by Erin Osborne
I’m in my room packing my bag when Playboy comes into the room. He sits on the bed and simply looks at me.
“What’s up?” I ask him, not stopping my movements so I can get the hell outta here.
“I want to go the fuck home. Miss my woman and kids. Let Gwen know I’m thinkin’ of her and we’ll be home as soon as possible to help you take these fuckers out,” he assures me.
“I know you will. We’ve got solid leads on the situation here, so it won’t be long before you guys catch a break. I’d like to stay and finish what I started, but Gwen comes first. Stryker needs to get away for a while anyway,” I respond, double checking the room so I don’t forget anything.
“What’s goin’ on with him?” Playboy asks me.
“The situation with Sally is gettin’ to him. He wants her somethin’ fierce and the only thing she’ll give up is her body. Her heart and mind still belong to Killian. I’m not sure if she’s ever gonna get over that man enough to let Stryker in her heart,” I answer him honestly.
“She will. I see the way she looks at him when he’s not payin’ attention. Or when he’s playin’ with her daughter. Sally will pull her shit together in time,” he tells me as if he’s been thinking about things regarding them. “I think she needs to talk to Shadow. Maybe go spend some time with him so they can talk through things.”
I don’t know if Stryker will let her go that far from him. Especially when he’s not around to know she’s not in town. If he’s not around to know, obviously he can’t stop her. However, when it comes to Sally, there’s nothing he doesn’t know about her.
“That’s not my business. I’m just sayin’ what I know from what I’ve seen so far. My only concern right now is gettin’ home to Gwen and makin’ her problem go away. Once my woman is set, then I’ll worry about what the next task at hand is. If that’s Stryker and Sally, so be it. If not, it’s on to the next problem tryin’ to fuck with the club,” I state, knowing it’s time to go. “I’ll see you when you guys get home. Let me know what’s goin’ on.”
“Will do,” Playboy responds.
He stands up and we do the man hug thing before I take off. Butcher has one of his Prospects waiting on me so I can go to the airport. We’ve all been using their extra bikes since we’ve been here. So, I don’t have to worry about that. The only thing I have to do is get a ride to the airport so I can catch a red eye. I want to be home as soon as possible. It’s not like Stryker isn’t already on his way here.
“Killer, thank you for comin’ out and helpin’ find my girl,” Butcher says, pulling me in for a man hug. “Go take care of your own girl. We’ll see one another soon I’m sure.”
“I’m sure we will.”
I take off and meet Tyler out at the club’s SUV. Getting in, I don’t say a word to him as he leaves the clubhouse to make the hour-long trip to the airport. I’m not sure how long I’ll have to wait for a flight, I’d rather wait there.
There was a red eye I caught just in time. If I had been five minutes later, I wouldn’t have made the flight. No one except for Slim knows I’m back in town yet and that’s how I want to keep it. For now, at any rate. With no one, including Gwen, knowing I’m home, I can stay undercover and find out who the fuck is after my girl.
It’s no coincidence whoever is fucking with her chose to strike while I was out of town. I have a feeling this person has been waiting for the right time and knew I wasn’t around. It’s not like it happened the day I left since I left before the sun even rose. No, they waited and watched the house for a few days before striking. With me out of the picture and a lowly Prospect watching over my girl, they thought she’d be an easier target.
The first place I head is my house. I want to leave my bag there and take a look around the house before doing anything else. Not many people know there’s also a back way to get to my house. It’s not a known road or anything like that; honestly, it’s not more than a dirt path large enough for my bike and maybe my truck. The grass is kept long to partially hide the tracks I’ve made going in the back way.
Once my bike is parked in the shed way out in the back of the property, I make the short trek the rest of the way home. It’s pitch black out with the clouds covering any light that would be shining from the moon. This is the perfect night for me to sneak back into town.
As I get closer to the house, a sound alerts me that someone else is here. So, I move closer making the least amount of sound possible. Just before I get to the back door, I hear footsteps pounding down the driveway. Racing around the front of the house, the only thing I’m in time to see are headlights leaving along with squealing tires.
“Fuck!” I roar out into the still night air as it begins to cool my overheated skin.
Pulling out my phone, I hit Fox. He’ll be up if I know anything about him. With someone after Gwen, he’ll be on his computer trying to figure out who’s after her. He loves her like a little sister and will do anything to her. It helps she’s Kim’s baby sister. He’d still do it if Kim weren’t in the picture at all because she means the world to me. That’s how we all are. If we weren’t, I wouldn’t have been at Butcher’s clubhouse trying to help him figure out where his own woman is.
“Killer, what’s up?” Fox answers immediately.
“Someone’s been at my house. I heard them when I was sneakin’ in the back way. Need you to pull up the footage and tell me how many and what they were doin’,” I state, heading inside.
“You’re back in town?” he questions me.
“Just got back. Slim is the only other one who knows. It needs to stay that way until later tomorrow.”
I hear the clicking of his keyboard in the background while I shut the alarm off. Without saying a word, my phone alerts me to a message.
“Just sent you the link. I’m not sure if they know where the cameras are or what. No pictures seen on the footage. There were three guys there though,” Fox informs me before hanging up.
I pull up the link Fox sent me. Grabbing a beer, I make my way to my bedroom. Looking around, I see Gwen did as I told her and moved her things in while I was gone. Her clothes are hanging up in the closet with mine and her girly shit fills my bathroom as I walk in there. A smile covers my face at the sight of our things mingled together. This is what I want for the rest of my life. Slowly, I’m going to turn this into our home with Gwen’s input and small touches throughout every single room. For now, it will have to wait.
Finally, I watch the footage. Three men surround my house. They try to get in through the windows, the garage, and the backdoor. Not a single one makes a noise as they try each way inside. While they’re not professional based on the lack of recon and the way they’re trampling all over the place, they are organized a little bit.
The video plays for over ten minutes before they all scatter and I enter the frame. This is where I come home and scare them away. Fox was right; there’s no way to see their faces or any other distinguishing marks on their bodies. These men don’t leave any of their skin exposed and wear all black to blend into the shadows. I’m at a loss. So, I stop the video and make my own calls.
“Porter need to know if those two fuckers are still rottin’ in prison,” I state before my friend Zach Porter can say a word.
Porter is one of the guards where Neil and Gwen’s father are rotting in cells. They’ll be there for a long time if I don’t carry out my own brand of justice on their asses. Well, there is no if about it; I’ll be killing those assholes before long. Anyway, Porter and I served together and help one another out as often as we can.
“They’re still here. In fact, the ex-Senator is currently in the infirmary. He got jumped while out in the yard this morning,” Porter answers me.
“You’re sure Neil is still there?” I question him.
“Yep. I watched him cry like a bitch earlier.”
“Has he had any visitors or made any calls?” I question, needing to know if either one of them have had outside contact. “The Senator either?�
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“Neil had a visitor a week ago or so. None for the Senator though,” he informs me. “What’s going on?”
“Someone’s comin’ after my girl,” I state. “I have a feelin’ it’s one of them who put the wheels in motion on this.”
“I’ll see what I can dig up and let you know. Give me until later today to get back to you,” he says before hanging up.
Yeah, it’s the middle of the night and I woke him up. Porter usually works the early shift, so I know I’ll hear back from him in the early afternoon. Setting my phone down, I strip out of my clothes and jump in the shower. I don’t care if the water is hot, warm, or freezing cold at this point. The only thing I want is to take a shower to wash the grime from travelling off me so I can climb into bed.
Leaving my towel in the bathroom, I make my way into my room after grabbing my phone. I set it on the nightstand and slide under the covers. My bed smells like Gwen as I lay down. Letting her scent wash over me, I close my eyes so I can get a few hours of sleep. When I wake up, she’ll know I’m home because I’m bringing her back here with me. It’s not ideal, but we’ll be under the same fucking roof. Rich can stay for now as backup and we’ll spend our time together. Well, when I’m not out searching for these douche canoes.
It’s not long before sleep consumes me. My dreams are filled with pictures of Gwen floating on a loop through my mind.
Chapter Thirteen
Gwen
IT’S BEEN TWO weeks since Killer got home and brought me back to his house from my sister and Fox’s. Whoever is after me is still out there and no one is any closer to figuring out who it is then we were before Killer came home. He’s been out searching all over for anyone new in town, talking to contacts in order to gain information, and anything else he can do in order to figure out who he’s looking for.
Every time he walks back through the door, frustration fills his face. When he looks at me, he tries to mask it, but it doesn’t work. I can see the frustration and anger lurking behind his eyes. We go to bed every night after eating dinner with Rich. While we’re in bed, we watch TV and talk about our lives. He knows everything I’ve been through now. The torture, rape, pain, and everything that’s ever been done to me. For some reason I can’t explain, Killer isn’t shocked by anything I tell him.
He’s the first person, other than my group, I’ve told my stories to. Honestly, I feel even lighter than I did when I talked in front of the members of the group I attend. I’m not sure if it’s because someone I personally know has heard the truth of my life before coming here or if it’s because Killer is the one who has heard my secrets. The deep, dark secrets I’ve been hiding for so long they fill me with dread and terror on a daily basis.
I’m the main one who talks while Killer simply listens. He wraps me in his arms and holds me tight while the pain pours out of me. Not only in my words but in the tears I shed. Killer wipes my tears away, places a soft kiss against my lips, and then takes me to the shower. He makes the water as hot as I can stand it before stripping me of whatever I’m wearing; usually something of his. Together we shower. He washes me and then holds me for a while before shutting the water off, drying me off, and then leading me back to bed.
When we head back to bed, neither one of us wears any clothes. Killer wraps his arms around my body and holds me close to him. I spend every single night with his washboard abs, hard cock, and muscled legs against my own. His hard, muscled arms wrap around me and keep the demons at bay. Even telling him what I’ve been through, my nightmares don’t return. Killer is the one who helps me fight them off and I’ll be eternally grateful to him for that.
My body always responds to his being wrapped around my own. I ache so bad for him it’s a constant pain. Knowing Killer, he’s going to wait for me to make the first move. He won’t do anything I’m not ready for and I don’t have the first clue how to let him know what I want from him. I can’t even put it into words in my own head so there’s no way in hell I’ll be able to tell him what I want.
There are only a handful of people I’ll be able to talk to about this; the ol’ ladies of the club. It’s not like I want them to know what I feel and want from Killer. I know they’ll keep my secret though. No one will know about our talk. Ever. The only thing they’ll do is help me figure out how to accomplish letting Killer know I’m ready for more with him. So, with Rich in the room he’s staying in and Killer out looking some more, I pick up my phone and make a call.
“What’s up, Gwen?” Sam answers her phone.
“I need help. From all the ol’ ladies of the club,” I say before I can chicken out.
“We’ll be there in ten. You called when we’re all at the clubhouse,” she says before hanging up the phone on me.
While waiting for them, I open the door to grab the mail. Killer moved the mailbox up closer to the porch so I can get it without having to go all the way to the road. Pulling out several envelopes, I sort through them until I find one with my name on it. setting the rest of the mail on the counter where I always put it for Killer to go through, I open it so I can pull the contents out.
There’s one single piece of paper in the envelope. It’s the size of an index card but a regular sheet of printer paper. Typed in the center of the paper is a message. It’s short and to the point.
I’m coming for you. No one can save you from me.
I drop the paper as if it’s on fire and burning the hell out of me. Rich comes around the corner and sees me once again trembling from head to toe while I want to throw up. Instead, I take a few deep breaths to calm myself down. He reads the letter and pulls his phone out. I don’t hear him talk on the phone as my thoughts swirl and jumble together.
At the same time, the ol’ ladies come through the door. They take one look at me and crowd me. Kim is the one who is wrapped around me though. She’s my sister and the rest of the women give this to her. Tears are filling her eyes as I shed my own.
“What’s going on?” Sam finally asks me.
“I got another note from whoever’s after me. I shouldn’t have called any of you here. It’s not safe,” I inform them as Rich disappears in the background.
“Okay. The guys will take care of it. For now, why did you call us over here?” Jennifer says in an attempt to get my mind off things I can’t control.
“Well, um, I don’t know how to say this. But, I definitely don’t want to say it where anyone else can hear me,” I respond.
They all look at me before leading me to the bedroom Killer and I share. Once the door is shut firmly behind us, the women stand around me in a circle so I can let them know what I want.
“I’m so frustrated. Every night Killer and I sleep together in this bed. Neither one of us wears any clothes and I feel every single, muscled inch of his body. I’m in pain, you know,” I pause looking down at the floor because I can’t bring myself to finish what I was saying.
Sam is the first one to respond. She bursts out laughing her ass off. The rest of the women, including myself, look at her as if she’s finally lost her damn mind. It takes a matter of minutes before Jennifer and Shy join in on her laughter. Kim and I are looking at the rest of them as if we’re the only two sane women in the damn room.
“You’re sexually frustrated and want a piece of Killer’s cock,” Sam finally manages to say, making my sister finally laugh with the rest of them.
“I don’t see what’s so funny about it,” I mutter, leaving them to their laughter as I walk away and sit down on the bed with my head in my hands.
“Honey, you’re right, it’s not funny,” Shy says coming over to stand in front of me. “Why don’t you just tell him what you want. Killer won’t make you feel some type of way.”
“I can’t tell you guys what I want. How do you expect me to tell Killer what I want? I’ve never had a man who actually acts as if he cares about me. Neil, well, let’s just say he took what he wanted. I had no choice in the matter,” I let them know, hiding my head from their pitying looks
.
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Sam demands from me. “Neil raped you. More than once?”
Nodding my head, I feel their arms wrap around me. For minutes, no one says a word. The room is filled with silence and a stillness I’m usually only surrounded by when Killer’s around me. When everyone pulls back from me, I see tears silently rolling down their faces. This is what I don’t want to see from them. Their tears for me or pitying me because of what happened to me at the hands of a bunch of assholes.
“Don’t,” I state. “I don’t want your pity or tears.”
“You’re so much stronger than you’ll ever realize,” Sam tells me, pulling me in for a hug. “Now, let’s get you ready to seduce Killer. He won’t know what the fuck hit him.”
The other ol’ ladies all nod in agreement. While I go in to take a shower, one of the Prospects takes some of them to shop. I’m not sure what they’re shopping for, so I don’t ask. Sam pokes her head in the door while I’m washing up.
“Make sure you shave. Everything,” she calls out.
I take the time necessary to make sure there isn’t hair left on my body other than my head. Once I’m ready to get out, I grab the towel I hung over the top of the shower door. Kim pokes her head in the door this time and hands over a robe for me to put on.
“What’s this for? I thought I’d be getting dressed,” I question her.
“You’re not getting dressed until the girls get back. Sam and I are doing your hair and make-up while we wait. Then we’ll call Killer and get him back here. They’re bringing takeout food with them just for the two of you. Rich won’t be in here when you’re having your time together,” my sister informs me before leaving me in the bathroom to finish drying off and donning the robe.