Page 6 of Savage

“You’re coming with us.”

Her brows lifted, and she pursed her lips, blue eyes perplexed. “To where?”

“The compound. Our clubhouse. You’ll be safe there.”

Tamara blinked. “I…what? No. I appreciate the offer, but I can go home. I’ll avoid the clinic. I’ll be fine.”

“No, you fucking won’t,” I growled. “You said it yourself. That bitch was watching you. They probably know you suspect something. That makes you a target.”

“I still have to figure out work. If I can’t go back to the clinic, I need another job. I don’t have to worry about rent, but I can’t live off Lainie for everything else.”

I opened my mouth, ready to shut that argument down hard, but Lainie jumped in before I could.

“I think it’s a good idea,” she said quickly, reaching out to take Tamara’s hand. “I can stay with you for a few days. And it’s temporary. Until the club can figure this stuff out and make it safe for you to come home.”

I didn’t bother correcting her. It wasn’t the right moment to inform Tamara that she would never be leaving.

Tamara looked between us, clearly still uneasy. “I don’t know much about motorcycle clubs, okay? All I know is stuff I’ve seen on TV, what I’ve read in books, and the rumors that made their way around this town while I was growing up. It’s not like you shared much with me, Lainie, which I totally get. But a motorcycle club doesn’t exactly scream ‘safe haven.’”

Lainie rolled her eyes and gave her a crooked smile. “Yeah, well, the Iron Rogues aren’t like other MCs. They don’t do drugs or trafficking. You won’t find slutty club bunnies hanging around either. The old ladies would castrate the guys if they ever saw one there. Family comes first with my brother’s club. And they protect people. Especially those who can’t protect themselves.”

Tamara opened her mouth, probably to argue again, but I was out of patience.

“You brought it to us,” I cut in, voice low and final. “That means it’s ours now.”

What I didn’t add—what I wouldn’t say out loud yet—was simple.

And you’re mine.

3

TAMARA

“This is it,” Lainie murmured as the guy at the gate waved us through.

In all the years I’d known Lainie, I’d never come to the clubhouse with her. I had only ever met her brother a few times, so I wasn’t surprised he hadn’t recognized me.

My dad hadn’t been a fan of my best friend being connected to the Iron Rogues, but he no longer got a say in my life. Not when I was no longer under his roof. Especially when he sold the house and other properties he owned near Old Bridge the second I got a job and moved in with Lainie. He packed up and moved to Florida because, as he put it, “I don’t have to worry about you now that you’re an adult.”

Talon pulled his bike up next to us. He hadn’t said a word when we left the bar. Just glared at the passenger seat of Lainie’s car like it had personally offended him. I’d caught the look and felt it all the way to my toes, but I hadn’t understood it—not really. Lainie hadn’t been any help, either. She just muttered something under her breath and rolled her eyes when she turned the key in the ignition.

I was hyperaware of him stalking behind us as I trailed Lainie into the clubhouse. I tried to focus on where I was walking, but it was difficult when all I wanted to do was turn around and ask him why he seemed so pissed off.

“You good?” she asked under her breath.

“Yeah,” I lied. “I just didn’t know what to expect.”

She glanced at me and grinned. “Don’t worry. Nobody here will be dumb enough to mess with you while Savage glares at them.”

“Except he won’t be here all the time,” I muttered.

“That’s what you think.” I didn’t get the chance to ask her what she meant before a man at the bar called us over. Lainie laced her fingers through mine and whispered, “That’s Fox, the club prez. If you think he looks scary, just wait until you see him with his twins. Jett and Violet aren’t even two yet and already have him fully wrapped around their little fingers.”

Picturing the big biker at the beck and call of his toddlers eased a lot of my tension. Clearly, she hadn’t been exaggerating when she said these were family guys.

“Maverick said you need a place for you and your friend to stay?” he asked, looking at Lainie.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

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