by Debra Kayn
She needed to put everything in order of importance. "You're close with the men in your club."
He stilled. "When I lost my memories, and the Alpha Bio Project programmed the emotions out of me, I had no awareness of anything. But when the changes happened, I became acutely aware my MC brothers had always been at my side. They'd also gone through the same shit I'd lived through, and that makes them the closest thing I have in this fucked-up world. It's also the only time I've had others show loyalty to me."
She continued holding him, struck speechless by how jealous she found herself. He claimed to be new to dealing with the feelings he'd regained, and she'd seen the struggle when he dealt with her, but he seemed to have a good grasp on how he felt about the motorcycle club.
He put loyalty first in his life. She wondered if he included her or reserved the emotion for those who had more in common with him. And if they would always come before her.
Keenan's upper chest hardened. She raised her head, alerted to something wrong.
He moved her off him and stood, going to the window. She scooted to the edge of the couch. He'd thrown her worry about being last in his life in her face.
"We've got company." He let the curtain fall back into place and stepped toward the door. "I'll be back in a few."
"Wait." She stood. "You don't know if it's dangerous. You could get hurt."
He cocked his head. She shook her head in frustration. Would he always go headfirst into trouble?
She wanted him safe. If something were to happen, it would destroy her.
He thought of himself as invincible. A trained killer. If he wouldn't take care of himself, she'd make him see that she needed him.
"If they do something to you, what is going to stop them from coming in here and finding me?" she asked.
He frowned. "I can take care of you."
With that declaration, Keenan walked out the door. Several seconds later, a low rumble grew louder, vibrating the floor beneath her feet. She balled her fists at her sides. He'd gone outside to meet bikers from his club.
Of course, he would.
Yet, he wouldn't take two seconds to put his safety first.
She went into the kitchen and filled the sink with soapy water and set to cleaning the dirty dishes from their dinner. As she kept herself busy, her anger grew.
He was a stubborn man. An egotistical man. And completely stupid for taking a chance of going outside to meet God knew who, without any care that he could get hurt.
She bowed her head and closed her eyes. What if the men from the project tried to take him back?
She'd lose him.
The door opened, and heavy boots thunked across the floor. She straightened, wiped her cheek on her shoulder, and went back to cleaning the last plate.
"Grace?"
She rinsed her hands and turned off the faucet. Scared of what he'd have to tell her, she refused to turn around and face him.
"I need to take off."
She sighed, accepting that he would never change. His club came first.
Arms came around her, and Keenan kissed her neck. "You'll be safe. I'll lock you inside."
She clenched her teeth to keep her chin from trembling. There was nothing she could do to change his mind, and his determination to help his club would only start an argument.
"I'll be home later." He kissed her neck again and swatted her ass. "I'll wake you up when I come in."
Her heart pounded in dread. The shutting of the back door left her cold. The sliding of the padlock through the lock and clicking in place broke her heart.
There was nothing to do but wait.
Chapter Thirty One
All the originals surrounded the table in the meeting room of the clubhouse. Keenan took in the condition of each of them, knowing he had a year of recovery behind him, and the others were only beginning the journey.
Trip and Speeder were the last to show up after returning from their stay in the cabin.
He caught Speeder's gaze. Two people involved in the Alpha Bio Project were missing from the meeting.
"Where are Laurel and Trina?" he asked.
Speeder brought his hands out from under the table and set his fists on the surface. "They're both at home now. I took them there before I headed here."
"How the hell did the AB Project get their hands on them?" asked Priest.
"Laurel's my girl." Speeder rubbed his hand over his face. "I knew her before I participated in the project." He glanced at Trip, then the others. "The switch wasn't as hard on us as it was the rest of you. We were lost to each other. The project brought us back together."
"How's Trina?" asked Keenan. "She wasn't experiencing any changes when I brought her up to the cabin."
"She's scared." Speeder's mouth tightened to a thin line. "She remembers what they've done to her and her past. Now, she's afraid someone will take her from me and force her back into her old life."
Keenan leaned back in the chair. "If her mom's dead. Her worries will go away. You're the only relative she has left."
Speeder met his gaze. "She's not mine."
"Huh?" He sat straighter.
"She was raised in foster care. From what I can figure out, the project implanted her into my life. I've never been with another woman. I've been with Laurel since I was young. Trina can't be my daughter."
"This is all news to me." Prez tapped the table. "Is Trina enhanced?"
"No," answered Speeder.
"What are you going to do now? She ain't your kid. There's not blood relationship between you." Hank's leg bounced underneath the table.
Keenan growled, pinning all the attention on Hank. "You touch her, and we'll all take turns killing you."
Pain crossed Hank's face, and he nodded. Keenan felt the other's studying him. They were unaware of Hank's past. A fact that would be shared with them all soon. As a club, they'd vote on whether they would keep Hank in the club or send him out. But now was not the time.
"I won't let them take Trina away from me. She's not my blood, but she's my fucking daughter. I've had her for the last three years. I'd kill anyone who even tries to take her from me." Speeder's nostrils flared. "She wants to stay with us."
Keenan looked at Trip. "What about Bonnie and the boys?"
"I checked in at the house tonight. The boys were asleep, and Bonnie's waiting for me to return." Trip's gaze softened and then grew pained. "She doesn't know what kind of man I am."
"There's no need to tell her shit." Prez banged the table with his fist. "We've all got a past. Let's keep them dead and buried."
Trip shook his head, regretting his past. Each of the men at the table struggled with who they were and what they'd become. They understood how dangerous having more knowledge of what they are capable of doing as an enhanced male as they went forth in life.
Keenan's hands shook. His past would always live inside of him. Born an addict, he'd die an addict. All he could do was try and stay clean.
He had a lot of reasons why he wanted to refrain from using. Grace was the number one priority in his life. She needed him, and he wanted to be the man she could depend on to love her.
Fuck.
He loved her.
Having never received love or given it, he was probably screwing everything up. He'd seen the upset in her eyes when he'd left the house earlier.
He had a lot to learn. He only hoped she could teach him.
"Johnny?" asked Prez. "Are you going to continue wearing the patch?"
Johnny stared at the president until tears rolled down his cheeks. He gruffly wiped the wetness away with his forearm and nodded. "I'm going to try."
The air inside the room thickened. They were all battling their past. While the secrets were enough to drive a wedge between them, they held on to what they all had in common. The club.
He had no idea what their future looked like, but it felt good to have these men beside him again.
"As far as I can see, we've got two options on how we're going t
o deal with those in control of the Alpha Bio Project." Prez raised one hand. "We dig out the cave and see what we can find that will help us discover if the project is over and done with."
"What's the other option?" asked Johnny.
"Like Trip warned us months ago, we tighten down security around the club and prepare to defend against anything that comes our way." Prez looked around the table. "Either way, we're done. I'll never let anyone control all aspects of my life again."
Several minutes passed, each of them going over the choices. Keenan had his own opinion. For him, he'd rather strengthen security, and if those in control of the Alpha Bio Project come after them, he'd start a fucking war.
"Everyone should know Grace was brought here by those controlling the project." He exhaled harshly. "Someone hired her, using my name—the name they gave me, to come to Avery Falls. We still haven't figured out why they'd involve Grace."
"They brought Laurel to me," said Speeder.
"You knew her in the past. I didn't know Grace. I hadn't met her until she found me at the cabin." Keenan shifted in the chair. "If there's any danger still around, I can't send her out there. She wouldn't stand a chance against them. Hell, none of us stood a chance."
"We haven't seen anyone since the implosion," said Johnny.
Keenan held up his finger. "You forget about Four. He broke into the house and attacked Grace. He would've killed her if I hadn't arrived home at that moment."
Speeder crossed his arms over his chest. "Okay, but who else was in the cave at that time? The controller. Two handlers. There were three men in cells—"
"No. There was only Four. The other two got switched—but I suspect they were killed. Their training was rushed. They weren't ready for their freedom yet," said Priest.
"That leaves the controller and the handlers," murmured Keenan.
Three men against the Avery Falls Motorcycle Club. They had the numbers to defend themselves. Now that they were all weaned off the drugs and had regained their memories and ability to think for themselves, they could act as one against them.
"Let's put it to vote." Prez sprawled his hand on the table. "Everyone who wants to dig out the cave, say aye."
Keenan looked around the table. Each man remained quiet.
Prez nodded and continued. "Everyone who wants to put more security around the club and prepare in case we go to war, say aye?"
"Aye."
"Aye."
"Aye."
"Aye."
"Aye." Keenan checked his watch. He needed to get home.
Prez slapped the table. "Vote counted. We prepare. Trip, since you initiated this from the start, I'm going to put you in charge of heightening security. Get a crew together and come up with a plan. The rest of you, we need men out running the town. Take those that have their head screwed on straight and set up a schedule. I'll stay back until each of our brothers can forget about the past—even if I must retrain them myself. Whatever we fucking do, make sure we watch what we say and do out in public. We need to act like we did before the switch. If any of them can't handle being around others yet, put them on a work crew here. We need to get Avery Falls back in shape before we lose the fucking town." Prez stood. "Meeting adjourned."
"Everyone, hang on." Keenan scooted the chair back and stood. "Law enforcement is investigating the disappearance of Grace Lambert. The only way to get the heat off my back is for Grace to contact her sister and convince her she's staying with me voluntarily. I don't want to risk doing it over the phone and have the cops show back up in Avery Falls, ready to haul my ass to prison. I'll be taking Grace to Oregon on Friday. If everything goes smoothly, I'll be back on Sunday, if not sooner."
Prez exhaled harshly. "Bad time to leave."
"I have no other choice. I need the cops off my back. Grace's sister is the only family she has. She's not going to settle here with me if things aren't right with her sister." He looked at Trip, being the only one of them who'd had a woman for two years. "I won't lose her."
"I'll take over your jobs," said Trip.
"'Preciate it, man." He bumped knuckles with Trip. "I'm going to get out of here. There's a lot to do in two days. We'll be taking my Harley. I don't want to chance letting Grace take her Jeep when every motherfucker is looking for it."
"Wait, brother. I need an hour from you." Prez motioned him over. "I want you to talk to the others and gauge their response. I need a headcount on those we need to keep an eye on."
His muscles tensed. Asking questions and testing seemed a lot like training. The men weren't going to like having to answer. Not when they've recently gained their freedom from the project.
Going to do Prez's bidding, Keenan hoped he was doing the right thing when it came to Grace. Her attitude swung wildly both ways when the topic of her sister came up. If he could get the two women together and have the missing person report removed off Grace, there would be no stopping her from living with him.
Chapter Thirty Two
"Keenan!"
Grace sat up on the couch and held her breath, listening to the silence in the house. After several seconds, she rubbed her eyes. She could've sworn someone called Keenan's name.
She got up from the couch and walked to the bathroom. Using the toilet, she yawned. She must've fallen asleep soon after Keenan had left the house.
Stress was getting to her. She usually stayed wide awake while he was gone, afraid someone would break into the house and hurt her again.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
She yelped, quickly getting up from the toilet and washing her hands. Not once since staying here had anyone knocked on the door.
As she ran into the front room, hope filled her that someone would finally find her. She peeked out the window at the same time a female voice yelled Keenan's name.
She dropped the curtain and ducked underneath the window. Why would a woman visit him in the middle of the night? She pursed her lips. Oh, no. No. No. No. That part of his life was over. She wasn't going to share him.
Her pulse accelerated. Keenan should've been back by now.
"Come on, Keenan. I know you're awake. Your lights are on." The woman outside paused. "There's a woman with me who needs your help."
Two women? Grace stood back up and peered out the window. A dark-colored car and truck were parked on the street, but she couldn't see who was at the door through the darkness.
"Keenan?" Bang. Bang. Bang. "I have a woman with me who is looking for her sister, and you're the only club member who is around who can help her."
Sister? Grace cried out, shoving the curtain to the side. She banged on the window while trying to undo the sliding lock, knowing it was Amelia. It had to be her sister.
"Please. Don't leave. I'm here. I'm Grace." Her fingernail broke as the window refused to budge. "Amelia? Are you here?"
Two women walked into view. One of them was as familiar to her as looking in a mirror. She sobbed, pressing her hand against the glass.
It was her sister. Her sister was here.
Amelia cried her name, rushing to the window, trying to undo the screen from the track. Grace held up her hands.
Sobs bubbled out of her in relief. "Wait. It's locked."
"Open the front door," yelled Amelia.
"I can't." She groaned. Her sister wouldn't understand why. "I can't get out."
Amelia turned away and then ducked underneath the window. When she straightened, she held a rock the size of a cantaloupe.
"Stand back." Amelia raised the stone to her shoulder as if she was doing the shot put in the Olympics.
"Oh, God." She laughed, more manic than amused.
Keenan was going to flip. She'd already busted one of his windows in the bedroom.
The rock landed on the window, instantly shattering the glass. Amelia appeared at the window, having already picked up a smaller rock and started breaking the shards out of the frame.
"Oh, my God, you're here."
"I've been looking everywhere." Her sister reach
ed for the last piece of glass and ripped it out with her hand.
Grace leaned out the window and hugged Amelia. "I've wanted to call you. I was going to call you. I tried everything—"
"I thought you had fallen off a cliff or a bear got you. I've been so scared, trying to contact anyone who could help me." Amelia sniffled, leaning back to look at her and then grabbing for her again. "Are you okay? I need to see you. Open the door, sis."
"I can't." She sagged against her sister. "The door is locked on the outside."
"The outside? Why the outside?" said Amelia.
"There's a padlock. It's locked." The other woman came back to the window. "Why are you locked inside Keenan's house?"
She held on to her sister, willing to protect her from everyone. "Who are you?"
"A friend of Keenan's. Why are you locked in his house?"
She wasn't going to explain the situation to anyone but Amelia. If the woman was a friend of Keenan's, then where was she the last several weeks? How had she not seen or heard about her before?
"Not to be rude, but I only want to talk to my sister." She looked at Amelia. "Is that your car out on the street?"
Amelia nodded and held up her phone. "I'm going to call the police."
"Wait." The other women grabbed Amelia's arm.
Grace lunged through the window, hanging from her hips on the frame to grab her sister away from the woman. "Don't touch her."
"I'm not going to hurt her." The woman raised her hands. "My name's J.J. and I live in Avery Falls. I'll help you, but you can't call the police. Let me talk to Keenan first and see what is going on."
Amelia pointed. "You can see what is going on. He kidnapped my sister!"
"Please." J.J. pressed two fingers to her temple. "Let me think of what we can do."
"You don't have to do anything. Keenan didn't kidnap me the way you think." She wrinkled her nose, knowing how insane she sounded. "I just want to talk to my sister. I can tell you what happened."
Knowing there was no way to calm her sister down, she grabbed Amelia and pulled her closer. Then, she cupped her palm on her sister's face. "I'm okay. I promise."