Page 154 of Heartbeats & Highways

Mia poured me a half cup and offered me cream, which I took. “What can I do to help?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Mia said. “Brooklyn, Sutton and I’ve got it.”

I smiled at the baby on Mia’s back that was in a carrier. “Looks like you’ve got a helper.”

Mia turned her head and grinned over her shoulder at her daughter. “She loves it up there. I get so much done with her on my back, it’s amazing. She’s like a little possum.”

I laughed and took my coffee to the living room. Joni moved over on the couch, and I smiled my thanks as I sat down beside her.

I looked around the room at the Old Ladies. So many of them had babies or were pregnant. It felt like I’d walked into a tribe,a group of women who understood one another and were at the same place in life.

“First batch is ready,” Brooklyn called out.

The baby Doc was holding began to cry.

“Your daughter needs a change or a breast,” Doc said to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn sighed and took her daughter. “I swear I just fed her.”

“I’ll take over your cooking spot,” Willa offered, moving to get up from the chair.

“No, you rest,” Rach interjected, handing her son to Doc. “You’re about ready to burst. Relax. I’ve got this.”

I was just about to get myself a helping, when Savage appeared from the hallway.

“Hey,” I said to him with a smile. “Can I make you a plate?”

He didn’t reply and his jaw clenched.

My smile slipped off my face.

“I need you to come with me,” he commanded.

I swallowed. “Okay.”

My eyes darted around the room. Everyone was slowly stopping what they were doing and staring at us. I set my mug down and ducked my head and then followed him out into the backyard.

Bikers stood in a cluster, and I was pleased to note that Raze and Smoke didn’t look hell-bent on killing each other.

But when they saw me, all conversation ceased. We passed by them, and I caught Duke’s eye. His jaw clenched too, and he turned away.

My heart began to beat in fear.

Savage led me to a building that was bigger than a shed but smaller than the clubhouse. He held the door open and gestured for me to go inside. He followed and then closed the door.

Colt and Zip were sitting at the head of the table.

“Have a seat, Evie,” Colt said.

His tone didn’t brook for an argument. I sat, and Savage took the chair next to me. I set my hands in my lap, fisting them tight.

Colt set his linked hands on the table and stared at me. “Duke reached out to a friend of the club who runs private security and has access to police records and shit like that. He ran your name when Savage told him he made you his Old Lady. We run everyone, so don’t take it personally. Except unlike everyone else, you popped up as a missing person out of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. The missing person report was filed by Randall Carson, Sr.”

Blood rushed to my head as it pumped furiously through my veins. It was a roar in my eardrums, silencing everything else around me.

“Evie,” Savage prodded. “Why is there a missing person report filed on you?”

The coffee in my belly churned. “I’m going to be sick.”

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