“I want him, King.” He nods in understanding. I can see the anger in all my brothers’ faces. We protect women and children, and here is this fucker who thinks he can just do what he wants and won’t be punished for it.
“Do you know anything else about him except that he’s a marine?”
“Yeah, I looked into him and got all the information I could on the bastard,” Dash says, which has King raising a brow.
“Did you read the file?” he asks me.
“Not yet. I was with Dakota.”
Dash nods before continuing. “I had to ask in a favour, so you owe me.” He points at me. “Jason was in the marines but was dishonourably discharged. Because he’s from a wealthy family, he hasn’t had to find a job since being discharged, but instead has occupied himself with tracking Dakota. There is a visible path of where he has been from his credit cards, but the most important information is where he is now.” With that statement, he stops and smiles at everyone.
“Just get on with it,” Hawk says when it’s obvious Dash isn’t going to say anything else.
“Okay, okay, it seems that Hunter’s friend”—I snort, which has Dash grinning—“is a mere fifty miles out of here.” Knowing that Jason is so close has me itching to get on my bike and ride out to go and find him. How does he always find her? She sold her car, she hasn’t spoken to her family, she doesn’t have a phone or a bank account, so how the fuck does he find her?
“Why was he discharged?” Gunner asks as he rocks on his chair.
“Apparently murder, and the report stated that he was perturbed and required psychological monitoring, but ever since becoming a civilian, there is no indication that he has been seeing a shrink.”
“Should we suspect that he knows that she is here?” Frost asks.
“He might not yet know she is here. It seems like these last three days since he checked into the place he is staying at, that he has been driving out to different towns. I personally think he’s fishing.”
“Not the perfect time for this,” King says. “Okay, I think this is what we should do so we have control on this. We bait this asshole to come here. Once he’s here, we handle him.”
“Dakota wants to go to work.” The others all glance over at me. “She is adamant that she won’t be bossed around.” They start grinning.
“Are you saying that you can’t handle your woman?” Dixon asks with a raised eyebrow.
“I can’t be laying the law with her; don’t you think she would have been through that with the asshole who is after her?” Their grins disappear.
“It isn’t a problem. Let her go to work, and we will have an eye on her at all times.” He looks over at Dash. “Seeing you know where he is, tonight, you and Frost go place a bug on his car so that we know where he is at all times.”
“Are you telling her that he’s around?” Hawk asks me.
“Fuck, I don’t want to, as it will likely freak her out, but I think it’s best that she knows so she is more cautious.”
“Now that we have gotten all that out of the way, time for some good news. Blue should be back tomorrow.” At King’s announcement, there are a few woops of joy.
“Let’s have a party,” Dixon says as he rubs his hands and raises his eyebrows suggestively.
“I don’t know, last time we had a party, it didn’t go too well,” King says as he rubs his jaw in thought.
“Aww, it wasn’t that bad,” Goliath says with a shrug.
“You must have forgotten that Hunter, Frost, and Fang were arrested that night,” King states as he looks around at all of us. To be fair, it wasn’t our fault. How were we to know that one of the guys in the group we had a fight with was a chief of police’s son?
“Okay, fine,” King finally says, “but I’m telling you now, if I have to go down to the station to get any of you, there will be trouble.”
“Great, I’ll organize the kegs,” Dash offers, ignoring King’s frown.
“I’ll start making calls,” Dixon states.
“I’ll organize the food; you guys get crap food,” Frost mutters.
“Just don’t forget the crisps. I like those chilli ones,” Hawk says. “Oh, and those sausages we had last time.”
“We can have a barbeque. The weather is good,” I suggest. “What do you think, Frost?”
“Sure, we can go get the meat tomorrow morning. Have the Blossoms prepare some sides.”
“Shit, I haven’t got a kutte for Dakota.” I need to get her a kutte before some asshole thinks she’s easy pickings. Just thinking of any asshole touching her has my anger rising. There is no way she can be at that party if she hasn’t got my kutte on.
“I’ll make a call,” King states, which has me glancing over at him. “Also, I haven’t seen a car outside. Hasn’t she got one?”
“Not now,” I answer.
“She can drive one of the ones we use,” King suggests. “They already have a tracker and will help her feel more independent.” I nod. I was looking forward to taking her, and especially now knowing that her fucker of an ex is so close, I don’t want to let her out of my sight, but with everything going on, I need to concede.
“I’ll let her know,” I state.
“And, Hunter, she did really well with Fang. She will be a big asset to us,” King says, a tone of approval in his voice. It’s true; that is one thing we have always struggled with—none of us are medically inclined. When Dakota took over and started to help with Fang, I could see the approval in King’s and Gunner’s eyes. To say that I am proud of her would be an understatement, but it also makes me angry, because I know that a lot of that experience comes from her having to heal herself, and from what I’ve gathered, she had no one else to help her.
When we catch this guy, I will make him pay for what he did to her. The thought of any man being violent with a woman is abhorrent to me and to the others around me. Given half a chance, we would all string any guy up by his balls for mistreating a woman. That it was my mate makes it my duty and pleasure to mete out the punishment, and I know just what it will be.
“Okay, guys, let’s continue, or we will be here the whole night. You know the drill. Let’s go around the table and find out what’s happening with your cases, and then we can decide what we’re going to do with them.”
“After catching that crackhead last week, things have quietened down. There have been no signs of any movement in the area until now,” Dixon says.
“Goliath?” King asks.
“I nearly have Bruno where I want him. He’s starting to trust me, and I believe that soon, I will have the info we require to know who’s behind the abductions.” We believe that there is another party helping Hades MC abduct women, and Goliath has befriended a savoury character we are positive is involved in the abductions. We have been close to capturing them before but have never had someone on the inside who could give us details. We don’t want to just stop each abduction; we want to end it completely. Therefore, we need to know who the instigators are.
We continue around the table until everyone has reported, and then we decide on the way forward. Tomorrow is going to be the start of the war with Hades MC, but I have a feeling that they are not the only ones who will come out of this with casualties.
“I want you guys to be careful out there, more than normal. We all know this is just beginning, and we can’t afford to let our guard down,” King says before sending us all on our way. Walking out last, I look at all my brothers and wonder if we will still all be here at the end of this war.
DAKOTA 12
Making my way to work this morning has me on edge. I was given an SUV to drive to work after Hunter told me last night that Jason is near. All I want to do is continue driving and not look back, but just the thought has a vice closing around my heart. The thought of leaving Hunter chokes me, I don’t want Jason anywhere near here, but Hunter asked me to trust them that they would deal with him.
Parking the SUV, I look around. Now that I know he’s close
, I won’t be able to concentrate. Every movement will have me jumping, worried that maybe he is there. I have been through this before, and even though Hunter says there are cameras watching the salon, and that they will be here within minutes, it still has my heart racing and my hands clammy.
“Hi, girl, how was your weekend?” Gloria asks as I walk in, her back to me as she stretches up to the shelf behind the counter.
“It was good. How about yours?” She brings down a gel and turns to me as she shakes her head.
“Oh no, don’t think I didn’t see the car you drove up in. Come on,” she says with a strained smile. I still think there was something between her and Hunter. There is just way too much stress between them when they meet. I try to blank out the thought, because just the idea of Hunter with another woman has me wanting to strangle her. Where does this come from? I’m not usually a violent person, but to think of Hunter kissing, holding, making love to another woman drives me crazy.
“Are you okay?” Gloria asks with a concerned look on her face when she sees my agitation.
“Well, to answer your first question, my weekend was good. I am now living at the Wolverine MC’s club.” I see her eyes widen in surprise. “But I must talk to you about something else now.” At my serious tone, Gloria frowns and nods her head. I can see her shoulders tense as she walks around the counter and comes to stand before me.
“What’s wrong, sugar?”
“Jason is close.”
Gloria looks at me intensely and then places a hand on my shoulder. “How do you know? Did he try to contact you somehow?”
“No, Hunter got one of the guys from the club to look into it, and he found that Jason is just a few miles away.”
“Oh dear, what are you going to do about it? Are you safe here?” Gloria steps around me and goes to look out the window at the still, quiet street.
“Yes, he still doesn’t know where I am, and Hunter said that they will sort it out and that I shouldn’t worry about it.”
“And aren’t you?” Gloria asks as she turns again to look at me. “Worried about it, that is?”
“I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t, but this weekend, I have met all the guys from the MC, and they are all willing to help me, and from what I have seen, they’re more than capable of handling Jason.”
She winks. “It also helps that they are all to die for, doesn’t it?” she quips, but there is a worried look to her.
“Gloria, I’m really sorry that I brought this trouble to your doorstep. If you prefer, I will leave. I know this isn’t your problem, and it’s unfair that I have placed you in this predicament.” Gloria is shaking her head emphatically by the time I finish talking.
“Don’t be silly. Do you think I would miss this for the world? It’s the most exciting thing that has happened in this town.” I know that she’s only trying to make me feel fine, but the thought that Jason could somehow harm Gloria because of me has me regretting the decision I made about coming to work.
“This was a mistake; I should never have placed you in this danger.” I’m about to make my way out of the salon, when Gloria comes to stand before me.
“Listen to me, my father was an abusive son of a bitch, and I promised myself when I was young that I would never let any man ever do that to me or to anyone I knew. So, when I say that I want to help you, I mean it. I want you to continue working here, Dakota, because believe me when I say that if that asshole shows his face around here, I will beat it into a pulp.” At my smile, she shakes her head. “I’m not joking. I took self-defence so I could learn not to be a victim.”
I’m so overwhelmed by her support when she hardly knows me that my eyes fill with tears and a knot forms in my throat. “Thank you,” I murmur, which has her placing her arms around me and hugging me close.
“No thank you needed. Now come on, don’t think I’ve forgotten about my initial question. The women in this town have all been dying to know what it’s like to be surrounded by all those hunks, and you, doll, were the lucky one this whole weekend.” She turns me around and starts pushing me to the back as she continues talking. I know she’s just trying to distract me, and I thank her for it. “Wait until the women find out. There will be a queue of them standing outside the salon just to know what it’s like.” Before we reach the back, the main door opens, which has both of us snapping around, only to find an elderly lady walking in.
“I didn’t know I looked that dead yet!” the woman quips as she sees our surprised faces.
“Oh, dear, you gave us a fright,” Gloria says as she lets go of me and turns to go attend to the client. “Go get ready, Dakota. We have a busy day today.” Without any further ado, I hurry to get ready and back outside to start the day. I decided a while ago that I was going to live my life and stop being scared of my own shadow. Well, it’s easier said than done when you know that the man you have been running from for years is as close as Jason is, but now I have the support of a wonderful man and, as he says, all his brothers. I also have a strong, independent woman behind me who believes in my strength and is prepared to face him with me.
If she can do it, so can I. I will stand my ground and trust in the support that I have, but more importantly, I will trust in my own strength and know that I can do it.
“I’m telling you she did,” Gloria is saying as I walk out again, dressed in my work clothes.
“Is it true, sweetheart?”
“What is that?” I ask in confusion.
“I was just telling Mrs. Jackson here that you have been staying at the MC this whole weekend.”
I look at her in surprise. Is she serious? I thought she was joking when she said that the clients would be queuing to know about Hunter and the other guys.
“You must be careful, dear. You know that bikers can’t be trusted,” Mrs. Jackson says, a concerned look on her face. “They’re all criminals.” It’s clear that she believes completely in what she’s saying. It’s so sad how people judge others just by what they see.
“They’re actually good men,” I say, and immediately Mrs. Jackson starts to shake her head.
“Just be careful, dear. You seem like a good girl. Don’t let them turn you into one of those skanky girls they have up there.” Thankfully another client interrupts our conversation, and from there onward, we are too busy to continue with the topic. When finally we have a lag in clients, I walk to the back to make us a cup of coffee. In one way, I feel relieved that we are this busy, as I’m able to keep the thought of Jason at bay, but in another, I’m scared that he will come for me and hurt those around me. Every time the door opened today, I jumped in fright, but besides that, I have been holding my own.
When the coffee is ready, I make my way back towards the front of the salon to find Gloria on the phone. Placing her mug before her, I walk towards one of the chairs and take a seat. A few minutes later, she ends the call. “Whew, what a morning. We should have about half an hour before our next customer. I’m glad Jenny is back tomorrow.” With those words, she picks up her mug and makes her way to the chair next to mine. Just as she sits down, we hear a roar of bikes and then Hunter and Hawk pull up in front of the salon.
When I see Hunter, my heart starts to race, and I can feel my cheeks start to bloom with colour. This morning, Hunter woke me up by making sweet love to me. It still amazes me how such a dangerous man can be so gentle and caring. He goes out of his way to make me feel cared for, to make me feel safe, to know that I’m his, but not in a controlling and violent way like Jason did, but in a caring and understanding way.
I know that Hunter can be forceful if needed, that he can be violent. After all, it’s in their DNA, but I also know that he won’t be that way with me. With everything that happened to me before, I should be wary, especially when surrounded by dangerous men like I am, but the more time I spend around them, the more assurance I have that these men will not hesitate to hurt someone, but that someone will not be me or anyone who isn’t dangerous.
�
�Damn, these men are fine,” Gloria says as both men make their way towards the salon door. Now that I know what they are, I can see the difference between them and other men. There is no comparison. These men exert an aura of danger. Their virality is animalistic, which has the women unknowingly attracted to them. They wield respect with little effort, as they draw every eye when they’re close.
When Hunter walks through the door, everything around me stills. His eyes travel over my body, which makes goosebumps rise down my back in reaction.
“Well, hello, boys,” Gloria greets.
“Gloria,” Hawk grunts in greeting, and Hunter simply nods at her without taking his eyes off me.
“Everything okay here?” he asks as he approaches.
“All good.” I know that they are staking this place out to make sure that I’m protected; therefore, Hunter knows that there have been no problems. He stops before me and then stretches out his hand to stoke my cheek.
“How are you holding up, babe?” he asks.
“I’m okay. We have been so busy until a few minutes ago that it has kept my mind off other stuff.” I can’t help leaning my cheek into his palm, feeling his warmth soothing my nervousness. When Hunter is near, I feel like everything will be okay. He brings me an internal peace that I didn’t even realize was missing.
“Do you guys know where he is?” Gloria asks as she leans back in her chair.
“We have an idea,” Hawk responds as he leans against the counter. “He shouldn’t get anywhere near here.”
“We girls will be fine; I actually hope he shows his face here so that I can show him what girls can do,” she says with a wink.
“This guy is a marine; don’t underestimate him,” Hunter says as he looks over at Gloria for the first time with a frown. “Don’t try to be a hero, Gloria. This guy won’t get anywhere near here, but if he does for some reason, the only thing you do is keep him talking until we get here. You know that panic button under your counter. Use it.” His voice is forceful. When he instructs her, there is no flexibility in his voice.
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