Page 29 of Inflame Me
“I shouldn’t have yelled at him.” She shakes her head, her arms resting on the counter to hold up the weight of her body. “I don’t even know the man. Why do I care?”
“Well, you care because he’s your father. All the other shit, you’re gonna need to talk to Princess or one of the other ol’ ladies about.”
Her head rises just as the buzzer beeps on the microwave. She pulls it out and steps away. “I need to go help my mom.”
I want to grab her arm as she leaves, but I’m not a dick enough to want to her hurt by the hot liquid that could spill if I do.
I told her earlier an hour, but when I went in to get her, she was sleeping so fucking peaceful next to her mother I didn’t wake her. The worry that she seems to carry around with her all the time had been wiped from her face.
The way she takes care of her mother, not having one selfish act with her, is unbelievable. I never had another human being give a shit about me until I joined Ravage, and the fact that Tanner gives with her whole heart … I shake my head.
I let her sleep before, but now I’ll give her thirty minutes to get her mother sorted, and then I’m going in after her.
I grab a beer and sidle up to the bar, taking a long swig and lighting a smoke. Breaker comes through, giving me a chin lift and walking to the pantry to grab food.
“What’s going on?” I ask.
“Buzz. He’s getting close to cracking the computer, so I’m getting him something to keep him going.”
I lift my chin in response and take a pull from the bottle.
A strong hand clamps on my shoulder. “How’s it going?” Pops asks with a wide smile.
I’ll never forget what Pops did for me all those years ago—taking in a punk kid who had nothing and giving him more than he ever thought possible.
“Fine.” And it is for the most part. My dick is hard as a rock, but other than that, nothing big.
“Chasing tail?” Pops asks with a chuckle.
I clench my fists. “I chase nothing.” That is totally true. I don’t, and I’m not starting now.
“Got news.” His smile disappears as he sits next to me on the stool, grabbing my full attention. “Tried to find Dagger, but Cruz said he took off on his bike.”
“Yeah, just missed him.”
“Cops are on their way down here to question Mearna and Tanner. Guess the little phone chat didn’t really go over with them. I knew a phone call wouldn’t be enough.” He and I both. “I need them to go to the safe house out on Marquette. I don’t want that shit on Ravage’s door. We gotta get them there tomorrow and settled a bit.”
“What about this car accident Tanner came up with?”
“I’ll have Tug and Breaker bust up the front of the car once you get them settled to make the story true. Mearna doesn’t have to say anything except follow along with Tanner’s story.” Pops reaches over and grabs a beer, twisting off the cap and tossing it to the trash. “Simple, right?” Right.
“Dagger taking them out?” I ask.
“Him and you. Tomorrow morning. Get it sorted,” he orders then rises from the seat.
Fuck.
I CAN’T HELP wanting Tanner underneath me. The way she deals with life head-on, fixing shit as she goes … The way she thought on her feet about what to tell the cops … How loving and protective she is toward her mother … Hell, she even shows me soft, which surprises the hell out of me.
I enter Dagger’s room where Mearna is sound asleep. I look in the bathroom, thinking that’s where I will find Tanner, but no such luck.
Walking down the hallway, the sounds from the main clubhouse echo throughout. I turn the handle on my room door to find it’s still locked. She’s nowhere. Where in the fuck is she?
I march through the main room, not seeing her, and then walk down the stairs to the basement where single room bunks are all around along with a big kids’ room. We are always prepared for lockdowns, bringing Ravage family here, protecting and keeping them safe. Lately, we’ve had too many of those, and I’m hoping, with whatever Buzz finds out, we won’t have the threat again.
Moving through the rooms, I hear the faint sound of crying from down the hall. I follow it to where the single rooms are located. Most of the doors are wide open, but one is just cracked, the faint sound of sniffles coming from the other side.
I open the door to find Tanner sitting on the floor, her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. Her head is tucked down, and her whole body is shaking with sobs. She doesn’t look up or move as I step into the room. Fuck, I’m not good at this women crying bullshit. Fuck it.
