with Nixie. Jealousy and possessiveness curled in my gut. He’d been planning on stepping in and trying to take her from me.

Not a chance, fucker.

She didn’t say more, but laid her head back down.

The driver’s door opened, and the kid who had driven us here climbed inside. I’d been so worked up that I forgot his name, but he seemed so young to be involved in something like this.

“Boss said to take you to the strip. There is a plane waiting on you,” the kid said.

“Thanks,” I told him.

He nodded once and started the engine. We all sat in silence as he pulled away from the motel and onto the quiet street.

My world was set right again. I pressed a kiss to the top of Salem’s head.

“Who were the men who came into the room to get me?” she asked.

The kid glanced back in the rearview mirror. “That was King, Thatcher, Storm, and Levi,” he told her. “King, Thatcher, and Storm are all Georgia boys. Levi is one of the Ocala guys. He grew up with the boss. But he is Thatcher’s cousin.”

I’d wanted to go in there, but Blaise said no. That the safest way to get her out was to let his men handle it. My going in there would make it messy. Watching them go inside and knowing she was so close and I couldn’t go take her ate me alive. When minutes passed and no one came out, Blaise tossed down the cigarette he’d been smoking and headed for the door.

We’d all known that Brady Murphy’s life was over.

22

Salem

Stretching, I yawned, then opened my eyes slowly. I was staring at the sofa in Rome’s bedroom. We were back at the clubhouse. I didn’t remember getting here. Sitting up, I noticed I was wearing one of Rome’s T-shirts and pulled the fabric up to my nose to smell it. His scent made me smile.

The door opened, and my head snapped up to see Rome walking in with a tray of food.

“Don’t get out of that bed,” he ordered me. “I intend to stay up here all day. Maybe the entire week. I’m not sure yet.”

A grin tugged at my lips.

“You should be rested up after fourteen hours of sleep,” he said, setting the tray down on the side table.

“Fourteen?” I asked, scrunching my nose in confusion. “I can’t even remember getting back last night.”

“Because you were sleeping. I don’t think a bomb would have woken you up,” he told me as he climbed onto the bed and crawled over to me.

“I fucking love the sight of you in my bed, wearing my shirt, with your hair all messy,” he said, then pressed his lips against mine, slightly nipping at my bottom one.

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