I put on the helmet and started the bike. Matteo stepped back. With a salute, I drove away. I resisted the urge to look over my back. Turning my back on a Vitiello still gave me the chills. Riding the Kawasaki was an entirely new feeling for me. I preferred the steady rumble of the Harley and felt a pang when I thought of my now burned Harley. Still, the familiar feeling of freedom that always overwhelmed me on a bike grabbed me.
Could I really give up my freedom, my lifestyle, even part of myself for Marcella?
Mom regarded me with worry as we sat at the dining table. Maddox had been released in the morning and Matteo had even given him his bike because Maddox had a few errands to run. I suspected he was looking for his brother and mother to make sure they were all right. Still, I’d hoped he’d figure out a way to contact me by now.
“Matteo shouldn’t have given him his bike. I asked him for the thing for months and he just gifts it to our enemy,” Amo muttered.
“It wasn’t a gift. It’s borrowed until he returns it when he comes back,” I said firmly.
Amo shook his head. “Right.”
“Marcella,” Dad began, obviously trying to deliver a blow as gently as possible. I knew what they all thought.
“Maddox hasn’t run off. He’s taking care of a few things and then he’ll return to New York to prove himself.”
Dad looked at Mom.
“Marcella knows him better than we do,” she said in her usual diplomatic way. “If she puts her trust in him, I’m sure she has her reasons.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“But I really want to meet him in person as soon as possible.”
I stifled a smile at the sudden steel in her voice. “I’ll introduce him to you.” I didn’t miss the look of wariness on Dad’s face. He’d probably stand guard every second while Mom met Maddox. It was strange. Despite his radio silence and my family’s doubts about his return, I believed he’d come back. After what he’d risked to save me, I was certain about his feelings for me.
When there hadn’t been word about Maddox the next morning, I really began to get nervous. But I didn’t want to waste time fretting. Maddox would return, and if he didn’t… then he never deserved me to begin with. Still, my heart ached thinking about it.
I decided to distract myself with something I’d been meaning to do for a couple of days now. I called Growl and asked if he could pick me up and take me to the shelter that he’d built with Cara to help abused fight dogs. Dad had mentioned that they’d taken the Rottweilers there.
Thirty minutes later, he pulled up in front of our mansion. Two bodyguards waited in front of the door when I stepped outside. They accompanied me to Growl’s car then got into a second car and followed us. “Thanks for coming so quickly,” I said.
“I was surprised you want to see the dogs.”
“I was terrified of them at first but I kind of bonded with the dog that was beside my cage. Her name is Satan, but she was badly injured. Do you know if she survived?”
“I don’t know their names. I still need to name them.”
“Don’t name any dog Satan please.”
Growl nodded.
“I have to admit seeing the dogs again isn’t the only reason why I asked you to pick me up.”
“I figured,” Growl rasped. “Your father told me you’ll join the business.”
“I want to lead our Enforcer team, to coordinate the hits on MCs who’re giving us trouble and also to find the remaining Tartarus bikers who pose a risk.”
Growl merely nodded but I really wanted him to say something.
“I want to know if we’ll have a problem because I’m a woman or because you wanted to be in charge of the enforcers.”
“I don’t have trouble serving you, and I never wanted to lead anyone. I’m happy with the job I’m doing every day.”
“What about the other enforcers? Have they said something to you?”
“Most of them know better than to badmouth you.”
They feared my dad but didn’t respect me. I’d do my best to change it.
After almost one hour, we arrived at a farm building with several huge fenced-in areas. We got out and a lanky guy in his teens came out. “Troubled teens run the shelter under your guidance, right?”
“It gives them and the dogs a new home.”
Growl led me around to a smaller area where ten Rottweilers in total were kept. “They don’t get along with the other dogs yet so we have to keep them separate.”
It didn’t take me long to spot Satan, and relief rushed through me. Her side was bandaged and she had to wear a cone so she didn’t lick the wound, but otherwise she looked good.