Page 39 of Savage Bond

If I'm at work, Dad has men checking in on me, just like they do for Dixie. He doesn’t need anyone to check up on Oakley since so many of the members work at Savage Motors.

I turn my attention back to the dumpster and continue looking. When I hear the sound of gravel crunching again, yet don’t find anyone, I decide I'm done. I don’t care about three bottles of tequila. Not when I feel like something’s off.

I climb off the boxes and hurry back inside. Normally I’d never bother locking the doors during the day, but I quickly flip the bolts and glance around the brightly lit bar.

My brows furrow at the sight in front of me. All of the bottles that were on the bar are smashed onto the floor. There’s no way this could’ve happened. Someone had to have been in the bar.

With shaky hands, I tug my phone out of my pocket and click on Chopper’s name.

“Hey, are you ok?” He answers on the second ring; he never makes me wait long. There’s clanking in the background and I'm sure he’s trying to work while we talk.

“Something’s going on at the bar,” I whimper.

“What do you mean?”

“I was outside looking in the dumpster because I was missing some bottles and I kept hearing gravel crunching, but no one was there. I just came inside and all of the liquor bottles I had on the bar are shattered on the ground.”

“Lock the door. I'm about twenty minutes away, I’ll call some members and get them over to you right away.”

“I did lock it,” I whisper. If Chopper’s nervous, there’s something to worry about.

“Good girl. I’ll have someone there as soon as possible. You’ll be ok, babe. I'm leaving this house now. I’ll be by your side soon.”

“I love you.”

“I love you more than life itself.”

The line goes dead and I glance around the bar again. I don’t know what to do. It seems dumb to stay inside the bar. Clearly, someone was in here and they could still be in here.

I'm about to grab my bat when there’s a knock on the door. I hesitate to answer it, unsure of whether this is a Savage member or whoever’s been tiptoeing around here today.

“Rox, open up!”

“Who is it?” I yell loud enough for them to hear me through the thick wood.

“It’s Lionel.”

“I don’t know a Lionel.” I frown. This guy can’t be serious.

“I'm one of the new prospects.”

“Prove it!”

“How do you want me to prove that?” He yells back. I hear him grumble something that sounds an awful lot like, “this woman can’t be serious. If she opened the door she’d see the cut.”

“I don’t know! But I'm not opening this door until I'm sure you’re a Savage.”

“Fine! Your boyfriend chewed me out this morning because I hit on your sister.”

I quickly unlock the door and swing it open to find Lionel on the other side. He looks completely annoyed with having to deal with me, but at least it’s someone I can trust… kind of.

“Jeez, what happened in here?” He slides his sunglasses onto the top of his head and glances around at the mess.

“I don’t know. I was outside and came in to find this.”

“Could it have happened by itself?”

“No! Someone had to be in here.”