Page 54 of T-Bone
Chloe shook her head. “Faith doesn’t trust anyone, definitely not men or bikers. You must be special to her.” Her smile was watery and soft, but it was there.
“That’s what I said,” Gio offered with a smile in his voice.
Her smile grew.
“You’re not safe here Chloe. We need to get you and Gemma out of here. Now.” I hated to put that look of fear in her eyes again, but we needed to get the fuck out of here.
She looked past me and Gio to the front door. “Where’s Faith?”
“You heard the message,” I said softly even though I knew she hadn’t heard the words, just her sister’s voice. “My otherbrothers are looking for her. She led Nate away from here so we could get to you, well to Gemma, first. She wanted me to come here for Gemma.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks, and she shook her head. “I’m ruining Faith’s life. Again.”
I took a cautious step forward and reached for her. “Trust me, finding out you’re alive is going to make her so fuckin’ happy.”
“She thought I was… d-d-dead?”
“Yeah,” I nodded. “She was focused on rescuing Gemma and keeping her safe. She quit being a cop when they closed your case, she became a private investigator so she could search for your little girl.”
Devastation took over again. She dropped her head forward and her entire body slumped forward. “I’m always ruining her life.”
“She doesn’t see it that way. I promise.”
Indecision kept her rooted to where she stood.
“Chloe, the quicker we can get you and Gemma to our clubhouse, the sooner the rest of us can go find Faith. Please.”
Her jaw clenched and she nodded. “Right. Yeah. Okay.” Her legs were shaky, so I held on to her. “Gemma, it’s okay honey. Come out.”
Slowly a door opened, and a little redheaded girl appeared. When she looked up, I saw those familiar green eyes and sighed. A heaviness mixed with happiness and everything feltalmostright.
“Thank fuck.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “He said a bad word.”
Chloe and Gio laughed. “Come on Gemma, we need to go.”
She took a step back. “With them?”
“Yeah, they’re going to take us to Auntie Faith.”
Tears welled in the little girl’s eyes. “But you said we couldn’t see her again, that it wasn’t safe.”
“It wasn’t,” I answered. “But me and your auntie have been looking for you and she asked me to bring you to her.” I held out a hand and the little girl took it. “We don’t have time to pack. Grab anything important and make it quick.”
Chloe nodded and rushed around the small space until she held one backpack, exploding with stuff, clutched in her hands. “Okay. Ready.”
“Stay between me and Gio, and stay close.” Chloe nodded and I exited the cabin first, my head swiveling as Rocky and Falcon joined us, and then Sniper and Maverick flanked us once we got closer to the road.
Falcon stood beside the SUV with the back door open.
Chloe looked at me, pleading in her gaze.
I nodded, understanding perfectly. Tossing my keys at Falcon, I glared at him. “Don’t fuck up my bike. Or else.”
He flashed a knowing smile. “I’ll ride her better than you ever did.”
“Whatever.” I helped Gemma into the back seat, strapping her in while Chloe jumped in front.
