Page 37 of Nova

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" My body tenses.

"Calm down. All I'm sayin' is your reputation for the choice of women you've bedded is less than stellar. This one has her act together. She has class" Riggs eyes me. "You got it bad for her, huh?"

"She's mine." I try hard to hide my grin, but fail. Promise stole my fucking soul the moment her eyes locked with mine. My brothers hoot, and hollers fill the air, and Riggs clinks his beer bottle against mine.

"You deserve it, Cain." The others chime in agreeing.

Wick stands and pulls a bundle of keys from his pocket. Working a silver key off one of the rings, he tosses it to me. "Overlook the boxes sitting around. We've been using it as storage space for the bar and tactical store."

Once outside, I straddle my bike and fire it up. I stare at the key in the palm of my hand before slipping it inside my pocket. Having Promise in my home last night and waking to her still there this morning felt fucking incredible. I think back to the other day at the bar when she met my family. She meshed well with them as if she belonged.

Promise blindsided me. I never saw it coming. She knocked me on my ass. If I'm honest with myself, findingthe oneis something I've wanted for some time. All I do is think about Promise. I want her on the back of my bike, and her body pressed firmly against mine. I want her in my bed—in mine and my daughter's life.

A short time later, I'm rolling up the driveway, and spot Kiwi sitting outside, smoking a cigarette. Parking my bike in the garage, I join him on the front porch. "The girls, okay?" I ask, leaning against the porch railing.

"Oh yeah, mate." He offers me a smoke, and I take it. "What's the word?" he asks.

"We wait."

"No shit, bro?"

"Yeah. Riggs is right. We need to know where these fuckers are hiding before we can flush them out of our city like the turds they are."

"What are my orders?" Kiwi asks.

"See what images you can get from cameras in the area near London's apartment, and camp out here for a while. Help me look after Piper and Promise."

"I got your back, brother."

"Appreciate it," I tell him.

Putting out his cigarette, Kiwi stands. "I got to use the bathroom. Give me a few hours to dig up some feed. I'll let you know what I come up with later tonight."

An hour later, I'm in my truck with Piper and Promise. With the threat of further retaliation lingering, I'm hyper-aware of our surroundings as we travel down the road. But with Kiwi following behind us, my mood has shifted for the better. "Okay. I sent the address to London. She should be there soon." Promise looks up from her phone. "Are you going to tell me what we are doing?"

"I'll explain when we get there," I say, expecting her to protest, but she doesn't. I glance back at my daughter sitting in the back seat. Piper knows the address and smiles. She doesn't know my plans but knows me well enough to know I'm up to something.

The rest of the ride, I listen to Piper and Promise sing along to songs on the radio. I settle into the comfort of the two of them getting along well and think to myself; this is what the rest of my life could be like. Forever with one woman doesn't feel so foreign anymore. Though I've only known Promise for a fraction of time, it feels like much longer. Like a missing puzzle piece, she fits so perfectly in the picture, making it complete. For a second, the Hell's Punishers push through my happy thoughts. My grip on the steering wheel tightens, and my knuckles turn white.

"Are you okay?" Promise asks, her voice soft with worry, and I glance her way.

"Yeah, Sugar."

She breathes in and out with a heavy sigh. "Does it have anything to do with what happened last night?" the tone of her voice wavers.

"Try not to worry about it, babe. The club will handle it." I'm vague while trying to reassure her worries.

"Telling me not worry is like telling me I can't eat chocolate ever again. That's just never going to happen." Promise pauses, looking out the window. "Is that the reason you left so early this morning?"

"Sorry, Sugar. I won't discuss club business." I'm quiet for a moment, then add, "You'll also be staying at my house while we handle shit with this other club."

"Okay," Promise is quick to say, taking me by surprise.

"Yeah?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Yeah. I trust you, honey."

Honey? Shit, why do I like the sound of that?"You're fuckin' perfect," I say, my tone low as we finally pull up to our destination, Kiwi parks his bike beside my truck.

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