Page 95 of Ravage

“Don’t go getting all caveman on me now.”

“You haven’t seen caveman yet.” His expression grew even more intense as he stepped toward me. “But you will.”

“That will be a lesson I look forward to.”

A heated spark flashed through his eyes, and I knew exactly where the conversation was headed. Unfortunately, it was cut short when Mercy walked into the kitchen. Cole immediately stepped back, putting some distance between us. Mercy looked between us, and his eyes narrowed as he stepped closer.

His voice was low and strained as he added, “You two are walking a fine fucking line.”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t give me that shit, Ravage.”

Cole’s eyes skirted to me for a split second, then back to Mercy. “The security feed.”

“Yep, and you’re damn lucky Knox wasn’t around while I was going through it.” A knot formed in my throat, making it impossible to speak. I could only stand there like an idiot and listen as he added, “The way you two are eyeballing each other, it’s only a matter of time before he figures it out on his own.”

“We’ll talk to him.”

“You better make it fast.” Mercy’s tone became even darker. “I don’t like hiding shit from a brother.”

That earned him a sharp look from Cole.

Mercy held his hand up as he said, “But I’m not an asshole. I’ll give you two a chance to figure your shit out.”

“I said we’ll talk to him.”

“Like I said, you better make it quick, because anybody with two eyes can see something’s going on with you two.” He started for the door as he added, “Don’t need security footage to figure that out.”

Once he was gone, Cole looked over to me and said, “That went well.”

“I think it’s time for me to head back to my room.”

“Okay. I’ll check in with you later.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.” I let out a breath. “Not until this thing settles.”

I could tell he wanted to argue, but before he could speak, more voices came roaring from down the hall. I gave him a faint smile as I slipped past him and made my way to my room. My heart felt heavy as I closed the door.

The guys were busy most of the day. One by one, they disappeared from the clubhouse, heading out to do whatever it was they did when club business needed to be handled. And, as usual, there were no explanations, no details, or reassuring lies about where they were going or when they’d be back.

They didn’t say a word.

I knew what that meant.

They were preparing for something, and I had a feeling it was something big, something dangerous. I knew my place when things got like this. I stayed in my room and out of the way. I didn’t ask questions or wander around looking for answers I wasn’t supposed to have.

I learned that during my first lockdown, but this was different. This wasn’t a lockdown. The other families had been brought in. That alone told me that whatever the brothers were planning, they didn’t expect it to last for days on end. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or not.

A couple of club girls tried to make themselves useful with cooking and cleaning, but like me, they understood their place. They kept their voices low, stayed out of the brothers’ way, and when the job was done, they became scarce.

I wasn’t a fan of the silence. It made the tension in the air feel palpable, like it almost crackled around me. I thought back to those nights when I was younger. I’d watched Jax roll out with the others, never knowing if he’d come back. I would smile when he returned, pretending that I hadn’t spent the last few hours imagining every horrible thing that could’ve happened to him.

I already lost my parents, and the thought of losing him too scared the hell out of me. He was the one constant I had left, the one person who had never walked away, and now he wasn’t the only one I was terrified of losing.

I spent hours rescheduling appointments and checking emails, doing whatever I could to keep my mind off things. One day passed, and then another. I was constantly checking the hallways or staring at my phone, but nothing really happened. The guys came and went at all hours, disappearing in and out of the conference room, speaking in low voices whenever I walked by.

I tried not to think about what they were doing, but with every passing hour, it got harder and harder not to get stir-crazy. By the third day, I was starting to wonder if anything was going to happen at all, or if the danger had passed and everything was fine. I wanted to believe that. I really did.