“Yeah, I’m good.”
“What’s the problem then?” Dog folded his arms, seeing the concern on Forge’s face. “We got everything we wanted.”
“And to do it, you went behind my back getting Beth involved. I don’t like that. Sure, we’ve put Grass in his place and he’s already made the call to step down. His career in politics is over. It won’t stop him, though. We swiped his position of power right out from under him. He’s going to come back harder.”
Dog laughed. “I think you’re overthinking that kind of shit. He hasn’t got anything to come back to. Honestly. We’ve got this.”
Forge stared at him. “You think I wanted to put Sable in danger? Do you think I enjoyed any part of this?”
“Forge,” he said.
“Don’t even fucking start with me. This shit is bigger than even I imagined. You weren’t smart tonight. The kind of game Grass was in, it was way over his head and we’re the ones in the firing line. Think about that.” Forge picked up his shot of whiskey and slugged it back, then poured himself out a fresh shot.
“Don’t take this out on Beth.”
Beth had gone over Forge’s head, not him. But, as VP, he still should have let Forge know every detail of their conversation before he acted.
“I don’t plan to. I’m not angry with her. I knew from the moment she came into my life that she was special. She doesn’t understand our politics the way we do. She was only doing what she could for her friend. After what went down at the damn diner, I can’t blame her.”
He paced back and forth. The past couldn’t be undone. He just wanted things to go back to the way they were.
“Sable’s out. Her cover’s blown.”
“And she can’t leave club grounds for the next few weeks, maybe even months until I know all of this fucking bullshit is resolved. Her life is in danger. Hank knows she played him.” Forge shook his head, blowing out a breath.
“I got what you wanted.”
“No, Sable got what I needed. You just sped along the process because you were too fucking impatient. Aren’t you the same man who refused to claim her because you assumed she was club pussy?” Forge gritted his teeth, his hand clenched. “I get that we won today, but that’s only today.”
“I’ll protect her. I’d give my life for this club, you know that.” He took a cleansing breath. “You going to tell the club what happened with Sable?”
Forge chuckled without humor. “You’re not my boss, but it just so happens, yes, I’m going to tell them all, but what do you think it’s going to do? Sable’s going to be trapped here with a family that put her in the hospital. You may think you’ve won and all is resolved but it’s not. Not by a long shot, Dog.”
Dog left the office, knowing in his gut he’d fucked up. Sure, the got the evidence they needed, but it hadn’t been clean. Forge had been backpedaling from the moment he’d made the call at the party, and it wasn’t how his prez wanted it to go.
He didn’t talk to anyone as he made his way upstairs. No one had seen him sneak Sable into his room, and Forge had certainly put a harsh reality on what was going to have to happen.
Entering his bedroom, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed. She’d changed out of the dress and wore one of his shirts and a pair of shorts.
“Is everything okay?”
She was way too sweet for him.
“Yeah, everything is good.”
“Then why do you look so angry?”
He went to her, cupping her face, pushing her hair away. She’d cleaned all that makeup off of her face and she looked like Sable again. His woman. Always his. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“What for?”
“The shit I said at the party about you being cozy with them.”
“I was never cozy. I hated it, Dog.”
He pressed his lips to hers, silencing her protest. “Don’t. You don’t need to explain anything. I’m a fucking hothead, okay? I know you’re mine. You’ve always been mine. I don’t deserve you. You should tell me to fuck off and never touch you again.”
She smiled and he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. “I wouldn’t do something like that. It does hurt when you think I could so easily betray you, but I couldn’t live without you.” She put her hand on his chest. “I want to be with you forever.”
He hadn’t felt her in a long time. He needed to know she was his in every single way.
Pushing his jacket back off his shoulders, he helped her to her feet. He pulled off her shirt, tossing it on the bed. There were still a couple of bruises dotting her flesh and he hated every one of them.