by Erin Bevan
“Umm…yeah. Are you okay with that?” Annie asked.
“Sure.” JoJo blew out a breath and sat back in her chair. “I’m up for a little challenge.” She pulled out her cellphone and glanced at the screen. “So, what time are you thinking?”
“Maybe nine or ten,” he suggested.
“That’s four hours from now.” Her tone direct, JoJo placed her phone back in her jacket pocket.
“Yeah.” He glanced at his microwave clock again. “It is.”
All three of them stared at each other for a few seconds. The Guardian didn’t make any motion to leave, and he didn’t feel right asking her. After all, she was kind of doing him a favor. Really, JoJo was doing Annie a favor, but it felt like the tough chic was helping him, too. A deck of cards had sat in the junk drawer beside the pen he’d retrieved. Time to break the silence.
“You ladies up for a little left over Chinese and a game of poker?” He pulled the drawer open and held up the cards.
“As long as it’s not strip.” JoJo smirked. “You two couldn’t handle seeing any of this.”
Beauty let out a snort of laughter. “Why do I believe you?”
JoJo smiled back at her. “Because you know it’s true.”
He slapped the cards on the table and sat cursing the biker in his mind. Why did she have to bring up the word strip?
“I hope you brought your poker face, Tyler.” Annie reached for the cards. “Because it’s on.”
His fingers trembled, and he shoved his hands under the table. Damn. All he could think about was how he wanted it to be off. Why couldn’t it really be strip poker?
Another time, another place, Wilde.
“Woo.” JoJo reared back like she’d been burned. “Little Miss can talk the talk.”
“But can she play the cards?” He glared at Beauty and grinned, focusing on keeping his gaze on her face.
She gave the cards a good shuffle, while her lip tipped up in a sly smile. “I don’t know.”
She shrugged, and he wished she had on his too big T-shirt again. Talks of stripping, her shrugging, and those lips.
Mercy.
Fat ugly wrestlers danced in his mind as the trembling worked its way to his palms. In four hours, they all would be involved in something stupid and dangerous for some clothes and a sentimental string of gold. While he understood Beauty needed some form of her life back, what he couldn’t understand was the strong pull of emotions taking over him. Her safety was his main concern, and he would see to it Duke wouldn’t get close to her.
Not tonight.
Not ever again.
Chapter Thirteen
“What the hell was that back there?” Tank eased his truck to the corner of Dixie Street and cut off his lights. Annie’s old house looked dark and deserted.
“What? The cards?”
“If I knew I was going to so easily lose my five bucks, I may have been a bit slower to suggest we all put a little money in the pot.”
“I told you to bring your poker face.” She poked him in the arm with her finger and then placed her hand flush with the truck seat.
“What you failed to mention was how well you’ve developed a poker face.”
“Yeah.” Her voice grew softer. “Sometimes you have to learn to hide things, ya know?”
His gut sank. He did know. He’d hid his own secrets for months.
The end of her fingertips sat oh-so-close to his leg. Eager to touch her, he reached for her hand as she began to pull it back toward herself. To his astonishment, she stopped and let him hold her. They’d only been living together a day but it felt like longer. He wanted her for longer.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he leaned in closer. The moon cast a perfect silhouette against her jawline and right to her lips.
“It’s not your fault,” she whispered, as she inched closer.
Just a little closer, and he could taste her. These past two days of watching her, wanting her…he touched his forehead to hers. He could smell the undercurrent of his shampoo in her hair, warm and spicy, mixed with a smell that he had learned to be her. Sweet. So sweet. He closed his eyes and prepared for the ecstasy of her subtle kiss just as ZZ Top’s “Sharp Dressed Man” ringtone blared from his phone.
She jumped and scooted closer to the window. “Lord, that scared me.”
Damn. These Guardians sure had sucky timing.
“It must be JoJo.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked it on speaker. “Hello.”
“I parked around the corner, and I’m sneaking up the back right now.”
“Okay. We’re here. Be safe.”
“I know. I see you.”
Leaning left then right, he peered through his windshield for any sign of her. “How? I don’t see you.”
“That’s the point,” she said pointedly through the receiver. There was the dumb ass tone again.
Annie sucked in a snicker. “Well, you’re doing your job well. Be careful.”
“Thanks.” The biker sounded a little winded. Something rustled through the receiver. Leaves?
“What is she doing? Climbing a tree?” Beauty asked him.
“A fence to be exact,” JoJo answered. “I’m putting you in my back pocket. You’re on speaker. I’ll pull you back out when I need you.”
“Roger that.” Tank placed his cellphone down on the seat between them.
Annie tapped her leg and played with her nails.
“You nervous?”
“Is it that obvious?” She glanced over at him. “It’s just sneaking around like this, breaking into Duke’s house. If we get caught—”
“Hey, hey.” Reaching out to still her twitching hands, he said, “We aren’t going to get caught. We’ll be fine. I have faith in JoJo.”
“Yeah?” She gave him a side smile and gripped his hand. “Me, too.”
He started to pull back, but she firmed her grip. “Tyler, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything.”
This sounded almost like a goodbye thank you. Not yet. It wasn’t time. He had to explore this unexplainable pull toward her. He thought he’d lost his chance as a kid. He didn’t want to lose another one.
“Of course. It’s my pleasure.” He squeezed her hand back. “And just so it’s clear, you’re welcome to stay as long as you like. I need you to know that.”
She glanced down at their hands. He could see the rise and fall of her chest by the moonlight.
“About that, I know you’re part of the Blue Guardians and all—”
“Not yet. I have to hang around for a year before they’ll let me in, but I’d like to be a part of them eventually.”
“Why? Why do you care so much? Why the Blue Guardians?”
“Because of the group’s mission, to protect women and children.”
“I know what the group does, and it’s becoming obvious why JoJo is so involved and cares so much. I imagine she was abused before, too. Why are you so interested in my well-being? In the kid you went to see today?”
He eased his hand out of hers and gripped the steering wheel. She wanted his past, and he didn’t know if he could give it to her. If he did, she would realize how damaged he was. While he’d been irritated at JoJo’s timing ruining their kiss, it was for the best. He couldn’t get involved with her. She needed someone whole, not someone broken like him.
“I just…I just do.”
“Why Tyler?” Annie reached for his hand on the steering wheel. “You can tell me.”
Her hand, soft and clean, looked foreign in his large and grease-stained one. Yet, the warming sensation that shot up his arm and through his stomach at her touch seemed right.
“You know I told you my dad was dead, right?”
“Right.”
God, was he really going to do this? Was he really going to tell her? He’d only told a handful of people in his life what happened to him, and only because he had to, not by choice. Memories of the pain and the fear flooded back. His hands grew clammy against the steeri
ng wheel. His past needed to die just like his father was dead to him.
A wailing noise from his phone distracted him.
Shit. For a brief second, he’d forgotten about JoJo, and what he was here to do. He glanced down at the receiver sitting on his seat and reached for it.
“JoJo? What’s going on?”
“The alarm code isn’t working. None of them. Do you have another?”
He glanced at Annie. Her eyes growing wider with fear, she shook her head. “No, no I’m sorry.”
“JoJo, get out of there. Now,” he demanded. “Abort.”
“Not on your life. I’ve got a couple of minutes.”
“Oh my God. I have a bad feeling about this.” Annie tapped her feet faster against the floorboard, scanning the darkened outside area.
His heartbeat quickened, and his blood pounded in his temples. If they got caught, he could forget getting into the Blue Guardians. Jail’s the only place he would be going. And Annie, she would be back in that bastard’s arms. Then there was JoJo. While she was tough, she was small. Lockup was no place for her.
The sound of a siren wailed in the distance. “JoJo, get out. Duke’s coming. Get out now.”
“I’m almost done. You guys go. Go before you’re seen. I’ll meet back at your place.”
“JoJo, no. We’re not—” The dial tone sounded.
“Damn it.” He threw his phone on the seat.
Annie placed her palm flat against his bicep. “Tyler, please. Let’s leave. I don’t want to be anywhere near here when he comes. Please.”
Her hand trembled against his arm. Staying seemed like a bad idea, but so did leaving. Jeez, what the hell had he been thinking getting involved in this?
The sounds of the sirens grew louder. A small whine exited her lips. He’d be damned if he let that bastard have the power to scare her again.
“Okay. We’ll go.” He cranked the ignition and slowly backed the truck down Dixie then turned around in someone’s driveway. He stared in his rearview mirror, hoping JoJo made her great escape.
Finally, Duke thought when he received the call from the alarm company. She’d finally made her move. Changing the alarm code had been genius on his part. Pure genius. He changed the numbers to the date he had first laid eyes on her. A date she wouldn’t know because she hadn’t been aware of him watching. She’d been wearing a little Santa’s hat at the diner, and his mind envisioned her as his wife wearing costumes like that for him in bed. He’d also noticed several other men had that same look in their eyes when they stared at her. The idea sent his blood boiling, and he knew right then, staring at her from the back of the restaurant, she had to be his.
Now, six months later, she had the nerve to try to leave him. Only because he tried to set her wayward habits straight. She had to learn.
He punched in the code to silence the blaring alarm and pulled his gun, motioning for his partner to follow his lead. Entering each room, nothing appeared out of place until he reached the bedroom. He was met with a gust of hot, humid air.
“Secure the rest of the room.” He moved his gaze toward the bathroom and bedroom.
“All clear,” Brayden said. “Boss, they went out through the window.” The little cop stomped his way toward the opening.
No shit, Sherlock.
The rookie had been the only cop on call tonight without his usual partner. Unlucky for him, Brayden had to tag along. Duke wanted to be alone whenever Annie came home. He needed to have a talk with her, and he wasn’t sure how many laws would need to be broken. On the flip side, lucky for him, the kid was impressionable. He planned to use the rookie’s eagerness to his advantage.
Scanning the room, he noted the book on Annie’s nightstand was gone. Her locket he’d placed beside the book—also gone. In the bathroom, drawers were left open, but there was only one thing missing. Her makeup bag. He glanced in the closet. The handbag on the hook no longer there while a few of Annie’s hangers sat empty, but all of his things had been left untouched.
“Boss, I’m calling for backup. We can still catch this person.”
“No,” he demanded, his voice a little too loud.
Brayden took a startled step back.
Duke walked closer to his partner. If the unit got involved, there was a possibility of more people catching on to what was really going on in his life. Right now, Annie’s sudden disappearance was under wraps. He had to keep it that way.
“Let’s just ah….let’s just keep this between us, okay?” He gave the boy a tight smile. “This isn’t anything I can’t handle. There’s no sense in getting the force and all the paperwork involved, okay, son. Besides, nothing seems to be missing.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure, boss.”
“You do that for me, and I’ll be sure you get that promotion you’ve been gunning for. Would you like that?”
“I would love that.” The guy’s chest puffed as his eyes took on a sudden glow. “But don’t you want to dust for fingerprints or anything?”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
“You sure boss?”
“Yeah. It’s probably just the young punk neighbor kid. I’ll have a talk with him.”
“Okay, well then, I’ll at least go close this window for you.” Brayden stomped back toward the glass and began to push down. “Hey, what’s this?”
“What’s what?” Duke glanced toward the rookie.
Brayden held up something small and black. “It feels like leather.”
“Leather?” He charged toward the cop and took the cloth. His chest tightened as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers. Annie didn’t wear leather.
“Who wears leather in June?”
Only one source came to mind. The Blue Guardians. He’d seen them enough times around domestic violence scenes. They all wore their leathers anytime they went to visit a victim. Winter or summer, it didn’t matter.
Annie had taken refuge with the biker club. If he found who had a hole in their leather, he found Annie.
“It’s that neighbor kid’s,” Duke lied and pocketed the material. “Remember, this stays between us, Brayden. Got it? I can handle the kid on my own. No sense in giving him a juvie record. If I’ve heard you’ve talked, I’ll make sure you go back to paper pushing.”
The boy stiffened. “Yes, sir. Besides, I think it’s good what you’re doing for this kid. Helping him out and all.”
“I try.” He slapped the guy on the shoulder. “Let’s go. We’ve got real crimes out there.”
He led the rookie out of his house and back to his patrol unit.
Annie. Annie. I’m going to find you.
Chapter Fourteen
Tank tossed his bike helmet on the coffee table and plopped a safe distance beside Annie on the couch. For a week, he’d been skirting around her. Trying not to stare at her painted toes or tight little yoga pants. He’d never been so uncomfortable in his grandpa’s cottage in his whole life. And there, Al sat right by her feet as he had for the entire week. His companion no longer his companion.
“Hey, how was your day at work?” She glanced up from her book and eyed the sofa cushion in between them.
The distance he sat from her seemed a world apart from the close proximity they shared in his truck. Still, distance was better.
“Long. How was your day?”
“Long,” she echoed his answer. “Tree didn’t talk much.”
He’d only met the biker on a few occasions, but he gathered the tall man wasn’t much for small talk. If he hadn’t heard the man recite the minutes at the meeting, he’d question if the guy could talk at all. Still, talker or not, Tree volunteered to help, and Tank wasn’t leaving Annie alone while he was at work.
“I’m sorry your day wasn’t very exciting.” Offering his apologies, he glanced at her book. Best to change the subject. “What are you reading?” He leaned his head down to read the front of the cover. “As the Liquor Flows. Never heard of it. What’s it about?”
“A damsel in distress wh
o finds salvation from an unexpected source.” She closed the paperback and set it on the coffee table. “This story is set in the ‘30s, but I feel in some ways I can relate.”
“Yeah? I guess the Guardians are your unexpected source, huh?”
“No.” She shook her head. “I think it’s safe to call you my unexpected source. My knight in bandana-clad armor.”
She stared at the batman symbol on his head. Her eye was finally healing. Except for the slight tinge of the yellowish bruising left, she was perfect again. Hell, she’d always been perfect, and he’d be her knight. Gladly.
Annie’s gaze raked lower to his eyes, and a sparkle shown in her stare as he tossed her a hint of a smile.
“But.” She uncurled her feet from under her behind and sat them flat on the floor.
This doesn’t sound good. His smile faded at the erectness of her posture.
“As much as I appreciate everything you’ve done, I’m going stir crazy, and I’m tired of babysitters. It’s not fair for everyone in the group to take turns sitting with me on their days off.”
He shook his head. “It’s what they signed up for,” he assured her. “These guys wouldn’t do it if they didn’t want to.”
“Maybe so, but I don’t want them to. I feel better. My ribs don’t hurt nearly as much anymore, and I can cover what’s left of my bruises with makeup.” Annie stood and walked toward the sliding glass doors that led out to the patio. She reached a hand to her locket. JoJo’s retrieval had brought a fresh batch of happy tears to her eyes a week ago. Now, those same eyes appeared wary, stressed. “I’m tired of hiding, Tyler,” she said, her voice deflated. “I want to live again.”
He slid his bandana off and ran his hands through his hair. How could he make her understand everything the group did was to keep her safe? “I know, Annie, but please.” He stood. “Please, just wait a little while longer. I don’t want us to do anything else too rash. We had a couple of close calls last week with Duke, then with JoJo nearly getting caught. At least, let’s get you some safety before you go back into town. I’m sure someone in the group knows a range somewhere where we can at least teach you gun safety—”