“How do you know Tits?”
She reached into the cabinet for a mug; the move revealed pale creamy skin, marred by bruises, which only added to the list of questions I had for her. Savannah shrugged as she turned to me.
“Mutual friends, I guess you could say. How do you know her?”
That vague answer didn’t satisfy me one bit, but I decided to swing back to it later. “She runs a titty bar, and I like titties.”
I might have fucked a few girls from the Lucky Lopez, but I’d never gotten close to Tits. Not my type.
Savannah kept one hand wrapped around her midsection as her coffee finished brewing. She stirred in the sugar, taking her time before she turned back to me.
“So, what am I doing here, Charlie? Really.”
I shrugged and sat back in my chair. “Resting, I hope. Healing from whatever is wrong with you besides detoxing off that fuckin’ horse. And whatever else you’ve been shooting up. What do you need? Anything? Tylenol? Booze? ”
I knew who she was, but what I didn’t know was where the fuck she’d been the past six or so months. She looked like shit, so chances were she hadn’t been lying low out of self-preservation.
“What do I need?” She repeated the words aloud as she took the seat across from me, her gaze occasionally swinging to the door behind her. “I need a million bucks and a new identity. Can you get that for me, Charlie?”
I laughed and shook my head. “Not at the moment, but I can offer you a safe place to sleep, if you keep your fucking mouth shut. Good food to eat and the best fuckin’ weed in Nevada. Is that good enough for you?”
“For now,” she said, looking relieved and laughing me off with a shrug.
“Good,” I said, “because I gotta go, and I can’t leave you here alone.” I didn’t want to lock her in the guest room all day since the wedding and reception would likely go into the early morning hours. And the only bedroom with an attached bathroom was mine.
“I get another babysitter? No thanks. You can just drop me off downtown, and I’ll find my own way.”
The look in her eyes gave me a clue what had happened to her, but I wouldn’t speculate until I heard it from her lips. “I’ll get my things.”
“Not another babysitter,” I told her between clenched teeth. “I’m taking you someplace safe for the day.”
Her blue eyes went wide. “The whole damn day?”
“Yeah, my cousin is getting married today.” As I thought of where to keep Savannah safe and unable to escape, I had a new appreciation for Jasper’s words last night. This wedding couldn’t be over with soon enough.
Savannah let out a sarcastic laugh and shook her head. “No invite for me? I’m hurt,” she deadpanned. “Guess it’s a good thing I left my ball gown in my other trash bag.”
“Trash bag? You’re traveling in suburban finery, canvas grocery bags are all the rage, I hear.”
That teased a laugh from Savannah, but she quickly clutched her abdomen, sighed and let out several slow breaths through clenched jaws. “You’re a funny guy, Charlie.”
“I get that a lot,” I told her with a straight face. “Grab what you need for the day and be ready to go in five minutes.”
“Whatever.” That one word conveyed so much exhaustion it made me even more curious about what she’d been through since she’d disappeared, but I didn’t have time to dig into it now. Later.
Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into the back of the Reckless Bastards clubhouse and led her into my room. A few of us had our own space when we needed to stay over to keep an eye on things.
When I was younger, Max willed me his man cave because he didn’t want the girls I hung around with at the house. I was entitled to it now because of my ranking in the club. I opened the door and ushered her inside.
“I’m gonna put you in here.”
Savannah eyed the room warily, noting the Reckless Bastards flag hanging on one wall, some old photos of the MC, and the big king-size bed in the middle of the room.
If it impressed her, she kept it to herself. “Whatever,” she said, walking past me to look around.
“I know you got a bigger vocabulary than that from those fancy schools Ronan sent you to.”
Her laugh was bitter as she examined each item. “Doesn’t matter what words I use, does it? This is where you’re putting me, so this is where I’m staying.”
I followed her into the room but kept a gentlemanly distance. “It’s to keep you safe. Just give me some time to work things out.”
“Sure.” She took a few more steps inside and dropped her bag on the floor.
“There’s a bathroom through that door and a few sandwiches in the fridge in the corner. You’ll be fine until I get back.”