Page 15 of Saint

“You belong to me beautiful and only me” I say firmly, trying to control the anger that’s rising inside of me “Now who the hell is Ranger and why does he think you’re his?” I’m still holding her tightly but I can feel she’s slowly melting into me, letting me have control. But I’m not letting go. No way. This woman is mine and I’m not interested in sharing.

She sighs and I can feel her heartbeat ramp up as she talks. “Ranger was the club VP back home. Now he’s Prez. He says that because I was Pipe’s woman and club property I should still be club property. He thinks that because I’m club property he can have me, he can make me his. I don’t want to be his! It’s one of the reasons I left. He kept trying to force the issue. I guess he was happy enough thinking I was just playing tourist and that I’d be home soon. Ink told him I’d found someone new and he just lost his shit. And he’s coming to drag me home. I can’t go back.” By now she’s full on sobbing and she’s curled up in a ball in my arms hanging on tight to my cut. My anger is rising but I don’t let it show. This tiny little ball of perfection is mine and I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. There is no question about that.

I hear Smoke and Bull pull up and within seconds they’re in the door. I signal for Bull to grab Dublin and come inside.

“You might have been Pipes’ property baby and protected as club property but that doesn’t give anyone else the right to move in if you don’t want him. As the President’s Ol’ Lady, you should be honoured and protected but no-one should be claiming you against your will. As far as I’m concerned, you’re mine and the Hell’s Keepers will make sure you stay that way. This Ranger asshole will not get anywhere near you.”

I can see the anger emanating from Smoke in waves and Dublin is already in front of her. “Not going nowhere Jack. You belong here with us. You’re the only one who actually thinks I’m funny” he says trying to lighten the mood. “Let us keep you safe.”

Bull is standing, arms crossed, his face showing nothing but his eyes are giving him away. He’s mad and he’s got a plan formulating already. “Moving everyone into the Clubhouse tonight. Jack included. Locking down and getting Tap to sort out surveillance. Get him hacking into local video feed and keep an eye out for this fucker. Get me a photo so I know who I need to kill.”

“Hear that beautiful? We got you covered. Now pack up everything that’s important. You’re coming with us. Bull, give me a few minutes to make a call before you put the word out. Jade, give me your phone. I’m gonna call Ink while you pack.”

As I grab Jade’s phone from her hand it rings. Thankfully it’s her son Axel. I answer and take the call outside leaving Dublin and Smoke to keep Jade from running. “Axel, it’s Saint here. I’m guessing you know who I am. I’m here with your Mom now. Gonna keep her safe. Tell me what I need to know about this Ranger asshole.”

With that, Axel proceeds to tell me that Jade is safe for the moment. Ranger has a criminal record. There’s no way he’ll be allowed into the USA. He can’t get to her. At least not in person. So she’s safe for the moment. He wouldn’t put it past Ranger to find someone else to do his dirty work for him though. Axel isn’t sure if Ranger has any contacts here in the States but asks us to be on alert.

“I’m gonna keep an eye on Ranger, see if I can find out exactly what he’s up to. I’ll keep you in the loop. I don’t think the rest of the Club here will be too happy with him. Can you keep her safe for us?”

I give Axel my phone number asking him to call me with any updates rather than Jade and promise him she’s in the safest place she can be and then take the phone back into Jade so she can hear the good news for herself. In my head though, I’m working on ways to keep her safe. I don’t know who he knows or what he’s capable of. As a club president he’s unlikely to be stupid and this has me on edge.

Leaving Jade to talk with Axel, I move outside with Dublin, Smoke and Bull. “Things are safe for the moment. No need to rush us into the Clubhouse. He’s got a long record so won’t be able to get into the States. Axel is worried he might find someone else to grab her and take her home though so we still need to be on alert. I’m going to move her in with me but I want everyone on alert and I want cameras installed on this place in case anyone comes looking for her. If we’ve got eyes on the place, at least we’ll know who to go looking for.”

“I’ll get Tap onto the surveillance and see if Tags knows anyone who can monitor incoming Aussies, just in case he finds a way. We’ll keep her safe Prez. Still going to move in and party on the weekend?”

“Thanks Bull. Good thinking. Yeah, we’ll keep weekend plans in place. Just a bit tighter on security though” Bull walks away to do his thing leaving me standing with Smoke and Dublin.

Smoke eyes me warily before he speaks. “That’s a lot of effort you’re going to Saint. You gonna make Jack your Ol’ Lady?”

I resist the urge to reach out and choke my best friend of over thirty years. “You forget – she saved Reign. So yes, it’s a lot of effort. We. Owe. Her.” I say pointedly. Raking my hands through my hair I look at both him and Dublin. “Yeah. Gonna make her mine. I don’t know how this happened but she’s the one. She’s it for me. She just doesn’t realise it quite yet and now probably isn’t a great time to force the issue. In the meantime, gonna treat her like the queen she will be and keep her safe. Either of you got a problem with that?”

Both of them raise their hands in mock surrender and smile back at me. I want to thump them but I can’t. I bet neither of them ever thought they’d see the day Michael Saint went crazy over a woman. “No problem Prez. We’re happy for you.” Dublin’s eyes are laughing but I can tell he means it. “I’ll keep her with me during the day at the bar. I was going to ask her to cook for me anyway, thinking about serving some food and not just drinks anymore. She’s been cooking up bar snacks for the regulars for a few weeks or so now and they all love it. Gonna offer her a job. That will keep her with me during the day and safe. If I have to leave I can still call someone to keep an eye on the place.”

“Great idea Dublin. That will keep her busy and happy and she’ll be safe with me at night. We’ll stick to the plan of moving back into the club house next weekend. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual.”

“Jack’s a real prize Saint. You’re a lucky man. We won’t let anything happen to her. Now get back in there and take care of your woman.” Smoke’s eyes had softened. I knew he was wondering where it all went wrong for him. He was quietly lost without his woman. I needed to find out what he was keeping from me and help him get her back. I looked him in the eye and gave him a chin lift letting him know I appreciated his support and moved back inside to Jade. She was curled up in a corner of the couch clutching onto her backpack looking terrified and ready to run. It didn’t help that she was so small.

“You’re not running. You belong here. With me. I’ll keep you safe, we all will.”

Her beautiful golden green eyes were wide with fear when she looked back at me and I hated that. “I don’t want to put you in danger, or Jameson or anyone else. I have to go.”

“Beautiful, one man, a man who can’t even get into the country is hardly a threat. You are mine to protect and that’s what I’m going to do. You’re moving into my place for now and then into the club house on the weekend. You got everything important in there? We can come back for more later.” I helped her stand and moved her outside. “Good to go?”

“Good to go” she replied quietly “I really thought I’d found peace here” she said as she looked around at the cabin. I hated seeing the disappointment on her face and I resolved to change it. We climbed onto my bike and headed back to my cabin. It isn’t far away but it is much better protected than this place. I walked her around the back onto the deck and sat her on the couch to look at the lake. Taking her bag inside, I returned with drinks for both of us and sat beside her and tucked her in under my arm.

“You could have told me about him you know?”

“I didn’t think I needed to. I thought he’d give up after I left. I had no idea he was so obsessed. I can still go, if you want. There’s no need to drag your Club into this mess.”

“You’re not understanding me Jade. I mean to protect you. My Club is your Club, you’re a part of us now. We all want you to stay. You fit and not just with the Club. We fit. I told you weeks ago that we are happening and I meant it. I won’t rush you but I won’t let you forget. I’m drawn to you in a way I’ve never been drawn to anyone and I know you feel it. No one wants you to go – especially me” I said leaning down to kiss her and show her just how much I wanted her to stay. “You’re one of us now. We’ve got a plan to keep you safe so let us do that. Stay.”

We sat in silence watching the lake. I left her to her thoughts and followed my own. As the sun started to set, I messaged Kitty to get him to bring pizza to the cabin for us. He arrived not long after. I felt her stiffen beside me as she heard his bike pull up. “Just Kitty babe. He’s got dinner for us” and she relaxed again into my ribs.

I ate, she picked at a couple of slices. She seemed to be lost in her own head which was killing me. She needs to understand that she’s safe here and that as mine, she’s even safer. I needed to bring her back to me. I wasn’t willing to lose her to some wanna be who thought he could own her just because he felt entitled. That shit is not happening. “Come on beautiful. Come and love me like you said you want to. Bring your head back here and be with me.”

Jade looked up and smiled for what seemed like the first time today. “I can’t believe you still want me” she said looking at the floor “but I’m so happy you do. You’re right about me feeling it too. I’ve just been pushing it down ‘cause it seemed so quick. But if I’m being honest, I’ve been drawn to you since the first time I laid eyes on you. There’s nothing I want more right now than to belong to you.”

She didn’t have to tell me twice. I picked her up and walked her into my room, laying her down on the bed and covering her with my body. Not much of a challenge given that she is so small but I wanted her to feel me, to feel the protection I was offering her, to know that she would always be covered by me and safe. And she let me, she lay there underneath me and looked up at me with those eyes and just let me cover her. “Yours” she said quietly, “only ever yours.”