Page 29

He sighs. “Saige, I honestly don’t know. Sloane has pulled back from me a lot, and then I hear her and Mom in a heated argument, but I couldn’t make out all they were saying. Mom refuses to talk to Sloane now. I asked her to marry me, but she is pissed about the ring for some reason, and I don’t get that. I got her a ring that I feel suits her, but she says that if I really loved her, I would have used my grandma’s ring. I told her that I do love her, and I thought that she would rather have a ring that was all hers. Man, she went off, that’s what Alivia walked in on because we were in the kitchen. Sloane went off on Alivia for walking in, accusing her of wanting me and trying to get in between us. Saying shit like she knew we were screwing. Then she stormed off. I’ve no clue where she went, she didn’t come into my room last night. Saige, I don’t get it. I know she isn’t using drugs that I know of, and she wasn’t drunk. But Ialso know it can’t be about a damn ring. She is hiding something from me.”

“Oh, Loki, I’m sorry. At least this explains why Stella has been acting weird lately. You know that she won’t give you Grandma’s ring for Sloane. She feels that you two aren’t meant for each other. And for Sloane to go after her like that about a ring? That’s crazy. Doesn’t sound like Sloane, but honestly, it seems like everyone is going crazy right now.”

He nods his head, “Yeah, I had asked Mom what she thought about me proposing to Sloane, and her words were ‘I don’t’.” We both laugh at that. It’s just like Stella to be blunt and say what she feels, whether we like it or not. We pull into the bakery and I get to work on a special-order cake while Bexley takes inventory and starts on cookies and turnovers. I’ll be making cupcakes and muffins shortly, and then we both will kick out some pies and cakes. Loki stays in the back with me. Beth comes back to let us know if Sloane needs something or if she needs me to come out front. At one point I finally walk out front to find Sloane. She’s standing by the cappuccino maker.

“Sloane, look at me. What’s going on? You know you and Loki need to talk about this.”

She looks at me, and her eyes fill with tears. “Saige, I hadquit taking my birth control a while back, not letting Loki know. He doesn’t want kids right now, and I haven’t told him. I’m trying to get the money for an abortion, that way he doesn’t find out.”

I look at her shocked. “Loki would want a child, especially y’alls child together. You just need to tell him.”

“NO! And I refuse to let you tell him. I have most of the money, and I’m going to do this. My body, my choice!” She slams down the rag she’s holding and walks out of the bakery, getting in her car, squealing tires as she leaves.

“Loki!!” He comes running out front with everyone else.

“What is it, Saige, are you okay?” He has his gun drawn.

“Yeah, put that away. We need to find out where Sloane is staying. She’s going to do something so stupid, and we need to stop her, talk sense into her.” I’m crying and losing my breath.

Loki pulls me over to a stool, “Saige, sit and calm down. Tell me what Sloane said to you.”

“Loki, let’s get the video and watch it, Saige is too upset right this second,” Bacon says. They go in the back leaving me out front with Beth and Bexley.

A few minutes later I hear Loki scream, “That fuckingbitch! The hell she will kill my kid!’” Both girls look at me shocked. I nod and tell them what she told me quietly. They both start crying too. Loki and Bacon both come back out front with us.

“Loki, call her, go find her, stop her.” He comes over and hugs me.

“Saige, I had Tech ping her phone, she’s already headed to Camden. By the time I get y’all back to the club and catch up to her, who knows where she’ll be or what she’ll be doing. I ...” Loki’s phone starts ringing. Looking at it to see who is calling he answers, “Whatcha got Tech?” He is pacing back and forth. “Yeah, okay man, thanks for trying.”

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Bacon asks.

Loki looks at us. “She has turned her phone off and ditched her car. She spotted the prospects, went into a diner, and they waited but she never came back out. When they went in to look for her and asked the waitress where she went, she said she went out the back and got in a truck with some guy, taking off. So we’ve lost her for now. Tech has a thing set up that if she turns her phone back on, we’ll know where she is instantly.”

I get up and hug him to me.

“Saige, I never told her that I didn’t want kids.”

I look up at him. “I know.” Loki has always talked about being a dad. He loves kids, so this has me thinking maybe it wasn’t his baby or she wasn’t pregnant at all and wanted the money for something else, like meth. Especially since her pupils were dilated some. And she has been acting differently, I just didn’t notice it or put it all together until a few minutes ago.

Loki looks at me shocked, “You honestly think that?”

Oh shit, I said that out loud, damn pregnancy brain! “That’s the only thing I can think of, Loki. You said once that no matter what, you’ll use condoms until you are married. And here she is wanting to get rid of the baby. Either it isn’t yours, or she is making the whole thing up, just trying to get more money. And if it is drugs like I suspect, then she is going to go through a lot of money. No wonder she wanted Grandma’s ring. That ring is worth several grand.”

He starts pacing again, “Ya know, she has been asking for money a lot lately, and saying that it’s for this or that. But I never see anything come of it. She even went to Mom and Dad for money once. And I know she asked you for more, right after you gave her that thousand when you got out of the hospital, as a thank you for all she did.”

I nod.

“She’s asked everyone for money that is in this room that I know of. Tires told her to fuck off when she asked him,” Bexley tells us.

“Guys, as much as I hate what is happening, especially since it is happening to my bestie, we need to get things cleaned up and close. I’m hungry and exhausted.” They all agree to being hungry.

Bacon goes and calls in a huge order of pizzas, cheese bread, and salads for us, with lots of extra ranch dressing. I crave it on most everything now. That and cheese. Cotton has even teased that if they were both boys, he was naming them Colby and Jack Ranch. I had laughed. After placing the order, Bacon texts Tires, Cotton, and Liv to let them know that we have dinner coming to the clubhouse, and we’ll be there about the same time. I have Beth get some cookies and cupcakes to box up to take home. Dessert is taken care of. Bexley and I clean up in the back, the guys lock up, and help us out to the truck. Beth is having to ride home with us, her dad had dropped her off this morning. It’s been one wild, crazy, earth-shattering day, and I feel like there’s more to come before we can get to sleep. I rub my stomach, vowing in my mind and heart to always love and protect my babies.

Thirty-Two

Cotton

I gota phone call from Tech telling me what was going on with Sloane, asking for permission to put the trace on her. I sent the prospects after her, but they lost her. Saige is upset, and even more upset for Loki. She is still upset over the things that Bexley has gone through and told us this morning. After church and talking to Commander Thomas, I went straight to the bar and got a couple of shots of Jack. Tires was right beside me. We talked for a bit, trying to figure out exactly what to do. Commander Thomas wasn’t exactly sure how to go about it yet. There was no proof to back up Bexley’s story of abuse, except maybe the hospital records, and the word of her bodyguard. But she only knew his first name, not his last. Also, they’re across the state from us.So unless someone actually comes here after the girls, then there was nothing to do, except stay vigilant.