Page 22 of Acceptance
“I have to go, too.”
“You can’t, baby.”
Shaking out of her grasp, he pulls away. “I’m the only family she has! And the last time I talked to her… She thought I… What she thought isn’t what I meant. Those can’t be the last words I say to her.”
“They won’t be.”
“You don’t know that! Bad things always happen to us!”
Lucas has never yelled at her before. Hasn’t even raised his voice. In fact, the only time she’s ever heard him raise his voice was at Zane when he attacked her.
He looks so scared, and she wishes there was something she could do to console him. To tell him she knows for certain Hailey would return to them unharmed.
“I know Colt, and I know this club. You are not the only family she has. We’re all her family, and we’re going to get her back. If anyone can save her, it’s this club.”
Putting his head in his hands, he leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees. “What if she doesn’t make it?”
“Hailey’s smart. Street smart, and that will keep her as safe as possible until Colt and the guys can get to her. You know your sister better than I do, and you know I’m right.”
Tears roll down his cheeks as he turns and looks at her. “Are you sure?”
“She kept both of you alive while you lived in empty houses. It’s one of the few benefits of living a hard life. She can assess a situation quicker and better than most. She found a way to call Colt for help.”
His eyes widen as he gasps for breath. “She asked for help? She actually said… She said she needed him to help her?”
“Yes.”
“Lex, she’s in a lot of trouble. Hailey will never admit she needs anything from anyone. She’s… She’s like you.”
Okay, just hit me where it hurts, kid.
Wiping his eyes as she cups his cheeks, she kisses his forehead. “Then she is definitely going to find a way to stay safe until Colt can get to her. She’s going to do exactly what I would do.”
“You survived torture, right?”
“I did. And Colt saved me. I kept myself alive until the club could get me. Hailey will do the exact same thing, baby.”
He nods and takes her hands from his face but doesn’t release them. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. Dad always said a man doesn’t yell at a woman. Not unless it’s unavoidable.”
Lex smiles. “In a situation like this, it’s understandable. You don’t need to apologize because you’re scared. I am, too.”
The men start filtering into the clubhouse, and Lex is surprised when Psycho and the Black Valley men show up.
“I called him,” Venom says. “Between me, him, and Undertaker, no one who may have even thought about hurting her will make it out alive.”
“Thank you,” she whispers and wraps an arm around Lucas’s shoulders, pulling him against her side.
VP walks up to them, and Lex tenses involuntarily. She hasn’t spoken to her father since the wedding disaster, and he stops in front of them. “How are you two holding up?”
“Go away,” Lucas spits at him, using his body to shield Lex as best he can in their sitting position.
VP looks surprised, and Lex squeezes Lucas’s shoulder.My fierce protector.“Excuse me?”
“You hurt my mom, and your son tried to kill her.”
