Page 14 of July 27

"Don't you ever fucking offer yourself to anyone." He paused. "Understand?"

She nodded, shaking all over.

"You're better than that, Rach," he whispered.

The tension in her muscles eased. Her eyes drifted closed as mental exhaustion hit her hard. She hadn't slept more than a minute or two in batches since leaving him. Not even the horrors of what the men had done to her could invade her thoughts when he was with her.

Ruger's size surrounded her. He held her securely. Not one inch of her was vulnerable because he protected her. Even during those days when he never spoke a word, he always protected her.

Chapter Seven

Ruger found a lone blanket at the end of the bed and covered Rachel, only leaving her head uncovered. He tucked the material underneath her, the same way he had with Katrina when she was little and afraid of the dark.

Rachel continued sleeping. The rise and fall of her upper body underneath the blanket assured him that she'd finally relaxed and stopped fighting sleep.

She'd gone too far, stripping down for him.

He'd seen her naked enough times he had her body memorized. Every curve and dip. She had a scar on her left eyebrow. Her pinky toes were crooked. There were freckles on the top of both shoulders and across the bridge of her nose.

But he didn't deserve her body or her faith in him. He'd accumulated nothing in his life. The only thing he had was his membership in Havlin Motorcycle Club.

At one time, he'd had parents. Parents that wouldn't accept his ways or his daughter. Determined to make a better life for Katrina after her mother dumped her at the hospital, he toed the line until the fateful day Jagger killed his father's murderer, and Ruger got blamed for the crime.

Eighteen years wasted.

He lost his daughter. He lost Jagger.

Once he got out of prison, the club became a means to keep food in his belly and a roof over his head. He wasn't going to depend on anyone again. He sure in the hell wasn't someone anyone could depend on or approve of. Rachel would figure that out about him when she came out the other side of her kidnapping, and life straightened out for her.

Right now, she worried and fought the demons plaguing her. She clung to him because he'd saved her.

Silently, he walked through the apartment, reaching for his wallet. He emptied its contents, a sum close to a thousand dollars in cash, onto the kitchen counter. With a final glance around, he exited, securing the door behind him.

He walked to his Harley, hoping that someone from the neighborhood hadn't decided to part her out while he was caring for Rachel.

The sun rose in the east, casting an orange glow to the morning. It was a good time to ride. As he approached his bike, he gave it a once over. It hadn't been touched. The Havlin colors painted on the side of the gas tank kept it safe.

Gangs in the area knew better than to touch something that belonged to the club.

He started the bike and rode away from the apartment. Another day was here. He had to work.

Halfway to Seaglass Cove a rider coming in the opposite direction signaled for him to stop. Recognizing Jagger, his heart raced. His thoughts went straight to his pregnant daughter and her safety.

He pulled over onto the side of the road. Turning in the seat, he watched Jagger make a U-turn and head toward him. Why wasn't Jagger with her if something was wrong with Katrina or the baby?

Jagger pulled to a stop behind him.

Ruger shouted, "What's wrong?"

"Katrina found out you were gone last night and got worried. She wanted me to find you," yelled Jagger, motioning for him to turn off his engine.

He shut off his bike and threw his leg over the seat. "Why the hell would she worry about me?"

"She woke up in the middle of the night, unable to sleep, and was overthinking everything." Jagger took off his helmet and ran his hand through his hair. "She texted, and when you didn't reply, she was positive something had happened to you, so I told her I'd ride around looking for you."

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. It'd gone dead. He showed the blank screen to Jagger.

Even if fully charged, he probably wouldn't have known he had a message from her. The phone was always making noises, so he shut off the sound.