“Was anything else missing?” he asked.
“Nothing as far as I could tell. I went over the whole place last night after Harper fell asleep. There were no signs of forced entry on any of the doors, including the locked closet where I keep my weapons. If I hadn’t been pulled over and arrested, there’s no telling how long it would have been before I realized that gun was missing. That doesn’t sit well with me either.”
“And you left my sister at your place by herself?” he shouted.
“No. I left her there with Titan, and Kellan is outside, but she doesn’t know about that.”
“We need to talk to Badger,” Duke said.
“Talk to me about what?” Badger asked from behind me.
I started at the beginning and filled him in on the details of Harper’s break-in as well as my own. Badger listened intently and remained silent for several minutes after I had finished. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest before declaring, “You need to file a police report with the Croftridge Police Department and let them dust for fingerprints and whatever else they need to do.”
“Phoenix did that on my behalf right after I was arrested. They didn’t find any prints that didn’t belong there, and there were no signs of forced entry,” I told him.
He nodded and scratched his head. After a few minutes of silence, he added, “Call Judge and get him down here to install some cameras at your place, today if possible. Wouldn’t hurt to add cameras to Harper’s place as well. Seems odd that her place was broken into while she was here with you and then your place was broken into a few days later while you were at her place. You two piss anyone off recently?”
“No, not that I know of. I’ve been around here dealing with club issues and going to see her on the weekends. We rarely left her house when I was there. As far as I know, Harper goes to work during the week and spends her weekends with me unless she is here visiting or I’m tied up with club business. We haven’t been around anyone to piss them off,” I explained.
He clapped me on the shoulder and stood. “Call Judge and get him down here. You and Harper stay vigilant. Keep your eyes and ears open while we get this sorted.”
“Thanks, Badger,” I said. Rising to my feet, I pulled out my phone to call Judge and head back to my girl.
Pulling up to my condo, I scanned the area for Kellan. He was either good at staying out of sight, or he was slacking on his job and going to get his ass kicked. I stomped to the front door, trying to rein in my temper before I entered. My efforts proved futile when I opened the door to find Kellan sitting on my sofa in his t-shirt and boxers. What the fuck?
A growl from me was his only warning before I lunged. Wrapping my hands around his throat, I pressed him into the sofa and demanded, “Where is my girl and what the fuck are you doing in my house without your pants on?”
Titan came running into the room, snarling and growling, ready to attack. He took one second to look between the two of us before he leaped onto the couch and continued his growling only inches from our faces.
Tightening my hands around Kellan’s neck, I demanded through clenched teeth, “Where. Is. She?”
“Carbon!” Harper shrieked. “What in the hell are you doing? Let him go, you big monster!”
At the sound of Harper’s frantic voice, Titan inched his face closer, his growl progressively getting louder. “Call off the dog, Harper.”
“Just so you know, if I wasn’t worried about Kellan’s safety, I wouldn’t call him off,” she snipped with her hands on her hips. “Calmati.”
Titan stopped his growling, jumped off the couch, and moved to stand in front of Harper. “Let him up and tell me what the hell is going on.”
I released Kellan and took two steps back. Glaring at her, I insisted, “Not until you tell me why this little fucker is on my couch in his boxers!”
Realization dawned on her. “Fuck you, Carbon!” she yelled and stomped up the stairs.
“Carbon, man, it’s not what it looks like. I was sitting behind some bushes when she took the dog out. He fucking pissed on my leg and then tried to rip my throat out. I explained who I was and what I was doing here. She offered to wash and dry my jeans for me. She’s been upstairs the whole time while I was down here watching television,” Kellan rushed to explain.
I stepped back. “Shit!” I pinched the bridge of my nose and took in a deep breath. “Sorry, man. I’ve got a lot going on, and I snapped when I saw you in here like that. I need to go talk to her, and I’ll see if your pants are dry.”
“Not a problem. Shit happens,” he shrugged like he hadn’t just been seconds away from having his neck snapped by the Blackwings’ Enforcer.
I found Harper on the floor of my bedroom, curled into a tight ball, quietly crying. I scooped her up, and my gut sank when I felt her body stiffen in my arms. “Baby, I’m sorry. I overreacted. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. I’m already concerned about your safety. Then, I found another man in my house in his underwear and you were nowhere around. I thought something happened to you.”
“If you thought he was capable of hurting me, why would you send him over to watch me?” she asked, without raising her head.
“I don’t think he’s capable of hurting you. He’s a good kid, and I trust him. I just reacted. Like I said, this is on me. It’s something I thought I had worked through, but it looks like there is still some work to do.”
“Is this about your family?”
I tightened my arms around her. “Yeah, baby, it is. I love you, Harper. It would kill me if something happened to you.”
“Did you apologize to Kellan?”
“I did.”
“Okay.” She raised her head and gave me a small smile before she started to wiggle out of my arms. “I need to go see if his jeans are dry.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
“I have a fucked up past, too. I get it. So, yeah, that’s it.”
***
After sending Kellan on his way, Harper and I spent several hours in bed making up. We would have likely spent all day in bed if we hadn’t been interrupted by someone knocking on the front door. “Fuck, I forgot to tell you Judge was coming by to install some security cameras this afternoon. I’m guessing that’s him at the door,” I said while quickly getting dressed.
“Damn it, Chase. I need to take a shower. I have sex hair and probably smell like a brothel!” She jumped out of bed and scurried to the bathroom.
“Take your time; we’ll be downstairs.”
I opened the door to find Judge standing there with a knowing smirk on his face. “Took you long enough.”
“Sorry, brother. Come on in.”
“That better be my little sister cousin you’ve got up there, or I’m going to have to beat your ass in your own living room,” he said, completely serious.
I stood there, speechless, shocked by his knowledge of my relationship with Harper.
“Don’t look at me like that. Did you forget that we have the same training? I’ve seen the way you two are around each other. Plus, I spotted you at her office last week. Then, Ruben tells me you bought a dog from him the same day I installed a system at her house. If you two thought you were being covert, you were very, very wrong.”
“Well shit. We did think that, but it doesn’t matter now. We told the club last night,” I said.
Judge held out his hand. “Congratulations. Not that you need it, but you have my blessing. Just know that no one will be able to find your body if you hurt her.”
“Well aware, man. I would expect nothing less.”
About halfway through the installation process, Harper tiptoed down the stairs, looking nervous as hell. I nudged Judge with my elbow and jerked my chin in her direction.
Without lifting his head, Judge said, “I’ve known since I installed your alarm system. Now, quit freaking out and come give me a hug.”
Harper grinned and rushed over to hug Judge. “You’re not mad?”
>
“Why the fuck would I be mad? I don’t care who you choose to spend your life with. If you’re happy, I’m happy. If he hurts you, I’ll kill him, but I have a feeling you already knew that.”
She giggled. “Yeah, I did.”
By the time Judge was finished with the installation, we were all hungry. We opted to pick up something to eat on the way to the club. The club wasn’t as packed as I assumed it would be for a Saturday night. When I spotted Ranger at one of the tables, I asked, “Where is everyone?”
He chuckled. “Shaker and a few boys went to Cedar Valley to chase some pussy. Dash and Duke are out at the pool with their girls. Phoenix is on a run. As for the rest of them, I ain’t their keeper.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the man. I wasn’t sure how old Ranger was, but he had been around as long as I could remember. He was the youngest of the original members and followed the mother chapter to Croftridge with Phoenix. His wisdom and experience were priceless to the club.
“Judge! Didn’t see you there with Carbon’s big ass in the way. What brings you to Croftridge, boy?”
Judge smiled fondly at Ranger. “Good to see you, old man! I came down to install some cameras at Carbon’s place. Thought I’d stick around for dinner before I head back.”
Ranger gestured to the table in front of him. “Have a seat. What’re we having for dinner?”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Harper
Leaving Croftridge Sunday night was harder than any of the other times one of us had to return home. This time, I was leaving knowing that I wouldn’t see him in a few days. I hated that we couldn’t be together during the week, but we both had lives established in different places. We couldn’t be together without one of us having to give up something we loved. When things were casual between us, it worked well only seeing each other on the weekends. I wasn’t sure that would be the case now that our relationship was different.
The night before, during dinner, Ranger asked why we were increasing security at both of our private homes. After we told him about the break-ins, he made a suggestion that I hated, but had to admit was a good idea. He suggested that Chase and I stay away from each other for a few weeks to see what happened. Depending on what, if anything, happened to one or both of us, we would know if the break-ins were random, intentional, or somehow related.
After a tearful goodbye and an even more tearful drive to Sugar Falls, I was pleasantly surprised to see a familiar motorcycle parked in my driveway. Judge opened the front door of my house and helped me carry my things inside. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too, Sister Cousin.”
“Oh shut it. I wasn’t expecting you to be here is all.”
“I finished with the cameras a few hours ago, but I did something else for you and I wanted to be here when you saw it,” he smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
Nervously, I asked, “What is it?”
“I’ll show you.” I followed Judge to the front porch. He flipped a switch that turned on my very bright floodlights. My driveway was on the side of my house, so I hadn’t seen the front yard when I pulled in. My entire front yard was now covered in beautiful, lush sod.
Turning back to Judge, I asked, “Why did you do that? Don’t get me wrong; it’s beautiful, and I appreciate it, but there has to be a reason you redid my entire front lawn.”
He shrugged. “I had to bury some cables for the cameras, and I didn’t want it to be obvious that something had been installed recently. If anybody was watching, it looked like you were having your yard resurfaced, not having a security system upgrade.”
“Clever. Well, thanks, Judge. It looks great. Do you want me to make you something to eat before you go?”
“No, thanks. I picked up something while I was out. Wish I could stay, but Copper has a few things he needs me to take care of, so I’ve got to get going.”
The following three weeks were nothing short of miserable for me. I felt like a part of me was missing as I went through the motions of what used to be an enjoyable life for me. Even when Chase and I were just Friday night fuck buddies, I wasn’t miserable and lonely during the week. If it weren’t for Titan, I believe I might have completely lost my mind.
During the week, my patients kept me reasonably occupied while I was at work. After work, Hilarie and I ate dinner together a few times a week like we usually did. I wasn’t great company to have, but she didn’t seem to notice. She prattled on and on about some guy she met at a club. Apparently, they were hot and heavy because she was nowhere to be found on the weekends. A large part of me wanted to throw her own words in her face about being one of those friends who disappeared the second they found a man, but confrontation was hard for me, especially with someone I was close to.
Without Chase or Hilarie, I was left to entertain myself on the weekends. The first one I spent at home by myself, barely getting out of bed and not bothering to shower. The second weekend I treated myself to a spa package and spent the following day shopping. At the beginning of the third week, I was desperate to see Chase. We talked on the phone and sent texts throughout the day, but I needed to see him, to feel him. Even though he assured me we wouldn’t have to be apart for much longer, I was already trying to put together a plan for us to see each other without anyone knowing.
After dinner with Hilarie on Wednesday of the third week of our forced separation, Chase called shortly after I arrived home. “Hey, baby. I’ve got some good news for you.”
“Oh, please tell me this ridiculous separation is over. I’m dying of loneliness here,” I whined.
He chuckled. “It’s sort of over.” My growl of frustration prompted him to continue. “Dash and Ember are getting married a week from Saturday. You’re invited to her bachelorette party this weekend, and she wants you to be a bridesmaid.”
I squealed with excitement. “That means I will have to come to Croftridge two weekends in a row!”
“Does that mean I can tell her you accepted both of her invitations?”
“Yes!” I yelled into the phone.
***
Color me surprised when Hilarie asked me at dinner the following day if I had plans for the weekend. My inner bitch wanted to ask if the guy she had been wrapped up in finally got sick of her, but I didn’t. Keeping my irritation at bay, I replied, “I do. My friend, Ember, is getting married next weekend and her bachelorette party is this weekend.”
Hilarie scrunched her nose. “So, you’ll be in Croftridge two weekends in a row? What am I supposed to do?”
I wanted to slap her but managed to refrain. “I would assume whatever you’ve been doing for the last few weekends. My activities, or lack thereof, weren’t a concern to you then, so they shouldn’t be now.”
Her eyebrows rose. “My man has to work this weekend, so I won’t get to see him. Where’s your guard dog been?”
“Assuming you are referring to Carbon, he’s been in Croftridge.”
Her countenance changed into what I could only describe as fake sympathy. She reached across the table to pat my hand. “Aw, sweetie. Did you guys break up?”
I jerked my hand back. “No, we didn’t break up. I told you we weren’t a couple. You have to be a couple to break up.” That wasn’t a lie. I did tell her we weren’t a couple; I just never told her we had become a couple. I sighed, “Can we talk about something other than Carbon?”
“Of course,” she smiled and changed the subject.
The rest of dinner was uncomfortable, at least it was for me. She more or less admitted that she wanted to do something with me only because her man was busy. That just pissed me off. I cooled off on the drive home and decided that I would deal with Hilarie next week. Nothing was going to put a damper on my weekend with my man.
Hilarie avoided me the next two days at work, and I had no complaints about it. I didn’t want to act like nothing was wrong, and I didn’t want to discuss my issues with her either. As soon as the center closed on Friday, Titan and I drove s
traight to Croftridge. Chase told me to let myself in when I arrived because he wouldn’t be home until after 7:00 pm. I was slightly disappointed at that news but figured I could use the time to freshen up and maybe put on something cute for him.
Titan did his perimeter check of the condo while I headed upstairs to Chase’s bedroom. I dropped my bags beside the bed and turned to go to the bathroom. My mouth was covered by a large hand before a scream could escape me. “It’s me, baby,” Chase whispered in my ear before trailing his lips down my neck.
I tried to turn around so I could wrap my arms around him, but he held me firmly in place. He kept one hand over my mouth while he tangled the other in my hair. “Strip,” he ordered. By the tone of his voice, I could tell he wanted to play. That was fine with me. I’d missed his dominating ass.
“Yes, sir,” I mumbled against his hand and promptly began removing every stitch of clothing from my body. This was rather easy given my previous profession as well as the fact that I wasn’t wearing a bra or panties. A tug on one string had my wrap around dress opening and sliding down my body to pool at my feet.
Chase’s groan turned into a growl while his hand tightened in my hair. “Naughty, naughty little minx.”
The hand covering my mouth slowly moved down to cup my breast before he captured my nipple between his thumb and forefinger. He used his hold on me to guide me to the bed and bend me over the end of it.
“When did you take your panties off?” he asked while smoothing his large palm over my bare backside.
Shit. He wasn’t going to like my answer, but he would know if I didn’t tell him the truth. “I didn’t put any on when I got dressed this morning.”
He squeezed my left butt cheek. “You’re telling me my pussy has been uncovered under this flimsy excuse for a dress all fucking day?”
“Yes, sir.”
He chuckled darkly and slid his hand down to slip two fingers inside of me, finding me wet and ready. He moved them in and out twice and paused, seeming to get himself under control. “Did you do that knowing it would rile me up? Is that what you wanted, Harper?”
Carbon (Blackwings MC Book 4) Page 10