I meet Janine’s eyes, and she smiles weakly at me. I reach out, gripping her hand. I mouth ‘It’s going to be ok’ before turning and pulling her inside with me. Ebony notices the two men, and her smile widens. She’s been raised around bikers, so they don’t frighten her. She wiggles out of my grips and rushes over to them, grinning wide. “Hello!” she cries.

Muff grins, kneeling down. “Well hello there pretty girl, what’s your name?”

“My name is Ebony,” she smiles proudly.

“That’s a real pretty name.”

“What’s yours?” she asks, curiosity burning in her little eyes.

“My name is Muff.”

She giggles. “That’s a silly name.”

“It sure is darlin’.”

My heart clenches as she turns to Jackson. “What’s your name?”

He grins at her, and it makes my knees buckle.

“My name is Jackson.”

I squeeze Janine’s hand and tug her forward. Jackson smiles at her, and Muff winks. Trust my men to charm her socks off.

“Muff, Jackson, this is Janine; my oldest friend.”

Jackson extends his hand, and wearily Janine takes it. “Welcome to my house, Janine.”

“T-t-thank you for letting me stay a while.”

He shrugs. “It’s no problem.”

“Muff,” Muff grins, extending his hand, too.

Janine steps forward and takes it, her cheeks flushing with color. “Muff?”

He chuckles. “Yeah, Muff.”

“That’s very...original.”

I smile, and kneel down, opening my arms to Ebony. “You want to see where you’re sleeping?”

She nods, her gorgeous curls bouncing. “Yes!”

“You know,” Jackson says. “You should come down when you’re done. I think I have some real special warm chocolate in the pantry.”

Ebony’s eyes light up. “You do?”

“I do, I think if your momma says it’s ok, you can have some.”

Ebony turns towards Janine, and I watch as Janine slowly smiles. “Of course, baby. You can have some.”

Ebony squeals and claps her hand. “Can I have some now?”

I look at Janine, and she nods. Ebony rushes towards Jackson, who extends his hand and leads her into the kitchen. I hear a few giggles and a male chuckle.

“You want to come upstairs and put your things down?” I ask Janine.

She looks over to Ebony for a moment.

“She’s safe with him, I promise you,” I assure her.

She turns her eyes to Muff, who is sitting on the couch, drinking a beer. He flashes her a grin, and her cheeks turn pink again. Smiling, I take her hand and lead her up the stairs. I open my room up, and begin stripping the sheets off my bed.

“I can’t take your bed,” Janine says, sounding guilty.

I wave my hand. “Stop it, I’ll sleep somewhere else.”

“With Jackson...”

I spin around. “What?”

“Oh come on, Serenity. I saw the way you two looked at each other.”

I sigh. “I care about him.”

She sighs too. “It’s dangerous, honey. You know that don’t you?”

“Knowing something doesn’t take away the natural reactions of the human heart. He gets to me in a way I haven’t felt before. I care about him. I think...I think I love him.”

“Oh Sea... what’re you going to do?”

I plonk down onto the bed, and she sits beside me.

“I don’t know. I have to tell him about Hogan, not just for my sake but for the clubs safety. I know that when I do though, I’m going to lose him, and that thought...it burns Janine. It fucking burns.”

She takes my hand, running her fingers over it gently. “It might hurt, but you have to do this for yourself and them. Hogan is crazy. He threatened an innocent child, and that child is part of the club in a way, and it didn’t matter to him. He’s out of control, and he needs to be stopped.”

“I know that, I just don’t know if telling Jackson is going to make it worse or better.”

“You have to put feelings aside here, and do what’s best for him. He needs to know. He needs to be warned. It’s dangerous and he could lose his life. You’d never live with yourself if that happened.”

“No,” I whisper. “I wouldn’t. I just don’t know how to tell him.”

She nods. “I understand. We’ll figure it out.”

“I hope so,” I murmur, staring out the window. “I hope so.”

And I did.

Because I don’t know what will happen if we don’t.

CHAPTER 15

SERENITY

I settle Janine and Ebony after a few hours, and when they’re sleeping soundly, I sneak out of the room. I head downstairs, where Muff and Jackson are out front talking. Muff has his keys, and my heart leaps into my throat. One, he’s been drinking and two, I can’t make him go home after...everything that just happened.

Both men turn when I step outside, and I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself as a cold breeze washes over me. Jackson reaches out, gripping my arm and pulling me to his side. I snuggle into him, breathing him in and closing my eyes for a moment. Jackson feels good against me, just right. I tangle my fingers into his shirt and tug him closer.

“I’ll get goin’,” Muff says, his voice tired and slurry.