He shakes his head. “Nah.”

“Then no after sex cuddles for you.”

He goes to sit up, but I quickly leap off the bed, giggling.

“Careful, darlin’.”

I roll my eyes at him, and then lean down to find one of his shirts and a pair of panties.

“I’m hungry,” I say again. “I’ll be back.”

I flash them both a smile, before turning and heading out and down the stairs. I check the pizza box first. Cold. Yuk. I grumble and walk to the fridge, opening it. There’s not a lot in there, so I pull out some cold turkey and decide to make some sandwiches. I’m just about to lather them with mustard, when I hear my cell phone vibrating against the counter. I stare down at it, and see Janine’s number. I quickly answer it.

“Janine?”

“Where have you been?” she cries. “I’ve been trying to contact you for hours.”

“Sorry, I’ve been...um...busy.”

“He threatened me, didn’t he?”

“Pardon?”

She sounds frantic. “He threatened me, that’s why you’re doing this. I’ve been wracking my brain trying to figure out what would possess you to actually listen to him, and I finally figured it out.”

She’s talking about Hogan.

“It’s...more complicated than that.”

“Did he or did he not threaten me?” she demands.

“Not...exactly,” I whisper, peering at the stairs to make sure I’m still alone.

“What do you mean, not exactly?”

I groan. “I can’t...”

“Oh god...” she rasps. “He threatened Eb’s?”

I’m silent, and I know it’s her answer.

“Oh, oh god! Oh my god! I need to get out of here.”

“If Derek finds out you try and leave him, there’s going to be a problem.”

“Fuck Derek, he doesn’t care about our daughter. I am not risking my baby.”

“Janine...”

“She’s my daughter, Serenity!” she screams. “I’m not risking her.”

“Ok,” I whisper. “Ok...”

“Where are you?”

“I’m with Jackson, at his house.”

“Can I...I mean...can we come over?”

“Now?”

“Please?” her voice trembles.

“Ok, look, ok...come over. I’m sure Jackson won’t mind.”

“It’s just...Derek won’t find me there.”

My heart breaks for her; I can’t imagine how she’s feeling right now. I give her the address, and she assures me she’ll be here in twenty minutes. I give her a quick cover story if Jackson asks, so we don’t get put on the spot. I hang up the phone, and my fingers tremble. I put it down, and grip the counter, trying to take a deep breath.

“Everything ok?”

I hear Jackson’s voice, and turn to see him and Muff, both wearing only jeans, staring at me. I burst into a fit of tears that are going to make no sense to these guys right now, but I can’t hold them back. Jackson walks over, taking me into his arms and wrapping himself around me. I bury my face into his neck.

“Is it what just happened?” he whispers.

“No,” I croak, shaking my head. “It’s my friend...”

“What’s happened?” he asks, pulling me back and gripping my face, swiping my tears away.

“Her...” God, I have to lie. “Her husband is abusive, and she’s scared for her and her daughter. They have nowhere to go.”

“They can come here for a few nights; I gotta go on a run anyway.”

“What?” I rasp.

“Hey,” he says gently, cupping my face in his big hands. “You’re goin’ to be fine here.”

“I...It’s just...”

“Your friend can stay, and you won’t even notice I’m gone. She’ll be safe here. No one will bother you. I’ll send the guys past to watch the house every hour.”

“I can’t put you out anymore,” I whisper, shaking my head.

“Hey, listen to me,” he orders. “I have a house that’s far too big for me, and plenty of space. I’m going away, I won’t even notice. It’s ok, I’m sayin’ it’s ok.”

I nod, biting my lip. Muff walks over, rubbing my back gently and then he walks into the kitchen to finish the sandwiches. When he’s done, he offers me one, but I feel too sick to do anything but nibble on it. I can’t stop thinking that I have to tell Jackson about all this. If Hogan finds out I’m hiding this, then it’s only going to end in disaster. He’s going to hit the roof as soon as Janine disappears, which doesn’t give me long to explain this to Jackson. He’s going on a ride, which means I have to shut my mouth until he gets back. It’s too dangerous without him here.

I hear a knock at the door, and I jerk my head up. I feel my heart hammer; I stand and quickly rush towards the laundry room to find some decent clothes. I throw on a pair of shorts and a tank, and quickly tie my hair up before rushing out. I rush past Jackson and Muff who are staring at me with concern. I swing the front door open to face a red eyed Janine and a bouncing, beautiful Ebony.

“Aunty Senny!” Ebony cries, using her nickname for me. She leaps forward, beaming.

“Well hey baby girl,” I force myself to smile as I scoop her up and pull her into my arms.