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“We need to talk.”

Closing her eyes, she pleaded, “Can’t you let it go? Just forget it ever happened?”

Gunner growled from the other side of the table, and I looked him in the eye when I said, “Not a fucking chance.”

Standing from the table, I went to grab a coffee and slammed the church doors open, heading to my seat. King was the only one in the room and I heard him chuckle.

“What the fuck are you laughing at?”

“Every goddamn thing. Mark my words, there won’t be one single brother who doesn’t have a goddamn crisis when he finds his old lady.”

“That include you?” I asked, knowing he already found her.

“Ain’t no one for me,” he said, his eyes focused on the cup in his hands.

“Bullshit,” I murmured.

Before he could reply, the doors opened and the officers walked in, followed by Melissa who carried Dani on her hip.

“Mellie,” King began. “It might be better for Dani to sit out with Ellie.”

“No. She was entrusted into my care.”

“Ellie has known Danny and Dante a long time,” Gunner offered.

“That may be, but I don’t know her,” Melissa countered.

“Let her stay, Prez,” I said, having my woman’s back. She was right. For the time being, she was the mama bear, and she was protective.

“Ok, have a seat.” King motioned for her to sit and when she did, I moved from my regular seat and sat next to her. Gunner on her other side.

“Mellie, please tell us how you ended up with Dani.”

She glared at Nav, and the temperature in the room dropped ten degrees.

“Someone I thought I could trust asked me to take her on as a patient.”

“Melissa, I’m sorry. I know I should have told you everything, but I knew you wouldn’t take her on,” Nav pleaded his case, but Melissa just looked away.

“Wait a fucking second. How the fuck do you know my sister?” Gunner asked Nav.

“Hey, maybe we could cut back on the f-bombs with Dani in the room?” Jack asked.

“It’s fine. If she’s gonna grow up around bikers, she needs to get used to vulgarity and debauchery, right?”

The bite of condescension in Melissa’s voice had us all flinching. While she had a point about growing up around bikers, at the same time we all tried to watch our language around Jack and Ryder’s girls. We toned it down at least.

“To answer your question, Gunner, I only officially met Melissa last night. About three years ago, a friend living down south asked me to find someone for their kid to talk to. In my research, I found out your sister was a child psychologist in Oklahoma and I reached out. We got to talking and struck up a friendship. I send her referrals from time to time. So, when Sypher and Pippen showed up with Dani and they didn’t want to take her back to New York, I called and asked her to take them.”

Watching the emotion flit over Melissa’s face, I could see she felt betrayed by Nav. But I wasn’t sure why.

“Why is she pissed at you for a referral?” I asked, my gaze focused on Melissa.

She closed her eyes when Nav said, “Because I didn’t tell her they were in a club. She doesn’t work with patients associated with motorcycle clubs.”

That was when I knew.

She ran when we moved outside. She asked about my bike and even said she had ridden. My bike was a pussy magnet for everyone but the one goddamn woman I wanted on the back of it.