by Wilder, L.
When I walked in, I found her sitting at the kitchen table, and even though it was well into the afternoon, she was still in her pajamas, drinking a cup of coffee. “Good morning.”
“Hi, sweetheart.” She looked up and smiled. “I was hoping you would stop by.”
“I promised I would.” After I made myself a glass of tea, I went over and sat down next to her. “I would’ve come sooner, but I’ve been swamped at work.”
“Oh.” She looked over me with knowing eyes as she said, “I thought you might’ve met someone.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. You just seem different... happier. I was hoping you might’ve found yourself a young man to date.”
“Well, it just so happens that I have been seeing someone.” I couldn’t go into all the details of who Zander was or how we’d actually met, so I told her, “He’s not like any of the guys I’ve gone out with before, but I’m starting to think that might be a good thing.”
“Will I get to meet this new guy of yours?”
“Maybe. Let’s see how things go first.”
“Okay. Whatever you think. Just know that if you like this boy, I will, too.” She let out a sigh as she said, “Maybe someday Danny will meet someone special, too. That’s if he’s even okay. I’m really having my doubts that he is.”
“I don’t know.” I didn’t want to give her false hope, but it was so hard to see her so upset. “I think we’ll be hearing something from him soon.”
“Really? What makes you think so?”
“I can’t say for sure. Just a gut feeling, I guess.”
“I’d like to think you’re right, but this has gone on too long.” I could hear the determination in her voice and panic started to build in the pit of my stomach when she said, “It’s time to find out what’s going on with him, Delilah. If the roles were reversed and it was you who’d been missing for weeks, I would’ve already contacted the police. Danny would’ve insisted on it.”
As much as I hated to do it, I had to think of some way to put her off, even if it was just for a little longer, so I said, “How about this? I have a friend that works at the police station. Why don’t I go down there and talk to him? See what he thinks we should do.”
“That would be great.” She stood up, and as she started towards her bedroom, she said, “Let me get changed, and I’ll go with you.”
“Mom, wait!” I stood up and walked over to her. “Let me do this on my own. He’ll be much more open to talk if it’s just me.”
Disappointment crossed her face as she said, “Oh, okay. I understand.”
“I’ll let you know what he says.” I gave her a quick hug. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.”
“I’ll give you a call soon.”
“Okay.”
When I got out to my car, I pulled out my phone and sent Zander a text, letting him know that we needed to talk and to call me back. As soon as I was done, I pulled out of my mother’s driveway and started downtown. I’d promised Krissy that I would meet her for dinner, and we’d do a little shopping after. I was hoping to talk to Zander about my mother, but I still hadn’t heard from him when I got to the restaurant. I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I parked my car and walked inside to find Krissy. It was a small Italian place with a great little outdoor sitting area, which was where I found Krissy waiting for me. I went over, and the second I sat down, she gave me a look. My dear, sweet, annoyingly perceptive friend could always tell when something was bothering me, so I wasn’t surprised when she asked, “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing really.” The weight started to lift off my shoulders as I continued, “It’s just Danny. He’s gone off the rails again.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain. He just hasn’t been around in a while, and Mom’s freaking out about it.” I shook my head. “I tried to explain to her that he’ll show up eventually, but she isn’t listening. She wants to go to the police about it.”
“Maybe you should, especially if it’s been several days.”
“Well, that’s just it.” I was walking on thin ice as I told her, “I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because of who he’s mixed up with. I’m afraid that getting the police involved will only make things worse.”
“Oh. Well, that sheds a different light on things.” She thought for a moment, then asked, “Is there someone you could ask about him? Find out if he’s okay or not?”
“Yeah ... I can push a little harder and see what I can find out.”
“That might not be a bad idea. You could always explain the situation with your mother wanting to call the police and see if that makes a difference.”
“You’re right. That actually might help.”
“Do you want to skip dinner and go tend to Danny? I understand if you do.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” she assured me. “We can meet up anytime.”
“Okay ... Thanks for understanding.” I grabbed my purse and stood up. “I’ll give you a call later.”
“Good luck, girl, and let me know if I can do anything.”
“I will.”
I headed out to my car, and once I was inside, I tried calling Zander for a second time. Again, no answer. I felt like I was running out of time, so I started the car and tried to remember my way to the clubhouse. It had been a while since that morning when Zander had taken me back to Danny’s place, but I didn’t think I would have any trouble finding my way there. Unfortunately, I was wrong. So many of the roads looked familiar, but none of them were the ones that led to the clubhouse.
After an hour of going in circles, I was getting frustrated and just about to stop and ask for directions when a tall fence caught my attention. As I got closer to the building, I spotted the large gated entrance, and I knew I’d finally found it. I pulled up to the man standing guard and asked, “Is this the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse?”
“Who’s asking?”
“I’m Delilah Davenport. I’m looking for Zander ... I mean Hawk.”
“Hold on a minute.” He stepped away from my car and pulled out his phone. After several long moments, he came back over to me. “Pull up to the front. Stay there and wait. He’ll be out as soon as he can.”
“Okay, thanks.”
I did as I was told and pulled my car up to the front of the building. Once I was parked, I turned off the engine. As I sat there waiting, I looked around the parking lot and the tall fence that surrounded it, and it wasn’t long before all those forgotten feelings of doubt and anxiousness I’d had the last time I was there came rushing back. I found myself wanting to barge inside and demand to see my brother, to finally see for myself what was really going on with him, but I didn’t move, fearing I’d only end up locked away again. I had worked myself up into a nervous fit when Zander finally stepped out the front door and walked over to my car. His brows were furrowed in confusion as he opened the door and asked, “What are you doing here, Delilah?”
“I have to talk to you about Danny.” When I saw a spark of annoyance flash through his eyes, I continued, “Before you get upset with me, I want you to hear me out. There are things you need to know.”
“Such as?”
“My mother is worried about him. She’s been trying to find him since the night you brought him here, and she’s starting to freak out.” I got out of my car and stood next to him. “I’ve been trying to convince her that she just needs to just give it some time, but she isn’t listening. She wants to go to the police.”
“No need for that.”
“I know. I’ve been trying to tell her that, but I can only put her off for so long, Zander,” I argued. “She’s his mother, and she’s concerned. I can only imagine how freaked out she’d be if she actually knew the truth about what was going on.”
“You’re not listening to me, Delilah. I’m telling you
, there’s no need for her to go to the cops. Danny’s good.”
“I am listening, Zander, but you’ve been saying the same thing for the past few weeks. As far as I can tell, nothing’s changed.” Since we were on the topic of Danny, I decided it was a good time to mention the recent upgrade in surveillance. “And while we’re at it, I hope you know I’ve really been trying with all this. Even though I’ve been very tempted, I haven’t said anything I wasn’t supposed to. I’ve held up my end of the bargain and kept my mouth shut.”
“I know. You’ve done good, Delilah.”
“Really, ’cause it sure doesn’t seem that way.”
“Not sure what you’re talking about,” he argued.
“I’m talking about y’all watching me every second of every day.” My mind was racing with worry, making it difficult to think straight. I knew I was rambling and not giving him much chance to respond, but I couldn’t seem to help myself. “I thought you and your brothers would ease up once I proved myself, but I guess that’s not going to happen.”
“Delilah, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about.” A few of the guys stepped out of the clubhouse, momentarily drawing his attention away from me. They each spoke but continued on their way. “You know we’ve been keeping an eye on you. There’s no reason for me to deny that, but you haven’t given us any reason to think we’d need to keep watching you every second.”
“Then, I don’t get it. What’s with the creeper in the black truck?” I snapped back. “Why is he suddenly there all the time, watching—”
Before I could finish my thought, the door opened once again. Two other bikers came barreling out, and following close behind them was my brother. My mind immediately went blank. I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was smiling like his usual happy-go-lucky self without a care in the world, and he was cutting up with Zander’s brothers like they were old buddies of his. He looked nothing like he did the last time I’d seen him. Instead of blood-soaked clothes, he was wearing a clean t-shirt with jeans, the bruises and swelling had faded, and other than the sling and a slight limp, he looked like himself. I couldn’t make sense of it. If I didn’t know better, I would’ve thought that Danny was one of them—a brother of the Ruthless Sinners. They were all so caught up in their conversation that he didn’t even notice me. “Danny?”
He stopped dead in his tracks as he turned to me. “Delilah? What are you doing here?”
“I came here to see about you. What the hell is going on? I thought ...” I turned to Zander and said, “I don’t understand what’s happening here.”
“No need to get all worked up, Dee.” Danny fussed. “I’m good. Me and the brothers worked things out. Things are gonna be okay. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
“So … what? After everything that happened, you’re suddenly all good with them?”
“Yeah, actually, I am.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. My brother had clearly lost his ever-loving mind. Trying to bring him to his senses, I motioned my hand to his sling as I asked, “And what about your arm? Did they do this to you too?”
“No.”
“No? Then, what happened?”
“Well … about that. I was shot. It wasn’t a big deal, though,” he answered casually. “Bullet went straight through, and I’m fine.”
“You were shot?” I gasped. “When the hell did that happen?”
Zander cut his eyes over to Danny, and the color quickly drained from his face when he realized he’d said too much. “I can’t get into all that, but look ... I’m fine, Dee. There’s no reason to make a big deal of this.”
“And why would I make a big deal of it? I’m just finding out that my brother was not only tortured—but shot. That’s not a big deal at all … I would be crazy to make a big deal out of that!” Feeling utterly betrayed, I turned to look at Zander. “I can’t believe you kept this from me. All the times I asked you about him, and never once did you mention that he’d been hurt! After everything, how could you just lie to me like this?”
“I didn’t lie to you, Delilah.”
“Well, you certainly didn’t tell me the truth. You were too busy protecting your brothers and your precious club.” I threw my hands up and said, “You know what? Forget it. I’m done. I’m done with all of it. I didn’t sign up for this—any of it. You can have your club, you can even have my brother, but you can’t have me. Not like this.”
When I started to get back into my car, Zander called out to me, “Delilah, Wait.”
Seeing the anguish in his eyes tore at me, but I was too hurt to stand there and listen to his excuses. I’d trusted him, and even though Danny had obviously forgiven them for everything they’d done, I just couldn’t do it. I got in my car, and before I closed the door, I looked at Zander and said, “This is just too much. I can’t do it.”
Saying those words to him killed me. I loved Zander. I didn’t want things to end, but I couldn’t make the same mistakes my mother had made. I needed to know that I could trust the man I loved, and I clearly couldn’t trust Zander—at least not in the way I needed to. I fought back the tears as I slammed my door and started my car. Without looking back at either Zander or Danny, I pulled out of the parking lot and sped through the gate. I tried to keep it together as long as I could, but as soon as I was out on the main road, the dam broke and tears started to stream down my face. I wanted to think I’d done the right thing by walking away, but the throbbing ache in my chest made me wonder if I’d made a terrible mistake. That doubt weighed heavily on me as I pulled up to my apartment, got out of my car, and started upstairs.
As soon as I stepped inside, I knew something didn’t feel right. I figured it was just my mind playing tricks on me, so I ignored the voice in my head that told me something was wrong. I tossed my keys and purse on the counter like I always did, then, without turning on the lights, I headed towards my room. I hadn’t gotten far when I heard a familiar voice call out to me, “Well ... hello, Delilah.”
Hawk
I stood there under a blanket of darkness, feeling completely powerless as I watched the taillights of her car disappear into the night. I wanted to call out to her, demand her to stay, but I couldn’t. Deep down, I knew she was doing the right thing by leaving. That didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like hell to watch her go. Fuck, it had taken me a lifetime to find Delilah, and it gutted me to think I’d actually lost her. My hands were tied. If I’d told her what had happened with Danny, she would’ve had questions—questions I couldn’t begin to answer. I’d hoped the fact that he was set free would be enough to appease her, but I should’ve known that wouldn’t have been the case. I was still standing there, staring off into the darkness, when Danny stepped over to me.
“What was that all about?” His eyes narrowed as he stood there studying me. “You got something going on with my sister?”
“You could say that.”
“Damn, I didn’t see that one coming,” he scoffed.
“I don’t think anyone did.”
“You’re a brave man to get involved with my sister.” He snickered as he said, “Dee is a hard-ass, man. Doesn’t let anything slide by.”
“I’m aware.”
“No offense, man, but”—he ran his hand through his long shaggy hair—“After everything that happen, I’m surprised she didn’t tell you to fuck off.”
“You’re not the only one.”
“I’m not one to judge. Fuck, I’ve never had any kind of relationship that was worth a damn, but Dee’s got a good head on her shoulders. She thinks things through ... Something I’ve never been very good at. So, if she gave you a chance, there had to be reason.” Danny looked over to me as he continued, “I’m guessing she saw some good in you; otherwise, she wouldn’t have given ya a second thought.”
“If that’s the case, then she was wrong.”
“I don’t know, man. I got no idea what kind of fella you really are. Still trying to figure that shit all out. I do know that the lifestyle you g
ot going on here is a lot different than what she’s used to. Hell, it’s a lot different than what I’m used to, but that’s not a bad thing. I’ve seen how you guys interact with one another. It’s like you’re more than just a club or whatever. You stick together and have each other’s back. Even the way you handled me. You did what you had to do to protect the club. You gotta respect that.”
“Not sure she saw it that way.”
“So, what?” His eyes narrowed as he asked, “You’re just gonna give up on her?”
“I can’t force Delilah to see things my way, Danny.”
“No, but you can do your best to make her understand.” Sounding completely sincere, he offered, “You know, I could go talk to her. Explain things the way I see ’em and maybe set things right.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Once Viper had given the word that Danny would be released, he gave him limited range of the clubhouse, allowing him time to finish healing from his gunshot wound instead of just forcing him out the door. It was a decision none of us expected. I had a feeling that Viper saw something in Danny and wanted the opportunity to see if his instincts about him were right. While I had my doubts at first, I had to admit that he wasn’t at all like I’d expected. Similar to his sister, he had a good head on his shoulders and had completely owned up to his mistakes. Hell, he didn’t even hold a grudge against Shotgun, understanding that he was doing his part to protect the brothers. As I stood there talking to him, I could see him as being a good addition to the club, but I had my doubts that his sister would feel the same. I looked at Danny and said, “I think I need to give her some time.”