by A. M. Myers
I’m such a piece of shit.
“I fucked up, okay?” I say, looking up at Tate, as Blaze’s office door opens and he steps out. He takes one look at the three of us and rolls his eyes, mumbling something to himself about “fucking children”.
“Tate, put the gun away.”
She peeks over at him and nods. “Fine, but the taser stays out.”
“Fine,” he agrees with a nod and she turns her attention back to me as she slips the pistol into her ankle holster. She tosses the taser to her other hand and holds it just above my skin. “Continue.”
“I was just going to go home and apologize to her.”
She shakes her head. “She’s not there. Eden came over this morning and took her into work to get her mind off her asshole husband.”
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “I’ll go there, then.”
“And say what to her?”
“That I’m a fucking moron and I know she didn’t cheat on me.”
Her eyes widen. “That’s it?”
“What else would I say?” I ask and she glares at me as she pulls her foot back and presses the taser to my skin again. I yell as the jolt pierces through my body and my muscles lock up.
“How about, ‘I’m a fucking idiot for ever thinking you would do that to me, baby’ or ‘I’m so sorry that I asked you if the baby was mine’. Honestly, just about anything is better than your plan.”
“Okay,” I breathe as my muscles begin to relax again and she presses her foot to my shoulder once more. “I’ll tell her all that. I fucking swear.”
She studies me for a long moment before she stands up and flips the taser off, removing her foot from my shoulder. When it’s safe, I slowly pull myself to my feet and she points a finger in my face. “If this ever happens again, you’ll get a bullet wound to match Lincoln’s.”
“Noted,” I whisper, taking a step back from her. “Can I go find my wife now?”
Arching a brow, she studies me. “Are you going to show up empty-handed?”
Before I can answer her, the front door opens again and we all turn to look as a frail, trembling woman limps into the clubhouse. Her clothes are ripped and torn in pieces, hanging off her thin body and there is dirt smeared all over her skin mixed with what I can only assume is blood. Tear marks carve a path of clean, perfect skin down her cheeks and her hair is a wild mass as she gazes around the room in horror. Blaze steps forward cautiously.
“Are you okay, darlin’?”
She shakes her head and I scoff.
She is obviously not okay but what is she doing here?
“I..” she whispers, looking at all of us like we might jump her and Tate sets her taser down on the table before walking over to her. The woman watches her cross the room, her eyes full of fear and a whimper slips out of her mouth as Tate grabs her hands and leads her to the closest table.
“Sit down, sweetie.”
“Kodiak, go call Rodriguez,” Blaze orders as the girls sink into their seats and Kodiak slips into the war room as he pulls his phone out of his pocket. I turn back to the table as Tate tries to reassure her that she is okay but the woman is terrified, crying and shaking as she looks at all of us with so much fear that I don’t know how she is still standing.
“Can you tell me your name?” Tate asks and the woman nods.
“Veronica Pope.”
Hold up…
I know that name.
All the blood rushes to my ears as I stare at her and it feels like there is an ice block in my chest, spreading through my body with each breath. “You’re Veronica Pope?”
She looks up at me and nods. Blowing out a breath, I look up and my eyes meet Blaze’s across the room. Veronica Pope went missing a while back and Rodriguez asked us to help him with the case right around the time Henn was released from prison but we never found anything. Holy fuck… all this time, she’s been with the guy coming after us? Pinching the bridge of his nose, Blaze releases a sigh and walks forward slowly before sitting across from her.
“Veronica, my name is Blaze and I’m the president of this club. We’ve been investigating your disappearance for a while now with the police so I want you to know that you are safe here, okay?”
She studies him for a second before nodding.
“Can you tell us what happened to you?”
“I… I was kidnapped… I don’t know how long ago… a man… he’s been holding me hostage and today… he opened the front door of the cabin he was keeping me in and he told me to run…I didn’t make it far before he caught me and he made me wear a blindfold as he loaded me into his car. When he dropped me off… we were here and he told me to come inside,” she says, her voice weak and my stomach flips as my heart starts racing.
“He specifically told you to come in here?”
She nods. “He said you guys would help me…”
My heart beat pounds in my ears as I stare down at her, my mind trying to catch up. Why would her kidnapper bring her here? Unless… it’s him.
“He told me to give you,” she whispers, pointing to Blaze. “A message.”
Blaze runs a hand over his face as he nods. “What was the message?”
“I am just getting started.”
My stomach drops like a rock and I clench my jaw as Blaze’s gaze snaps to mine, the look in his eyes as grave as I feel. “Call everyone in and their families, too.”
I nod. “I need to go get Piper.”
“I’ll call everyone,” Tate says, jumping up with determination on her face. “You go get your wife.”
“Thanks,” I whisper as I turn and run out to the parking lot with every worst case scenario playing through my head. I pull my phone out of my pocket and dial Piper’s number as Veronica’s warning runs through my head again.
I am just getting started.
What does that even mean?
How does this end?
With all of us dead?
With our club destroyed?
“Wyatt?” she answers and I release a breath I didn’t realize I was holding as I reach my bike and swing my leg over the seat.
“Baby… I need you to go home and I’ll meet you there.”
She scoffs. “That’s all you have to say to me today?”
“No, Pip. We have a hell of a lot to talk about but shit is going down at the club and I need to get you to safety so can we table it for just a little bit?”
Silence greets me as I start my bike and my heart hammers in my chest. I mentally urge her to agree with the plan. Not that it will stop me from getting her and bringing her back here to keep her safe but I’d rather not apologize for another thing. Finally, she sighs. “Okay, Wyatt. I’m leaving now and I’ll see you at the house.”
“Thank you, baby,” I say as I back out of my parking spot. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Wyatt,” she replies but I don’t miss the tears in her voice and I know this is nowhere near fixed for us but with the threat looming closer, everything is clear for me. Nothing is more important than my wife and our child and I’ll do whatever it takes to live up to the promise I made her in my parents’ driveway.
I won’t let anything come between us anymore.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Piper
My hands shake, gripping the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles turn white, as I pull up in front of the house and stare at Wyatt’s bike in the driveway. I don’t know what to think. Yesterday, he was telling me that he will be signing the divorce papers in the morning and then when he calls me today, he tells me he loves me and needs to get me to safety. I’ve got whiplash from his ever-changing moods and I don’t know how much longer I can do this. Pressing my hand to my belly, I remember the ultrasound picture we saw of our baby yesterday and shake my head.
I can’t believe that was only twenty-four hours ago.
Whatever happens, we are bringing a baby into this world and if he doesn’t want this anymore, doesn’t want me, we have to find a way to raise this l
ittle one together. Pain blooms in my chest and tears sting my eyes as I think about the possibility of being a single mother after I thought I was getting everything I’ve ever wanted and a sob bubbles out of me. I clamp my hand over my mouth and lean my head back as the tears start slipping down my cheeks and my chest shakes. I love him so much that I can’t even explain it, can’t find the words to describe the feeling I get whenever I see his face, and I don’t know how I’m going to survive losing him a second time.
Opening my eyes and looking up at the house, I meet Wyatt’s eyes as he stands in the doorway and gasp, my heart climbing into my throat. I wipe the tears from my cheeks and turn the car off but I can’t force myself to get out. After a second, he starts walking down the stairs toward me and my heart races out of control.
Oh, God, what is he going to say?
Does he still think I’m cheating on him?
Is he leaving me?
When he reaches my door, he opens it and holds his hand out to me with a nervous smile on his face. His eyes are full of fear and uncertainty and it doesn’t do anything to calm my emotions. My stomach tightens painfully as I slip my hand into his and step out of the car. Pulling me into his arms, he looks down at me, our gazes locked together as my heart feels like it’s going to explode in my chest and my stomach flips. Each breath punches out of my chest, matching him and slowly, he lowers his face to mine and gently claims my lips. A sob shoots through me as I melt into him, swallowed up by our kiss and his firm touch holds me together when all I feel like doing is falling apart.
I can’t lose him.
The mean, hateful words he hurled at me yesterday echo through my mind and I pull back, shoving him away from me as I shake my head and take steps back. “Stop, Wyatt.”
“Baby,” he breathes, reaching for me and I shake my head again. As much as I want to fall back into his arms and believe him when he tells me that everything will be okay, I can’t. Not anymore. These issues between us are bigger than either of us realized. He sighs, running his hand through his hair as he glances down the street. “Let’s go inside.”
I nod and ignore his outstretched hand as I pass by him to go into the house. It’s not that I want to be cruel or hurt him back but I know if I let him touch me again, our connection will overwhelm me and demand that I give into him. I can’t do that this time. As I step into the living room, memories of the last few weeks in this house flood my mind and a few more tears slip down my cheeks. The morning we went over to his parents’ house pops into my mind and I remember his promise to always follow me anytime I run and as I turn back to face him, I know I have to do the same.
I won’t give in.
I won’t just forgive.
But I will fight for my man and I will fight for our love.
Wyatt runs his hand through his hair and peeks up at me, his nerves painted across his handsome face. “I don’t know what to say…”
“Why don’t you start with whether or not you’re still planning on signing the divorce papers today?” My heart skips a beat as I wait for his answer and I cross my arms over my chest, struggling to take a full breath as he looks up at me. Until last night, I didn’t even know he still had those and it kills me to think that he kept them as an insurance policy. He wanted an out from the very beginning. After what feels like an eternity, he turns and walks down the hallway to the bedroom as my heart sinks. When he comes back, he has the papers in his hand and my lip wobbles as my world crashes down around me. Stopping right in front of me, he holds his hand out to me. “Come with me.”
Maybe I’m a masochist or on some level, I assume that I deserve to watch him sign our lives away but I slip my hand into his, savoring the feeling because I know this will be the last time, and let him lead me into the kitchen. We stop in front of the sink and I scowl as he digs a lighter out of his pocket and holds the flame to the corner of the papers.
“Oh,” I whisper, a sob overwhelming me as I grip the counter and watch him drop the burning papers into the sink before he turns to me and cups my face between his hands.
“Blaze had Streak investigate all the things that have been happening - the flowers, the reservations, and the guy that showed up yesterday - and he found an online dating profile for you run by someone else.”
Who in the hell would run a fake dating profile on me and for what reason?
“Blaze and Streak both think it is the same guy who is targeting the club…”
A bolt of fear slices through me.
“I was the one leading the charge on these cases but I haven’t been doing as much lately because I’ve been so distracted with everything going on between us. I…” He pulls his hand away from my face and runs one through his hair. “I was tracking you and following you to make sure you didn’t leave me or cheat on me and each time something new happened, it just made me feel crazier.”
“Wyatt,” I breathe, closing my eyes and rubbing my fingers into my forehead. I don’t even know how to process all of this and I know we’ll have to talk about this in more depth later but right now, I don’t want to interrupt him.
“I know, baby…” His voice cracks and he shakes his head. “I don’t know why I was so quick to believe the worst of you because when I look at you now… It’s so crazy to me that I ever believed you could do that to me. I mean, I know you… I’ve known you since we were ten years old and I know you would never do that to me. It’s just… I was going crazy… Fuck, Pip. I’m so fucking sorry that I’ve been such an ass lately. Clearly, I have some issues from our past but I promise you that I’m going to work on that.”
I nod, searching his eyes and for the first time in a long time, I can see the boy I fell in love with staring back at me. “How?”
“How what?”
“How are you going to work on it?” I ask and he shakes his head, blowing out a breath.
“I don’t really know yet. I hadn’t really gotten that far.”
That is what I was afraid of.
I’m happy that he is identifying the problem but it’s not that easy to overcome. For ten years, my betrayal became part of who he was and just because it didn’t actually happen doesn’t mean the trust issues disappeared. Looking down, I take a deep breath and my heart skips a beat as I meet his gaze again. “Will you go see Dr. Brewer with me?”
“What?” he asks, jerking back.
Shit.
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that.
The look on his face makes it clear that he doesn’t like the idea but I remember sitting on the beach with him the morning we left Charleston and how he told me that he would do whatever it took to make this work. I just hope that still applies now.
“Wyatt, I can’t fix you with my love anymore than you can fix me and if you really want to make this work, I think this is what we need to do. And I know that it’s my fault that you have these trust issues but we have to find a way to move forward.”
He shakes his head. “I don’t know, Pip… I don’t want to talk to a shrink.”
“Baby,” I say, reaching forward and grabbing his hand before placing it on my belly. “We have to find a way to get past this, for us and for this baby that we are bringing into the world and these past few weeks have been hell for both of us. I’ve been worried sick that I was losing you and you were feeling the same and it doesn’t really matter who was manipulating you because the point is, you believed it. We have to fix us and you promised me that you would do whatever it took to make this work.”
“I…” he says before sighing and running his hand through his hair again. The silence stretches between us and I can see him working through it in his mind before he looks up at me and nods. “Okay. I hate the idea so much but I’ll do it for you.”
I shake my head as he pulls me into his arms. “No, Wyatt. You’re doing this for you.”
“Let’s compromise and say I’m doing it for us.”
“Fine,” I answer, rolling my eyes and he flashes me a grin as he pulls me closer and his g
aze drops to my lips. His tongue darts out, tracing along his full bottom lip and just like that, I want him.
“Do I get to kiss you now?”
I nod. “Yes, please.”
His lips crash down on mine and our bodies meld together as I grip the back of his cut and moan into his kiss. Tears sting my eyes, slipping down my cheeks as his hand slips into my hair and he massages the back of my head. Too quickly, he pulls back and brushes his thumb over my cheek, wiping away my tears.
“I love you, sweetheart, and I’m so sorry for everything I put you through.”
Closing my eyes, I lay my head on his shoulder. “Pretty sure we’re about even now.”
Silence descends over us again but this time, it’s comfortable as he holds me close and we enjoy the quiet moment together, letting go of the past twenty-four hours. When he pulls away again, there is stress lining his face.
“We’ve got to pack and get back to the club, baby.”
I nod, blinking up at him as a chill runs through me. “What’s happening?”
“A woman walked into the clubhouse this morning, saying she had been kidnapped and her abductor brought her to us and told her to pass along a message.”
Sucking in a breath, my heart races as I look up at him. “It’s him?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s him.”
“What was the message?” I ask, not really all that sure I want to know and Wyatt presses his lips into a thin line and sighs.
“I am just getting started.”
My stomach drops and the fear is so overwhelming that I feel rooted to the spot. I stare up at my husband, his eyes flash with the same dread coursing through my body right now and I shake my head, my mouth opening but no words come out. I drop my head and try to breathe through it just like Dr. Brewer taught me but my mind runs wild with the possibilities, making it impossible to calm myself.
What do we do?
No one has any clue who this guy is and he is one hundred steps ahead of us.
“Hey,” he whispers, smoothing his hand over my hair and pulling my gaze back to his. “One step at a time, okay? Let’s go pack.”