“Yes, Knox drove her to Lexington. She didn’t argue, from what Knox said. She was ready to go live with her family,” Lucky said. “She finally realized being young doesn’t make you invincible.”
“She almost got herself and Willa killed. She’s fortunate her ass isn’t sitting in a jail cell. I bet she wouldn’t be throwing around how she’s fucking eighteen if she was in front of a judge.”
Willa sent Shade a reproachful look.
“She came by the hospital after I came out of surgery, and we had a long talk while Lucky was there with Knox. She finally believes I wasn’t having an affair with Lewis. I still can’t believe it was Brooke. She didn’t seem like the type.”
“Sluts never do.”
Shade jerked his leg back, giving Lucky a glare.
“Did you just kick Shade under the table?” Willa frowned at her husband.
“No.”
Rider came through the kitchen door. “Alec’s here to see you, Willa.”
Douglas came in the door, wearing an expensive suit. Willa still couldn’t grasp the fact that Angus’s handyman was a bodyguard, no matter how much Lucky had explained it to her. Apparently, Alec was usually on the road with Mouth2Mouth. He had rented out Evie’s house because he’d thought it would be a quiet place to relax. With Angus living next door, he would help him out occasionally, and Willa had simply assumed he was Angus’s handyman, which had provided Alec with the perfect cover.
“Hello, Doug—Alec.”
“Hi, Willa. I stopped by the hospital to see you, and they said you had been released early.”
“She wanted out before she was charged for another day,” Lucky griped. “If you had picked a better insurance policy, you wouldn’t have had to worry.”
“I’m young and healthy. I’ll buy a better plan when we’re ready to start a family.” Willa started to get up. “Let me get—”
“No!” Alec cleared his throat then lowered his voice. “I have something to confess now that I’m not working for Lucky. I hate coffee, and I don’t eat sweets. I’m kind of a health nut.”
Willa’s face dropped. “You should have told me. I could have made you some tea.”
“I didn’t want to hurt your feelings,” he said gently. “With Bridge in jail, I can lose the six pounds I’ve put on. My men will miss all the freebies, though.”
“I still think you should have told me you hired a bodyguard,” Willa chastised her husband.
“I should have,” Lucky agreed. “But like I told you, Alec only stays in Treepoint when he’s not on a security job. Besides, it worked. If Alec hadn’t followed you that day…” Lucky pulled her closer to him.
“It shouldn’t have gone down the way it did. I was watching for Bridge to take her, not for Willa to go to him. When I followed her, I thought at first she was rushing to make a delivery, but then she turned off at the lookout, and I knew something was wrong. Then she stopped at the side of the road, and I thought she was turning around, so I backed up to give her room, but when she didn’t come back down, I knew I had screwed up. Thank fuck I called you and my men when she made the turn.”
“At least we won’t have to worry about Bridge anymore,” Willa said, rubbing Lucky’s tense shoulders.
“At least until he gets out of prison,” Lucky agreed grimly.
“He won’t be giving you any more trouble, regardless,” Shade said.
Willa saw the silent battle between the men then found her attention diverted again.
“Is that my cookie jar?” Willa rose from Lucky’s lap, going to the counter to gently touch the glass cookie jar.
“Bliss found it on eBay and bought it for you.”
“I’ll have to thank her.” Willa blinked back tears of happiness. It wasn’t the same one, but it would bring back the same memories, and it was the memories she cherished, not the jar.
Willa noticed the sad looks on the women’s faces and the grim ones on the men.
“What’s wrong?” Willa looked around the crowded room. “Where is Bliss?”
“She’s out looking for an apartment,” Lucky finally answered when no one else spoke up.
“Why?”
“She was voted out of the club. Her behavior toward you was the last straw.”
Willa adjusted her sling carefully. “Then vote her back in. I don’t want to be the reason she has to leave.”
Viper shook his head. “It wasn’t because of you. It was because she showed disrespect to Lucky by hurting you. She’s also hurt several of the women who are members.”
“Was it the women members who voted her out?”
“No, it was the same men who voted her in.”
Willa blushed at his reminder of how the women were admitted to the club.
She could see why Viper had been made president. He showed no remorse for the decision the club had made. His stern expression also showed that the decision was written in stone and wouldn’t be changed.