Page 8 of Property of Heart

Heart bobs his head.“Yes, I can handle my old lady and the shit she’s wrapped in.You can return to Lexmore Beach knowing I got this.”

“Stop talking like I’m not fucking here,” I roar.

Karev grins.“Good luck, brother.”

My half-brother turns to me and places a kiss on the top of my head and whispers only for my ears, “Scratch the no relationship, and even if it’s only your imagination?Go for it.Life is too damn short when you’re mortal.”

I shake my head because seriously, when you’re mortal?Aren’t we all?“Saying things like that makesyouweird, Karev.”

“Being normal is overrated, sis.”He gives me a wolfish grin and stalks out of the kitchen.

The front door slams shut when Heart states, “Pack a bag with a few days’ worth of clothes.We’ll head for the clubhouse right after.I’m tired as fuck after riding back from Karev’s chapter and need a few hours of sleep before I look into Digby.”

I’m about to protest when he adds, “Morning will be here soon enough, and I will update my brothers about what happened tonight.Not only about what happened in the forest, but claiming you as well.Besides, you might not have a bump on your head, but they did somehow knock you out.You could have a concussion and need to be supervised throughout the night for the next couple of days.Then there’s the fact that they fucking took you from your store.So, there’s a huge damn chance they also know where you live, with your home connected to the store.Which makes it safer if you come with me to the clubhouse.”

Dammit.Why is he making sense?

“Fine,” I huff and stomp out of the kitchen.

Twenty minutes later I’m locking up the house while Heart is shoving two backpacks of mine into his saddlebags.Talking about a wild ride.Heart might be tired, but this whole night has completely drained me.

Getting kidnapped, seeing a friend of mine beaten to death, running for my life, fighting back, killing someone, the new experiences Heart graced me with, the confrontation with my idiot brother...one, all...every-freaking-thing is making me hypersensitive.

I just want to crawl into bed, pull a blanket over my head and ignore the world for hours on end.Well, hours on end meaning until the store opens tomorrow morning.Shit.The store.

“I need to do one more thing,” I tell Heart.

“Get some food?”he instantly fires back.

Which makes me shrug.“Okay, I need to do two more things.”

The corner of his mouth twitches.

“Can we check on the store?I don’t know how they left it because the last thing I remember is being at work in the back of the store.”

“Smart thinking,” he rumbles.

It’s a good thing we check because the front door might have been locked and the sign flipped to closed, but when we go around back?The back door is unlocked.

“Stay behind me,” is all Heart says when he palms a gun and silently enters the store.

I do as he says and move with him.The store is dark and no one’s inside, but it’s completely trashed.I swallow hard, emotions hitting me full force.This is my dream, and others managed to smash it to smithereens within a few hours.

Heart steps closer and reaches out to cup the side of my face.Imagination or not, it feels good to have his full attention aimed at me.

“I’ll get some of the brothers to join us tomorrow after church to help us clean up, okay?”he murmurs.

I slowly bob my head and blink through the tears, too emotional to give him any words.

“Come on, let’s lock up and head to the clubhouse.I’ll tape your wound so you can take a shower before you get into bed.Your hair is still filled with twigs and leaves.”As if he needs to make a point he reaches for my hair and pulls out a freaking twig.

I knock it out of his hand.“Yours would be too if you had to run through the damn woods.”

He simply grins and rubs a hand over his short hair.“My hair is always on point, babe.Come on, let’s get going because I want you safe in case those fuckers come back.”

I follow him and get on the back of his bike.The only thing not horrible about tonight is meeting Heart.Although, I’ve learned the hard way how good things have a way of blowing up in my face.Time will tell how long it will take this time.