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A handful of the men strode in, but I noticed it was only a small portion of all the people who had been back out there.

“Not everyone gets to know club business this intimately,” Ashe explained in my ear as the others took their seats. “Some of the guys out there are still patching in, still prospects, so they don’t get a vote yet. Some of them are just here for the social side of things, just hang arounds. But these fellas run the club.”

I nodded, looking around as each of the men took their respective seats around the table.

Prince at the head. Freddie to his right. Then Charmer, then Bull, then Dash. The rest of the seats got filled with men I hadn’t met yet.

A chair remained empty at Prince’s left, and Ashe pulled me along with him as he took his place.

I tugged on Ashe’s hand before he got a chance to sit.

“I-I shouldn’t be here, Ashe. I don’t belong here,” I whispered, only to him.

He dropped a little, bending to meet my eyes and search them with a frown. He made a fist, running his knuckles down the side of my face ever so gently—not caring that everyone else in the room was watching. Not caring that all his big and tough biker buddies were witnessing him perform this act of absolute gentleness.

I could’ve melted in his palm right then and there.

“Ofcourseyou do,” he breathed.

I swallowed the burning lump in my throat and nodded, turning towards the half-dozen other men who all had their sights turned politely elsewhere.

Shag, who hadn’t said a word to me so far, dragged a spare chair in, placing it between Ashe and Prince and gesturing for me to sit.

“Thank you,” I said, eyebrows shooting up with shock.

“‘Course,” he puffed his chest out, obviously proud of his act of chivalry.

I reached out and put an arm on his bicep, giving it a squeeze of thanks, and I swear I could see his pale cheeks turn pink under his white-grey beard. He quickly grumbled something under his breath and returned to his seat.

“Zarina,” Prince started, leaning towards me and clasping his hands together as I sat. “First of all, I just want to assure you that while you are here, you are perfectly safe.”

I nodded, biting down on my lip and hoping that I hadn’t made them all feel like I didn’t trust them.

“I understand the tense and long history between the MC and your family has not been the friendliest, but while you are here, you will never be treated as an enemy or a threat, okay? You’re with Henny, and that’s all that matters to us.”

I opened my mouth the object, to correct him and tell him that we actually weren’t together in any capacity. That actually, this dude was a one night stand turned stalker who I enjoyed looking at and nothing more.

But then Ashe reached out and dangled his hand on the back of my chair, rubbing slow and lazy circles on the back of my neck with his finger.

“Does that mean no more stalking?” I quirked an eyebrow.

Prince chuckled, and I relaxed a little further.

“Probably not,” he shrugged, but at least he was honest.

And to be fair, I didn’t even mind.

“So, what do you have for me?”

I took in a deep breath, remembering the way my brother looked at me only a few hours ago now when I had told him my suspicions. I looked over my shoulder at Ashe, who nodded, urging me to speak.

“All these threats you’ve been getting, all these strange events, do any of them seem at all familiar to you whatsoever?”

I cast my gaze over everyone at the table, and they all shook their heads.

“By now, do you not think you would be able to recognise a Santino attack or strategy?”

Prince leaned back in his chair, interlacing his fingers and watching me with a concentrated frown.