"What's going on?" the officer asks from behind me.

"In the house and we'll explain."

Shuffling happens behind me, but I don't move my head out of Rhys's shirt. I hold on to him with everything I have.

"If Dagger wouldn't have been here, he would have raped me," I confess, a tear falling from my face.

"Who?" Rhys's body goes taut as the word is barked out, making me jump.

"Griff. In the house."

He pulls away, and my arms try to tighten to keep him close, but he's definitely stronger than I am. His index finger comes to my chin as he raises it so I'm staring into his fiery depths.

"That f.u.c.ker put his hands on you?" he growls.

I merely nod my head because his angry face is scary, but I also feel so safe with him. What in the h.e.l.l is wrong with me?

"Let's go." He leads me into the house, and I notice all the other guys except Breaker are already inside. Breaker follows us.

Rhys wraps his arm around my shoulders, and I feel coc.o.o.ned in his warmth.

Entering the living room, I stop dead. Griff is tied with duct tape to a wooden chair that was in the dining area, and Officer Miller is sitting on the couch, wide-eyed. Holy s.h.i.t, what's going on?

My mother's eyes meet mine, but she doesn't seem as shocked as I do.

"What's going on?" I ask Dagger who is walking behind Griff, the anger rolling off him.

"Tanner, take your mother into her bedroom and shut the door," Dagger orders me, making my spine stiffen. I want to know what the h.e.l.l is going on.

Rhys squeezes me. "Go."

I look up at him. Something in those commanding eyes makes me listen. I help my mom up and move her to her bedroom.

"Mom, what is going on?" I ask after setting her on the bed and shutting the door. "We can't let them kill them!" I screech, but it's quiet, only for my mother to hear.

"Come here." She pats the bed beside her, and I sit. "Honey, I brought your father into this mess. We have to let them deal with it. I believe fully that he will protect us no matter what."

"But, Mom, they're police officers! Don't you think it's gonna be suspicious if they don't go back?" I mean, seriously, am I the only one here who is thinking clearly? "And Dagger already said the club comes first! He's not going to put us over the club."

"Calm down. You have to trust that he will protect us."

"You want me to trust a guy I've known for days?"

"You trust Rhys? His arm around your shoulder tells me he's pretty protective of you."

I fall to the bed next to my mom and stare at the ceiling. "Things with him can't work, Mom. There are just so many things wrong with him and me."

"You don't think I know that? You don't think it killed me to leave your father? You don't think I have my own regrets?" my mother says.

I turn to her. "You're mad you left? I thought you were happy you left?"

"I don't know anymore. Just being around that man ..." Her voice trails off.

I need to deflect her. "What do you think the guys are doing?"

"I have no idea," she responds.

I PUNCH THE motherf.u.c.ker in the chest, hearing him wheeze. "Don't ever lay a f.u.c.king hand on her," I growl.

"Brother, chill," Pops says, putting a hand on my shoulder.

f.u.c.k, I could tear this piece of s.h.i.t apart. He's lucky at the moment that I'm being pulled off, because if not, he would be straight out dead. The moment I saw that terrified look on Tanner's face, I couldn't hold it back. Like a magnetic pull, I had to feel her, smell her. Protect her.

Pops steps back and pulls out a piece of paper. "Says here that you are here unofficially." That shocks me, and by the look on Dagger's face, him, too. "You took a week off to come here."

"What?" this comes from Officer Miller. "We're not getting paid to be here?" The shock on his face matches that of ours.

"No," Pops responds, surprising me.

Officer Miller sits on the couch, dumbfounded. "You told me that the station said we had to come down here and question these two. What the h.e.l.l is going on?"

"What's going on is this idiot thought he could threaten and touch my daughter. He thought he'd get some stupid confession out of them or take it out on their hide," Dagger answers.

Officer Miller stills, and if I had a heart, I might have felt something for him. "f.u.c.king h.e.l.l! I need to get back. I can't miss work!"

"Shut up! I had your vacation cleared for you," Griff spits out at him.

"You wasted my f.u.c.king vacation for this s.h.i.t!" Miller responds.

"As much as this little p.i.s.sing contest you have going on is humorous, we've got s.h.i.t to do," I cut in. "Whose car did you drive down here?"

"Mine," Miller answers. I swear, if he were a cartoon, smoke would be pouring out of his ears.

"Good," Pops says, looking at the man. He pulls out a couple bricks of cash, handing it to Miller. Miller doesn't take it.

"What's that for?" he asks, eyeing the cash, his mouth almost salivating at it.

"You, to drive back. You speak nothing of this. Take your family on a little trip with the rest of your vacation time. You say nothing of what happened here."

Miller eyes the money then Pops. "My wife knows I'm here."

"Then you convince her that you lied," Pops responds.

"Don't you dare f.u.c.king leave. They'll kill me," Griff says.

Miller looks between all the guys. He ponders for long moments, but I see the instant he looks at the money and realizes so many of his problems would vanish because of it.

"I'm out of here. I didn't want to come in the first place," Miller says, standing up.

Pops hands him the money. "Never a word or I find you and put a bullet in your head, your wife's, and your kids'."

Miller pales. "Not a word. Ever." He gives one more look at Griff then takes the moment. "The case was pretty much closed out after the conversation with the fiancee checked out. Griff didn't want to let it go, said the Sergeant told him to investigate to make sure. I came because he said it was ordered."

"Go," Pops says, and Miller shuts the door behind him.

"Now, this problem," Pops says, turning around while Breaker follows the cop outside to make sure he disappears. "I made a call to your wife who said you are on a fishing trip."

Griff pales.

"Tell me everything, and I'll make it fast," Dagger says. "Or don't and I'll beat it out of you. Either way will work."

I crack my knuckles, placing my fist in the palm of my other hand. I want this f.u.c.ker to play hardball. How dare he touch Tanner! No one touches her. Ever.

Griff spews his guts, but everything on the case is pretty much washed up. Investigators say it was from the water heater-go figure-and closed it out.

"Tug, GT, Cruz," Pops calls out, "take this guy fishing. There's an extra car in the side wing of the garage."

Griff pales further. "You're really going to kill me, aren't you?"

Dagger slams the b.u.t.t of his gun down on the a.s.shole's neck, and he pa.s.ses out.

"Boys, do good," is all Pops says as the three take Griff out. "Looks like your ladies can leave whenever they want." My stomach twists. f.u.c.k that. "Do what you gotta do." With that, he leaves, the others following him out the door. The sound of engines firing and leaving echo through the house.

"Now what?" I look at Dagger.

"We tell them that s.h.i.t's getting sorted, and they need to stay." Dagger smirks as if he's reading my mind. Sure, I'll probably get s.h.i.t later for it, but f.u.c.k, having some other guy touch Tanner ... I can't do that s.h.i.t. I don't deserve her, but I'm not letting her go, either.

I move down the hallway, dead set on seeing my girl. I knock and open the door.

Tanner lies next to her mother, face to face. It looks like they're talking. Tanner's head pops up. Then she scrambles off the bed and heaves herself into my arms, and I catch her with ease. f.u.c.k, I like the fact that she feels safe with me.

I inhale her scent, not even giving a s.h.i.t that her arms are around my neck. If anything, I like it. f.u.c.k me. I'm screwed.

"I didn't mean to make you mad," she says into my neck.

"I'm not. That's my own s.h.i.t. We'll talk." Even though I don't want to bring that s.h.i.t up, she deserves to know that it's not her. It's all me.

"Mearna, you all right?"

Concern is all over her mother's face. I know how much Tanner loves her mother. f.u.c.k me. Do I really have to win over her mother? This is exactly why I don't do this s.h.i.t.

"I'm fine." Her eyes narrow. "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

To f.u.c.k her brains out. "Taking it one step at a time."

"Tanner," she calls out, and Tanner turns to her mother. "You be careful, sweetheart." Tanner nods, and then Mearna turns to me. "What's going on out there?"

"No worries. It's under control," I tell her.

"So if everything is under control, can we head home?" Mearna asks, watching my reaction closely. I disguise my irritation at her question.

"Nah, you two need to stay for a while. We'll know more tomorrow." I pull Tanner with me. "Come on, Sprite."

"Sprite?" her mother questions.

"I don't know where he got it, Mom, but whatever." Tanner shrugs.

"It fits you." Mearna smiles. "I like it."

All right, enough of this touchy-feely s.h.i.t.

"Come on." I lead Tanner through the hallway and into the living room. She looks around, finding it empty besides Dagger sitting in the chair.

As soon as we pa.s.s, I hear the creak of the chair. He's no doubt going to talk to Mearna. I kick the door shut to another bedroom, and Tanner sits on the bed.

"s.h.i.t's gonna be wacked for a while. I want you in my bed at the clubhouse."

"Dagger said we were going back after this was over," Tanner says, flipping her red hair out of her face. "Rhys, talk to me."

"Babe, just roll with this s.h.i.t. I don't have any answers for you. All I know is I can't get your taste off my lips, and I haven't gotten my fill of you." I sit next to her and place my hand on her thigh. Her hand comes on top of mine.

"Princess says you have your own rules, and I get that." She squeezes my hand, and I have the sudden urge to kick Princess's a.s.s. "I have rules of my own. Princess said that you have different women all the time."

"f.u.c.king Princess," I mutter. I'm going to get Cruz to tan her f.u.c.king hide.

"Well, I'm a one man kind of woman and expect my man to be the same. If you don't want that, then you need to leave me be." She pats my hand then removes hers, the warmth gone.

Something inside of me aches. I've never been faithful to anyone, never had any type of commitment with anyone except my brothers. I'm not sure I can do this s.h.i.t.

"Babe, I ..." She places her finger on my lips.

"You're going to tell me that you don't know if you can do it." I nod my head, her finger remaining in its spot. "Would you be willing to try?" She removes her finger.

"You know you deserve a f.u.c.k of a lot better," I tell her, which makes her smile softly.

"I'm only going to be here for a short time, so it's not like I'm asking you to marry me, but while I'm here"-she grabs my d.i.c.k through my jeans-"this is mine."

I chuckle. She has yet to say the word d.i.c.k or c.o.c.k in front of me, and I think it's pretty hilarious. She's going to have to get over that quickly while she stays at the clubhouse.

"All right, Sprite. As long as you know this p.u.s.s.y, t.i.ts, and a.s.s are mine to do whatever I want with, whenever I want." I push her to the bed as her beautiful smile comes across her lips.

"Where did you come up with sprite?" she asks.

"Look at you and look at me. To me, you're little with s.p.u.n.k."

She rolls her eyes. "Whatever." Her face turns serious. "I'm sorry I said my mother would be disappointed. I don't know what I meant, but it wasn't-"

"Babe, that's my s.h.i.t, not yours. We'll talk about it later, but not today." I roll off her and grab my cell, typing out a message to Dagger. "Tonight, we stay here, away from the club. Just you and me." I tell her. For the first time in my life, I'm actually excited about this s.h.i.t.