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“Mellie, what are you doin’ here?”

“I need help,” I whispered. My tears were on the brink of falling. “I need Gunner.”

His brows furrowed. Confusion marred his face at my words, and my fear kicked up a notch.

“He ain’t here, darlin’. He’s up in Nebraska.”

Now it was my turn to be confused. “Nebraska? What the fuck is he doing up there?” My anxiousness momentarily forgotten as I realized my trip was wasted.

“Let’s get you a drink.” Steele took my elbow and led me to the bar. I sat on a stool, my hold on Dani never faltering. “I told the son of a bitch to make sure you knew he was leavin’.” Steele shook his head, grabbing a beer from the prospect and offering it to me. When I shook my head no, he ordered me a water. “He said he took care of it.”

“He didn’t. I haven’t spoken to him since he dropped me off at college,” I confessed. My eyes dropped to look down at Dani’s head. I didn’t know why I felt shame. I wasn’t the one who walked away.

“What a goddamn asshole,” Steele growled. “King opened a chapter up in Diamond Creek, Nebraska. Five years ago.”

Five years ago? My brother had been gone for five years and I didn’t know. He never said a word. I felt the sting of abandonment all over again. An uncontrolled tear slipped from its confines, and Steele reached up, wiping it away with his thumb.

“What’s up, babe?”

Setting my glass on the bar, I stood up, hefting Dani higher on my hips. The motion must have caught Steele’s attention, because he looked down as though he’d just noticed Dani in my arms.

“You had a kid?”

“Yea,” I said absently.

“What kind of trouble you in?”

I looked at the man my brother trusted. A man I trusted once a upon a time. But couldn’t trust now. Not with the mandate the table put out. Steele was the president of a 1% motorcycle club. He dealt in drugs, guns, and God knew what else. The point was, he would have received the order from the table. The one that ordered Danny’s death.

Gunner was the only person I could trust.

“I just need Gunner. I can’t do this on my own anymore.”

It was the truth. I needed my brother. I wasn’t strong enough to protect Dani on my own.

Steele watched me with a curious gaze. “Let me send a couple of guys with you. They can escort you up north.”

“That’s not necessary.” I made my way to the door, ignoring the others gathered in the room.

“Mellie, wait.”

Just as I reached the door, it slammed open. A man stepped in, carrying another who was bleeding from his shoulder. I pushed myself against the wall, holding Dani’s face in my neck.

“What the fuck happened?” Steele shouted.

“Ambush. Something about a fucking woman.”

Oh God, they knew!

Men rushed forward to help their brothers, and Dani and I slipped through the open door unnoticed in the chaos. Carrying her to the car, I just missed being knocked to the ground as more injured men rushed to get inside.

Quickly buckling Dani into her seat, I prayed I was quick enough to drive out before they remembered to lock down the gate. In my seat with the door closed, I ignored the safety belt, knowing I had precious seconds before my escape would be halted.

Thankful for a push start that prevented me from fumbling with the keys, my hands shook as I pressed the button and the engine roared to life. Backing away from the clubhouse, I’d just made it through the open gate as I heard someone call out.

“LOCK IT DOWN!”

Chapter Twenty-Two