Page 40 of Inflame Me
I don’t wait and practically run up to Rhys and wrap my arms around his neck tightly, sticking my head into his leather and shirt. I feel the tears threatening to fall, but I breathe deeply in and out as his arms come around me. His gloved hands come to the top of my head as he just holds me, my body deciding it’s the time for tremors to begin. I don’t care that he went out of here pissed only a little while ago. None of that matters. What matters right now is that I feel safe in his arms.
“Sprite, where’s Dagger?” he asks into my hair.
“In the house. He told me that, when you guys showed up, I was supposed to bring Officer Miller back into the house,” I tell him, not lifting my face up, sucking in his scent like I’ll never get a whiff of it again, instead.
“Has he been bad to you?” Rhys asks. When I shake my head into his chest, his hand rubs up and down my hair. “Good, baby. Good.”
“Rhys,” Pops calls out.
I jump, almost forgetting that all of the guys are there and the hell that I’m in.
“House,” he answers. “Officer Miller, come with us.”
“What’s going on?” the officer asks from behind me.
“In the house and we’ll explain.”
Shuffling happens behind me, but I don’t move my head out of Rhys’s shirt. I hold on to him with everything I have.
“If Dagger wouldn’t have been here, he would have raped me,” I confess, a tear falling from my face.
“Who?” Rhys’s body goes taut as the word is barked out, making me jump.
“Griff. In the house.”
He pulls away, and my arms try to tighten to keep him close, but he’s definitely stronger than I am. His index finger comes to my chin as he raises it so I’m staring into his fiery depths.
“That fucker put his hands on you?” he growls.
I merely nod my head because his angry face is scary, but I also feel so safe with him. What in the hell is wrong with me?
“Let’s go.” He leads me into the house, and I notice all the other guys except Breaker are already inside. Breaker follows us.
Rhys wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I feel cocooned in his warmth.
Entering the living room, I stop dead. Griff is tied with duct tape to a wooden chair that was in the dining area, and Officer Miller is sitting on the couch, wide-eyed. Holy shit, what’s going on?
My mother’s eyes meet mine, but she doesn’t seem as shocked as I do.
“What’s going on?” I ask Dagger who is walking behind Griff, the anger rolling off him.
“Tanner, take your mother into her bedroom and shut the door,” Dagger orders me, making my spine stiffen. I want to know what the hell is going on.
Rhys squeezes me. “Go.”
I look up at him. Something in those commanding eyes makes me listen. I help my mom up and move her to her bedroom.
“Mom, what is going on?” I ask after setting her on the bed and shutting the door. “We can’t let them kill them!” I screech, but it’s quiet, only for my mother to hear.
“Come here.” She pats the bed beside her, and I sit. “Honey, I brought your father into this mess. We have to let them deal with it. I believe fully that he will protect us no matter what.”
“But, Mom, they’re police officers! Don’t you think it’s gonna be suspicious if they don’t go back?” I mean, seriously, am I the only one here who is thinking clearly? “And Dagger already said the club comes first! He’s not going to put us over the club.”
“Calm down. You have to trust that he will protect us.”
“You want me to trust a guy I’ve known for days?”
“You trust Rhys? His arm around your shoulder tells me he’s pretty protective of you.”
