Page 83 of Savage

“We gotta stay vigilant.” Maverick looked over to me as he said, “Our guest made it pretty clear that he wasn’t alone. There are others out there, and once they realize that he’s missing, there will be more to come. We need all hands on deck. We gotta be ready in case they pull anything tonight.”

“Understood.”

Protecting the family had always been our number one priority. We lived or died by the brotherhood. We always had, and we always would. If Bruton didn’t handle the Stingers, we would, and we would handle them in ways they couldn’t imagine. And there was a piece of me that hoped we would get to do just that, especially after hearing their plans for Londyn and Dalton.

The Stingers had it coming, and they were going to get it one way or another.

CHAPTER24

Londyn

After a whirlwind of a day, I took Dalton to Macomb’s room and put him to bed. I waited several hours, but Malcomb never showed. My exhaustion caught up with me, and I eventually drifted off to sleep. I woke up the next morning and was disappointed to find that there was still no sign of Malcomb. Being careful not to wake Dalton, I eased out of bed and went to the bathroom.

I took a moment to fix my hair and wash my face, then went back into the bedroom to check on Dalton. When I walked in, I found him sitting up on the bed with a smile on his face. “Hey there, buddy. Did you sleep okay?”

“Um-hmm.” His smile grew wider as he said, “I like it here.”

“I like it here, too.” I brushed his hair out of his eyes as I asked, “Are you hungry? We could go get some breakfast or maybe some juice.”

He nodded and pushed the covers back before hopping out of bed. He picked up his shorts from the floor and slipped them on, then looked up at me and said, “Oo-kay. I’m ready.”

“Alright, let’s go see what we can find.”

I took his hand and led him out the door, and to my surprise, there wasn’t a soul in sight as we started down the hall.

As we made our way to the kitchen, I couldn't shake the feeling that something seemed off. It was quiet—too quiet for a clubhouse full of rowdy men. The silence played with my anxiety, making me wonder if we should turn around and go back to Malcomb’s room. Dalton, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to it all and hummed a tune to himself as he looked around the long, narrow hall. He seemed so enthralled by it all.

I couldn’t blame him. I felt the same way the first few times I came to the clubhouse. It felt like a different world. It still felt like a different world, only now, it seemed a bit more daunting. I tried to ignore the feeling as I led Dalton into the kitchen and over to the fridge. “What are you thinking? Some cereal or some scrambled eggs?”

“Eggs!” he answered excitedly.

“I can make them,” a voice interjected from the doorway.

I turned, and I felt like I’d been punched in the gut when I found Candace standing there with an awkward smile on her face. I couldn’t hide my distaste for her as I muttered, “Hey, Candace. Thanks, but I can scramble his eggs on my own.”

“Of course.” After grabbing the eggs from the fridge, I started looking for a skillet, and when I didn’t find it right away, she said, “Bottom left corner.”

“Thanks.”

I bent down and opened the bottom left cabinet, then took out a small skillet. “Hey, sweetie. Why don’t you grab a drink from the fridge and have a seat at the table? I’ll bring your eggs over when they’re read.”

“O-kay, Momma.”

Dalton stepped over to the fridge and grabbed a box of juice, then went over to the table and sat down. Doing my best to ignore the fact that she was still standing there, I placed it on the stove, then grabbed a bowl and started cracking the eggs. I’d hoped that she would eventually get the hint and leave.

She didn’t.

Instead, she walked over to me and said, “I know you hate me, but I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry about that day. I only did what Malcomb asked me to.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“That’s just it. I do worry about it.” She actually sounded sincere when she said, “I think about that day a lot, and if I could go back, I would tell Malcomb not to do it.”

“Why would you do that?” I glanced over my shoulder as I said, “I would’ve thought you’d be happy that we broke up.”

“You weren’t here. You didn’t see how messed up he was. He was devastated over losing you, and I hate I had a part to play in it.” She looked over at Dalton, then back to me. “And now, seeing how happy he is that you’re back and that he has a kid, that makes that feeling even worse.”

“It’s not your fault.” I turned my attention back to Dalton’s eggs. “Like you said, you were just doing what Malcomb asked.”

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