“You’re gonna make your VP a watchdog?”
His eyes narrowed. “No one I trust more than him to protect my sister. And it was his idea.”
“Right. Zip’s idea…”
I wondered how Joni would feel when she found out this had all been orchestrated by Zip. Zip, who’d pretended they meant nothing to each other. Zip, who’d stayed over at her house the night she got injured because he couldn’t bear to leave her side. Zip, the manwhore of a biker who wasn’t supposed to have any feelings toward her.
Something was cooking there, I was sure of it. But for some reason Colt didn’t see it, or didn’t want to see it. I wasn’t going to be the one to let him in on the situation.
“You almost ready?” he asked.
“Yeah, almost. Just need to pack up the last of my stuff and we can go.”
“I got something for you.” He left the bathroom and after gathering up my makeup and placing it in a floral makeup bag Joni had gotten me from the mall, I followed after him.
Colt was standing by his nightstand drawer, holding a black velvet jewelry box. My eyes flew to his and he chuckled when he saw my panicked expression. “It’s not a ring. It belonged to my mother. Open it.”
I flipped open the box, completely charmed and delighted by the necklace. It was a dainty skull with wings on a thin silver chain. The pendant was no bigger than a dime.
“Dad gave it to Mom when she became his Old Lady. I thought you’d like to have it.”
I held out the box to him. “Put it on me.”
He grinned and took the delicate necklace in his large hands. I turned around and presented my neck and a moment later, I felt the slide of cool metal against my skin.
Colt clasped the necklace and then his fingers lingered on the curves of my shoulders and he pressed his mouth to the spot right above the bandage that protected my new tattoo.
I waited for that feeling of impending doom, expecting a tightness in my chest at another emotional tie that bound me to Colt. But it didn’t come, and the rightness of the moment settled in my bones like an anchor steadying a ship in a storm.
We finally got out of the house, hours after Colt wanted to leave, but we were on our way back to the clubhouse when his phone rang.
“Yeah?” He listened for a few moments and then said, “All right. Thanks. Get some brothers and we’ll meet you there. Bring the van.”
He hung up and then turned down a street that would not take us to the clubhouse. “That was Torque. He said the Iron Horsemen prospect hasn’t been at your place in six hours. We’re gonna go to your house and get your shit—whatever you want—clothes, furniture, and we’ll move it to my house. Our house.” He shot me an amused smile.
I grinned back in excitement. I would finally be able to grab the things that mattered to me, along with my entire wardrobe.
“What do you want to do with it?” he asked.
“Do with what?” I was distracted thinking about where to hang my family photos.
“Your house. You own it, right?”
“Yeah. I haven’t really thought about it, to be honest. I’m not ready to sell it, but I’m not sure I want to become a landlord and rent it out.”
I did like the idea of residual income without having to do anything. The house had been paid off for as long as I could remember and the roof had been replaced only a few years ago. It needed to be painted, but everything worked. The appliances, the fridge. It had all been taken care of.
We turned down the street and immediately had to pull over. Traffic was blocked off by cones and a fire engine. Before Colt could even put the truck into park, I was unlatching my seatbelt.
I ran down the block, sprinting into a group of people who were watching and pointing, rubbernecking but not doing anything except witnessing a house go up in flames.
“Get back!” A fireman in his uniform yelled at me when I’d dashed through the crowd, using my elbows.
I watched in numb horror as flames licked along the roof and poured out of the windows. Firemen with hoses attempted to put out the inferno.
“What the hell, Mia? You can’t just take off like that.”
I felt him at my back, but didn’t turn around to address him. “That’s my home,” I whispered, still unable to comprehend what I’d just seen.