Page 26 of Viking

I step toward her and take the hat from her hands. Pulling it down on her head, I tuck that gorgeous red hair away from her face. “I’ll drive the van if it’ll make you feel safer. But it’s cold where we’re going, so you’ll need this.”

She reaches up and smooths the fabric over her forehead. With a wrinkle of her nose, her lips tip up in a smile. Fuck me. My goddamn heart hammers, as if it’s trying to escape my ribcage to be closer to her.What the fuck is happening to me?

I frown and turn away, heading back to the closet. “CJ hasn’t had a chance to shop for you yet. I know she wants to take you to the mall, but I’m not crazy about that idea, so ... this will have to do.”

I bundle up my Seven Knights MC hoodie and hand it to her. She throws it over her head, disturbing the cap. The sweatshirt swallows her, the harsh black fabric against her pale skin brings out the shadows under her eyes and accentuates her sharp cheekbones. She looks like a fucking kid, all swamped in my clothing.

Arie moves in front of the mirror and studies her reflection. She adjusts the knit cap on her head, and lifts her arms to examine her hands, which are swallowed by the extra-long sleeves. A giggle escapes, and her eyes immediately dart to mine.

I’m so fucking shocked that she can even laugh at stupid things like my hoodie engulfing her after the shit she’s been through, but I end up smiling, too. “We gotta fatten you up, kid. Help you fill out that hoodie a little more.”

Between that and the sweatpants, she may as well have just wrapped herself in a comforter and called it a fucking day.

“You ready?”

Her gaze meets mine again in the mirror and her green eyes flash with trepidation.

“I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”

She nods, and I lead her to the door. The clubhouse is full when we walk through and almost everyone turns their heads to watch us. Arie hasn’t set foot outside my room since she got here.

“Prez?” Meatball says.

“What?”

“Er ... we got a call from our gang friends. They wanna—”

I hold up a hand. “Later.”

“But—”

“Later. Go get me the keys to one of the cages.”

“Prez?”

“The kid and I are taking a drive.”

The club secretary looks at me like I’ve grown two fucking heads. “If ... if she’s a problem, we can have her move in with CJ and Blue.”

“I’m not gonna fuckin’ off her, Meatball.”

“Oh, thank fuck. I mean, it’d be one less mouth to feed, but I kinda like the bitch.”

“Meatball,” I snap. “The keys.”

“Right, yeah.” He carries his fat ass off to do as I ordered, and I lead Arie past the other brothers and to the door. No one says a goddamn thing. Thank fuck, because beating the shit out of my men right in front of her might be an issue.

Once outside, I try the passenger side and get her settled in. She watches me as I buckle her seatbelt, her cheeks turning pink.

“Here you go, Prez.” Meatball hands me the keys, and I close Arie’s door and round the back of the van. “So, you weren’t lying, right? You’re not gonna drive her to the middle of nowhere and leave her by the side of the road, are you?”

I pause and turn to face him, which causes the blundering idiot to run into me. I tower over him and cross my arms against my chest. “If I wanted the bitch dead, she would have taken her last breath when she held a knife to my throat. But if you keep ridin’ my ass with these questions, I might decide to offyou.”

“I’m just lookin’ out for her, Prez. Figured she’d been through enough.”

“She doesn’t need you looking out for her—’cause I am. You just keep your eyeballs fixed on something else.”

He takes a step back. “Got it.”

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