Page 31 of Sinner's Malice

Chapter Seven

Montana

Leaning against the doorjamb, I observed the gentle rise and fall of her breathing while she slept.

After Bane took a good look at her, I didn’t give her a choice and demanded she return to the clubhouse, where we could all protect her better. With Malice still at large, I refused to take any more chances where she was concerned. Until the fucker came to me and explained what the fuck happened, I was not letting him anywhere near her again.

Even after all this time, all I saw was the scared sixteen-year-old girl, her eyes filled with vulnerability, who’d wormed her way into my heart. My sole desire was to shield her from any harm. I knew she had it rough and over the years, I didn’t need her to tell me how rough it actually got. My imagination worked just fine. However, when she told me herself, with Malice’s help last year, I realized my imagination had nothing on the truth itself.

After that day, I vowed no one would ever hurt her again.

I never expected my brother to be the one who shattered my trust and proved me wrong. I saw the way he looked at her, his gaze lingering on her with a mix of admiration and affection, but he never gave me pause to worry. He was the one who saved her all those years ago. He was like a shield, always by her side, ready to defend her whenever anyone dared to look at her funny or make a snide comment. Throughout the years, I learned toplace my complete trust in Malice when it came to the well-being of Silver. Knowing he had previously saved her made me confident that he would do it again without hesitation. What I didn’t anticipate was his betrayal. He had gone against my direct order and covertly laid claim to her without my knowledge.

That was something I couldn’t forgive.

The second... was what he’d done to her.

I didn’t give a fuck if something had triggered him. I didn’t give a shit if he wasn’t in his right mind.

He fucking knew better.

Feeling her arms wrap around my stomach, I sighed. “I should have brought her home with me.”

“She wouldn’t have gone.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because even though Silver thinks of you as a father substitute, she prefers her independence. She loved that you trusted her enough with the clubhouse when you were gone. There was no one else in the clubhouse that you trusted more than her. We all know that. With her, she is the exception to every rule.”

Blinking, I ignored my watery eyes and whispered, “He hurt her, Tess. He hurt my little girl. I can’t let that go.”

Walking around me, my woman frowned. Reaching up, she wiped away a lone tear. “I know. I’m having a hard time with it too. All we can do is follow her lead. Be there for her. No matter what she decides, we support her.”

“I don’t know why this is so hard for me. All I want to do is find the fucker and put a bullet in his brain. I want to take her away from this place, somewhere safe, where she will never have to feel pain again. She is too good for this life. Better than me. Better than all of us.”

Tessa shook her head. “Guess it’s a good thing we had a son. I’d hate to see how you’d feel with a daughter.”

“Bite your tongue, woman. Boys. I can handle boys. Girls are a no go. Nope. I am barely keeping it together regarding Silver.”

“Well,” Tessa sighed, turning to look at Silver, “I was going to wait and tell you later, but I might as well prepare you now. I’m pregnant again.”

“What?”

Tessa smirked, shrugging her shoulders. “Surprise?”

As I looked around the boardroom, the sound of my fingers drumming on the table filled the air.

It was a first.

Generally, someone was yelling, mainly me, about one thing or another. Only this time, no one said shit.

Not even me.

What was there to say?

I guess it was safe to say we were all in some variation of shock.

Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out a pack of cigarettes.