A few of the guys turned and stared over his shoulder. He turned to see all the women with plates in their hands head over to the picnic table.
“Hey, Rage, man. I saw you in the kitchen. Are you going to take her?” Ax asked.
He turned to face Ax. “There’s some shit up in the air, but if she’ll have me, I’ll claim her.”
“Just asking. I didn’t want to make a move if she was already yours. The way she looked at you in the kitchen seemed like she was attracted to you.”
Rage shrugged. “We’ll see.” He wouldn’t tell anyone that he was secretly hoping. He felt she’d be so good for him.
For the next few weeks, he and Harley spent time talking, but it never went past that. He guessed it had to do with the fact that she was still healing and getting over her ex. She would still flinch if someone touched her or there was a loud sound, but she was getting better every day. He wasn’t going to push her. If it was going to happen, it would. It helped that he was the only man she spent any time with, and she let him start holding her hand, which made him feel like a pussy, but he would have taken anything she gave him.
****
Rage pulled into the complex with a few of the other guys. They’d left to do an errand for Fury and had been gone for three days. He hadn’t wanted to leave, but you didn’t say no to the prez. He was glad to be home and was anxious to see Harley.
He walked into the kitchen and instantly looked around for Harley. He stepped up to Amelia when he didn’t see her.
“Hey, Amelia, where’s Harley?”
He felt dread build when the whole room froze and grew silent.
“What the fuck is going on?” Rage said to the room.
“Yo, Rage. Come into the office,” Fury said.
Rage closed the door. It was only him, Fury, Traeger, and Dre.
“What’s going on?” Rage asked.
Fury sighed and sat back in his chair while Traeger sat on the corner of the desk. Dre leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Harley left,” Fury said.
“What?”
“She had to leave.”
“Back to her ex?” God, she better not have done that.
“No, she went to help her aunt who’s really sick.”
“Where?” Rage asked.
“In Florida.”
Fuck. “So, when will she be back?”
The three men looked at each other then back at him.
“We don’t know,” Traeger said.
“A week, month, year?” Rage asked.
Fury sighed. “We don’t know. There’s a slight possibility she won’t come back.”
Rage felt anger start to build. “Did she say anything about me?”
“She left you a note in your room. That’s all I know. I’m sorry, man,” Fury said.