Mine to Take by Lila Fox
Chapter Sixteen
Savage tore out of the building and made his way to his bike. He knew from experience that riding was the only thing that would settle him down. If he stayed around people, he’d be hurting several of them.
He raced down the highway, merging in and out of traffic, knowing and not caring that if he wrecked, he’d be dead.
Who would mourn him? Goddammit, she’d fucked him up so badly. He never thought about this shit before Zoe. Fuck, he hadn’t cared enough about anything until she walked into his life. He never wanted to feel this way again. He wanted to wake up every morning and not care if he lived or died instead of her being the first thing that popped up in his head.
He drove for a few hours and pulled over to take a piss and maybe grab a beer. The bar he found was perfect for his mood. He walked around to the side and did his business before heading in.
It was rundown with the scent of piss, vomit, and sweat. He saw bullet holes and holes in the side from fists as he walked into the bar.
The silence was immediate, and every person’s head turned his way. He knew at that moment he’d get what he came in for—a good fight to take away the feelings that bombarded him.
He walked up to the bar and leaned against it like he didn’t have a care in the world. Hell, at that moment, he didn’t. The burly bartender made his way to him.
“What’ll you have?”
“I’ll take a bottle of beer and a shot of whisky, and not that watered-down shit you sell to stupid people.”
The bartender smirked and walked off. When the guy came back and set the glasses down in front of him, Savage took a sip of the shot to make sure it wasn’t crap before he threw down a twenty-dollar bill. “Keep it.”
“Thanks. You might want to watch your back, man.”
Savage nodded. “Thanks for the warning.”
He felt a small body press up against his side and then looked down at one of the three women he’d seen in the place. Every one of them was in bad shape. He could tell they all did drugs and had lived a hard life, and there was no way in hell he wanted anything to do with them.
“Hey, my name’s Candy. Do you want to have some fun?”
Savage snorted. “I wouldn’t touch you with a ten-foot pole. Now fuck off.”
“Fuck you.” She walked off.
He had thrown back his shot and finished half of his beer before he watched in the mirror about the bar. Three guys approached him.
“Well, looky here, boys. It’s one of those pussy biker dudes.”
Several people in the place laughed, and Savage smiled in glee. Finally. He’d be able to take out his aggression on someone.
“Fuck off.” Savage lifted his bottle of beer to take a drink when one of the guys reached for him.
Savage slammed his elbow into the guy’s nose, turned, and head-butted him. One down, two to go unless some of the other guys wanted to party with him. He took a hit to his jaw before kneeing one of them, making him drop to the floor in agony. The last one was the biggest, and it took a few minutes before Savage had him on the floor, unconscious. He looked around for more and was disappointed when the majority looked away.
Well, fuck. He only got to play with three?
When he turned back to the bar, he saw the bartender grinning and setting a new bottle on the top.
“This one is on the house, man. It was a good show. I’ve never seen them get beat down, and the fact you only broke a chair and a table is a bonus. I’m sick of having to scrounge for more.”
“Thanks. It was fun.”
The bartender laughed and walked off.
Savage finished his beer in peace, and then he headed for home. He’d gotten a lot of the aggression out. Not all of it, but enough and he was able to think more clearly.
The fact that she would have done anything to protect him was finally sinking in. He’d never had anyone in his life care about him like that. He never knew his dad, and his mom was a druggie and a parasite.
Savage had finished school and taken off. He hadn’t been eighteen at the time, but nobody cared, least of all his mother.
He had a lot to thank Fury and Traeger for. If it hadn’t been for them, he’d probably be dead and forgotten.
He slowed the closer he got to town. He had two decisions. One, he’d get her back and deal with the threat, or two, he’d cut his losses and let her go because he didn’t care for the thought of going through that pain again when he thought she wanted to break up. Fuck, he’d rather have his guts cut out of his body.
Savage pulled into the compound and parked. Even though it was two in the morning, there were still people up partying. He ignored them all and walked in the back door when he heard Fury and Traeger talking about Zoe. His brows pinched together the more he heard.
“I told her we’d help move her when she found another job,” Fury said.
“Good. She’ll need the help. Do you think there’s a chance she could fall for another brother? I’d like her to stay around. Tara really likes her.”
“There’s no way in hell. She’s as in love with Savage as our women are with us. She’s never going to find another man that she’ll feel this deeply about.”
He stepped into the doorway, and the conversation immediately stopped.
“You look a little worse for wear, Savage. Did you have fun?” Fury asked.
“Yeah. What were you guys talking about?”
He saw both men close down.
“Nothing you need to worry about,” Traeger said. “I’m glad your back in one piece.”
“It was about Zoe.”
The other two men glanced at each other.
“As I said, you don’t need to know.”
God, he wanted to punch Fury, but knew that would be the biggest mistake he’d ever make besides letting Zoe walk away.
“The fuck I don’t.”
“What is it that you want, brother?” Traeger asked. “I’m talking from experience. You either love them, or you leave them alone.”
“I can tell you that it was one of the worst days of my life when Amelia left. I’ll never do anything to jeopardize that again.” Fury studied him. “So, make your decision. Stay with her and love her or let her go like Traeger said and be miserable for the rest of your life.”
He combed his fingers through his hair. “Fuck. This fucking sucks, and all I can think of is if we got back together and she did it again, I’d lose it.”
Fury nodded. “I get that. I thought the same thing, but I just became determined to do everything in my power to make her so happy she’d never want to leave me.”
“I’m the same,” Traeger said.
It felt like a weight was taken off his chest, and he could take a deep breath, the first in so many hours that it left him dizzy. “I need to leave.”
“I’ve got two guys watching over her. Go get some sleep and clean up. You look like shit and will probably scare the hell out of her.”
He smiled and smacked the doorjamb. “I will.” He turned back to them. “You know one thing that’s always amazed me about Zoe?”
“What?” Traeger asked.
“She’s never been afraid of me.”
Fury chuckled. “Amelia yelled at me and told me to get out when we met.”
“No shit?” Savage asked and then chuckled.
“She also told him she wouldn’t get naked in front of him,” Traeger told him.
Savage laughed. “I bet that was the only time in your life that happened.”
“Pretty much. It’s what told me she was special.”
Savage nodded, turned, and walked off. Yeah, Zoe was special like that, and he knew right then she was his only chance at happiness he’d ever get in this lifetime, so he was going to do whatever he needed to keep her by his side.
