by Evan Grace
Chapter Four
Saige
After struggling for years with anxiety, shyness, and never feeling good enough, the few hours she’d spent with Capone had awakened her to all kinds of new experiences, some sexual. Just thinking about last night caused her face to flush. Being with Capone and his club had surprisingly been the most comfortable she’d felt in her skin in a long time. If her country club parents could see her now sitting on a picnic bench in a biker clubhouse yard eating barbeque ribs with her fingers, what would they think? They still thought of her as a child, not a grown up. Riding behind him on the bike with the wind in her hair had been heaven on earth.
Growing up, no matter what she did, it was never enough. She didn’t stand up straight enough. Always so terribly shy, Saige didn’t speak up enough. She didn’t fall for the endless number of boring but rich suitors her parents always invited to dinner. She didn’t have the best grades, didn’t hang out with the right friends. In her parents’ eyes, Saige was a failure, or at least it seemed that way to her. No matter how hard she tried, everything they wanted her to do or try was a complete failure.
Luckily, she had a younger brother who was their golden boy, and her way out. As soon as she graduated high school, Saige headed out of town and to the big city of Chicago. Not knowing what her goals were in life, Saige bounced around from job to job. As much as she’d felt like a disappointment to her parents, they’d never cut her off financially. But they hadn’t asked her to return either.
“Can I get you something else to drink?” Capone blocked the sun as she gazed up at his handsome face. When she spied him cooking breakfast this morning in nothing but a pair of jeans, her ovaries nearly burst. No guy had ever caused that kind of reaction in her before. The man was the ultimate bad boy, right down to his sexy tattoos and the edgy scar on his face. Capone was a living, breathing romance cover model come to life. Not that she’d read any of those books, but every once in a while, they would pop up on her Kindle. It was a crying shame that he wore a white t-shirt now under his cut. A least she did know that was what they were called. Even she had caught an episode or two of Sons of Anarchy.
Saige tugged on her lower lip with her teeth just thinking about Capone’s bare chest. It was sculpted, lightly dusted with dark hair, and so delicious she craved to lick him all over.
“You look a little flushed. Sure I can’t get you some water?”
“That would be nice.” Saige followed him inside the club and used the bathroom to wash her hands before joining him by the bar. He handed her the water and placed a hand on her lower back to guide her to a table outside in the shade.
“Okay, enough stalling. I need to know more about the man by your car.”
Saige shifted in her chair under his focus.
“Talk.”
“Ah. Okay.” Taking her time, she opened the bottle and took a drink. After she was done, Capone took the bottle from her and placed it on the table. Then he did something totally unexpected and placed her hand in his. Her lips quivered at his touch. When was the last time someone reached out to her kindness? Oh, yeah, the bastard who was stalking her.
But this seemed different. The other bikers here all treated Capone with respect and her as well. It was like they were a big family. She shook her head to clear the fog. Whenever he stared at her, she lost her train of thought. “Yes, well, like I said, I’m from Genoa, but I never felt like I belonged in the world my folks wished I would live in, so I moved. I wanted to prove to them that even though I wasn’t a cookie cutter of my mom, I still had value in the world.”
“I’m pretty sure your parents value you.”
“Maybe value isn’t the right word because I do know they love me. I was just conflicted in what I wanted to do with my life because it was so different from what they were encouraging me to do.”
“That makes more sense.”
“I’ve also always been pretty much a loner, but one day not too long ago, a man showed up where I worked.” Her chin dropped, and she glanced up at the man next to her. “Jacob. The creep at my car. I just didn’t know he was a creep at the time. I was flattered at the attention he gave me, and we even went out a couple times. For some unexplained reason, we had a little too much in common and it started to feel off.”
“How so?” Capone arched an eyebrow.
“He knew all my favorite places to eat, to shop. The guy even showed up one day with a DVD of my favorite movie and all my favorite candy from my favorite store in Genoa.”
Capone tightened the grip on her hand. “Keep going.”
“I started to freak out a bit.”
“I can imagine. What happened next?” It felt like once he got her talking, Capone didn’t want her to stop.
“I tried to ignore him. When that didn’t work, I would hide when I saw him coming, but that didn’t deter him in the least. He caught me closing up the gallery one night. Alone.” It’d been a nightmare, but maybe saying what happened would help. Capone waited patiently for her to continue, his eyes never leaving hers.
“He accused me of being a tease and that I’d led him on or some such shit.” She shook her head and rolled her eyes. “It was so messed up. When I tried to deny it,” her eyes teared up as she looked at him, “he hit me in the face and pushed me into a counter. Hard.”
“Fucking bastard.” Capone flexed his free hand into a fist.
“I was in shock, but there was a panic button nearby. I hit it, and the alarm went off. He freaked and ran off.”
“If I catch him, I will tear him apart limb by limb,” he guaranteed.
“The police showed up shortly after, and I told them everything.” Exhaling, she took another drink. “I gave them his name and the address he said he lived at, but they got back to me a few hours later. There was no one there by that name. So I got rid of my cell, rented a car, and fled. I was even afraid he might have put a tracker on my phone or car.”
“Good idea. So he was pretending to be someone else.”
“It appears so.” She’d been duped. What a fool she’d been.
“Can you think of anything else that might help us find him?”
“No, and I don’t get it. How did he know so much about me?”
Capone tapped his index finger on his thigh. “Saige, do you have any reason to believe someone was trying to find you?”
“No, none whatsoever. Only my family knew where I was, and like I said, I don’t really hang out with anyone.”
Letting go of her hand, Capone put his arm around her and pulled her into a hug. It didn’t escape her how different the two men were. Jacob was impeccably dressed and appeared mild mannered yet was dangerous and frightening. Capone was a member of a biker club and yet she’d never felt safer. His phone sounded and he reached to look at it.
“Sorry, I have to take this.”
“No worries.”
“Yeah,” Capone answered. He nodded a few times as he listened. “Thanks, we’ll be right there.”
Rising, he pulled her to standing. “What’s up?”
“It looks like I will be getting my wish.”
“And what’s that?”
“We found Jacob.”
It was like something out of a movie. The whole band of bikers rode double file toward a location unknown. She was in the middle with her arms wrapped tightly around her man’s waist. Did she just say “her man?” Well, a girl could dream, right? Her whole day felt as if she were living a dream, so she might as well enjoy it. Live life to the fullest even if it was only for a few precious hours.
The group finally turned down a crushed rock road. Dust flew from the tires, and she ducked her head behind his back. When they slowed, Saige lifted her gaze and peeked over his shoulder. Several black SUVs and a white van were parked outside a large metal building. One must have recently arrived, as a couple of well-dressed men in suits were exiting the vehicle.
The Tribe also parked along the building. One of the men in suits walked over and shook th
e hand of the Tribe’s president, Forge.
“Who are they?” she whispered in Capone’s ear and got off the bike.
“The mob,” he answered after putting the kickstand down and standing beside her.
“The what?” Had she heard him correctly?
“The Caponellis. We work with them sometimes. Since this matter may concern Genoa, we called them in. It was a courtesy call.”
Her eyes widened. Courtesy call to the mob? What had she gotten herself into?
She turned toward the man in question, his dark eyes stared back. “Let’s go.” Capone motioned for her to go ahead of him.
“I don’t know about that.” Her feet refused to move.
“Don’t worry. I got your back.” With his large palm on her lower back, he certainly did. As he pushed her forward, she found herself under the scrutiny of the large handsome men in suits.
“Miss Hemmingway. I’m Roman Caponelli, and this is my associate, Arlo. We heard about your troubles and are here to assist, but first I have to ask you a question.”
A lump formed in her throat, but she nodded anyway.
“Are you any relation to the Hemmingways that live in the large brick colonial on the point?”
Her cheeks pinked just thinking about how large that estate was. “Yes, my parents live there.”
Roman just nodded and motioned for them to enter the building.
Here the gangland movie theme just intensified as they walked through the doorway. The vast building was pretty much empty except for a large bench with various tools on top. As they neared, some looked rusty, or was that dried blood on them? Capone reached to steady her as her eyes landed on Jacob. He was tied to a chair. His face was bloodied and battered, yet surprisingly, she didn’t feel an ounce of pity. Many times in her life she wondered about her sense of empathy. Did that make her not want to be around people or was it just her shyness? She’d been bullied by the popular girls in her classes and the boys just liked to harass her for being “weird.”
“Jasper, Dom. What have you found out?” Roman asked, and Saige finally realized there were two men standing next to Jacob. One was amazingly handsome and the other dangerous and exotic with long, flowing hair.
The first one spoke up. “He was quiet at first, but when we held a knife up to his eye, he started to spill.”
Roman walked over and kicked the bound man in the leg. “Talk.”
“I told them everything already.” Jacob’s chin was covered with pink drool.
“Tell it again.” From the way Roman held himself, anyone with half a brain could tell he was the man in charge.
“I was hired to find Saige.”
Hired to find her? She turned her head to see Capone staring down at her.
“Why?” Roman asked.
“I don’t know. What the hell do I care?” What a bastard Jacob was, profiting at another’s expense.
Her breath caught, and the man next to her pulled her closer. The warmth from his body comforted her.
“Who hired you?” Arlo asked this time, and Jasper answered.
“He said he didn’t know. He was hired on the dark web. Fucker just has a phone number.”
“That still doesn’t explain why you stalked Saige and beat her up.” Capone stepped forward, and you could feel the tension in the room heighten.
“What?” several men said at the same time.
Capone returned to Saige’s side and held the hair back from her face. Looking in the mirror this morning, she’d noticed the bruise had gotten darker.
“That bastard showed up at her work and knocked her around.”
Forge stepped closer, as did the rest of the men. Jacob had held his composure, but now a wet spot darkened the front of his pants.
“And my guess is, it wasn’t the first time the bastard had done something like that,” Capone added.
“It’s true.” This time it was Arlo who spoke. “Several of the other women that he’d been paid to find have also gone missing. Not all, just the ones that matched Saige’s description. What, did some blonde burn you and you decided to take it out on anyone who looked like her?”
Jacob focused on the floor. It was a good bet Arlo had hit the nail on the head.
Forge nodded at the man in charge, and Roman nodded his approval to proceed. Since they were in Caponelli territory, they had to abide by their rules and pay their respects. If they were in Tribe territory, Capone would have had the guy gutted and laid out in an ant field to slowly be eaten alive. At least this way he could stay by Saige’s side and give her whatever she needed. She also wouldn’t be witness to how deadly he could be.
The club’s president held a switchblade to the man’s neck. “What happened to the other women?”
“Does it fucking matter?” Jacob cried. “You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“It does if they are still alive.” The knife went deeper, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.
“They’re not.” Jacob lowered his head, as if hoping to stop the blood draining out.
Arlo placed a hand on Forge’s shoulder. He rose and cleaned the blade off with the only clean spot still left on Jacob’s shirt.
Saige had no idea what the hierarchy of the men in suits were, but Roman and Arlo seemed to be the ones in charge. “According to the tech guys’ research, the freak had a girlfriend who dropped him many years ago. Whenever he came across a woman who resembled her, he stalked her. We came across a few of the missing women in a paper trail. They were tortured, killed, and buried in out in a field. Because these women were hiding out to begin with, he, up until now, has gotten away with it.”
After hearing what had almost become of her, Saige gripped his hand even tighter as Capone held a possessive arm around her waist. It was reassuring, comforting, and empowering. With a man like him by her side, she’d never have to worry about anyone harming her again. She’d never care what anyone thought of her either. His touch recharged her battery and gave her strength.
Stepping out of Capone’s embrace, Saige walked up and stood in front of Jacob. How could she have ever though this monster was attractive? With all the energy she could muster, Saige punched him in the face. Her hand throbbed, and it was a good bet she probably broke something, but it didn’t matter. It was cause and effect all over again. She’d survived a monster and come out the other side, battered but stronger. No one, no matter who, was ever going to take control from her again or make her feel less than she was.
“What happens to him now? Do we call the police?” She turned to address Roman.
“We’ll take care of him.”
“Take care? What do you mean by that? He’s a creep. I don’t want him to get away with it.”
“He won’t. We will interrogate him, get info, and then dispose of him,” Arlo added.
“Dispose?” Did she hear him right? A chill ran down her back, yet a sense of relief filled her.
“Yes, I’ve already discussed it with Forge, and we will take care of things today.” Roman shoved his hands in his pockets, and the large gold watch on his wrist caught the reflection of the light. “Within the hour, this piece of shit will be just a bad memory that you never need to worry about again. If you need us to be of assistance again, just let us know. Arlo, here, will return you to your family.” With that, Arlo guided her back to where Capone had remained standing. Return her to her family?
The shock of it all started to trickle through her mind. In just a matter of days, she’d escaped a murderer, ended up with a biker gang, and had justice served to her tormentor by the mob. What had she done to deserve this?
It was too much. Saige marched back over to where Jacob sat, his body bloody and broken. After hearing what he’d done to those other women and what he was going to do to her, he truly was a monster. She spit in his face. The creep would die soon at the hand of these men for the crimes he’d committed, and she didn’t feel a bit of sympathy for him.
Chapter Five
When Roman said
she would be return to her family, Saige didn’t think he meant her real family, yet here she was. Her bedroom at her parents’ house was the same. It was like she’d never left. Her parents acted as if nothing had happened. Arlo had dropped her off at their front door, and they were waiting just inside to greet her. What kind of relationship with the Caponellis did her parents have? Other things didn’t make sense either. Why had Jacob picked her to go after? He’d admitted to being hired to find her yet didn’t know by whom. And what about Capone? Did he think of her at all?
She’d been in a haze after leaving Jacob’s side. Probably shock. The only memory Saige had of what happened afterward was of Capone hugging her and kissing the top of her head. He whispered words of encouragement in her ear. To be strong, to be passionate about life, and to come back to him. Yet she didn’t even have his phone number.
Maybe it was time to focus on herself for a bit. To start over fresh, do things right for once. The next few weeks flew by. Once Saige made up her mind to stay in Genoa, she worked night and day to make it happen. Even though her parents offered to help, she’d saved up enough money to rent a nice apartment near the center of town and rented a small storefront. Yes, the town had an art center for local crafters and artists, but she knew with the influx of rich Chicago tourists, there was a market for high end art. Capone’s paintings as well as others she’d worked with in the big city would be well received.
Whether he would be willing to let her sell them for him was yet to be seen. Call her a coward, but she still hadn’t contacted the man, and she’d not heard from him either. Maybe he just said those things to be nice, maybe she was just another notch on his bedpost, or maybe he was just giving her time to find herself before coming to find him.