Player Chapter 6

I knew as soon as I walked in the door of The Dark Angel this was a colossal mistake. What in the world made me think bringing Clover, one of the club bunnies, here was a good idea? Oh, I remember. I thought it would help me keep my mind off Saylor and not make a fool of myself since I knew she would be here. How could I not? It was all the old ladies had talked about.

I hadn't planned to come at all. I was going to hang out at the clubhouse with the guys. Only I soon found out they were planning to join the women, even the single ones. Not relishing the thought of being there with no one to talk to, and the bunnies and some hang arounds didn't count, I'd changed my plans to see what they were up to.

It was while I was getting ready that nerves assailed me. I'd been doing nothing but thinking about her since the whole debacle three weeks ago. My calls to apologize to her had led to us talking a little. Those conversations triggered me to want to know more about her. All attempts the women made to get her to the clubhouse again had failed. Now that she would be where I could see and talk to her, I couldn't do it.

Whatever this fascination or whatever it was I'd been feeling toward her was, it needed to stop. I wasn't looking to have a woman. I was happy with the ones I could choose or not any time I wanted one. I wasn't about to settle like my brothers. If I spent time with her, they'd think I was with her. It would turn into a mess, and I wasn't interested in dealing with it. It would be better if I showed them I wasn't interested. And if she had gotten any ideas along those lines, then she had to be shown I wasn't attracted. That had been where my head was when I got the bright idea to bring Clover to The Dark Angel.

I drove one of the club's SUVs. No way was she getting on the back of my bike. I wasn't taking a chance she'd get ideas. Her chatter had given me a headache before we even got here. She clung to me as we walked in. I eased her as far away as I could, which wasn't far. As I walked over to the club and greeted them, I fought not to look in Saylor's direction. I knew she couldn't see me, but the rest could.

I saw by their facial expressions that none of the guys or the old ladies were happy to see me, and I knew it was because of Clover. Christ, what the hell is wrong with you? I berated myself. There were muttered words from more than a couple of people. I was fighting to keep my unconcerned expression firmly on my face. I still hadn't looked at her even though I knew where she was.

Movement to the right caught my eye in the area I knew she was in. I kept looking to the opposite side of the table. I lost the battle when she moved away, and my brothers began to call out to her. They complimented and flirted with her like crazy, telling her how hot she was tonight. Unable to resist, I looked, and when I did, I caught her glancing back and blowing them a kiss and giving them a wink.

My breath was knocked out of me. The sway of her perfect ass, molded by those jeans, was spellbinding as she kept walking. I took in the back of her. Her jeans tapered down to strappy high heels, making her legs look even longer and sexier. Her long-curled hair hung almost to her ass, and when it swung to the side, I could see the top she had on was open in the back to below her waist and tied behind her neck.

Glancing around, I noted it wasn't just my single club brothers watching her. There were other men in the bar staring at her ass. I wanted to tell them to look away unless they wanted their eyes beaten closed by my fist. Shit, this was a mistake. Payne grabbed my arm before I could turn and get out of there. I'd been so distracted by Saylor, I hadn't noticed him approaching. He was scowling at me.

"I need to talk to you for a minute. Clover, take a walk."

"Player, I don't need to leave, do I, honey?" she asked with a bat of her lashes. I would've called her a decent bunny who knew her place before tonight. However, the moment I singled her out to come with me, she began acting strange, as if she had some claim on me. It irritated me to no end.

"Get. I need to talk to Payne," I told her.

She moved off, but she did it slowly and with a pout. As soon as she was far enough away, he pulled me to the dark corner.

"What the fuck are you thinking, bringing her here? You knew Saylor would be here."

"What does it matter if she is or not? She and I aren't anything."

"That might be, but because of you, she's not been back to the clubhouse. Tonight was supposed to be the way to get her comfortable enough to come again. Then you walk in with a fucking bunny. After what you said that morning in the kitchen, she has to take it as an insult and insinuation. We'll be lucky if she ever speaks to any of us again. You might not like her, but the women and us guys do. Did you ever think your attitude might ruin a chance for one of your single brothers and her? They could do a helluva lot worse than Saylor," he hissed.

His suggestion that one of them wanted her made me want to punch something. Again, I had no clue why. Pushing that thought away, I answered him.

"You're getting all wound up over nothing. We're good. I've talked to Saylor several times, and she's forgiven me. She's not going to care that I brought Clover here."

"Where the hell is your head at, boy?" Bull's deep voice growled from behind me. I wanted to groan. Not him, too.

I faced him. "Bull, I wasn't trying to upset anyone, especially Saylor. It's no big deal."

He was scowling at me and opening his mouth, no doubt to blast me more when our attention was captured by Saylor and Jessica returning from the bathroom. Jesus Christ, the front of her was even better. The top had a lace-up front, which let you catch glimpses of the cleavage her ample breasts made. Her face was made up to enhance her beauty as if she needed to do that. A necklace dipped between her breasts, and long dangly earrings and a cuff bracelet completed the outfit. She was drop-dead gorgeous.

As they got to the table, they leaned toward a couple of the old ladies. The next thing I knew, they were getting to their feet, followed by the other women. As one big mob, they made their way to the dance floor. The band was playing, and people, mostly women, were up there dancing their hearts out.

Dozens of eyes followed them. While it was impossible to know which women they were checking out, I knew some were on her. She stood out, especially since she was the only one in their horde without a property cut on. It would be like waving a flag in front of a bull. Men who wanted to prove something to themselves and to the club, which men seemed to like to do all the time, would be all over trying to lure her away from the MC. If one could, it would be like a victory. I'd heard more than a few men around town bitching about how the club seemed to have a monopoly on finding beautiful women before anyone else ever laid eyes on them.

I had this insane urge to take my cut off and run over there and put it on her so they'd stay away from her. I must be losing my mind. Bull and Payne kept lecturing me, and I worked to defend myself, even after Vex, who was the last one I wanted to talk to, Renegade, Demon, and Joker joined us. They weren't any happier with me than the other two.

I kept getting sidetracked, listening to them chew me out while focusing on the sight of Saylor dancing. She had great rhythm and threw herself into the music. The women were laughing, dancing, and talking. I found myself getting turned on, and images were coming and going in my head of what she'd look like naked. This wasn't the first time I'd wondered that, but never with others around. My jeans were starting to get uncomfortable in the crotch.

I was so worried they'd notice that when Clover came slinking back up, I was relieved. I gave her a big smile and wrapped an arm around her. "You know what? I changed my mind. Let's get out of here. There are other places and ways to have fun," I told her suggestively.

The way she looked me up and down told me she was all for it. "Then let's go. It's boring here. Let's go back to your room at the clubhouse, or we can go somewhere else if you want," she offered huskily.

"We're outta here. See you guys later. Hope you enjoy your night," I told the ones surrounding me.

They gave me dirty looks, but I ignored them. Throwing up a hand to the ones still at the tables, I didn't waste time getting Clover to the door. Before we exited, I glanced one more time at the dance floor. Madisen was saying something in Saylor's ear as she glared at me. By the look on Saylor's face, I knew it was about me, and she wasn't happy. If I had to guess, I'd say she was upset.

I hustled Clover into the SUV and headed out. I didn't have the urge to take her back to the clubhouse. She kept a small place in town. I'd been there before when I'd had the urge and wasn't at the compound. I drove us there. The sooner I had her naked and under me, the sooner this craziness going on in my head would stop. There was no way I was falling for Saylor McKay. I just needed to get laid. I hadn't been with anyone in weeks, which wasn't like me.

Every time I thought about it, I found something else needed my attention, or I was too tired to see who was around to help me out. That had been a mistake. Going without had led me to have these insane sexual thoughts about Saylor, a woman I could never have. She was the "commitment and old lady" type, not the "let's fuck and be done" type. The only women I had sex with more than once or twice were the bunnies. They knew the score and that it didn't mean anything.

It wasn't long until we were inside Clover's apartment, and she was shedding her clothes. I was slowly removing my boots and cut. As she got naked, my cock perked up a bit more. He'd deflated for some reason on the drive over here. She was pretty enough, and her body was killer. Her breasts were large, the way I liked them, but in her case, some of the appeal was lost because they were fake. I preferred them to be real. Bet Saylor's breasts were all natural popped into my head. Fucking forget Saylor. Clover is who you need. She won't expect more , I reminded myself.

Clover was now naked and had spread herself on her bed. She was smiling at me as she fondled her breasts and teased her clit. She was trying to look sexy, but it appeared unappealing. I was down to only my jeans on. I walked to the edge of the bed. I reached out and cupped her breast. I squeezed it. The hard, unnatural feel was evident. I let go. My cock was no longer perked up. It had gone back to sleep as if bored.

I tried to regain interest in fucking her. I tried kneading her breasts again and tweaking her nipples. When it didn't interest me, I ran my fingers down her body. Even before I got to her pussy, she was making these loud moaning sounds, the kind made when a woman was on the brink of coming. Only she was nowhere that turned on. Yeah, her nipples were hard, but it was cool in the room. Her legs were spread, and I could see that while her pussy was a little wet, it wasn't drenched. She wasn't very turned on yet, but she was making a show of being that way.

I might be a player and sleep with a lot of women, but one thing I never did was be selfish and not make sure the woman I was with was enjoying herself to the max. This pretending she was doing turned me off more. My hand was just inches from her slit when I stopped. She gave me a puzzled look when I stayed where I was.

"Player, honey, don't stop. You've got me so hot. I want to come, then I'll make you come. In fact, why don't you slip those jeans off and give me your big cock. It's been too long. I want to feel you stretching me. You don't need to worry about a condom. I'm clean, and I'm on birth control. That'll make it feel even better."

Those words snapped me out of any inclination I still had to try and go through with this. I didn't go without protection, no matter what the woman said. The bunnies knew that my brothers and I wouldn't. They were required to be tested regularly and show proof they were negative for sexual diseases, even though we wore condoms religiously. Bull had drilled that into our heads since I joined. He said the last thing we wanted was to knock up some woman we didn't want and have ourselves tied to her for eighteen years. None of the guys violated this unofficial rule that I knew of, and I sure as hell didn't. I lifted my hand and moved away from her. She raised up on her elbows and gave me a confused look.

"Player, what's wrong? Come here," she beckoned me.

I backed away from her bed and went back to where I'd shed my boots, cut, and shirt. I tugged on my shirt. She got off the bed and came hurrying over to me. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm getting dressed. I changed my mind."

"Changed your mind! Why? You've never changed your mind. Come here. Relax on the bed. I know I can get you in the mood," she said seductively, or at least what she thought was seductive.

I shook my head and picked up my cut. As I was shrugging it on, she dropped to her knees, and her hands frantically went after my belt and zipper as she cried out, "Let me suck your cock. That'll make you feel good. Don't go."

I shoved her hands away and then stepped away from her. I was surprised when she came after me on her knees. She had an almost desperate look to her. She tried to do it again. This time, I shoved her hand away harder and barked at her.

"Keep your goddamn hands off me! I said I wasn't in the mood. I'm leaving. Don't touch me again, or you'll find yourself out of the club," I threatened. I didn't know if one complaint would do it, but it was worth the lie if she believed it and stopped.

It worked. She froze and then watched me finish getting dressed. As I headed for the door, she cried. "Why are you doing this? You want me. I know you do. You took me out tonight. I know you feel something for me."

"Clover, I'm sorry that I gave you that impression, but there was nothing special about tonight. I wanted company, and you were the one who happened to be there to ask. Thought I wanted sex, but I don't. That's the facts. Goodnight."

I didn't bother to explain more. I got the hell out of there. When I got in the car, I realized I didn't want to go back to the clubhouse, and there was no way I wanted to go back to The Dark Angel. That left me with one option. I'd go for a ride. Maybe if I did, I could clear my head and figure out this chaos in my brain. I had to before it drove me mad. I would've rather been on my bike, but I didn't want to go back to the compound to get it, so the car would have to do. Without a destination in mind other than to get away and think, I got on the main road and headed out of town in the opposite direction of the compound. As the miles began to tick by, I started to think through what had been happening to me and the reasons why.

???

It was four in the morning as I drove through the gate of the compound. My hours of driving hadn't cleared anything up, unfortunately. If anything, it made it worse. I was still confused about Saylor and what these feelings and thoughts I kept having meant. I refused to believe it indicated I was like the rest of my brothers and falling into the old lady and kids' trap. I swore I wouldn't do it. Yeah, a couple of times over the years of watching Dublin Falls, then us falling one after the other, I'd wavered on whether it was something I wanted, but I'd always come to my senses quickly.

As I drew close to the clubhouse, I saw all the lights were on. What the hell? Most, if not all, people should be asleep or at least occupied in their rooms by now. Surely, they weren't still up from being out at The Angel. Parking the SUV, I got out and went for the door. I knew I had no choice but to pass through them. No doubt they were still all pissed off and would be lecturing me. I'd ignore it. I wasn't in any mood to deal with defending myself. Besides, I had no clear goddamn answers for them.

Opening the door, I was hit with a wave of energy, but it wasn't the fun or happy kind. It was tense, dark, and angry. Immediately, I went on alert. The room was full of brothers and several old ladies. Chatter was loud and angry. I saw pacing and worry. Catching sight of Bull, I went straight to him to find out what was wrong. When he saw me, his anger increased. I wasn't even up to him when he began to yell.

"Where the fuck have you been!? We've been trying to call you, and your phone goes to voicemail. I was about to have Outlaw pull up your damn tracker. As if we don't have enough to worry about, I'm here thinking you're lying dead somewhere. We called Clover, and she said you left a while ago. While you've been fucking and doing God knows what, we've been dealing with an emergency," he snarled.

"Whoa, hold up. Since when isn't a guy allowed to have time to himself? I'm sorry you couldn't reach me. I had no idea my phone was off." I reached into my cut and took it out. The screen was dark. I tried to turn it on and found it was dead. Shit, how the hell had I let that happen? I was religious about keeping it charged.

"You seem to need a lot of time to yourself lately. What the fuck is up with you?" Tank growled next.

"I just have a bunch on my mind. Would someone mind telling me why you're all awake and what the emergency is? I'm sorry that my phone died. I had no idea. I'm here now. Tell me what I can do."

I barely had the words out of my mouth when I saw Aria come whizzing through the common room. She had supplies in her hands. They looked medical. Anxiety hit me. Had one of my brothers gone down on his bike? I took off for the hallway without bothering to wait for an answer. Zara had a treatment room set up here. We often went to her clinic, but sometimes it was better or easier to deal with injuries here. I heard shouting for me to wait, but I ignored it. As I got close to the room, I heard Zara and Vex's voices. So he was the one who got hurt, I thought, until I heard a loud moan, a curse, and then another voice I recognized.

"Fuck. Vex, tell me she's alright!" Saylor's panicked voice rang out clearly.

I came to a halt. I strained to hear more. Who was the she?

"Saylor, I'm working here. I don't fucking know, okay. Let Zara work on you. You're bleeding all over the place," he snapped.

The mention of her bleeding jolted me to move. I charged into the treatment room and came face-to-face with a horrible sight. Saylor and Freya were on the two treatment tables. Both were covered in blood. Freya wasn't moving. Saylor was struggling to sit up. Pain and terror were clearly written on her face. Zara was trying to push her back down. Vex was working on Freya with Aria's help. She loved animals. I rushed to Saylor's side. I vaguely noted more bodies were at the open door.

"What the fuck happened? Are you alright?" I directed the first question to Zara and the second to Saylor. She was always pale, but she was white as a sheet.

"Like you give a damn! Get out," Vex snarled. The glare he sent my way was filled with fury.

"What kind of comment is that to make? Of course, I care. What happened?" I snarled back. If he were cruising for a beating, I'd happily oblige him.

"Enough. I need to concentrate. Player, if you're in here, then you help. I need you to hold pressure on these two bandages. I need to make sure the bleeding stops," Zara commanded.

I didn't argue. For one thing, I wasn't leaving, and for another, I had this overwhelming urge to help Saylor. I pressed down on the two spots. Zara's hands landed on top of mine. She pushed down harder.

"That's how hard you need to do it," she said.

The pressing caused Saylor to moan, but she did it unconsciously. Her focus was across the way on Freya.

"Please, Vex, you have to save her." The tears were evident in her voice and eyes.

"I'll do everything I can, honey. We called the vet. He's on his way. He was out of town for the night."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bull, Demon, and Tank enter. They shut the door on the others. I wanted to demand they tell me what happened, but getting these two fixed up was more important. The thought of them dying, especially Saylor, made me sick to my stomach.

"What do you need, Zara? Should we take her to the hospital?" Demon asked his woman.

"I don't know. There are two wounds, but so far, none seems to have hit anything vital that I can see. If I can stop the bleeding and get her stitched up, we should be alright. She won't relax, though, because she's worried about Freya. I'm useless in that department. I know nothing about animals. Thank God Vex does."

I leaned closer to Saylor. "Don't worry, they'll do everything they can to save her. What we need is for you to let us fix you up. What do you think will happen to Freya if we save her but not you? She'll never recover," I told her softly.

Her head turned toward me. The tears were there but not falling. "I don't know what'll happen to me if she dies. She's not just my seeing-eye dog. She's my companion and savior. If it wasn't for her tonight, I'd be dead. She saved me." A single tear ran down her cheek. Since my hands were occupied, I unthinkingly wiped it away with my lips. She let out a tiny gasp of surprise. I admit, I was surprised, too, but it felt right.

"No more tears. Zara, what else can I do?"

"Let me see," she said.

My hands were still pressing on Saylor's hip and thigh. As Zara moved them out of the way to look at those wounds, it registered that Saylor was still dressed in the clothes she wore to The Angel. Someone, I assumed it was Zara, had cut a long gash in her jeans from above the hip to the knee. Despite the blood marring her skin, I noted how smooth and toned her leg was as Zara lifted the bundle of gauze from the hip wound. The bleeding seemed to have stopped. Instantly, I recognized it as a knife wound.

While Zara was carefully cleansing it, I had to ask. I glanced over at Bull. "What happened to them? This is a knife wound, Pres."

He hesitated a moment, then answered me. "They were attacked in her house. An intruder was waiting for her when she got home. He had contained Freya, somehow. When Saylor came in, he attacked her. It's a miracle they survived. If it wasn't for Freya and Saylor's drive to live and their fighting abilities, they wouldn't be."

"Christ! Do you have any idea who it was? Why they did it?" I asked.

The guys were shaking their heads. A whine came from Freya. She now had her head lifted, and she was trying to drag herself over to Saylor.

"You have to lay still, Freya," Aria told her as she held the dog down. This only made her struggle more.

"Bring her over to me. She won't stay unless you do," Saylor told them tiredly.

"Move her. We've got to get them patched up. Where the hell is the vet?" Zara snapped. She had a syringe in her hand filled with some kind of medicine.

"Saylor, I'm going to numb your wounds, then stitch them. You'll feel a sting."

"Do whatever you need to do. It can't be worse than the cut. Come to Momma, sweetie," she crooned to Freya, who Vex was carrying over to her bed.

Saylor tried to shift, but she grimaced. I slipped my arms underneath her back and hips, then lifted her over. She gave me a grateful smile. He placed the dog carefully on the bed. Freya immediately stretched her neck so she could lick Saylor's face. Saylor chuckled and ran her hand all over Freya's head.

"You're such a good girl. You saved me. I'm sorry you got hurt. It seems you and I are destined to get into life-and-death situations together. We need to change that."

A swift knock on the door interrupted her from saying more. Demon moved to answer it. Entering with an unknown man was Maverick. The man with him was around my age, if I had to guess. He was tall and appeared confident. He came in carrying a bag similar to what Zara carried with her as her "doctor's bag." He nodded to Bull, Tank, and Demon before hurrying to the bed to Freya.

"I'm Dr. Wolf. Let me see what we've got here. If it's too serious, we may need to take her to my office. I have more equipment there and a surgical suite if needed. On the phone, someone said she was knifed. Anything else?"

"She was kicked several times all over her body. I don't know what he did before I got home," Saylor told him.

His eyes landed on her for the first time. His whole focus upon entering was on Freya. He scanned Saylor, noting her injuries. I saw concern and what might be interest appear on his face. "May I ask your name? I assume you're her owner." He smiled at her. I wanted to tell him he was wasting his time.

"I'm Saylor McKay, and yes, she's mine. Her name is Freya. Freund ," she said to the dog as she pointed in the general direction of the vet.

"Based on your command, I assume she's a guard dog?"

As he talked to her, he wasn't idle. His hands were busy feeling all over Freya and examining her wounds, although he frequently looked up at Saylor and smiled. I didn't like him. He was too smiley. He should concentrate on why he was here.

"Not exactly. Originally, she was trained to be a military scout dog. When we were injured in combat, and I lost my eyesight, she was retrained to be my service dog, but she's much more than that. She's my baby. You've got to save her, Dr. Wolf. She's all I have." Tears were back.

It gutted me to hear her sound so vulnerable, but what hurt more was hearing her say Freya was all she had. It wasn't true. Didn't she know she had an entire MC behind her now? It sounded like we needed to get our asses busy showing her that. I looked over at my brothers. They were scowling as well. They didn't like her statement either.

"Please, call me David. So you were in the military. Tell me about that. How were you two injured?"

I wanted to punch him in the face when he told her to call him David. He was here to work, not flirt. If he thought using Freya would be a way into Saylor's pants, he was going to be sadly mistaken. As I was fuming and shooting death glares at him, I saw Bull and Tank gesturing at me to come to them. They were standing back so they weren't in the way. I didn't want to leave her with the inappropriate vet, but I couldn't ignore my president and VP. That would get me into a heap of trouble, so with great reluctance, I interrupted her and David.

"Saylor, I need to talk to the guys. I'll be right over to the left if you need me."

"Alright, that's fine. Thank you for your help. You don't need to stay. I know you probably have other things to do."

"I'm not going anywhere. You're my priority. Just do as Zara says and try to rest."

"Okay," she softly replied.

Dr. Wolf was watching us closely. I could see the curiosity there. He was wondering what she was to me. I gave him a quelling look, then walked off. If he kept flirting and chatting her up, he'd find out. I was joined by Vex. He was frowning even more than the rest of us. His shirt, arms, and hands were covered in blood. I noted so were Demon's. I'd waited long enough. I needed more answers.

"Will one of you tell me what exactly happened? She was with all of you. You said this happened after she got home."

It was Bull who answered me. "The ladies hung out at The Angel until about one o'clock and then decided they'd had enough. Jocelyn, Tarin, and Devyn took her home. They were the ones who picked her up. They took her to her door and made sure she got inside, but no one went in with her. They had no idea a man was inside waiting for Saylor to return. They left as soon as she locked the door." He paused and inhaled a shaky breath. I knew he was thinking of how close it came that his woman, daughter, and a brother's woman had come to being hurt or killed along with Saylor.

"They barely made it back to the compound when Vex got a frantic call from Saylor saying they had been attacked and needed help. We rolled out within minutes and raced our asses over there. We didn't know how bad it was until we got there," Demon added.

"The inside is a wreck. They fought for their goddamn lives. There's broken furniture and knickknacks everywhere in her bedroom. We haven't gotten to question her yet fully, but we think that's where he laid in wait for her. We don't know how he subdued Freya in order to do it. There was blood everywhere. I thought at first they were dead when I saw them lying on the bed with their eyes shut," Vex said shakily.

I didn't know what his exact relationship with her was, but I wasn't enough of an asshole not to offer him support. I reached over and gripped his shoulder. I gave it a gentle yet firm squeeze and nodded, hoping he knew I was there for him, no matter what. I was pleased to get a tiny smile and chin lift from him.

"There were two bloody knives on the floor. We got them bundled up and brought them here. Luckily, when we went to help them, Zara and Vex came with us. They jumped in right away to help staunch the bleeding and to get them here," Bull added.

"Do we know who he was? Why he was there? Did you call the cops?" I whispered the last three. I knew that lots of the time, we didn't involve the cops. It depended on what was up. They shook their heads.

"No, we didn't. I don't know how her neighbors didn't hear it. As bad as it was inside, they had to have been loud. Who gets stabbed or cut and makes no sound? We picked up the knives with gloves and sealed them in a plastic bag Zara had. Whether this was plain robbery or whatever, whoever he is, he's not getting another chance at her, nor is he going to be left to do it to others. I don't care what we have to do. We'll find the son of a bitch and put him in the cold ground," Vex snarled.

"Hell yeah," I said.

"Damn right," Demon snapped.

"We'll find him," Bull vowed.

"He can't escape us," Tank affirmed.

"Okay, as soon as Doc Wolf gets done with Freya and Zara says they're stable, we've got to get more information from Saylor. I hate to question her when I know she's tired and in pain, but it's best to do it while everything is fresh in her mind. If we wait, details may become fuzzy or forgotten. We'll need everything we can get to find the bastard," Demon promised.

Tank snorted. "Payne is probably already getting his tools together and sharpening them."

He probably wasn't wrong. Payne was our enforcer, and he had a personal love for pain in all forms. He relished what he got to do to those who deserved to be punished. Between brothers named Demon and Payne, things got creative and painful when we took out the human trash of the world.

A loud hiss had us all snapping our heads around to look at Saylor. She was biting her lower lip as Zara stitched her thigh. Freya wiggled to get closer to her. I assumed it was to comfort her and to assure the dog her mistress was fine. This conversation was at a standstill until we got more details. Without a word to my brothers, I walked away and went back to Saylor. I slipped my hand into hers and gently squeezed it.

"I'm here. You can mangle my hand as hard as you need to."

She chuckled. "You have no idea what you just asked for, Player. I'm stronger than I look, and this hurts like a bitch. Shit, Zara, did I piss you off, and this is payback?" she joked.

Going along with it, Zara agreed. "Hell yeah, you did. You have way better dance moves than I do. You were up on the floor shaking your booty. The men loved it. How many numbers and dates did you get tonight?"

I stiffened. I knew men would be all over her when I saw her earlier, but I hoped to be wrong.

"I don't think those looks were all for me. The only reason I got so many introducing themselves was they knew by your property cuts they had no chance with any of you. I was the last woman available. They saw it as a challenge. The way you said your men were staring at them, they knew not to mess with you lovelies."

"They might've been intrigued by the old ladies, but believe me, they didn't just come to you to prove shit. They were attracted to you and hoped it would go somewhere," I stated without thinking.

On her face, her surprise showed, and then she shrugged. "Well, the joke is on them. Despite what some may think, I don't go around sleeping with men just to have sex. When I'm with a man, it's serious." As she spoke, her eyes felt like they were boring into me, and she was directing her comment to me.

I hated that she recalled what I said that morning, and even more, she knew I brought Clover to the bar tonight. I was stupid. She was trying to loosen her hand from mine, but I wouldn't let her slip away. She and I needed to have a long chat, but not now. It was one of those one-on-one kinds. All I said was, "No one believes that about you."

"Well, Hellion, how does she look? Do we need to take her to the hospital?" Demon asked Zara.

"I don't think so. I'm about done sewing her up. I'll have to get her out of these clothes and examine her closer, but these seem to be the worst wounds."

"What about Freya, Dr. Wolf?" Tank asked him.

"I think she'll be fine. I'd feel better if I could take her back to my clinic and do a few X-rays and stuff to be sure."

Saylor wasn't thrilled by that suggestion, as evidenced by her expression, but when she replied, she agreed with him. "I don't want her to be separated from me, but it's for her own good. I could never live with myself if something happened to her because I was too clingy. Go ahead and take her, but I want updates on everything you find and how she is. Don't make me come after you if you don't," she warned him.

"I would never upset a beautiful lady such as yourself that way. I'll treat her as if she were mine. Give me your number so I can update you, and I'll give you mine."

I didn't want him to have her contact information. I was about to object when she closed it down. "I can't. I don't have my phone. I think it must be at the house. Someone will need to find it. Please." She directed this to us in general.

"Don't worry, we'll find it. Doc, I'll give you my number, and you can update her that way. I'll make sure she gets it," I offered. I noticed my offer seemed to amuse my brothers, all except Vex. He had a puzzled look.

There was some hemming and hawing before the vet agreed. Not long after, we got Freya bundled up to go with him. Bull told Saylor he'd send one of the prospects to stay with her. Whoever he sent would make sure Freya was alright. This seemed to relax her. The vet didn't seem thrilled by it, but he kept his mouth shut. In no time, he was gone, leaving us with Saylor. Zara made us leave so she could finish up. We gathered in the hallway to wait. As soon as she was done, we had to get the vital information so we could begin the hunt. That fucker had made the worst mistake of his life.