Page 55 of Best Laid Plans

“I honestly don’t know how to answer that. Did he really give me the shelter?”

“Seems that way. Wait for Lane to go over everything so we can make sure it’s legit, but I didn’t get the vibe that he was messing with you.”

“I don’t know how to run a shelter,” I croak.

“Sure you do. Sounds to me like you’ve been doing as much as April did. Besides, you have us to help,” Neveah says, coming up beside me and linking her arm through mine.

The thought is terrifying, and yet, there is a seed of excitement too. A seed I don’t want to let bloom because everything I become attached to gets stolen away in one way or another. “You really think I can do it?”

“I really do. The question is, do you want to keep it as it is or switch it up a little?”

I let my eyes drift around the cemetery to Citi standing beside Ambros, his arm wrapped protectively around her as she talks to Delphi. The answer is out before I even realize I’ve decided. “I’m going to turn it into a women’s center.”

Powers’s hand squeezes mine in support.

“I know that might sound shitty because it will displace the male residents, but I’ll make sure they have somewhere else to go. There are multiple shelters in the surrounding towns, but there is only one women’s shelter, and it is always at full capacity. When I was volunteering, we often had issues with the men making some of the women, especially those fleeing abusive situations, feel unsafe. We had to call the cops on them a few times, not to mention the angry exes who turned up and caused issues.

“Not all of the cops are sympathetic, as I’m sure you’ve figured out. And don’t get me started on CPS. That place is a cesspool right now. The guy in charge is useless. I don’t know how Greer copes, but she’s one of the last good ones. She deserves better than the shit she has to shovel. But without her, a lot of the kids would fall through the cracks.”

“I didn’t know you knew Greer that well,” Havoc says.

“Our paths have crossed more than a few times, especially with domestic violence cases. Like I said, the women’s shelter is always full, so we often pick up the overflow. It wasn’t ideal because we couldn’t give them the sense of security they needed. Perhaps now I can.”

“If that’s what you want to do with it, Ravens will stand behind you. I’ll make you a deal. You help out in the clinic until I can find someone more permanent, and I’ll get some of the guys, not just to help you rebuild but to act as security too,” Havoc offers.

“Are you serious?”

“I wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

He looks at Powers over my shoulder. He’s telling him that the shelter will act as another set of roots, tying me to the place. I pretend I don’t notice. I don’t need the shelter to tie me here. I never did. It was always the people who anchored me.

Chapter Nineteen

POWERS

It’s another few weeks before Lil slowly starts to come back to me mentally. She’s here, of course, but she’s also a million miles away, trying to process how, yet again, James slipped in and wrecked everything before slipping away. As time passed without further attacks, the club grew tense, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

It was only a matter of time, and Havoc called for a town meeting. I’m not sure if, at any point in the club’s history, that had ever been done. But James won’t keep his targets within the club, putting everyone at risk. Leaving them in the dark won’t keep them safe. Still, I don’t think this is going to be an easy thing for the townsfolk to swallow. These people have families here, children. Nobody wants them to be in the firing line, and with how unpredictable James is, there is no way of knowing where he might strike next.

We pull into the parking lot that’s already overflowing with traffic. People have figured out something is going down, and they want to hear from the man himself. I can’t say I envy Havoc, who pulled in a little ahead of us.

I wait for Lil to climb off the bike before I follow suit, tugging my helmet free and hanging it on the handlebars before taking Lil’s and putting it on the seat.

“You ready for this?”

“Facing down a bunch of people who are about to find out they’re in danger because of me? Sure.”

I grip her hips and yank her to me, sliding one hand into her hair and gripping it tight so she can’t look away. “This isn’t your fault. And if I have to fuck that knowledge into you every single day, then so be it.”

She blinks as if she misheard me.

“Nothing else is working. Seems to me, the only time you really hear me lately is when my dick’s inside you. So from now on, when you’re blaming yourself for shit beyond your control, I’m going to remind you that you are not to blame, with my cock. I’ll fuck you hard and deep, and I don’t give a single fuck where we are or who might see. Every time you move, you’ll still feel me, and you’ll remember exactly why I fucked you in the first place.”

“Wait. Are you saying you’re going to punish me for feeling guilty with rough sex?”

I tug her head back, exposing her neck. I drag my nose up her throat to her jaw before I nip it lightly with my teeth. “If that’s what it takes? Abso-fucking-lutely.”

She shivers against me, eliciting a grin that feels as sinister as the intent behind it.