Chapter 3

It was good that I'd slept so well the two nights we'd been in Aspen because I barely got a wink after those guys from the Silver Saints showed up. Locked in my bedroom, I couldn't stop thinking about how my whole world had shifted on its axis. At first, I stewed over my reaction to the sexy biker my dad had sent to protect me. Then I brooded about all the awful secrets he'd finally exposed to my mom and me.

Finally, in the middle of the night, I realized that I hadn't thought about the fact that Lorelei had never returned from skiing. I felt like the world's worst best friend, even after I found a text from her number letting me know that she was okay but had a million questions about what the heck was going on and why a sexy biker of her own had practically kidnapped her.

Rolling over with a soft sigh, I wrapped my arms around a pillow as I stared at the door I'd slammed shut and locked after running from Cash.

Almost as though he could see through the wood surface or somehow managed to hear me, Cash called, "C'mon, sunshine. Don't make me break the door down to get to you."

Climbing off the mattress, I padded across the room to sit down on the floor, leaning my back against the door. "Only if you promise you won't take me back right away. I want to wake up on Christmas morning here, even if it's without my parents."

"I'm not in the habit of making promises I can't keep, and I already told my prez that I'd bring you back to the compound so we can keep you safe."

I appreciated that he was being honest with me…and that keeping his word seemed important to him. After learning that my dad wasn't the man that I'd always thought him to be, I had a feeling that trust would never come easily to me again. "It's Christmas Eve. I bet he's got all sorts of plans. He probably wouldn't even notice if we waited a few days before leaving."

"That's not the way the Silver Saints roll, sunshine. Mac is not gonna forget that I'm supposed to come back with you just because it's Christmas tomorrow."

There was a trace of regret as he shot down my suggestion, and it gave me hope that I could figure out a way to get Cash to agree to stay. I just needed to be smart about it and come up with a solution that worked for him. "What if your president said it was okay for us to stay longer?"

"Only way that'll happen is if he knows Bickle isn't gonna come here to try to get his hands on you."

My back straightened, and I twisted to stare at the door we were talking through. "Is there any way to track him?"

"Mac has had guys on his trail ever since your dad came clean about you to Kiara."

Although they hadn't been looking for him that long, I asked, "Could you call your president to see if they're any closer to finding him?"

"I don't get why you're being so damn stubborn about this. I would've thought that you had long enough to come to terms with heading to the Silver Saints compound. "

"Long enough? Are you freaking kidding me?" Ruled by the fury coursing through my veins, I jumped to my feet and yanked the door open to glare at Cash. "It's only been half a day since my entire world fell apart."

"Half a day?" he echoed, his brows drawing together.

I nodded, crossing my arms against my chest. "Yeah, my dad called three, maybe four hours before you guys showed up."

"Shit," he grunted, raking his fingers through his dark hair. "He knew when my flight landed and couldn't put it off any longer. Waited until the last possible moment, like a fucking coward, instead of giving you the extra day you would've had while I was making the arrangements needed to get to you without leading Bickle straight to you."

My lips parted, but I pressed them together. My dad didn't deserve to have me defend him, and now I had something else to be angry with him about. My shoulders slumped as I whispered, "I really could've used that extra time to wrap my head around all the crap he told me he's done."

"Fuck, sunshine." Cash wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me against his strong body. "I hate seeing you so upset."

Burying my face against his broad chest, I cried for what felt like hours. I wasn't sure how I even had any tears left in my body since I'd done a ton of crying throughout the night, but I couldn't seem to stop.

When I finally pulled myself together, I tilted my head back to stare up at Cash. "Thank you."

"I'll call Mac and see if they have any leads on where Bickle might be bunkered down. If he thinks you'll be safe here for a little longer, I'll ask if we can stay," he offered.

Pressing my hands together, I gasped, "Yes, please."

"Go wash your face, sunshine." He nudged me back into the bedroom before pulling his cell phone from the back pocket of his jeans and striding away.

I wanted to know what his president would say, but I didn't want to risk pushing Cash when he'd just made a major concession. So I padded over to the bathroom and cleaned up before changing into a new outfit—one that just so happened to look really good on me.

When I headed to the living room, Cash was just finishing his call. His dark eyes scanned my face before they met mine, and I held my breath as I waited for the verdict. "Although we don't currently have his location, there's no indication that Bickle has tracked you here. We've laid a false trail for him leading to Miami, so we should be safe here for a little while."

"Past Christmas?" I croaked.

He paused before answering, "Yes."

The tears that filled my eyes this time were from relief and happiness. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," he warned. "You're gonna need to follow a few rules while we're here."

"What are they?" I asked, even though I felt desperate enough to agree to just about anything.

"No exploring the ski resort, we stay in the cabin, and I'm the only one who answers the door when we order food."

That made sense, so it was easy to agree. "Sure."

"If the situation changes and we need to get outta here, you do as I say so I can keep you safe."

"Okay, I can do that," I murmured, hoping like heck that never happened.

"And you're on an information blackout. No cell phone. No questions. Not until we"re back in Silver Saints territory."

My eyes widened as I shook my head. "But I—"

He held his hand up, a muscle jumping in his jaw. "If you can't do it, then we'll have to leave now, even if I have to take you the hard way."

I had so many questions about why the Silver Saints were helping my dad protect me…and the half sister I'd never known about. But I had to balance my need for answers against the urgent desire I felt to stay in this cabin for as long as I could. To remain in the safety of this bubble before I had to face the reality of what my dad had done. To spend the holiday in front of the gorgeous fireplace in the living room like I'd planned from the moment I saw it, even if my parents weren't with me. "I guess I can keep my questions to myself for now. Except for one…what about Lorelei?"

An odd gleam in his eyes shone as he murmured, "You don't need to worry. Grey has her covered."

Planting my hand on my hip, I glared up at him. "Are you sure she's safe with him? The text she sent me said he basically kidnapped her when she came back from skiing."

His deep chuckle sent a delicious shiver down my spine. "Grey will do whatever it takes to ensure nobody lays a finger on her as long as he's by her side."

I was relieved that my best friend had someone watching her back since I felt awful for pulling her into my dad's mess. And ruining her holiday, along with mine.

* * *

Cash surprisedme over the next two days, giving me room to come to terms with the things my dad had done while taking care of me. He made sure I ate, didn't complain about the endless stream of holiday movies I zoned out to in the living room, and made the best hot chocolate I'd ever tasted. With marshmallows and whipped cream.

He was the only person I saw or spoke to since he'd arrived, and I was relieved that he didn't seem to mind that I wasn't up to talking about anything other than the snowy weather, food, and movies. I was content in our little bubble, so it came as a shock when he faced off with me in the kitchen when we finished our breakfast the morning after Christmas.

"We're leaving today, sunshine."

My brows drew together as I asked, "Is that guy on his way here?"

"There's been no sign that he's tracked you here yet, but we can't stay here forever. I need to get you to the compound, where there's zero chance of Bickle getting his hands on you."

If we didn't need to leave for safety reasons, then I wasn't going to make this easy on him. Leaning back in my seat, I crossed my arms and shook my head. "No, I'm not ready yet."

Getting to his feet, Cash circled the small table and leaned over me, pressing his hands against the table and back of my chair to cage me in. "I get that being here for Christmas was important to you. I gave you that, but now you've had more time to come to terms with what's happening. Staying a couple more days isn't gonna help you understand. We're leaving today."

I learned that he meant what he said when he tossed me over his shoulder after hauling my stuff to his rental truck.