I raised an eyebrow. “Really?”
He smiled gently. “You freaked?”
There it was. Silas’s way was to get to the heart of the matter and tonight, he didn’t disappoint. I nodded and he closed the distance between us, pulling me in for a hug. “That asshole isn’t gonna do another goddamn thing to you.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, taking the comfort he offered, even though it tormented me to no end. I was in love with my best friend and he was someone who could never love me back.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, pulling me from my memory. I saw it was Silas, so I answered immediately.
CHAPTER TWO
Shutter
AFTER CATALINA’S BOSS, Melonie, called me, I changed my plan to head to the club and rode over to Darlene’s instead. Melonie didn’t give me much in the way of useful information, just that Darlene was hurt, and Nova wanted me there, but that was all I needed to know.
I pulled up just behind the fire trucks and ambulance, relieved to see my club brother was on duty. Shadow was currently holding Nova, but when he saw me, he gave me a chin lift and carried her to me.
“What’s goin’ on?” I asked taking her from him.
“Mama won’t wake up,” Nova said.
“Okay, baby girl.” I set her on her feet, then knelt beside her. “We’re gonna let Shadow take care of her, will that work?”
Nova nodded.
“Call Posey,” Shadow said. “Nova can hang with her for a few. I’m gonna get back.”
“Thanks,” I said distractedly, then focused back on Nova. “You okay with me callin’ Posey?”
She bobbed her head again. “But can I stay with you after?”
“I don’t know, Nova, but we’ll figure it out.”
“She had lots of owies,” Nova whispered.
“Come here, baby girl.” I pulled her close and hugged her as she cried softly into my cut.
Jesus, what manner of hell did this little girl just witness?
As was my habit of late, particularly when facing something difficult, I pulled my phone out and called Catalina first.
“What’s going on?” she asked after the first ring. “Is Nova okay?”
“Not sure what’s goin’ on. But I’ve got her and I’m gonna get her to your brother’s place until I can figure out what to do next.”
“I’m off in ten minutes. Do you want me to meet you?”
“Yeah,” I breathed out in relief. I needed her more than anyone or anything. “Actually, are you up to coming to Darlene’s? I’ve got my bike, but it would be safer if Nova was in a car.”
“Yeah, of course. I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks.”
She hung up and I called Posey.
“Hey, Shutter,” she said.
“Hey, sweetheart, are you up to watchin’ Nova for a bit?”
“Of course,” she said. “Shadow texted to give me a heads-up, but do you know what’s going on?”
“Not yet,” I admitted. “Cat’s meeting me, then we’ll bring Nova by.”
“Okay, bud. See you when you get here.”
Nova patted my leg. “I need Mr. Diggles.”
Mr. Diggles was the stuffed pig I’d bought her when she was three and she didn’t go anywhere without it.
I frowned. “I’m not sure if I can get him right now.”
“Please, Uncle Shutter?” Her big eyes filled with tears again and I sighed, stroking her cheek.
“Let me talk to Shadow and find out if we can get him, okay?” I hunkered down in front of her again. “But we need to be patient and wait until they’ve done their job.”
She nodded, throwing her arms around me, and bursting into tears. “Is Mama going to wake up soon?”
“I don’t know, sweetness. But I got you.”
I lifted her and she wrapped her legs around my waist as she cried into my neck. I saw headlights approaching and let out a sigh of relief to see Catalina’s car. “Cat’s here, sweetness.”
I carried her to Cat’s car just as Catalina stepped out of it. She gently slid Nova’s hair off her cheek. “How are you, sweet girl?”
“Mama’s hurt.”
“I know.” Catalina smiled gently. “We’re going to find out what happened and take you to Auntie Posey’s okay?”
She shook her head. “I want to stay with Shutter.”
I met Catalina’s eyes and frowned.
“I want Mr. Diggles,” Nova continued.
I covered her ears. “This fuckin’ pig’s turnin’ out to be a pain in the ass.”
Cat squeezed my arm. “Let me see what I can do. Maybe my uniform will get me in the door.”
“Down the hall, second door on the right,” I directed, and she headed back toward the apartment.
* * *
Catalina
I took a deep breath and walked through the emergency personnel like I was supposed to be there. Luckily, most of the people there knew me, so when I got to the front door, the only one who tried to stop me was my brother.
“This is a crime scene now,” Nolan said.
“Meaning, she didn’t make it?” I whispered.
“DOA, sissy. The coroner’s removed the body, but it’s still off-limits,” Nolan said. “You can’t come in.”
“I need to get a few things out of Nova’s room, NoNo. Surely, that won’t disturb anything. Can you help me do that?”
“I could lose my shield, so, no.”
I turned slightly, so my back was now toward the entrance. “If I just happened to…” I took off down the hall before Nolan could stop me.
“Damn it, Cat!” he growled, but I was too far away for him to catch me.
I had never been to Darlene’s place before, but with Silas’s direction, I found Nova’s pink palace quickly. I went straight to her closet and found a backpack on the floor which I set on her bed and raced through her drawers to grab clothes and shoes, then grabbed the pig and a few other toys. I made a run for the door just as a cop came stalking toward me, looking pissed as hell.
“No unauthorized individuals are supposed to be in this house,” he growled.
“Right, sorry—”
“Catalina Grant?”
I glanced up and let out a quiet breath. “Oh, hey, Mike.”
Officer Mike Hollings was a man I’d had a lot of contact with over the phone and met a handful of times. He was obviously good looking, but he was also kind of a dick.
“What are you doing here?” he demanded.
“I got the call. Uh, I sort of know the little girl who lives here, so I wanted to make sure she was okay.”
“She’s not here. She’s outside.”
“Oh, thank god,” I breathed out, playing dumb.
“You know you shouldn’t be here.”
“Yes. Uh, sorry. I was just really freaked. You know, it was a child, so it kind of freaked me out,” I repeated, stuttering on my words.
“You’re supposed to leave your job at the office, Catalina,” he admonished, crossing his arms. “I have a mind to contact your supervisor.”
I scowled up at him. “Her name is Melonie Yates. Go for it. Excuse me, I’m going to see if I can check on the little girl.”
I made a break for the front door, realizing he hadn’t said anything about the fact I was carrying a child’s backpack and stuffed pig.
Jesus, he was an idiot.
I had just cleared the front stoop when an arm wrapped around my waist from behind and I was lifted off my feet. “What the—?”
“It’s me,” Nolan said, and I relaxed as he set me down out of sight of the squad cars. “That was fuckin’ stupid.”
I faced him. “I got what I needed. Mike didn’t even notice I had taken anything out of the house.”
Nolan shook his head. “Well, you better get out of here before he does.”
“Okay.” I gave him a little wave. “I’ll see you later.”
I rushed back to my car and handed Nova Mr. Diggles. She wrapped her arms around
the pig and leaned against Silas.
“You’re a fuckin’ rock star,” he whispered.
“I got her some clothes as well. I couldn’t grab much, but I got what I could.”
“Thanks, baby.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t have a booster for her, though. This is a problem.”
Silas frowned. “It’s not far. I’ll pick one up for her tomorrow.”
I sighed. We didn’t really have a choice, so I nodded. “You want to follow me to Posey’s?”
“Yeah,” Silas said. “We’ll sort everything out while we’re there.”
After buckling Nova into the back seat of my car, we took off for Posey’s. I had no idea what her future was going to bring, but I was determined to help however I could.
* * *
Shutter
“No!” Nova screamed. “I don’t want you to go.”
She was currently wrapped around my leg and I was glaring at Catalina, pleading for help. Cat, on the other hand, was biting back a grin.
“Nova, I have to go,” I said, for the sixth time.
“No!” she continued to scream.
“Enough,” I growled, perhaps a little harsher than I should have, and Nova blinked up at me, her lower lip shaking as she tried to sniff her tears away.
“Silas,” Catalina admonished, flopping her butt on the floor beside Nova. “Come here, baby.”
Nova finally extricated herself from my leg and fell into Catalina’s arms, crying again, but this time quieter.
I felt like an ass.
Hell, I was an ass, but I needed to figure out what the fuck was going on.
“Here, Mr. Diggles needs a hug,” Catalina crooned, wrapping both Nova and the pig in a gentle hug.
Nova snuggled closer to Catalina, her thumb in her mouth as she sniffed in an effort to get her tears under control. Catalina smoothed her hair away from her wet cheeks. “Are you okay to sit with Posey for a little bit? I need to talk to Uncle Shutter for a minute.”
Nova glanced warily at me and I sighed. “Stay with Posey for just a little while, okay?”
She nodded, looking away and climbing out of Catalina’s lap. Posey took a seat on the sofa, pulling Nova up next to her and pulling her close.
Catalina stood, walking over to me and grabbing my arm with a grip that could bring down a smaller man, tugging me toward the kitchen.
“You wanna ease up there, Attila?” I retorted.
“When you learn how not to be an asshole, I’ll think about it,” she hissed, releasing me.
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Too bad.” She crossed her arms. “That little girl just lost her mother, and she doesn’t yet know that she’s never coming back. You are the only consistent person in her life—”
“I’m not her father.”
She threw her arms in the air. “Sometimes, you are so fucking clueless, I want to bash your head in.”
“Jesus, Cat, I don’t have time for this,” I repeated.
She waved her hands in a shoo motion. “Go, then.”
“Why do I feel like this is a trap?”
She dropped her face in her hands and groaned.
“Baby, I need you to talk to me, because I need to go.”
She pulled her face out of her hands and took a deep breath. “I understand that you aren’t Nova’s father. I understand that you have no obligation to that little girl, who just lost her mother. I understand that you’re a giant, bullheaded biker who’s going to haul his macho ass onto the back of his bike and go find out what happened to this poor woman.” She jabbed her finger into my chest. “What you need to understand is that she’s six. She’s scared and confused. And she loves you like a daughter would love a father because you are the only man she’s known for more than five minutes. You need to honor that, Silas. You need to protect her heart.”
Her eyes filled with tears and it almost broke me. Catalina had lost her father and grandparents when she was ten in a traffic accident. Her father had been drunk and he’d crossed the median of the freeway, slamming into a semi. Her mother died a while ago from breast cancer, so she and her brother, Shadow, were true orphans.
Of course this would hit her hard. I pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sorry, Cat. I know this hits close to home.”
She hugged me quickly, then pulled away. I took what I could get with her, considering she was a closed book. At least to me. We were friends, best friends, but that was it. I had never been able to get to anything deeper with her.
“I need to go,” I repeated, and she nodded.
“Text me when you know anything.”
“I will,” I promised, and headed out to my bike, my thoughts filled with all things Catalina Grant.
Two years ago…
“No, Mel, absolutely not,” I heard Catalina hiss into her phone.
It was family night with the club, and Cat had disappeared. I grabbed a glass of wine and went searching for her, finding her hiding in the bunk room, apparently talking to her best friend.
“I do not, and I repeat, do not want to meet your ‘very nice’ friend who ‘is better looking’ the longer you know him.”
I bit back a grin as she used her left hand to make quote marks as she growled at her friend.
“Yes, I would love to come to game night, but no… No, Mel, please, honey. Don’t do this.” She suddenly noticed I was watching her and jumped slightly.
“Sorry,” I mouthed.
“Mel, I gotta go. I’ll call you later.”
She hung up and slid her phone into her jeans pocket. Jesus, she was pretty. Full-figured, her long blonde hair piled on top of her head and she was currently wearing a pair of fuck me secretary glasses with black rims.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey.” I handed her a glass of wine and she grinned, taking it from me.
“Thanks.”
I gave her a chin lift. “So what’s Melonie trying to rope you into now?”
She rolled her pretty blue eyes. “She has a guy she wants me to ‘meet.’ He’s nice but ugly apparently, and of course she’s already set it up so that I can’t get out of it.”
“How did she do that?”
“You know our game night we have every third Friday of the month?”
I nodded. It almost always fell the night before a family get together at the club except this week, they’d postponed until next Friday.
“He’s going to be there, so if I don’t come, they’ll be down a player and Pictionary just ‘doesn’t work with an uneven number of players,’” she said using air quotes again.
“Bullshit.”
She wrinkled her nose and nodded. “Our whole crew’s gonna be there. She doesn’t need me.”
“Well, you can’t bail on her,” I said.
Cat sighed. “I know. I just wish she wouldn’t do this shit, you know?”
I grinned. “Want back up?”
She bit her lip. “Meaning, you?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh my god, seriously?” she squeaked. “You’d do that for me?”
“You’re my friend, Cat, I’d do anything for you.”
“My brother’s your friend, would you do that for him?”
“You’ve got a nicer rack, so, no.”
She snorted. “I’m not sure that’s necessarily true, but if you go to game night with me, and beat that bitch Justine at Pictionary, I’ll do your laundry for a month.”
I laughed. “Jesus, woman, I was gonna do it for free, but if you wanna scrub my drawers, I’ll let you.”
Cat grinned, closing the distance between us, and kissing my cheek. “You seriously are the bestest best friend in all the world.”
I forced my dick to stand down and followed her back to the party, realizing at that exact second, I would do anything to make her happy. Now I just had to figure out how to get past best friend to more. Much more.
I smiled at the memory. We’d cleaned up game night, so much so, ‘that bitch Justine’ was
apparently much nicer to Cat going forward, losing her ‘bitch’ status relatively quickly. I liked to think I had a hand in that as I pulled up to Darlene’s apartment.
Parking around the corner, I focused on the task at hand, taking in my surroundings and making sure I couldn’t be seen. I stayed out of sight and didn’t have to wait long for the official vehicles to clear out. Once the area was deserted, I made my way inside.
CHAPTER THREE
Catalina
I WIPED AWAY my tears and took a deep breath, pasting on a happy smile and walking back into the living room.
“She’s asleep,” Posey whispered, holding Nova close.
“Want me to carry her to bed?” I asked.
Posey shook her head, holding Nova tighter and standing. “I’ve got her.”
I followed her down the hall and into the guest bedroom situated on the first floor. My brother and sister-in-law’s home was large with three bedrooms and a master upstairs, plus a guest room, office, downstairs. My brother had been very vocal about filling those rooms with kids.
I pulled the comforter back and Posey settled Nova gently on the mattress. Making sure Mr. Diggles was tucked up close, I wrapped the bedding around her and stroked her cheek. She was so tiny and had absolutely no one to champion her. I decided right then and there I would be her person. If Silas was intent on keeping his distance, I’d love her more. No one should ever be alone. Especially, not a sweet little girl.
“Do you want some wine?” Posey whispered, and I took my focus off Nova, and nodded.
Leaving the door cracked slightly, I followed Posey back to the kitchen. Her phone buzzed on the counter and she smiled as she answered. “Hi, honey. Yep. Yeah, she’s asleep. I’m going to get your sister liquored up.” She sighed and poured me a glass of wine. “No, but I’m going to make sure she drinks enough for me as well.” I smiled. Posey was currently pregnant, so I was happy to take her share. “Definitely,” Posey continued. “Do you have any updates?” She met my eyes and shook her head.
I sat at their kitchen island and settled my chin in my hand as Posey finished her conversation with my brother.
“I know. Yes, honey, we’re good. Okay, love you.” She smiled. “Yes. Yep. Okay, I’m hanging up now.” She blushed and dropped her head. “Absolutely. Okay, bye.”
Revealing the Biker's Destiny (Dogs of Fire: Savannah Chapter Book 9) Page 2