It was barely five in the morning when they arrived at the clinic. Dr. Harvey—who was a friend of the club and whose clinic they utilized when the hospital wasn’t an option—was waiting inside for them. A scan confirmed that Sage’s wrist was sprained and not broken. While the two docs got her fixed up, Ax and Steele entertained Petal. She was like a nervous colt—something that neither of them missed. It was when Dr. Harvey kicked everyone out in order to examine Sage further that Ax started to worry. Had they missed something? If so, what?
Steele mentioned calling LuLu before disappearing down the hallway. Doc took Petal to the vending machines. This left Ax to stew in his anger.
Dr. Harvey stepped from the room right as Steele reappeared from his call. While Petal was out of earshot, he gave his diagnosis. He said that Sage hadn’t said much, but from what he could gather, this wasn’t the first time she’d been beaten. When he addressed the subject of rape, she’d completely shut down. He felt this was a red flag that needed to be addressed. Her refusal of a pelvic exam only furthered his worry that something might be wrong. After giving them the name and number of a counselor, he told them to watch for signs of PTSD, not to push for answers, and that she would talk when she was ready.
“I’m going to kill the motherfucker,” Ax growled.
“Not if I get to him first,” Steele replied.
“Before causing anyone bodily harm, I suggest you get your lady home. She says she’s hungry and would like a bath,” Dr. Harvey informed them.
“I’m taking them back to my place,” he told Steele.
Steele’s brow furrowed. “And how are you gonna explain that to Em?” Shit, he’d completely forgotten about Emma. “Luciana wants them at our place, but until we know what we’re dealing with, I think they’ll be better off at the club.”
Ax hated not having them close, but Steele was right; until they knew what they were dealing with, The Cave was the safest place for them to be.
_______________
When Sage saw Alex standing there holding her daughter’s hand, she lost it. It had always been him. That she’d tried to make it not was just stupid crazy. God, how she’d missed him. She told herself she didn’t, convinced herself that she was better off without him in her life and that she could move on and forget him, but it was all lies. This, among other things, was what she thought about on the drive to The Cave.
The Cave was another name for the Steele Raiders’ clubhouse. It was a nickname derived from the surrounding bat caves. Austin was famous for its bat caves, several of which were found on the club’s land. The clubhouse was gorgeous on the outside, but not so much on the inside. In truth, it was kind of a dump. She wished she hadn’t sold her house because she would much rather be there. On second thought, when Carlos came for them—and there was no doubt in her mind that he would come for them—she would rather have the club’s protection. If that meant staying at The Cave, then she would just have to grin and bear it. Just thinking of that man made her break into a cold sweat. Embarrassed didn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling. Try humiliated, or better yet, broken. Gibbs had crushed her spirit, but Carlos had broken it.
The thought of telling Alex what Carlos had done to her, made her sick to her stomach. She thought of Dr. Harvey, how he kept asking her if she’d been sexually violated, and tried not to cringe. Had she been violated? The entire relationship felt like a violation.
“You okay?” Alex asked.
The weight of his gaze bore through her. She was so far from okay, it wasn’t even funny. Her eyes dropped to his hands. They were masculine, sexy hands—then again, everything about him was masculine and sexy. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was angry at her for leaving—if he’d missed her. Probably not.
“After we get settled, I need to speak to you,” she announced loudly enough for the entire car—namely Steele—to hear.
Steele stared at her through the rearview mirror. “How about we get you fed and let you rest for a bit first.”
“I would rather talk first, that way, I’ll be able to rest after,” she countered.
“That works, too,” he said.
She let out a quiet sigh and slowly relaxed her weight against Alex’s side while listening to Petal chatter with Steele and Doc.
Alex gently nudged her. “You didn’t answer my question.”
What was his question? Oh, yeah, he wants to know if I’m okay. “I’m fine,” she lied.
“No, you’re not, but you will be.”
He was wrong. For some reason, she felt an overwhelming need to tell him this. She tilted her head up at the same time his tilted down. Their eyes met. She’d missed those eyes. In a quiet but serious voice, she said, “You’re right, I’m not okay. I don’t think I’ll ever be okay again.”
Chapter Five
SAGE WAS CAUGHT, ensnared by Alex’s magnetic blue eyes—eyes that lit her up, yet at the same time shredded her. He gave her a knowing smile and her stupid heart went pitter-patter inside her chest. This was the reason she’d left. All he had to do was look at her and she was his. Only, she wasn’t his because he didn’t want her.
“You’re gonna be okay because I’m gonna make you okay,” he declared.
A bubble of laughter crept up her throat. Crazy man. Leave it to him to think he could fix her. Humor turned to sadness as she thought of Petal. She’ll need his strength when I’m gone.
A few minutes later, they pulled onto the drive leading up to The Cave. Excitement stirred inside her when she saw the large, spiked gates looming in front of them. She honestly thought she’d never see this place again.
Steele pulled to a stop beside the guard station and lowered his window. One of the new prospects was manning the front gate. She couldn’t remember his name.
“How long have you been here?” Steele asked.
“Not long, maybe an hour,” the prospect replied.
“Call Tiny. Tell him I want two men on the gate until further notice.”
The Cave was originally a house built in the 1900s by one of Steele and Alex’s ancestors. What started as a one-story farmhouse eventually morphed into a three-story clubhouse. It was surrounded by acres of land. Over dinner one night, Alex shared the history of the place. He told her how it had gone from a farmhouse to a speakeasy. From there, it became a whorehouse and ended up as a hotel. It was abandoned and rundown by the time Alex’s great uncle took it on. He fixed it up and established what was now the MC’s headquarters. Sage hated the place when Gibbs was alive. She’d blamed it for their failing marriage. Now, it felt like home.
They rounded the circular drive and pulled in front of the house. Steele cut the engine. His head turned, his eyes landing on her. “Fair warning, things have changed a little since you were last here.”
“Changed how?” she asked while thinking, they probably added a new bar.
“LuLu,” Alex muttered with a laugh.
“I think it looks better,” Doc commented.
“I’m hungry!” Petal exclaimed.
Steele smiled at Petal, and Sage tried not to stare. Arlan Steele was like a fine wine—he just got better and better with age. She met him when she was nineteen and he was in his late twenties, back when she and Gibbs first hooked up. His hair was dark back then, but what turned heads were those silver-gray eyes. She’d never seen eyes that color. Even though his hair was mostly silver now and he had a few more wrinkles, he was still one of the hottest men she’d ever seen. Not as hot as Alex.