She looked up at him. “I don’t want to hurt you,” she murmured worriedly.
He squeezed her neck delicately. “You won’t.”
“He’s right, Em.” Wren spoke up. “You’re a natural. You got this.”
After another moment of hesitation, she nodded. “Okay,” she agreed, accepting the medical bag Liv had run to get. I had no doubt her hesitation came more from this being Gunner than the task at hand. Because Wren was right, like her mother, Jill, Emmie was a hell of a nurse, certified or not.
“Come on, Em,” Gunner coaxed, taking her hand with his good arm and guiding her back toward one of the offices.
“What happened?” Cole demanded once they were out of sight, his blue eyes arctic. My pop looked on, his arms crossed.
“Caught a couple of Rossi’s men at the border,” I explained, hating the way Francesca trembled at my response. “We exchanged fire. They’re both dead.”
“Bruno or Angelo?” Cole wanted to know.
“I fucking wish,” I muttered. “Just a couple of soldiers.” I had more to say but wanted to shield Francesca from knowing details that would only serve to increase the fear I could already feel rattling her frame. “Baby, why don’t you go curl back up on the couch with the girls?” I suggested gently. “I’ll be right behind you.”
She looked like she wanted to press as Wren took her hand. “Come on, girl, let’s go grab a beer and finish our conversation.”
After a moment, Francesca nodded. I shot a grateful look Wren’s way. Liv followed her friends, and I strode to Cole’s office.
“They’re gonna keep comin,” I announced without preamble once Max had shut the door behind us. “And the thing is, I got the sense that this is more Bruno’s gig. The guy said he’d always wanted Francesca.” I growled, the very thought making me want to put my fist through something.
“Where are we with the Carpino family?” my pop broke in, his eyes on Cole. My family had already embraced Francesca as one of their own, and the threat to her was a personal affront for a man like my father. For a man like me.
“They want the Rossis gone as much as we do. There’s a hit out on both Angelo and Bruno,” Cole explained, leaning against the edge of his desk, his boots crossed at the ankle. “Word is Bruno’s gone to ground. Angelo too. The good news is that their organization is already crumbling. With the Carpinos making a play for power and already chipping away at their ranks, it’s only a matter of time.”
“Not soon enough,” I grunted.
“Not soon enough,” he agreed. “For now, we keep up our guard. We can intensify patrols. Extend the boundary so no one can even get close.”
“I want those fuckers’ heads on a spike,” I snarled.
“But you’ll settle for dead,” Max put in.
“That’ll work,” I agreed darkly. “I want this shit over and done with so Francesca can move on—start her life here free and clear.”
“There’s what you want and what is.” My pop spoke up, his gaze trained on me. “You can’t control when this shit unfolds. Don’t make her wait for what she doesn’t have to. Start work on the bakery. Not everything has to be put on hold.”
I nodded. “You’re right. We still meeting there tomorrow?” A lot of the club had volunteered to help with construction of the bakery. I hadn’t told her that yet, wondering if the fact might overwhelm her.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” he returned. “Get your girl home. She needs you close now.”
“Right,” I muttered as he clapped me on the back with the rough affection I’d been receiving since I was old enough not to be bowled over by his strength.
“You did good,” he added.
“Thanks, Pop,” I replied with a chin lift to the room at large as I left to collect my girl.
My pop was right, I couldn’t control when this shit was over and done with. But I could control how we spent the time in between. I was determined to give Francesca as close to freedom as I could while still maintaining her safety.
She deserved this new life where she was loved without strings, where she could start over on her terms. I’d give her anything she wanted in life, as long as it was with me.
Chapter 20
FRANCESCA
“You sure you want to do this?” Maddox asked the next morning as we neared the site of the bakery.
“I’m not gonna let you do all the fun stuff,” I protested with a grin.
When Maddox had mentioned he was starting construction on the bakery, I’d been quick to say I wanted to join him.
He chuckled. “Have you ever even held a hammer?”
“No, but I’m sure I can figure it out,” I defended. “Plus, it’s our place. I want to knock some walls down too.”
He looked over at me, something flashing in his gaze before he returned eyes to the road. “Baby, I may have bought the place, but it doesn’t have to be ours. I want to help but this can be all you if you want it that way.” He pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine.
“Are we starting a life together?” I demanded quietly.
He looked over at me, clearly surprised by my tone. “’Course we are.”
“Well then, nothing is just mine. And I don’t want it to be,” I was quick to add when he looked ready to protest. I took off my seat belt and straddled his lap. “I know you think I need all this independence, babe. And I do in some regard,” I explained, looking into his gorgeous eyes. “But what I really need is to have a voice, to have choices. You give that to me. Every day. And I choose to do this with you just like I chose to tie my life to yours.”
His hands gripped my thighs nearly to the point of pain. “Why do you always say shit like this when we’re not near a bed?” he demanded heatedly.
I laughed lightly. “I’ll try to work on that.”
“You do that,” he rumbled, pulling me down for a kiss that quickly turned hot. Just as I was seriously considering the merits of a quickie in his truck, pounding sounded on the driver-side window as Cash came into view.
“Are we working or fucking?” he demanded.
“Fucking!” Maddox hollered back.
“Maddox Black!” I exclaimed, swatting at his chest, blushing profusely.
“What?” he shrugged. “Worth a shot.”
I rolled my eyes, moving off his lap and watching him adjust his jeans with a grimace. “You’re making this up to me later.” He pointed a finger at me.
“Gladly.” I grinned.
A few minutes later we walked into the building, and I was shocked at the activity bustling around us. It looked like half the club was inside working.
“What the…?” I marveled.
Maddox gave my hand a squeeze. “They wanted to help. Plus, we do shit like this together.”
“I’m beginning to figure that out,” I murmured, my heart expanding in my chest. Not only had I fallen for Maddox, I was growing to love the people in his life as well.
“Hey, girl!” Liv chirped as she wielded a hammer alongside Wren and Gracie.
“What the fuck are you three wearing?” Maddox chortled.
The girls were outfitted in overalls with do rags on their heads.
Liv looked down at her outfit as though he was crazy to question it. “What? We wanted to look the part. Makes it more fun. We brought a pair for you too, Frannie.”
I fought a grin. “Oh good.”
“Good thing you’ll look hot in that,” Maddox murmured in my ear, releasing my hand as I went to follow my friends for an apparent outfit change.
****
Hours later, I sat next to Wren, Liv, and Sophie, who’d come in to deliver some much-needed lunch for everyone and had stayed to chat. The two of us had formed an easy bond over a short period of time.
“Looks like you’ll have this place up and running in short order,” Sophie commented, her appreciative gaze locked on her husband, who was tearing down a wall. I’d been in a similar state since Maddox had taken his shirt off hours ago.
; “I think so,” I agreed, wrinkling my nose at the smell of the turkey sandwich Wren was eating.
“You’re not hungry?” Sophie asked with concern.
“No,” I replied. My stomach had been acting up the last few days, nerves I assumed, from Maddox being in a shootout and the fact my uncle was still very much a threat. Despite Mad’s assurances, I couldn’t help but worry.
“We still headed to Mad’s tonight?” Liv wanted to know, referring to the biker bar I had yet to visit. So far, Maddox had been reluctant to have me out and about, but I’d finally convinced him that a girls’ night was well overdue. And anyway, I couldn’t be much safer than at his father’s bar surrounded by club members.
“That’s the plan,” I agreed. I’d been looking forward to it. “How’s Gunner doing?” I asked.
“Okay,” Wren replied. “Emmie stitched him up perfectly, as we knew she could,” she added, just as the energy in the space changed.
I’d yet to meet Cal Jackson, but I knew without it being explained that he was who had walked through the door. Despite his age, he carried himself with the strength and confidence of a much younger man. A beautiful older woman who I assumed was his wife, Jill, accompanied him.
I stood along with the other women as Jill approached, and Cal peeled off to greet his son, Cole, and the others. Sophie embraced her and it was clear the two were close. “Jill, meet Francesca,” she introduced.
“Nice to meet you,” I replied, pleasantly surprised by the hug Jill greeted me with.
“I’ve heard such wonderful things, it’s great to finally meet you.”
“We were just talking about what a wonderful nurse Emmie already is,” Sophie explained.
Jill’s gaze warmed at the mention of her daughter. “Isn’t she? We’re so proud.” She turned eyes to me. “I’ve heard amazing things about your talents in the kitchen, honey. Can’t wait to taste for myself.” She winked.
“I’d be glad to drop by some treats,” I replied with a grin. I’d been itching to test out the new supplies Maddox and I had picked up the other day.
“I won’t turn that down.” She laughed just as Scarlet and another brunette I didn’t recognize stepped through the door. “Oh, there’s Scar and Piper,” Sophie commented, waving to her friends.
Maddox had explained to me how close his mother was with the first-generation wives of the club. Their bond was plain to see, just as it was clear that trend had continued with the women of the younger generation. The fact that I had the opportunity to be a part of something so incredibly special wasn’t lost on me, or taken for granted.
Scarlet reached over to embrace me. “You doing okay, honey?”
“I am.” I nodded, swallowing back the emotion being held by her raised. She’d seen me at my lowest, my most vulnerable, and she’d cared for me as no woman had since my own mother. “Thank you.”
Her green eyes warmed. “You’re most welcome, sweetheart.”
She pulled back but kept an arm around me as she appraised the work being done. “These men working hard enough?” she demanded lightly, her eyes on her husband as Cole worked alongside Axel.
“I’m sure they could use some direction.” The woman I hadn’t met yet laughed. “I’m Piper, by the way,” she introduced. “Ryker’s mine.” She pointed to a dark-haired man I’d seen but not met. The pride in her tone made me smile. The women claimed their men just as much as the men claimed them right back.
It was as romantic as hell.
“We better roll,” Piper announced.
Scarlet squeezed me gently before letting go. “Yep. We’re doing a little shopping,” she explained with a grin. “Ready, Jilly? I think Connie’s already there waiting for us,” she mentioned. “Soph?”
Both women nodded, saying their goodbyes before wandering over to their husbands to do the same.
“Gross.” Liv groaned dramatically as Axel wrapped his wife up in a passionate embrace. “After more than twenty years you’d think they’d tone it down.”
“I think it’s sweet,” I murmured, catching Mad’s eye across the room. When he winked, his muscular torso gleaming with sweat, I nearly lost the use of my legs. I didn’t think decades would do anything to quell my hunger for the man, nor did I want them to.
“And another one bites the dust.” Liv laughed, hooking her arm with mine.
“Just you wait.” Wren grinned at her knowingly.
“Right,” Liv muttered with an eye roll.
Judging from the amount of passion I’d seen demonstrated by the Black family, I didn’t doubt that when Liv fell, she’d fall hard.
Chapter 21
FRANCESCA
“Baby, you don’t bring pastries to a biker bar.” Maddox chuckled later that night as he drove me over to Mad’s to meet up with the girls.
“It was either that or eat them all myself,” I replied, eyeing the lemon bars in my lap that even now I was having a hard time resisting. “It would help if you had any sort of sweet tooth.”
He grinned at my affronted tone. “I’ll work on that, sweets. And I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding willing takers. Between Cash and Gun, they’ll be polished off before you even sit down.”
I snorted. “Like you need to remind me. When I was experimenting with that scone recipe, Cash ate three before I’d even turned off the oven.” I turned to Mad, trying to look stern. “He is not allowed over when I’m baking.”
He shrugged, biting back a grin. “Good luck with that, babe. Man has a nose like a bloodhound. I swear he smelled that shit from a block away.”
I wouldn’t doubt it. Both Cash and Gunner had the uncanny habit of “dropping by” when I was baking.
“I’ll fend him off for you tonight so some of the girls can have those,” he added, his eyes on the pan in my lap.
I wrinkled my nose. “Why are you staying? I thought this was girls’ night?”
He placed a hand on his chest. “Careful, sweets, you’re gonna wound my fragile ego.”
I rolled my eyes. We both knew Mad’s ego was in no danger.
“And it is girls’ night,” he continued. “But with the way things stand, across the room is about the most space you’ll be gettin.” He reached over to cup the back of my head. “Plus, you weren’t asking for space this morning.”
My full body shiver at the memory of the hours we’d spent in bed together that morning was completely involuntary. “It’s not my fault you’re so good at all the stuff,” I protested. “And anyway, how am I supposed to talk about you when I’m with you?” I demanded.
He glanced over at me, flashing his dimple before he returned eyes to the road. “All the stuff?”
“Yeah, that ego of yours is so fragile,” I muttered, causing him to boom with laughter as we pulled into the gravel parking lot of Mad’s. Suddenly I felt a bit anxious, wondering if I’d fit in.
“No one will fuck with you here,” he assured me.
“I know,” I replied softly. And I did.
“Then what?” he pressed gently.
I shrugged. “Your family and friends have all been so kind and welcoming to me. Sometimes it doesn’t feel quite real.” I struggled to explain. “For so long I didn’t fit anywhere.”
“You fit anywhere I am,” he returned with such confidence it was impossible to not to believe him. “Plus, I think my family likes you more than me.” He smiled.
I blushed. That wasn’t true, but I was definitely close with his mom and sister. As for his dad and brothers, we still had a ways to go. I had yet to even meet Caleb, and Holden, the youngest, had been engrossed in a video game every time I’d seen him. Axel was still careful around me, knowing he intimidated me somewhat. But that was getting better day by day.
“My only concern is any motherfucker who doesn’t know you’re mine trying to make a move,” Maddox growled. “Shouldn’t have let you outta the house like that.”
I looked down at the blue jeans and tank top I wore. “What, in clothes?” I teased. “Sorry m
y burlap sack is at the cleaners.”
His eyes glittered. “Even in a fucking sack you’d be the most gorgeous girl I’ve ever seen.”
I knew that was true, too. That he thought that. The fact that a man as beautiful and amazing as Maddox desired me as much as he did was a daily high I never wanted to come down from.
He leaned in and kissed me silly before taking my hand and guiding me inside, my lemon bars balanced on his other hand.
When we walked into the dimly lit bar, heavy metal blaring through the speakers, I scanned the room, spotting the girls at a table toward the back.
Cash was behind the bar, his eyes trained on the baked goods in Mad’s hand. Before he had a chance to snatch them, I took them from Maddox, and with a quick kiss, headed back to meet my girls.
“She’s awesome and she comes with treats!” Wren grinned when I took the empty chair at the table, sliding the pan next to the pitcher of beer.
“Yas, girl!” Ginnie grinned, diving for one immediately as Olivia poured me a beer.
“My diet can start tomorrow,” Emmie grumbled, reaching for one as well.
“You don’t need to diet.” I shook my head. “You’re perfect.”
Liv shot me a wink, sliding a full glass my way. “Did you get much done at the bakery this morning?” she wanted to know.
“I got some really good observing done.” I nodded seriously. I hadn’t been able to take my eyes off Maddox in all his chiseled, sweaty glory.
They all laughed.
“I would just get in the way if I tried to help.” I shrugged. “But Mad and a few of the guys got a lot done. I think I should be able to open in a few weeks.”
“Amazing.” Gracie grinned.
“Hopefully everyone in Hawthorne thinks so,” I replied, sharing one of my fears. If after all of the club’s hard work the bakery wasn’t a success, I’d be heartbroken.
“Everyone will love it,” Wren assured me. “Especially if anything is half as good as these bars,” she added with her mouth full.
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