“Who is this fucker? We’ll take care of it,” he said firmly.

That was all he said, and I was brought back into the fold. I held back my tears of relief and finally told him the name that I had refused to say since I left our house in Portland. I had some sort of weird belief that if I said his name, he would appear…sort of like Beetlejuice. I knew it was stupid, but I held on to that belief.

“His name is Anthony Richards.”

“Is he gonna cause you problems? Follow you?” Slider asked me, seemingly unconcerned.

“Probably. He’s going to be pissed I took off. He’s going to be livid when he figures out where we are. If he figures out where we are…”

“He don’t know where you came from, Brenna?” Pop asked incredulously.

“Uh, no. He didn’t. I didn’t bring it up, and he didn’t ask.” My face blushed with shame.

I never wanted them to feel like I was ashamed of them, but the truth was that I used to be embarrassed by our life when compared to Tony’s. His family was wealthy and very clean-cut, and so different from ours. I hadn’t wanted to bring him back here in his preppy clothes to see my family covered in tattoos and leather jackets. Not to mention, half of the boys on the property had outstanding warrants in more than a few states.

Looking back, I wished I had brought him here. Maybe someone would have noticed what I hadn’t. Maybe seeing me surrounded by men that most people would cross the street to stay away from would have given him enough incentive to keep his hands off me. Maybe he would have dumped me and never looked back. Maybe the last five years would never have happened.

The day Dragon got back started out normally or as normal as it could when I was sleeping with my four-year-old daughter in my pop’s bed at a biker compound. Slider refused to give us our own room because he didn’t want to set precedence, so Pop took one of the empty rooms while Trix and I stayed in his room. This seemed a little ridiculous to me, but I guess I could see his point. He wanted to make it very clear to the members and their bitches that this was a temporary situation. Bitches could stay the night in the guys’ rooms; however, they were not moving in. Ever. He didn’t want the drama of old ladies and club skanks fighting it out over living arrangements. What a clusterfuck that would be.

By noon, Trix and I were sitting at a picnic table eating sandwiches in the sunshine. It was mostly quiet around the club these days with so many of the boys gone with Dragon and Grease. I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so calm. Not at peace as there were too many unknowns for that, but I felt safe. Trix and I hadn’t left the compound once since that first day. Vera had offered to go to a local Walmart to get us some clothes and toys for Trix, so we didn’t have to leave. Thank God because I wasn’t sure that I could have made myself go outside the gate.

When I heard the roar of pipes coming up the driveway, I was instantly alert. There were far too many for it to be just one of the boys who had left on some errand. It was at least six or seven. Dragon was home, and it was time to face the music. I didn’t want to freak Trix out, but I really wanted to get inside before they reached us. It was too open out here, and most everyone was inside at this time of day. I was really hoping that Pop would take Trix while Dragon and I had our little conversation. I quickly picked up our garbage and swung Trix down from her seat, but I wasn’t quick enough. The boys rolled into the forecourt followed by a dark gray sedan with tinted windows. Dragon was parked closest to us, and we immediately made eye contact as he climbed off his bike. His face was completely emotionless as he started in our direction. He didn’t make it far before I heard a voice behind him and felt Trix’s body push hard against the side of my leg.

“Ah, Brenna, my wayward wife. Come give me a kiss, love, and then it’s time to go.”

I slowly turned my head in the direction of the voice and felt my heart begin to race. Standing beside the sedan was my husband, flanked by two massive boogeymen with no necks. Tony looked the same as ever—expensive suit, loafers, and not a hair out of place. However, I could tell by the look on his face that he was livid.

How the FUCK did he get in here? Was Slider giving me back? Thoughts raced through my head, and for a moment, it was as if I had tunnel vision. All I could see was Tony, and all I could hear was his voice over and over. Come give me a kiss, love. Come give me a kiss, love. This couldn’t be happening. I snapped back into reality when I heard Trix’s whimper. I glanced down to see her watching the scene unfolding before us with unblinking eyes.

Dragon was striding toward Tony. His back was to us, but by the set of his shoulders, I knew he was pissed. Just then, Slider and Pop came out of the clubhouse followed by a group of the boys. This was not going to end well for anyone. Tony was outnumbered, but by the look on his face, he knew he was safe. I wasn’t sure if he thought I would just willingly leave with him or if Slider would hand me over, but I knew he thought this was going to end in his favor.

When Dragon was about five feet from Tony, Slider finally spoke up.

“Dragon, stop! Grease, grab him!”

By now, the goons had pulled weapons, but so had the brothers. It was a standoff between them with Trix and me in the thick of it. Dragon didn’t act like he’d heard Slider as he strode toward Tony. He was moving at the same steady speed as before, completely ignoring the guns pointed him. Before Grease could grab him, Trix called out from beside me.

“Papa!”