Page 22

None of us understood why he was still here, though. He had initially shown up and talked to Dec about the charges against Ellie’s parents. They had forged his name on some medical documents, trying to get a conservatorship set up over Ellie.

After he came here to meet Ellie, he stayed. King told him he could stay as long as he wanted. He accepted and showed no signs of leaving anytime soon.

He was watching the women. Most importantly, Amber. Bane was a member of the Soulless Sinners MC out of New York City. Jingles had grown up hearing about them, and of course Matlock knew Fury. The rest of us only knew what we had heard.

“Amber doesn’t go for the older guys,” I told him. Figured I would save him the embarrassment of being turned down. Amber was gorgeous and more than a few of us had been disappointed by her rules, but we respected them.

“Don’t want to fuck her. Trying to figure out why she looks familiar.” Bane lifted his drink to his lips before asking, “How long has she been here?”

“Five years. Showed up at the first party we had when we set up and never left.”

“Where was she before that?” he asked.

“Don’t know.” The lie rolled easily off my tongue. All the officers knew some of her background, but I wasn’t sharing it with Bane. We might have opened our doors to him because he was a biker, but he was still a fucking stranger.

“You didn’t run a background check?”

“We did,” I confirmed.

He nodded, understanding I wouldn’t tell him shit.

Standing from his chair and emptying his glass, he set it back on the bar and said something that should have shocked me. But given what we had been through the last six months or so, I thought it might be a good idea to bring it up in church.

Chapter Eight

Melissa

December 22, 2024, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“Good morning, Danika!” Greeting the little girl cheerfully, I hesitated before addressing Dante. “Go ahead and pick something to play with, Dani.”

The little girl ran off. She was comfortable here. After three weeks, she no longer hesitated when it came to choosing something in the room. Turning back to face Dante, I wasn’t surprised to see his frown. As soon as he walked in, I knew something was wrong.

“Let’s sit.”

Leaving him to make his own choice, I walked to the chair I regularly used and waited. With a deep breath, Dante made his way over to join me, but he stayed standing.

“You’re upset,” I stated. Dante’s shoulders were tight. His hands, while not fisted, stretched continuously as though he wanted to reach out for something but couldn’t.

“I haven’t heard from Danny since he left,” he admitted.

“And how does that make you feel?”

Dante paced through my office, rubbing the back of his neck. Frustration rolled off him in waves. His anger was palpable, and this was a version of Dante I hadn’t experienced. Danny, when he was here, had shown he could be quick to anger, especially when it involved Dante or Danika.

Dante was more sedate. He regulated his emotions with ease. Almost as though he just accepted his lot in life, believing he didn’t possess the means to change it. His current state was something he wasn’t comfortable with.

“I can see you warring with your words, Dante. Bottling them up won’t help. Just say whatever comes to your mind.”

“I’m pissed, okay!”

“And why are you pissed?”

“Because he won’t fucking pick up the phone!”

“Has Danny ever gone silent on you like this before?”

“No,” he groaned, rounding on me. “That’s why I’m hesitant to say anything. If anything, I’m the silent one. Danny loves to talk. He’s got no problem voicing or showing how he feels. Me? I keep everything bottled up, so this silence is confusing for me.”