Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Savage

RIDING BACK WITH Tank, the triplets, Playboy, and Slim to Benton Falls isn’t something I was expecting to do. There’s so much to do with my own club that Reaper shouldn’t have let me leave them. However, he feels I need to fix whatever is going on between Zoey and myself so I can focus and concentrate on club business instead of being lost in my head constantly with thoughts of my girl and what’s going on with her. Zoey has done a lot of shit over the years to upset those she loves. That doesn’t include ignoring her family and not returning calls or messages to them for whatever reason she has going through her head. I get where my President is coming from. If my head isn’t where it’s needed to be, someone could get hurt or worse. So, today I’m heading for Benton Falls to finally find out what the fuck is going on with my girl. Yes, she’s my girl even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Zoey won’t be easy to convince that she’s mine. Not after the years of heartache and hurt I’ve caused her. She’ll refuse me until she can no longer refuse. I’m not going to make it easy on her either. I’ll go after her with everything I’ve got and she won’t be able to resist me for long. At the end of the day if I have to throw her over my shoulder and take her with me, that’s what I’ll do. I’m not above tying her to my bed either. Anything that gets her to see my way of things and to realize that I had my own reasons for doing what I did to her over the years. Now, while I won’t force her to be with me if it’s truly not what she wants, there’s no reason for me to think that Zoey will resist me because she doesn’t love me. I know she does. And I can be honest enough with myself to admit I’ve always loved her. Now, I’m falling in love with her. She’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with and I hope she believes me when I lay it all out for her.

Those are the thoughts going through my mind as we make the ride from Clinton City to Benton Falls. Yes, I’m hard as fuck right now with the images playing through my mind. I can easily picture her tied to my bed, her body flush with the desire coursing through her as I have my way with her. I want to see her body covered in my marks from sucking and nipping her skin. Her ass pink with my handprints. The need to fuck her so hard she won’t ever forget who her body belongs to fills me with a deep longing I haven’t felt before. I need to claim Zoey as mine and let the world know she’s not alone and I would burn everything to the ground if something were to ever happen to her.

When we finally pull up to the Phantom Bastards clubhouse, I park my bike at the very end of the line with Tank and the triplets. Slim and Playboy park in their spots close to the door. We all shut our engines down and get off our bikes. I take a minute to stretch out my body. I’m still sore as fuck from facing the four men in the cage before we left to come here. My body protests as I remove my helmet and face mask. Removing my key from the ignition, I pocket them before following everyone in the clubhouse. We take seats at the bar and a Prospect I haven’t seen before rushes to grab us all a beer from the cooler. Opening mine, I suck down half the bottle before setting it on the bar top in front of me. Turning to face Tank, I know I have to talk to him about the current situation. I guess it’s only right that the rest of this group is with us since they love Zoey and should know my intentions.

“Tank, you have to know I’m gonna claim Zoey as my ol’ lady. I won’t get in the way of her dreams and goals at all. However, I want her as my ol’ lady and eventually I’ll come to you to get your blessin’ to marry her. I know I’ve had my head firmly up my ass when it comes to her for a very long time. That’s somethin’ I plan on fixin’ as soon as she’ll let me. I will burn the fuckin’ world to the ground if she needs me to and no one will ever get close enough to hurt her again if I have my way. I will be there for her when I’m not on a run and she won’t ever want for anythin’. Yes, I know Zoey is independent as fuck like you raised her to be. However, I also know that she deserves to be taken care of like a fuckin’ queen,” I inform him, turning to face him on the bar stool so he can see the truth in my words.

“Why should we fuckin’ believe you now, Savage? You’ve had years to claim our sister and yet you’ve done nothin’ but push her away. Do you know how often she’s cried herself to sleep knowin’ you were out on a date? Or how about the times she actually caught you balls deep in some girl? When you moved to Clinton City with the Fallen Brethren MC, Zoey lost a part of her soul. Instead of cryin’ herself to sleep, which she did every fuckin’ night, she threw herself into school. That’s why she graduated early and started college early. Every fuckin’ tear she’s cried for as long as I can remember is all because of you,” Hawkeye states, his voice hard and cold as he takes a long pull of his beer while never removing his eyes from me.

“I know I’ve hurt her, Hawkeye. Just fuckin’ stated that by sayin’ I had my head up my ass when it comes to her. Now, I’m done with that shit and I’m ready to claim her as mine. My life has balanced out and isn’t full of fuckin’ turmoil or provin’ myself to a new club. I’m the fuckin’ Sergeant at Arms for my new family and it’s a role I take seriously. I’ve had all the Fallen girls more times than I can count over the years and random pussy when I’ve been out with my brothers. They don’t fuckin’ interest me any longer and I won’t allow myself to touch them ever again. You can ask Reagan. I haven’t touched another female in a month and a half now. Not since the last time I saw Zoey. She’s the only girl I want and I’ll do whatever it takes to make her mine,” I promise Hawkeye and the rest of the guys sitting with me as they all stare me down.

I don’t flinch or waver as I keep my attention on them and only them as the main door of the clubhouse opens and closes behind me. These men need to know the truth of my words and see how sincere I’m being when I talk about Zoey. I’m not telling them what they want to hear because I feel that’s what I should do in this situation. My words are my truth and that’s all they’re getting from me. It’s not them I have to convince at the end of the day though. It’s Zoey. She’s the only one who matters if she believes me or not. With her, I know it’s going to take my actions instead of my words to prove to her I’ll love her for the rest of my life.

We’ve been at the clubhouse, sitting and drinking for a few hours now. I’ve only had two beers the entire time we’ve been here. The second it was known that we were all here, everyone showed up to visit with us. All the ol’ ladies are currently in the kitchen cooking up a feast for us to enjoy. The men have joined us at the bar as we all talk and laugh about things from the past. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve had in a long time when I’m away from my clubhouse. I shouldn’t be surprised though because these men are my family and I grew up surrounded by them. The only one who’s glared in my direction and ignored me for the most part is Kingston. He’s close to Zoey and I know he’s pissed as fuck at me for how things have gone over the years. I can’t blame him if I’m being honest. I’ll have to talk to him before too long.

A little while ago, Slim got a phone call and disappeared into his office. None of us know who he’s talking to, but Tank and Playboy keep their eyes locked on the hallway he disappeared down. They’re waiting for him to return so they can question him about who was on the phone. I don’t have the balls to do that when it comes to Slim or any of the other adults here. I’ve got more respect for them than that. And I know they’d take me out for questioning them as if I’m an entitled asshole. So, I sit at the bar and wait to hear what’s going on. If I’m going to be here, I refuse to sit on my ass and not help the club I grew up with if they have something going on. That’s just not who I am.

Finally, Slim rushes back into the common room and heads straight for us. He keeps his eyes on Playboy as Kingston moves in closer to our group.

“Do you have anyone keepin’ tabs on Zoey? Watchin’ her even when she’s at the apartment?” Slim questions his son as we all sit up straighter and wait for his answer.

“No. The only thing I know about is that fuckin’ cop followin’ her. I don’t believe the situation warrants someone on her because when she goes out ridin’ Kingston is always with her. He won’t let anyone hurt her or get close to her. You all fuckin’ know that,” Playboy answers, his voice full of confusion and fear as he waits to hear more news about his niece. “What the fuck is goin’ on, Dad?”

“She just called me. There’s definitely somethin’ goin’ on with her, but she made it clear she didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t push her for details. It wasn’t until she asked me if we had men watchin’ her that I did push her for information,” Slim states, looking at each of us with fear on his face. “I told her I didn’t believe we did. She said she felt like someone was watchin’ her when she was on her way to campus a few weeks ago. Today, she’s home and was walkin’ through her apartment when she stopped in front of one of the windows, overcome with the same feelin’ that she was bein’ watched. She couldn’t see anyone outside, but it was enough to scare her so she called me when she’s been ignorin’ us for a month and a half now.”

“What the fuck?” I yell out, slamming my beer bottle so hard on top of the bar that it shatters and the rest of my beer spills out all over the place. Cuts fill my hand from the glass shards that are embedded in my skin. “Tank, I’m goin’ there. I need to be the one who goes to her and makes sure she’s protected. She’s my top priority and I’ll get to the bottom of who’s after her one way or another. In a few days, I’ll talk to her about movin’ to Clinton City with me. Hopefully the threat against her is eliminated before then. I need to know about this fuckin’ cop you’re talkin’ about too. Anythin’ you have on him.”

“Let’s go to my office. Kingston, you come with us since you’ve been there when he’s tried to fuck with Zoey,” Slim demands as I accept the cloth from the Prospect behind the bar as he cleans up the mess I made.

Following everyone else into Slim’s office, I close the door behind me and lean back against the wall as Tank and Playboy take the seats in front of his desk. Everyone fills me in on what’s been happening with Zoey being followed and pulled over by this cop. Playboy and Kingston are the main ones to speak because they’ve been there to witness the interactions between them. With every word spoken, more and more rage fills me. If I had been here for Zoey, none of this shit would be happening. Without a word, I take the spare key Tank hands to me and leave Slim’s office. I’m done with this shit. Zoey shouldn’t be alone and I need to be there with her right now.

Pulling up to Zoey’s apartment, I take in every fucking detail. There are very few people walking down the street as they go from one bar to the next. The second I shut my bike off, their laughter and conversations fill the still night air. Most people are talking louder than necessary as alcohol floods their bodies and makes them lose their inhibitions and control to remain quiet. It’s not necessarily too late, but it’s not early either. Night has fallen and the only lights surrounding me are from the parking lot of Zoey’s building and the businesses still open. I make sure to remove my keys from my bike and keep my helmet on as I head inside Zoey’s apartment building. Thanks to Tank giving me the spare key, I don’t need to buzz into anyone else’s apartment to get the main door open. I simply use the key and let myself in the building.

Reaching Zoey’s apartment, I knock on her door. There’s no movement from inside though I can hear music playing. Zoey would rather listen to music than watch TV or a ton of movies back-to-back. She lets herself get lost in the music and chooses songs based on whatever mood she’s currently in. Most of the time those songs are sad and mournful. I know those times are because of me and it breaks another piece of my heart and soul off because I should have done something about my feelings for Zoey sooner instead of waiting and pushing her away for far too long.

When she doesn’t answer the door after knocking several more times, I use the key and quietly let myself inside. The only light comes from the TV in her living room. Music is playing from some app she’s put on the TV. Looking around, I take in her neat apartment, details I didn’t notice the last time I was here since I was so completely consumed with Zoey and tasting her. Moving closer to the couch, I find Zoey bundled up in a blanket on the couch with her tablet still in her hands. I can barely make out the top of her head and where she holds the tablet in front of her between the darkness of the apartment and the blanket surrounding her entire body as if she’s trying to hide. More anger courses through me. This woman should never have to feel as if she needs to hide in the one place she should feel the safest.

The table in front of her is littered with wrappers of junk food and takeout containers. I can’t stop the smile from forming on my face because this is Zoey perfectly. When she reads her books, she lets herself get completely lost in the stories she’s chosen to read. Everything else in the world fades away and she doesn’t want to stop reading for things like cooking or anything like that. So, I’m not surprised to see the evidence of her hibernation period in front of her.

Carefully, I pull the blanket from around my girl and take the tablet from her hands. It’s almost dead as I shut it off and set it on the table amongst the mess. When Zoey doesn’t stir or wake up, I turn back to face her and carefully pick her up in my arms. Still, she barely moves. Zoey rests her head against my chest and sighs into me as if she knows I’m the one who’s got her locked safe in my arms. It does something to me when I think about her instinctively knowing I’m the one carrying her and holding her close to my body. Making my way to her bedroom, I don’t bother turning on any lights. With one hand, I pull back her blankets before laying her down in bed and covering her back up. Zoey sinks further into her mattress and her head moves just enough to practically cover her face with the blankets. It’s cute as fuck to see her bury herself in blankets like she just was out on the couch.

After making sure she’s not going to wake up again, I head back to the living room. Cleaning up the mess Zoey made, I make sure to plug in her tablet so it’s charged for her when she wakes back up. With the trash all taken care of and her blanket folded on the back of her couch, I go through to every single window and her door to ensure they’re locked and see if I can spot anyone lingering in the shadows below. Unfortunately, I don’t see anyone as I move from one window to the next. Whoever is watching Zoey is either hiding in plain sight, or they’ve already left her apartment when she closed the curtains and they could no longer see inside her safe space.

The last thing I do before making my way back into Zoey’s bedroom is check everywhere I could possibly think for cameras and bugs. Thankfully, I don’t find anything. So either this person hasn’t thought of doing it yet, or they haven’t found a way to get inside her building at this point. With nothing else for me to do, I finally make my way back in to Zoey’s room and strip down to my boxer briefs. Pulling the blankets back, I climb in bed next to her and move over so I can pull her back into my arms. Holding Zoey, it doesn’t take long for her to turn her body into mine. Her head is resting on my chest with her arm across my lower stomach. Zoey presses one of her legs between mine as I let her adjust her body until she’s still once again. Then, I wrap her tight in my arms and press a kiss to the top of her head.

“I’m never lettin’ you go again, kitten,” I promise her with my whispered words as I let my eyes slide closed and sleep claim me.