by S. Nelson
He held his hand up, being sure to keep his distance. “Brick told me to follow you.”
“Brick? Why?”
“He did it for Ace.” He ran his hand over his scruff, cursing when he looked back at the damage. “Who’s gonna pay for this?” When he bent over to look at the light, I saw the handle of a gun in his waistband, but he straightened up before fear could completely envelop me. While he looked like he wanted to hurt me in some way, he kept his distance, never once making a move to grab his weapon.
“Take it up with Brick,” I shouted over my shoulder as I hurried back to my car, locking the doors and peeling out of the parking lot, leaving him standing there in the wake of my mini meltdown.
19
“Who knew they’d be smart enough to put on fake tags?” Kaden asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, half his attention on me and Brick and the other half on his phone. I swore he didn’t go anywhere without the damn thing. Then again, these devices were our lifeline now, not only to each other but to the ones we actively worked to protect.
“So we don’t know if they were Reapers?” My question was met with headshakes.
“They were Reapers. One of ’em had a skull tattoo on his hand with the letters of his name spelled out. Wanna take a guess who?” Brick cocked his head.
More headshakes, from me this time.
“Rock.”
“Figures,” Kaden grumbled.
“And when the camera zoomed in, we could see his face. We didn’t recognize the other two, though.”
“What does it look like?” I asked, moving to sit up straighter on the bed, two pillows tucked behind me.
“What does what look like?” Kaden’s inquiry gave me pause, enough time to spell it out for them.
“Me. Gettin’ shot.”
They shared a quick look before Brick opened his mouth, his features contorting before giving me an answer.
“Fucked up. We can only see the back of you. One minute you’re walkin’ with your head down, then the next you’re on the ground, flat on your back. It happened so fast it almost didn’t look real.”
“Try livin’ it.” My words didn’t do anything to describe what I’d been through, nor did I think they would, but before I could give life to thoughts of what to say next, if anything, Rez came barging into the room.
He pointed right at Brick. “You.” Then he pointed at me. “And you.” Our frowns prompted him to fill us in as to why he looked so pissed off, his shoulders vibrating with anger. “That crazy bitch smashed up my truck.”
Kaden held up his hand. “What crazy bitch?”
“His woman,” he responded, pointing again at me.
“What?” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“I followed her, like you told me to do,” he said, his eyes back on Brick, “and when she pulled over in some shopping center, she got out of her car with a baseball bat. When I wouldn’t tell her who told me to watch her, she busted my fuckin’ headlight, then put a big dent in my hood. She even swung that damn thing at me.” Rez shook his head, his sneer wiping away the slight smile forming on my face.
Then a thought hit me. “Wait. She just walked right up to your truck?”
“Yeah.”
“Did she eventually find out it was us who wanted you to follow her?” Brick inquired, shoving his hands in his pockets, leaning against the dresser, a slight look of amusement tipping the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah,” Rez repeated. “Otherwise, she probably would’ve taken out my windshield. I’ve never put my hands on a woman, but man…” He clenched his fists and the sight alone made me wanna knock him out.
I carefully moved to the side of the bed and slowly swung my legs over. Wincing, I pushed myself to my feet.
Kaden hopped up and hurried next to me. “Where do you think you’re goin’?”
I reached for my jeans. “I gotta go see her.”
“You’re not goin’ anywhere. You’re in no shape to get out of bed yet.”
“I’m fine,” I growled. I was far from fine but there was no way I wasn’t givin’ Chelsea an earful for her stupidity. And this was a conversation I needed to have face-to-face so she could see how serious I was.
“You’re not,” Kaden argued. “But if you insist, Brick and I will go with you. You definitely shouldn’t be driving.” I didn’t say anything at first, too busy tryin’ not to fall over when attempting to put on my jeans. I couldn’t do anything standing up, so I carefully lowered myself to the bed again. One leg, then the other. When the material rested on my thighs, I stood back up and pulled them the rest of the way. Brick tossed a white T-shirt at me without me asking. Once I was dressed, which took more effort and strength than I imagined it would, I decided not to wear my cut because of the added weight against my side. I then threw back another pain pill even though I wasn’t due yet.
“What about my truck?” Rez blocked the doorway, glancing to each of us.
“Park it next to the garage. Tag will take care of it for you,” Kaden said.
“He’ll probably fuck it up more,” he grated, following behind the rest of us as we walked out to the common area. I didn’t have time to explain that Tag was trustworthy, my sole focus on one person only.
“Where you all off to?” Jagger briskly walked up to us, his eyes roaming over me from head to toe, then back again. “Shouldn’t you be restin’?”
“I’m good.”
“He’s gotta see his woman,” Brick uttered. I didn’t bother correcting him.
We were two steps outside when my cell lit up. Chelsea’s name flashed across the screen, and because it’d be helpful to know where we were headed, I answered.
I didn’t get the chance to say anything before she started in on me. “Who the hell do you think you are having someone follow me? That is a major violation of my privacy. You told me we were done, so why do you think—”
“Shut up, Chels!” I yelled, needing to raise my voice over hers to get her to hear me. “Where are you?”
“Don’t worry about where I am. You don’t have the right to know anything about me anymore. You decided that when you walked out—”
“Fuckin’ hell, woman! Tell me where you are right now, or I swear to Christ you’re gonna—”
“Fuck you,” she spat down the line, hangin’ up on me before I could finish my sentence, let alone get her location.
“I’m on it,” Kaden chimed in, dialing Riley before we took another step. Twenty seconds later, he hung up. “She’s at the salon.”
We were on our way minutes later.
20
“Ugh! I swear to God, if he was right in front of me, I’d….” My words trailed off because I didn’t know exactly what I’d do to Ace. Slap him? Punch him? Tell him to go fuck himself? Demand to know why he asked someone to follow me when he was the one who ended things between us? Obviously, I meant zilch to him if he could walk away so easily, so why bother with the shadow? “Ugh!” I grumbled again, slamming the hairbrush on top of my station.
“Looks like you’re gonna get your chance to tell him off in person.” Riley pointed toward the parking lot when I picked my head up to look at her.
“Did you tell him where I was?”
She hesitated before answering, “No.”
“Let me rephrase. Did you tell Kaden I was here?” At least she had the decency to avert her eyes. “Traitor.”
Her response was a halfhearted shrug. I’d filled my treacherous best friend in on what happened with the guy in the truck, the shadow put on me for a reason I still didn’t know. And then when I called Ace to find out why, he didn’t answer. Instead, he demanded to know where I was, which was when I ended the conversation abruptly. Some might say rudely.
My client had called me when I arrived earlier, letting me know she was going to be late, and since I didn’t have anyone else scheduled for another hour and a half, I told her that was fine. And thank God, too, because I was ready to blow, which wasn’t professional. Rile
y’s client, Henrietta, was so old I doubted she could hear anything we said. Plus, she was under the dryer, a level of noise to drown out what I was sure was gonna be a very heated argument. Or maybe I’d give him the silent treatment. See how he liked that.
The bell above the door chimed and my body went rigid, heat swirling through my veins while my heart went into overdrive. Brick walked in first, followed by Kaden, then Ace, who headed straight for me once his buddies moved to the side.
Today was a slow day customer-wise, which was why Braylen wasn’t in yet and why Riley and I were the only two stylists here. But seeing the heat in his stare as he approached me made me wish we had a full house.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked, grabbing my upper arm and pulling me close. “Going after a guy you don’t know? Trashing his truck? He could’ve hurt you. Or worse.” I hadn’t noticed when Ace first walked in, which was only seconds ago, but he didn’t look well. His usually sun-kissed skin was pale, and he looked unkempt. He either needed to trim up his scruff or shave all together, and his hair was sticking up on the sides. His movement toward me had been purposeful and stern but slower than I would’ve expected, given his anger toward me. And I’d seen him wince twice already.
Ignoring all the oddities, I fired a question back at him, refusing to explain my actions. “What is wrong with you?” I yanked my arm from his hand and took a step back. “Why would you tell someone to stalk me? Don’t want to get in trouble for doing it yourself? You’ve got a lot of nerve.” I crossed my arms over my chest, ready to hold my ground.
“Give him a break, Chels. He’s only lookin’ out for you.”
I turned to face the giant biker, my arms falling to my side. “I don’t need for him to look out for me. I can take care of myself.”
Brick sighed. “There’s shit goin’ on. Just stop givin’ him a hard time.”
“Stop givin’ him a hard time?” I couldn’t believe what I just heard. I swung my eyes to Ace, who looked worse than when he first barged in here. Ignoring the odd feeling swirling in my belly, I focused on my fury. “You need to go. Call off your watchdog and leave me alone.”
I moved to step away, but he caught my arm again, only this time he didn’t pull me close. Instead, he dragged me through the salon, down the hallway and toward Braylen’s office, slamming the door behind him after shoving me inside. He blocked the door so I couldn’t escape.
“Move.”
“No.”
“Move,” I repeated, my breathing amped up and matching his. Although, his breaths were choppy and every other one was accompanied by a faint groan. “You gonna kidnap me now? Or are you gonna have someone else do it?”
“Shut up,” he growled, taking a step closer, the spark of a grimace disappearing a second later.
“No.”
“You have no idea what’s goin’ on. So, until we handle it, you’re gonna tell me where you are at all times. And you’re not to go anywhere without someone with you. If it’s not me, then it’ll be Rez, the guy whose truck you damaged, or one of the other guys.” His lips snapped shut, and he inhaled deeply before pushing the air from his lungs, his eyes fluttering closed for two seconds longer than normal.
Again, I ignored my gut and dismissed the signs something was wrong with him. “Are you insane? Did you hit your head? There is no way I’m telling you my every move, and I sure as hell ain’t gonna have someone follow me around.” I took a quick pause. “This is some sort of stalker shit, isn’t it? I didn’t take you for that guy. What? I tell you I don’t want to be in a relationship with you, and you go all ‘If I can’t have you, no one will’?” I couldn’t stop rambling, my anger and sudden nervousness colliding and shoving the words from my mouth. “I’ll call the cops. I’ll start carrying pepper spray and a Taser, and if someone gets hurt, then I’ll just tell ’em it was self-defense.”
“Chelsea! Shut. The. Fuck. Up!” I flinched. And I would’ve yelled back had it not been for the sudden spot of blood seeping through his T-shirt. Come to think of it, it was odd he wasn’t wearing his cut.
I breached the short space between us and reached for his side. “Why are you bleeding?” All anger disappeared from my voice, replaced with worry. Ace moved back before I could make contact and walked around me.
“Fuck!” He lifted his shirt and looked down, the blood spot spreading and getting darker beneath a wide bandage. “Now I’m gonna have to listen to Addy’s mouth.” If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought I saw him smile but it was gone so fast, I might’ve imagined it.
“What’s goin’ on? What happened to you?” He didn’t answer, which only served to heighten my anxiety. “Jaime Mercado.” I rarely said his real name, let alone his full given name, but I felt it was warranted right now.
He moved back until he hit the edge of the desk. “I got shot.”
“Shot?” I screeched, my hand flying up to cover my mouth. “Who shot you? When? How bad is it?” I peppered him with questions, not completely sure I wanted to know the answers.
“Two days ago. Just stuff with the club. Nothin’ for you to be concerned about.” His edgy tone pissed me off.
“Just stuff with the club?” I mocked, my hands finding their way to my waist. “Are you serious?” Then everything came crashing over me. “Is that why you had someone following me? Are you in danger?” My eyes widened. “Am I?” My arms dropped and I fell into the nearest chair. This was so much information to digest in the span of seconds, I needed time to absorb it all. Not that I wanted to.
He was shot.
Two days ago.
I might be in danger.
When he spoke again, his voice was softer. “Don’t worry about anything. I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise.” His eyes never left mine, even when he winced and bit his lip.
I pointed to his wound. “You couldn’t prevent getting shot. How are you gonna protect me?” There was no anger in my tone this time, just an honest question.
“I didn’t see them comin’. I’ll be prepared next time.”
21
“Next time? There’s gonna be a next time?”
I dropped my head into my hands, not sure what to say or even think now. I felt like the world was closing in on me and I was powerless to stop it. When I’d come into work earlier, I was pissed off, but at least I wasn’t scared. Now all I could think about was something bad happening to me, and to him. I hated I cared, but after learning he’d almost been killed, there was no disguising my feelings for him. I’ll keep this to myself for now, though.
Several heartbeats later, Ace was next to me, pulling me to my feet and wrapping his arms around me. “Don’t worry about anything. Nothing more is gonna happen to me and this shit won’t touch you. I promise.”
With my nose pressed against his chest, I inhaled his scent. Even in the state he was in, his smell did strange things to me, a mixture of the outdoors and a hint of spice. The scruff on his face scraped against my cheek when he moved my head, his warm breath fanning the side of my face.
I moved my hands from his back to his front, intent on gently pushing him back because being this close to him wreaked havoc on my willpower and mental state. Then my fingers drifted over the slight bump under his shirt, reminding me the man was bleeding.
I stepped back before he could stop me and raised the bottom of his T-shirt. The bandage wrapped around his waist was staining redder by the second.
“Were you at least resting before you came here?” My eyes darted to his, waiting for his answer.
“Yeah. But then Rez told me what happened. How you went crazy on his truck.” Ace’s brows lowered. “Seriously, Chels. Never again. Don’t ever approach some guy you don’t know. I don’t care how pissed off you are. It’s not safe.”
“I get it.”
“Do you?” A wave of condescension cradled those two words and pissed me off. Again. But instead of flying off the handle, I took a second to compose myself, focusing on his injury.
“I
think Braylen has a first aid kit in here somewhere,” I said instead of answering him. After locating the red box with the white cross on it, I lifted his shirt over his head, mindful not to be too hasty. Even though he was bleeding, I couldn’t stop from appreciating his body, his sinewy muscles straining underneath his tantalizing skin. Focus, woman. Ace didn’t say a word, but he bristled in front of me, flinching whenever my fingertips made contact. I didn’t believe I hurt him, but I asked to make sure. “Am I hurting you?”
“Not in the way you think.”
I didn’t bother asking him to clarify because getting into a discussion or possible argument right now wasn’t ideal, not when I tried to assess the damage he’d done by coming here to confront me when his ass should be resting in bed.
“I’m gonna take this off and take a look, okay?”
“Okay.” He stretched his arm to the side as I unwrapped the dressing, taking my time so as not to further injure him. He’d been shot, and while I could guess where on his body he’d been hit, I wasn’t sure if there was additional damage. Once the fabric was unraveled, I tossed it on the desk behind us, inspecting the affected area. “Looks like you popped two stiches here,” I said, ghosting my fingers over the wound. I moved to walk around him and saw another hole that’d been stitched closed. “It went right through?” My rhetorical question obviously went unanswered. For as much as I tried to focus on what I was doing, unshed tears blurred my vision, and if I didn’t get a hold of myself, I’d lose it right in front of him, which wouldn’t do either of us any good. “Hold on a sec.” I opened the office door and shouted for Riley.
“What are you doin’?” There was a hint of panic in his voice.
“What’s up?” She appeared in the doorway, her eyes flipping from my face to Ace. Then she took a step inside. “What happened to you?” She came closer, her worried expression becoming more serious as she took him all in. “Were you shot?” Her voice rose an octave, alerting her boyfriend, who appeared seconds later, cursing when he saw Ace without his shirt on.