Page 60 of Colt

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Ember

Colt and I had a wonderful weekend with his kids. I intended to stay at the clubhouse for most of it so he could focus on them. But when I joined them for dinner on Saturday, they begged me to stay. We had a movie night of Christmas classics that ended with huge ice cream sundaes. I couldn’t remember ever being so happy.

We spent the next week celebrating the holidays with the club. Now, the guys were getting ready to leave in a few days. Colt didn’t share many details about what they were up to, but I could tell it was pretty serious. You could feel the tension in the clubhouse and when the old ladies got together, it’s all we could talk about.

He continued to drop me off at work every morning, but he sent Viper to pick me up. I didn’t think it was my place to ask where he was, but that didn’t mean my brain wasn’t coming up with every possible scenario, many of them not very pleasant. I wondered if they finally knew what Torch was up to or what happened to Fitz.

Torch hadn’t been in contact with me for intel for the past couple of weeks, which had surprised me but also put me on edge when I thought about it. And I tried real hard not to, especially when my mom or sister called or texted me. Since they were safe and seemed happy, I could almost imagine that Torch didn’t even exist. But as the week went on, I felt myself becoming more anxious.

Sitting at the tiny desk in Colt’s house, I tried to focus on the letter I was writing to James, but it was futile. It was a little after nine when I heard Colt come home.

“Hi,” I greeted, opening the door for him so he could enter.

He looked exhausted but managed to grab my hand and lead me back to the bedroom. “Got a minute?” he asked as he flopped down on the mattress.

Now, I was concerned. I sat next to him, bringing my legs up and wrapping my arms around my knees. I held my breath as I braced myself for whatever he needed to say.

“Your brother’s club is on their way here.”

Of all the things I thought he might say, that wasn’t one of them. The idea of seeing Torch again made my pulse race with fear, but I didn’t want to add to Colt’s apparent stress.

“Okay. Do I need to be worried?”

“There’s some shit going down. It’s club business, so I’m not gonna give you details. I just wanted you to be prepared since it means Torch will be here. I won’t let him hurt you again.”

I knew he wouldn’t let Torch do anything to me. He’d been protective when we were faking our relationship. I could only imagine how he would be now.

“How long are they going to be here?”

“We’re all riding out the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh.”

Maybe they hadn’t learned anything about Torch if they were all going out together.

He looked at me for a moment and then continued. “I need you to promise me that you’ll stay at the clubhouse while we’re gone.”

“What about work?”

I’d already missed some time due to my concussion from the drive-by and couldn’t afford to miss anymore.

“You’re going to have to call out for a couple of days.”

“But…”

“Ember, please.” He let out a ragged breath before continuing. “Most of the old ladies and their kids will be staying there as well. It’s easier to keep you all safe when you’re in the same location. A few guys will be there with you to keep an eye on things. Can you do that for me?”

The desperation in his voice would have made me agree to anything. “Okay. I won’t go anywhere.”

He let out a deep sigh. “Thank you.” He was silent for a few moments and then asked, “Want to lay down with me?”

“Like you need to ask.”

Once we both got undressed and crawled into bed, he pulled my body tight to his. He was worn out from the week and I knew he needed his rest, so we didn’t talk or have sex. Instead, I closed my eyes, my heart beating hard in my chest, and with his chest to my back, it seemed like his heart beat along in time with mine. I fell asleep to that feeling, that thought. It was these small moments that I held onto, and these were the moments I’d always fight to keep.

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