Page 41 of March 5

She knew they were right as much as it bothered her to stay away from him. If Dio wanted her, it was up to him to do something about it.

The thought of him loving her because she'd swayed his feelings sat more wrong with her as each day passed. The last thing she wanted was charity love.

She turned on her laptop and streamed the latest episode of The Housewives of Orange County because they were the exact opposite of real life.

After the hour passed, she entered the kitchen and dished up a bowl of ice cream. She wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. Mariah would probably spend the night at Brett's house, and while it usually never bothered her to stay alone, her depressing mood was lonely company.

She whipped the spoon through the ice cream, making it smooth and soft. Just the way she liked it.

In the other room, her phone dinged. She walked into the bedroom and read the text from her dad.

Stay put. Dio's coming to get you. Be ready to ride.

The hair on the back of her neck prickled. There was only one reason for Dio to come and get her and for her to get on the motorcycle with him. There was trouble surrounding the club.

She moved to go to her room and remembered that Mariah had shoved her leathers in the frontcloset. She grabbed everything and entered her room, finding a pair of jeans. Once outfitted to ride, she scribbled a note to Mariah, letting her know where she would be if she came home and found the apartment empty.

Then, she ripped the message in little pieces, thinking it was better not to give her location away. She didn't want to put Mariah in danger.

A rumble filled the silence. She grabbed her go-bag, which she always had ready with extra clothes, and slid her laptop and phone in.

A knock at the door sent her hurrying across the room to the window. She peeked outside. Dio held up his hand.

She unlocked the door. He stepped inside.

"Ready?" He eyed her up and down.

"Yeah." She put the pack on her back. "What's going on?"

"Everyone is meeting at the clubhouse." He picked her helmet off the floor and opened the door. "Stay with me. Everything will be okay."

"Someone needs to get Aunt Brooke."

"Maverick should be at the house now." Dio hustled down the steps to the ground floor of the apartments.

Relief that her parents would be there, she took her helmet from him and fastened the strap.

Dio straddled the bike. Using the peg, she climbed behind him. Unlike her dad's bike, which had a sissy bar for when Aunt Brooke rode with him, Dio's Harley had no support. She hugged his back and pressed her inner thighs around his hips.

He started the engine, raised the kickstand,and rolled away from the curb. If she weren't concerned about the club's future, she would've enjoyed the closeness she had with Dio.

Chapter Eighteen

Her dad, Jagger, Bane, Ruger, Wire, and Dio talked at the head of the table. Skye stood on the other side of the room with Aunt Brooke, Daisy, Cora, Katrina, Rachel, and Mariah. No one had told the women anything about why they were called to the clubhouse and put on lockdown.

Hawk's woman approached the group, holding the hands of two of her children. Katrina broke off to meet the woman and directed her to the back room, where the game system, toys, and television would entertain the kids and shelter them from the dangers.

Skye inhaled deeply. In the past, she was one of the kids who was ushered into another room. To her, it was fun when she could play with the other kids or spend time with Flower's mom. It wasn't until she'd turned sixteen that her dad started letting her experience what happened in the clubhouse.

She wasn't shocked by what she'd seen and heard. Most of it compared to what her wild imagination had thought about while growing up. Her fear of losing her dad again was always at the top of her worries.

Katrina returned to the group and eyed Mariah. Understanding that the president's old lady wouldn't talk to the others with an outsider around, Skye excused herself and grabbed Mariah's hand.

"Let's see what snacks we can gather for thekids, " she said as she walked down the hallway.

Once out of sight of the other women, Mariah said, "They don't want me here."

Skye bumped shoulders with her. "You know how they are. What happens in the club stays in the club."