She exhaled softly. "Can I ask you something?"
He grunted. "If I can answer, I will."
"When Kodiak found me..." She waved her hand. "Was the fire reported on the news?"
What she wanted to ask was if Kodiak got away with killing the man responsible for wanting her kidnapped? Was Kodiak still in danger of getting arrested?
"Yesterday, it hit the paper." Baker leaned his hip against the counter. "It was a house that was in foreclosure for the last two years. The authorities believe one of the homeless in the immediate area was squatting and started the fire."
Her heart pounded. "So, they found the man—?"
He shook his head. "They won't."
"But—"
"They. Won't." Baker raised his brows, ending the conversation.
The oven beeped at the same time a familiar rumble vibrated the kitchen. Her heart thudded with a blend of hope and dread.
Baker caught her gaze, already wiping his hands on a towel. He hitched his chin toward the door.
She rubbed her face. No matter what, she would never give up on Kodiak. She walked into the main room and waited with the others.
Moments later, the front door pushed open, and Kodiak stepped through, leather streaked with dust, eyes sharp but unreadable. Behind him came Cruz and Duke.
"Tell me," Roma said before Kodiak had even closed the door.
His gaze landed on her. "We found where he was holed up. But he's gone."
Gone.
The word dropped like ice water down her back. Would he never find Nate and end this nightmare?
Baker muttered something under his breath and left the room. The others stepped away, giving Kodiak privacy. He led her into the kitchen, following Baker. She slipped her hand into his, needing contact.
"He left fast," Kodiak continued, glancing at Baker but speaking to Roma. "Took only a bag and a bike. He knew we'd come after him."
Her upper lip curled. Nate hadn't thrown her to her kidnapper on a whim without thinking. He'd planned everything and was now trying to burn the bridge he'd already crossed.
Baker removed the dish from the oven. "We'll find him. Nobody can run forever."
Roma nodded, but her mind buzzed with unease. "And Deception?"
Kodiak shook his head. "Nothing yet. Their club's dark, like they've gone to ground. But we're watching. Nate will have to crawl back to them eventually."
She leaned against Kodiak, wishing there was more she could do for him.
Baker returned with plates and a grunt. "Eat. You'll ride again soon enough."
She pulled a barstool toward the counter, and they sat together, away from the others. Kodiak shoveled the food into his mouth, never taking time to taste it, and kept his free hand on her thigh. She picked at the food, willing her stomach to untie from the knot that had grown over the news. They couldn't go on like this forever. Something had to give.
Before she was ready, Kodiak stood. "I need to get back out on the street."
She walked with him through the clubhouse. The others rallied around their president, ready to move when he made theorder. The importance of the job showed on their faces. Inhaling deeply, she understood that no matter what happened, they'd follow their president through to the end.
Her loyalty was no different. She'd never walk away from Kodiak.
He hooked the back of her neck, dragging her forward and kissing her hard. There was nothing sexual about the kiss, and yet she felt him clear through her body to her toes. It was a promise. A possession. An ownership.
