❥ EVERETT'S POV

"Take me to bed?" Everett mutters to himself. "Have I lost my fucking mind? Why did I say that? Why did I almost let him..."

Everett glances at the stairs leading into the basement for the hundredth time, wondering what's taking Knox so long to come back. The movie he started is now at the midway point, and it shouldn't take someone this long to move their motorcycle down the street.

Not unless something bad happened.

"Oh, no. What if..." Everett hops off the bed and races upstairs as his thoughts take a dark turn.

He immediately inspects the ground for blood and a body once outside, silently praying the body doesn't belong to Knox. It's frightening and alarming how close he feels to Knox while also hating everything about the man. Maybe even closer than what he felt towards Shaun, and they knew each other longer.

"Fuck. Did he just up and ditch me, then?" Everett questions after clearing his empty, spotless driveway of any crimes.

Eager for an explanation, he reaches for his cell phone, only to find it isn't in his pockets. As he turns to head back into the house, his parents pull up and park. They step out of the car and look as miserable as Everett feels on the inside.

"Did you come out here to greet us?" His father jokes. Sarah gives a pitiful smile before scurrying into the house while clutching her stomach.

"I was, uh, just getting some fresh air," Everett lies. "Is there anything you need me to do for you guys?"

His father shakes his head. "But if you could go back in time to prevent us from going to that damn restaurant, I'd really appreciate it."

"I'm afraid I haven't mastered that ability yet," Everett teases. They head inside the house and go their separate ways.

When Everett locates his cell phone, he sends several texts Knox's way. Hours pass without a reply, leaving Everett to assume the worst has definitely happened.

He doesn't sleep well that night, tosses and turns through the majority of it. The little sleep he gets comes in the form of a terrifying nightmare; instead of Shaun being the one lying in a pool of red on the floor of Club Inferno, it's Knox.

But the pain doesn't end there. The knot in Everett's chest expands when the nightmare switches to Knox's funeral. Everett is the only one in attendance. No one mourned for the man, no one showed up to send him off to the afterlife properly. He entered this tragic world alone, and that is also how he left it.

The next morning, Everett wakes with dried tears on his cheeks. 

He does a few breathing exercises before rolling out of bed, hoping his nerves will eventually calm. He then checks his cell phone, but much to his dismay, the messages with Knox remain the same as it did yesterday—unchanged. Everett exhales a frustrated breath while marching to the bathroom for a shower.

If only he remembered the way back to The Fallen Angels clubhouse, he could 'borrow' his father's car to verify with his own eyes that Knox was still alive. 

"What has you frowning like you've lost your best friend?" His father asks during breakfast.

"More boy troubles," Everett answers while taking a seat at the kitchen table. The bowl of cereal he made for himself suddenly looks a lot less appetizing when he picks up his spoon. "I can't seem to stay out of it."

His father grunts and then glances over his newspaper to meet Everett's eyes. "I remember the biker that came over here last week. The tall, skinny fellow with all those wild tattoos. Has he been giving you a hard time, or is it someone else? Either way, it's no problem for me to step in and handle it."

"Dad, calm down," Everett laughs, deciding to play along with Finn being the biker that's living rent free in his mind. "Whatever you're imagining, I promise it isn't anything like that. Miscommunication is to blame, but we'll get through it..." Everett looks at his phone again, impatiently waiting for the text his heart knows isn't coming. "Hopefully, anyway."

"Well, if you don't, I will happily dust off my pistol—"

"Dad!"

"What? I have every right to look after my kid."

"I know, I know."

"I never get on you about the men you date, but if I ever find out one of those assholes has hurt you in any type of way, then it's war."

Everett smiles. "Glad to know you're my ride or die. And for the record, the same thing goes for Sarah if she ever ends up breaking your heart."

"Let's pray neither of us ever has to step out of character like that." His father laughs, then gets back to reading the news.

Everett spends the rest of the day moping around the house and blowing up Knox's number with more panicked texts, half of them cursing him out.

Relief doesn't come until after his father asks him to make a run to the grocery store, and outside he sees a familiar motorcycle speeding down the street.

The man riding the beast of a machine has a large, muscular build that makes Everett's stomach flop. He nearly drops the car keys in his hand after the uninvited guest parks his in his driveway and removes his helmet, freeing long, tousled locks.

Grey eyes meet brown, and Everett's cheeks instantly heat with a feeling that he shouldn't embrace.

Pure delight.

"Fill this with whatever essentials you need, and make it fast." Knox climbs off his bike and tosses Everett the empty duffle bag he brought along. "You're coming back to the clubhouse with me, and this time, your stay will be indefinite."

"You... you... asshole!" Everett chucks the bag back at Knox before rushing forward to pound his fists against the man's broad chest. "Why haven't you responded to my texts? I've been worried sick about your dumbass! And then you have the gall to come over and demand I basically move in with you?"

Knox sighs. "Everett..."

"No, fuck you!" Everett snaps, delivering another blow. "Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck y—"

"You're testing my patience again, kitten." Knox roughly grabs Everett by the wrists and then backs him into the driver's side of his father's car, their bodies impossibly close. "Calm the fuck down and stop making a scene before I come up with a way to quiet your filthy mouth... and trust me, only one of us will like it."

Everett shivers at the threat, goosebumps rising on his arms as he contemplates fucking around and finding out. "Let go of me."

"Okay." Knox releases his grip to place his hands on either side of Everett, keeping him pinned and trapped between the car and Knox's body. "Better?"

"You're infuriating."

"Aren't you going to ask why I came back for you?"

"Something tells me I shouldn't, so no, I won't ask."

"The Jackals have finally made their move," Knox says. "When I took off yesterday without telling you, it was because of an emergency."

Everett gasps. "Did someone get hurt?"

"Pres got shot in the shoulder, but he's going to be fine." Knox backs away, dragging a hand down his face as yesterday's hectic events reply in his mind. "It was a sneak attack we should've been prepared for."

"How'd it happen?" Everett asks.

"Pres went out alone to make a quick run for Josie and the baby, pregnancy cravings or whatever, and a Jackal got the jump on him as he was on the way back from the restaurant. Now that they're finally hitting back after what happened to Shaun, it's safe to assume war has officially begun."

Everett's eyes dart around his surroundings, abruptly feeling unsafe. He returns to Knox's side, gripping his arm with both hands. "You want me to stay with you because you believe I might get targeted next, right?"

"I'm not taking the chance to find out the answer to that." Knox cups Everett's face with his free hand, gently brushing his thumb over Everett's cheek. "You became my responsibility when I took you from Club Inferno. I told you I'd keep you safe until The Jackals got dealt with, every last one of them, and I meant that."

"I'm not stupid," Everett says, reflexively leaning into Knox's touch. "I know I'd be safer with you than staying here, but what about my parents? I can't just leave them behind while I run off to safety with you."

"I'm going to talk with Pres to see about getting a few guys out here to do permanent shifts watching the house, including your friends," Knox replies. "Now that he's in the clear, the second thing on the agenda is getting you out of here. Can we go inside?" Knox moves to take the lead, but Everett remains grounded.

"My parents are in there," Everett explains. "I don't have the strength to make up a lie about how I know you. And I've outgrown the slumber party excuse, so what exactly am I to tell them about me leaving?"

"Your folks believe you have a boyfriend, right?"

"Something like that."

"Tell them he asked you to move in, but you want to test the waters before making a final decision, so you'll be playing house with him for the next few weeks to see if it's something that you can do long-term."

Everett nods. "That's actually not a terrible lie. My dad is pretty chill, and he knows I've been wanting to move out, so I doubt he'll make a fuss. As long as I keep in touch frequently, I should be good."

"Look at that. Problem solved." Knox exhibits a sparkling smile, stepping closer again. "Now, back to you being worried sick about me..."

"Shut up and wait out here." Everett grabs the duffle bag off the ground and runs back inside the house to fill it, hiding his blush.

An hour and a half later, he's making himself at home inside a room he once viewed as a prison. Now, in an unfortunate turn of events, it may very well be the safest place for him to lie low.

"By the way, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your president. Is Josie doing alright?" Everett calls from the bed. His eyes are on the television, but his attention remains with Knox in the bathroom.

"She's fine. They've both been through worse." Knox exits the bathroom minutes later, shirtless and with his hair tied up in a bun. Fire licks at Everett's insides within seconds. "Since you'll be staying here for a while, I'll need to introduce you to my brothers the proper way."

Everett swallows hard, failing to divert his eyes away from Knox's sculpted torso. "Why? Is this some kind of initiation thing?"

"You can think of it that way," Knox smirks. He walks over to the bed to take a seat, one hand resting on Everett's thigh. "You're mine now, kitten. Everyone here needs to know that, otherwise... someone might step out of line and I'll have to put hands on the same people I swore to die for."

Everett's core contracts with arousal at Knox's words, and he hates the way his body reacts to the man's voice, to his touch.

Nothing good will come from Everett messing around with another biker, this one worse than the last, but he can barely focus on that when his cock is straining against his sweatpants.

"Have I made you nervous?" Knox asks.

"Not at all," Everett lies smoothly, smiling. He places a hand over Knox's and squeezes. "I can't wait to meet everyone."