Page 51 of Rock

She was glad. Her face was hot, and she was slightly worried about how his son was taking this information.

Atlas didn’t look upset. He was smiling.

“Life was complicated, though. I had a summer internship in another town, and Lyla went away to college. We lost touch.”

“Wait…” Atlas said, “You mean you never saw each other again?”

Lyla swallowed, tears welling up in her eyes. It sounded so tragic. Maybe it was.

Rock kissed her neck again. “Not until last night.”

“Holy fuck, Dad.” Atlas glanced back and forth between them. “You two look like you haven’t even missed a beat.”

“I feel kind of sad,” Kade muttered.

Lyla took a deep breath and wiped her eyes, sucking back the tears. “I’m here now.”

“Are you staying?” Steele asked.

Rock answered, “It hasn’t even been a day. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

Lyla was grateful for his response. The deflection. After a long silence, she repeated her initial question, “What were you all saying about combing the place?”

Rock turned her so she was against his side and looked down at her. “This house. We bumped heads about your attacker. He said, ‘where is it?’ That makes us think he hid something here in the house. Apparently, when he came back for it, it was gone, and he thinks you found it.”

Steele nodded. “We’ve spoken to Ink and Breaker. They haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary, and they haven’t taken anything from the property.”

She glanced at Rock. How could they be sure?

He must have read her expression. “They’ve been prospects with the Shadowridge Guardians for a while, Little one. They’re good guys. We’ve never had a single issue with them. There’s no way they would ruin their chances with the MC by stealing something from my woman’s house and lying about it.”

She nodded.

“Besides,” Kade added, “if they had found something, and it was valuable, they would have left town, not shown up again today to keep working.”

Kade had a point. “Right. Okay. So why bother combing the place? We already know it’s not here, whateveritis.”

Steele rubbed his beard. “We’re looking for a hiding place, maybe a false wall behind a cabinet or space under a floorboard, something that could have been a hiding place. It isn’t likely to be in plain sight.”

Rock nodded. “Gabriel and Talon are talking to the neighbors to see if anyone has seen any suspicious activity since the last renters moved out. Maybe someone saw your attacker coming and going. If he’s only been here in the middle of the night, though, it’s likely no one would have seen him.”

That was a good idea. Honestly, Lyla had been so consumed with Rock’s appearance and her deep feelings for him that she hadn’t stopped to consider the possibilities regarding her attacker. It was easier to put it out of her mind.

Kade shoved away from the counter he’d been leaning against. “Trust me. If there’s anything remotely suspicious on this property, one of us will find it.”

Rock tipped her chin back. “Do you remember any secret hidey-holes from your childhood?”

“No. I suppose we could ask Jackson, but he never told me about any secret compartments.”

Rock held her gaze. “I think we should call Jackson anyway.”

“Call Jackson about what? What’s going on here?”

At the sound of her brother’s voice, Lyla spun around so fast she nearly fell on her ass.

Jackson was entering the kitchen, flanked by two of the Guardians.

“Sorry, Pres,” the one who’d introduced himself as Bear said, looking at Steele. “Didn’t mean to interrupt. This guy says he’s Lyla’s brother.”

---