Claiming Crusher (Savage Brothers MC #4)(63)

The front room of the club is empty, so from there I half walk, half jog to Nicole and Dragon’s room. I hope Dragon is gone by now, he usually is, but I don’t have the best of luck—I think that much is clear.

“Nic! You up?” I ask in a panic, my voice probably too loud. I knock on the door with more force than necessary, but damn I need her. Just being in her presence helps.

“Come on in,” she calls out.

“Dani, please don’t give me shit about the dresses again. I gave in and let you have…”

“Nic, please.”

My voice is thick with fear. I can’t stop it. I haven’t had a panic attack since I started therapy, but I can feel one now, trying to take hold of me.

“What?” She asks, and tries to say Michael’s name because she knows only one thing would put me into the state that I am.

I can’t let the name leave her lips. I push the wadded up picture at her, partly to divert her, but mostly I need it out of my hands. It feels as if it is burning me. She takes the paper and presses it against her leg to try and get the wrinkles out.

“Where did you get this?” She asks and I hate that her voice has panic in it too. Maybe I shouldn’t have shown her.

“My car.”

“Maybe you left it…” She spends the next few minutes trying to convince me that I just forgot I had it. What she doesn’t realize is that Ray helped me burn everything that would ever remind me of Michael. I needed it all gone. She finally stops arguing and crushes the paper up in her hand. She looks at me with tears in her eyes. We both know what this means, even if we don’t want to know.

“You do not have to leave! Right here is the safest place for you! Dragon and the boys will protect you!”

I drop down beside her on the bed. I can’t stop the tears that are falling. It feels like I’m making the hardest decision in my life… and maybe I am. We argue some more, Nic wanting me to trust the club, me listing the reasons I can’t. They’re not completely truthful. The main reason is I need to protect her and I need to protect Zander. That is my only concern. All she’s doing is making me long for something that can’t be. Finally, I shut her down with the one truth that even she can’t deny.

“Nic, Michael won’t rest until he has killed every member of the Savage Brothers and he’ll make sure it is painful,” I tell her.

“Dragon can handle him…we have to tell him,” she says, but even I can tell her arguing is weakening. “Dani, I’m getting married in two weeks!” She finally says, when all we manage to do with the other topics is go in circles.

I try to reassure her, but the two of us just end up crying. It hurts me that I have laid this on her. Nicole has always been my rock, she always manages to take some of my burdens, making my load lighter. She always does her best to help hold people she cares about together.

“We’ll figure this out…” she says finally. Sometimes there just aren’t words to help.





Chapter 30




Crusher


Dragon put me on babysitting duty, which normally I would hate. Not so now, because I get to remain close to Dani. She’s not going to make it easy though. When they all pile into the Tahoe I’m driving, she makes sure to get in back with Nicole, Carrie and Lips. Nikki piles in beside me and I find myself hoping like hell she doesn’t mention the night Freak and I shared her. It was before Dani and I ever got together and I shouldn’t feel a bit of f*cking guilt over it. Yet, for some reason sitting in this car beside Nikki feels wrong. I want my woman beside me. As the girls finally get settled and buckled in, my phone vibrates with a text message. Freak. I can’t deal with him right now. He’s trying to convince me to talk with Dragon about this Michael guy and I probably should. The truth is I just don’t want too. I want to handle this. I want to be the one to take care of my woman, make it so she is safe—not just today but every day. So I ignore the message.

I drive them into town peeking through the rearview mirror at Dani. I catch her staring at me a few times. She doesn’t respond when I wink at her. The next time I catch her eyes, I mouth the words I love you. I wanted some kind of reaction from her this time. I don’t get it. All I can see is sadness so apparent it pains me. I need to fix this and soon. I can’t let this fester between us. What Dani and I have is too f*cking good to let it go sour.

I drop them off at the door of the bridal shop.

“Aren’t you going in, Crush?” Nikki asks, and son of a bitch, I don’t like the way her eyes look me up and down. I should, because she’s a hell of a woman. But I don’t. My dick is owned by the brunette spitfire currently ignoring me and sliding out of the vehicle. Once Dani exits, she slams the door and I wonder how it stays on its hinges.

“Hell no, I ain’t setting foot in that store. My dick would become permanently limp if I spent much time in there. I’ll be here waiting on you girls.”

“Well we can’t have that, can we?” she winks and laughs at me. My eyes catch Dani’s and that uncomfortable feeling, only increases.

Shit this relationship stuff might be the death of me. I need to turn Dani over my knees and spank her ass for running once again. I don’t because I know this is all my fault. I should kill Freak instead. At the thought of Freak, I remember his message. I pull out my phone and call him.