Page 61 of Colt

I was in the kitchen helping Meredith and a few of the other women prepare dinner. The guys left this morning; none of us knew where they were headed or when they would be back.

Much to my relief, I’d avoided seeing Torch during the short time they were here. I expected him to seek me out, but Colt kept me busy at his house. He may have been tired the other night when he asked me to stay at the clubhouse, but he made up for it all day yesterday.

“How often are you guys on lockdown like this?” I asked Meredith while she pulled a couple of trays out of the oven.

This wasn’t the first time I’d experienced a lockdown, but it was a rare occurrence back home. It was always a tense situation until it was over and we never knew how long they’d last.

“Not that often, thankfully,” Meredith answered. “The guys take our safety very seriously around here, but staying at the clubhouse doesn’t happen a lot.”

Judging by the lack of conversation in the room, it was clear everyone was feeling just as anxious as I was.

“How soon before dinner’s ready?” Gunner, one of Viking’s sons, asked as he ran through the kitchen.

“Soon, so go get the kids gathered up,” Meredith instructed, then flashed a quick smile at me. “All my boys think about is food.”

I laughed, knowing Meredith had her hands full with those two. Seeing all the kids around made me think of Jett and Jasmine.

I’d asked Colt if they would stay here with us before he left. He explained that he never told Jenna anything was going on because he didn’t want her to use something like that against him. Instead he arranged for Jett and Jasmine to stay with his dad under the guise of spending time with their grandfather.

It made sense since his dad’s house sat on ten acres and it was highly secure, but also far away from the clubhouse. It was probably the safest place they could be right now, and that was a relief. Jett and Jasmine were Colt’s entire world. I was sure it eased his mind knowing they were protected so well.

The night progressed with some fun for the kids’ sake, but nervous energy filled the air. Everyone was worried about the guys, and it was made worse by not being able to contact them.