Page 47 of Savage Bond

Today is the first time anyone has stepped foot in Savage Saloon since the attack a week ago. I have no clue what we’re walking into, but I have a feeling it won't be good.

Pushing the thick door open, I take a second to let my eyes adjust to the dim lights. There’s glass everywhere. He really did a number on the place.

“Dang, that floor is going to need to be replaced,” Morris mutters under his breath.

I take in the way the tiles are lifting up after the alcohol’s been sitting there for so long. I glance at the bar and wince. The finish is hazy and I know Roxy’s going to lose her mind when she sees this.

“Look at the bar.” I shake my head. “If Wilson wasn’t already dead, Roxy would definitely kill him for this.”

“Are you freaking kidding me!” The woman herself roars, stomping over to the bar. She grabs a rag and starts trying to buff away the haze, but I have a feeling it isn’t going anywhere.

“It won't come off. The alcohol sitting on there for that long started to eat away at the glossy finish.” Morris winces. He’s truly terrified of Roxy and I'm sure the last thing he wants to do is tell her the bar is ruined.

“Chopper,” she whimpers my name as the first tear slips down her cheek.

Since we came home from the hospital, Roxy’s had more breakdowns than I expected. If I'm not right there with her, she panics. I canceled all of my jobs for the past week to take care of her, but eventually I’ll need to go back to work. I'm not sure what she’ll do when that happens. I'm not even sure she’ll be comfortable in the bar alone ever again.

“Let’s keep the bar closed for the next few weeks. We can have Morris replace the floors and redo the bar. Give the entire place a facelift.” I nod my head as the plan comes into focus. “We can tell everyone we closed for renovations after a break-in and no one will need to know what really happened.”

I round the bar and wrap my arms around Roxy’s waist, tugging her back against my chest. She fights me for half a second before she’s leaning into me and resting her head against me so she can stare up at me.

“Can we go home?”

“Of course. Do you trust Morris to make any decisions on new floors and stuff like that?”

“I don’t really care about any of it. I only care about you.”

I grin as I take her hand in mine and lead her towards the door. This almost feels like we’re closing a chapter in our lives. Like the bar is no longer the most important thing to Roxy and that’s strange to me. She’s always used the bar as her identity. As her shield to keep people away. She doesn’t need that anymore. She’s happy to let me into her life and see every part she used to keep hidden.

“Why does it look like there are letters in the mane of your lion tattoo?” I frown as I trace the design on her thigh.

“Oh my gosh! I forgot all about that!” She sits up a little bit and stares down at her leg. We’ve been lying in bed all afternoon watching movies. This is my last day home with Roxy before I have to go back to work.

“What does it spell?” I frown, finding a C and an A.

Instead of answering me, she takes my index finger and begins tracing the letters. C-A-M-R-O-N. My gaze snaps up and I find her already watching me.

“You got Camron tattooed on you? Why?”

“Because I haven’t heard anyone call you Camron in years. It felt like our own little secret.”

“Ok, but why did you get my name tattooed on you?”

“Because I thought having the name of the man I love tattooed on my body was kind of perfect. I know I’d never be able to live without you, so I didn’t care about marking my body with your name.”

“Did you know I got your name tattooed on me years ago?” I smirk as her eyes narrow on me. She doesn’t believe me one bit. I roll up my sleeve to show her the tattoo on my forearm. There’s a wolf on my skin and within the trees and fur, Roxy is tattooed.

“I never saw that,” she whispers, running her fingertips over the ink. “I love it. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby. Always and forever.”

Chapter 33

Roxy

“I'm going to kill him,” I say through clenched teeth.

“You have to give him a chance, babe.” Chopper chuckles and shakes his head. He knows how much Lionel gets on my nerves, but he doesn’t seem to care.