“You did lots of things right,” she smirked.
Laughing, I carried her into the bathroom and lowered her into the tub. Once she was settled, I eased in behind her. She rested her back on my chest, relaxing in the warmth of the water. After several minutes, she said, “I could get used to this.”
“I know the feeling,” I told her as I ran the washcloth along her shoulders.
“I wish we could stay like this… lock the rest of the world out, and get lost in our own little world for just a little while longer.”
“We’ve still got tonight. We’ll make the most of it,” I told her as I kissed her shoulder.
She turned back and looked at me as she asked, “Could we stay in tonight? Maybe order some pizzas and watch a movie.”
“Yeah, we can do that,” I answered, thinking there was no place I’d rather be.
“Then you could do that thing you did again.”
“What thing?” I asked laughing.
“Any of those things you did in there earlier,” she smirked.
After we got out the tub, we spent the night curled up on the sofa eating takeout pizza and watching movies. When the second movie ended, I took Wren to bed and happily did all those things that she wanted me to do to her. The sun was just starting to rise when we finally drifted off to sleep. We’d been asleep for several hours when my phone started to ring. When I didn’t answer, it rang again. Realizing it was actually my burner ringing; I pulled myself out of bed and grabbed my phone off the dresser.
“Yeah,” I clipped.
“Need you back at the clubhouse now,” Maverick announced.
“We got a problem?”
“Fireworks at the construction company,” he started.
“Fuck!” I shouted.
“When Guardrail went to see about it, several guys tried to break in on Al. Two Bit and Lil’ Ricky were there to handle things, though.”
“They were after Al. Those fireworks were just a decoy to get Guardrail out of the house.”
“Yeah, that’s what we figured. Cotton is calling for a lockdown, and the meet with the Forsaken Saints has been moved up. They’ll be here in less than two hours.”
“I’m on my way. Gotta take care of some things first,” I explained.
Chapter 17
Wren
?
“Slow down, Griffin. And remember who you are talking to. I don’t know what the hell a lockdown is, and I certainly don’t know what it has to do with Wyatt or me,” I snapped.
“I don’t have time to explain it all to you right now. We’ve got to go get Wyatt, and go to your house to pack your things.”
“And what happens after that?” I demanded to know.
“You’ll stay at the clubhouse for a while. It’s the only way we can make sure you both are safe,”
“Safe from what? What is going on?” I cried.
“It’s nothing for you to worry about. You’re gonna need to trust me on this,” he answered as he pulled up his jeans. “We don’t have much time.”
I tossed the covers back and reluctantly got out of the bed. Searching feverously around the room, I tried to find my clothes. “How long do you think this will take?” I asked as I started to get dressed.
“As long as it takes,” he answered. He was already dressed and waiting by the door as I put on my boots. “Let your folks know that we’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
My emotions were running wild, and I couldn’t tell if I was scared out of my mind or just flat out pissed. One minute I was in a peaceful slumber with Griffin by my side, and now I was being dragged out of the bed and told that I was going to be locked in their clubhouse. None of it made any sense, but I knew something was wrong. The sound of Griffin’s voice when he was talking on the phone worried me – actually it petrified me. His anger was palpable, instantly changing him into a man I didn’t even recognize.
Sensing my trepidation, he walked over to me and pulled me close as he said, “It’s going to be okay, Wren. I need you to trust me on this.”
He’d never given me a reason not to believe what he was saying, so I said, “I do trust you, Griffin.”
“Then, let’s go get Wyatt.” He kissed me lightly on the lips, then took my hand and led me out the door. We didn’t talk on the way to my parent’s house. I couldn’t even if I wanted to. It was useless; I couldn’t form a single clear thought. My mind was filled with too many questions, and the look on Griffin’s face wasn’t making things any better. His fingers were gripping the steering wheel so tightly that I thought it might crumble beneath his hands. When we pulled up in the driveway, my mother rushed outside to greet us.
With a big smile on her face, she met us as we were getting out of the car. “You’re so early,” she complained, giving me a quick hug. When Griffin came up behind me, she extended her hand and said, “You must be Griffin. I’ve heard so much about you.”