by J. L. Leslie
I take that as my cue. I stand from her sofa and leave her apartment without a word. Lloyd is waiting just down the hall, right where I told him to be. I give him the go-ahead to go back inside.
I’m halfway down one flight of stairs when I hear my name. The way she says it, the way it rolls off her tongue, stops me dead in my tracks. I wait on her to catch up to me. She’s barefoot, her polished toenails catching my eye.
“You’re leaving.”
It’s not a question, but a statement, and she doesn’t sound all that happy about it. Instead of telling her the phone call pissed me off, I lie.
“I have some work to do.”
Her gaze waivers as she bites her bottom lip. She knows I’m full of shit. Hell, I know I’m full of shit. Thank fuck she doesn’t call me out on it.
She rises on her tiptoes and brushes her lips over mine. Her kiss is soft and fleeting. “I’ll see you later then.”
She bounds back up the steps, her bun thing bouncing as she walks. I stare after her, wishing I hadn’t bolted. I’m a fucking idiot.
Chapter Thirteen
~Griffin~
I look over the deed for Lancaster Farms. I know the name won’t lead me anywhere. I’m more interested in the layout of the property. Raiden points to a section that overlooks the cabin.
“This is the best vantage point,” she explains. “Still, it’s dangerous to come and go from the property now that they’re settled. They’ll be on alert.”
“I have some guys on the inside, but it’s going to be difficult for them to get word to me now that they’re in Verdana.” She nods. “Do you think I made a mistake bringing Katy here?”
I know Raiden won’t give me a bullshit answer. After what we had, what we went through in that warehouse with Cal Harrelson, she won’t bullshit me.
“I think you didn’t know what danger you were bringing her to, so you didn’t knowingly put her in it.”
“In other words, yes, I made a mistake,” I sigh.
“You didn’t know. Griffin, you are not a bad man. You have a goodness about you that doesn’t allow you to purposely hurt others,” she smiles. “Even if you sometimes use innocent people for bait.”
I roll my eyes. “Lincoln has forgiven me for that. We’re practically best friends now, you know?”
“I don’t doubt it,” she laughs, then points to the deed. “Is that my copy?”
Of course, she knows I made one for her. I fold it and hand it to her. So far, the Sinners haven’t ventured into town, but it’s only a matter of time until they do. They probably know now that the guy they sent isn’t coming home. They’ll want retribution for him too.
“I want you to be happy, Griffin.” Raiden’s comment catches me off guard. “Taking all this on, the outcome, it may not make you happy.”
I don’t know how to respond to her. I know the smile I give her is weak as she exits my office. She’s probably right. The outcome won’t be good. Not in a war like this. There’s bound to be casualties. Bound to be blood. I don’t know how to fight in this type of battle. I sure as hell don’t know how to win one.
~Katy~
I wait patiently on the hot dog vendor, ignoring the fact that Lloyd stands less than a foot behind me. I assured him I could take my lunch break alone, but he refused to let me walk around the corner to the vendor.
He has stayed on my sofa the past three nights. This whole bodyguard thing is really starting to annoy the piss out of me.
I grab my hot dog, fully loaded with all the fixings, and turn, nearly colliding with Lloyd. He mumbles an apology and steps to the side so that I can find a seat at one of the nearby picnic tables.
“I really need some space, Lloyd,” I tell him, proud of myself for not calling him Lurch any over the past few days.
“I’ll sit with her,” Griffin assures him, surprising me with his presence.
Lloyd crosses his arms defiantly until I assure him that it’s fine. Griffin arches his eyebrows as he sits down across from me.
“What’s with the babysitter?” he smirks.
“Apparently, I need protection,” I roll my eyes. I know I sound bitter, but I can’t help it.
I’ve been moved from one prison to another. This wasn’t what I expected when I came to Verdana. I thought I was getting the chance to start over…again. I don’t know how many chances I’m supposed to get in this lifestyle, but living like this isn’t starting over.
“You’re at a hot dog stand,” Griffin muses.
“On my lunch break.”
Griffin looks over to Lloyd, who has decided to get a hot dog for himself. “We can ditch him.”
I turn around and see that Lloyd’s back is to us. If I were going to ditch him, even for a short period of time, now would be my opportunity. I look back to Griffin, and he’s grinning. I take my hot dog and quickly stand, taking his hand and following him away from the vendor and around the corner.
We don’t go far, just far enough to get away and for me to feel as though I no longer have a babysitter. I eat while we walk, finishing off my hot dog in just a few bites.
“How are you enjoying your job?” Griffin asks.
“It’s good. I feel good when I’m working. Like I’m doing something on my own, and I like that,” I answer.
“You could go to school or something. I mean, if you wanted to. Mack took away a lot of your life. You can still get it back.”
“I haven’t thought about that. I still think about the girl I left behind. My parents…” I let my voice trail.
“You can become whoever you want to now, Katy,” he tells me, stopping to face me. “That life you used to lead doesn’t hold any power over you any longer. As for your parents, it’s probably best that you let them go like Sully did.”
I open my mouth to tell him that I don’t know that I’m ready to give up on them when he stops my words with a kiss. I close my eyes for a brief moment, but then push against his chest.
“We shouldn’t,” I whisper against his mouth.
“We should,” he urges, touching his lips to mine again.
My head spins, lost between what is right and wrong. Who I want and don’t want. Who I am and who I’m not. His lips caress over mine, his hands pulling me close. I stop him again, shaking my head.
“I can’t. I’m sorry, Griffin, I can’t do this right now.”
I see the muscles in his jaw clench, but he says nothing. He doesn’t try to convince me that I should. That we can do this. That he wants us to try.
He misses his moment. Lloyd finds us, and he’s pissed that I skipped out on him. Together, the three of us walk back to the vendor. No words are said. Only silence. Then, Griffin goes in one direction, and I go the other.
Chapter Fourteen
~Katy~
Ditching Lloyd was a stupid idea. Very stupid. He’s been up my ass all day now. I can barely breathe. Even when I’ve gone to the bathroom, he came inside and waited by the stall. Awkward.
When we walk into my apartment, I storm off to my bedroom and slam the door. He knows I’m pissed. I know he doesn’t care. I much preferred him when he was lurking Lurch. Quiet and in the background.
I snatch my book off the bedside table and do my best to get lost in the ups and downs of Phineas and Gene’s friendship rather than focus on my shitty day. I ignore Mack’s handwriting and enjoy the story. It was always one of my favorites. Lloyd can sit out in my living room and take over my apartment like he’s taken over my job.
I read until my eyes get heavy, and when I come to, the book is lying on my chest. I put my bookmark in place and lay it back on my bedside table. I grab a change of clothes and decide my anger has subsided enough for me to take a shower.
When I emerge, my television is on. I call out to Lloyd and let him know that I’m showering so that he doesn’t attempt to come into the bathroom. I lock the door anyway.
Like every night this week, I don’t linger in the shower. If Lloyd weren’t here, I would take my time. I might
even soak in the tub with my book. But he’s here. He’s here, and he reminds me that I’m still not free.
I feel as though I’m right back in the basement at the Sinners’ clubhouse. I’m anxiously waiting for Spencer to bring me my food and water. To clean my wounds. I feel like I’m still a prisoner.
I haven’t thought about those days in depth for a long time. The therapist I worked with truly helped me get past the anxiety I would feel just being in a closed room. Just being in the dark.
The basement actually became a place I wanted to be. If I was there, I couldn’t see what Mack and the other Sinners were doing. I couldn’t be a witness to the destruction they were causing. I could hide.
I pull my panties on and tug my t-shirt on over my head. I reach for my shorts and mumble a curse when I realize that I didn’t grab any.
I open the bathroom door, and the first thing I notice is that my apartment is quiet. Eerily quiet. I stand in the bathroom doorway and listen. My television is turned off. I don’t hear Lloyd rummaging around in my kitchen. I don’t hear anything.
I tiptoe down the hallway, and he’s gone. Lloyd isn’t sitting on my sofa. He’s not at my fridge. The keys to the truck he’s been driving me in are on my counter. I swallow, dread filling the pit of my stomach.
Without another thought, I grab them and my phone. The pavement is rough on my bare feet as I hurry to the vehicle. I only glance back once before I climb inside. No one. I see no one.
I dial Sully while I drive to the Ravens clubhouse. I can hear old rock music in the background when she answers, and I know she’s still at Leon’s shop despite it being closed.
“He’s gone!” Damn, I’m trying not to panic, but I can hear it in my voice. “Lloyd is gone!”
“Katy, slow down. He’s been on your detail for days. I’m sure it’s just time for him to swap out with someone else.”
“No, he was there when I got in the shower and gone when I got out! Someone was at my apartment! He wouldn’t have left me! He treasures his balls!”
“Where are you now?” she questions, not telling me how ridiculous I sound.
“I’m going to the clubhouse.”
“I’ll call Dax and meet you there.”
~Kane~
I knock Ashley’s hands away from my sides and line up my shot. I hear her whimper, but I ignore her. She’s high as a fucking kite, and it pains me to admit I’m jealous. I miss that feeling. Miss that high. Especially when it was always my escape when I was pissed.
I know Katy skipped out on Lloyd earlier, and I know who it was with. I also know he caught them kissing. I have no fucking clue why that bothers me. I haven’t even fucked her yet. Even when we do fuck, that’ll be all it is. It won’t mean anything. If she wants Griffin, he can have her.
Still, knowing she put herself in danger to suck face with that asshole pisses me off. When I’m pissed, I want to get fucked up. I can’t though. I’ve been clean for four months. It’s the longest I’ve ever stayed clean. I can’t keep promising Brandy I’ll get clean and then relapse. Eli deserves better. The longer I stay away from that shit, the easier it gets.
“Kane!” Dax yells, coming into the main room. “Get a team together and go look for Lloyd.”
Lloyd? I don’t question him as I point to three men, including Lincoln, and instruct them to gather some gear. I keep my shit together, not losing it when he starts giving me details.
“Sully called and said he’s missing from Katy’s apartment. No trace of him. The girl is on her way here.”
Fuck. I know that means the Sinners were at her place. They know where she lives. Now, they’re just toying with her. Toying with us. They’ve officially made the first move.
The three men I’m taking with me come to my side, waiting on instructions. “We’ll go to the apartment first. See if we can find any clues as to where he’s been taken. Then, we’ll search the area. If they want him to be found, they’ll send a message. Watch your backs.”
Once outside, I take the lead, climbing on my bike and firing it up first. As I’m pulling out, I see Katy getting out of the truck Lloyd had been driving. She’s only in a t-shirt and panties, and damn it, she’s barefoot. She stumbles inside as though she’s in shock.
Son of a bitch!
I fight the urge to turn around and check on her. I have a job to do, and I can’t play nice guy right now. I’m not even sure I know how to do that. The fact that I even want to is foreign to me.
I tell myself to focus. The task is finding Lloyd. Not consoling a broken woman.
The apartment door is open when we arrive, but nothing appears to be out of place. Perhaps Katy left it open in her haste to leave. I instruct Moses to check everything. Look for any sign of a bug. Shane starts checking the building, asking the tenants if they saw anything. Lincoln and I begin doing an assessment of the parking lot and everywhere in between.
It’s amazing how a six-foot-tall motherfucker can up and disappear without a trace. No sign of a struggle. No witnesses. It’s a gated apartment building, yet somehow they got in.
“There’s nothing here,” Lincoln says. “They’re fucking with us.”
“Yep. They’ll deliver him when they’re good and damn ready to,” I agree, then add, “And it’ll probably be in fucking pieces.”
We do a full sweep on the building and for good measure, check the surrounding area. We won’t return to the clubhouse without being thorough. Dax won’t tolerate a half-ass job. No luck though. If they wanted to make a mockery of him in town tonight, they decided against it.
Good decision on their part. Taking him was stupid enough.
Chapter Fifteen
~Katy~
I burrow down further into the blanket, resting my back against the wall. I’m not necessarily cold, but the blanket is comfortable. It’s better than being inside the clubhouse.
The diner has come a long way since Kane brought me here. The once bare frame now has walls. The light from the small flashlight I have flickers off of them.
I clutch the gun Sully gave me and let out a soft laugh. When I told her I was coming here to clear my head, she told me to take it with me. It never occurred to her that I don’t know how to use it. I was too ecstatic to be alone, away from everyone, that I accepted it without a word.
I put it down on the floor beside me and wrap the blanket tight around me. It’s thick and soft, allowing me to shut out everything. Making me believe for a little while that Lloyd is okay and that no one came into my home. No one has found me. Not yet.
I close my eyes, but startle when I hear footsteps. I snatch up the gun and, though I don’t know how to use it, I aim it at the open doorframe.
Kane steps through the opening and arches his eyebrow at me. “You planning on shooting me?”
I lower the gun to the floor, and despite not wanting to cry in front of him, a sob escapes my lips. “Is he okay?”
When he doesn’t answer, I believe the worst. I quickly wipe away the tears rolling down my cheeks. He comes to me, and I crawl into his lap, not caring that I’m still only dressed in a t-shirt and panties. Sully planned to give me jeans, but got distracted with everything. I don’t blame her. Lloyd missing is a big deal, even if he’s only a prospect.
“We haven’t found him,” he finally tells me, stroking his hand over my back. He stops for a moment, but only to pull the blanket around my shoulders.
“It’ll be a couple of days. They like to keep them for a bit. When they do let him go, he’ll be found in a public place,” I shudder, remembering how the Sinners work. “And it won’t be pretty. This is my fault.”
Kane shifts me around until my legs straddle his sides and I face him. “It’s not your fault, Katy. These people are coming after us, not just you. They’ll do whatever they have to do to send us a message.”
“You wouldn’t even be on their radar if it weren’t for me,” I argue. “I’m putting everybody in danger, and now Lloyd is going to be strung up somewhere like a damn pi
ñata.”
He nods, pursing his lips. “If that’s true, then why did you skip out on him earlier?” I can hear the anger in his voice and I move to get off his lap, but he holds me in place. “He could’ve been taken then. You could have been taken. I suppose getting some fucking tongue action from your damn boyfriend was more important.”
“Do you want me to apologize, Kane?” I ask him, my voice holding just as much anger as his. “Do you want me to be sorry for wanting normalcy for five minutes? For not knowing if I want what Griffin’s offering or whatever the hell this is that you’re offering? Because what is it that you’re offering?”
Kane goes to shove me off his lap, but this time it’s me that refuses to move, locking my ankles together behind his back and my hands behind his neck. He growls, low and deep, and his hand goes to the back of my neck. His mouth covers mine, his kiss hungry and demanding.
I moan and melt against him. His calloused hands find my soft skin beneath my t-shirt, causing goosebumps to rise over my flesh as he brings the material up and over my head. I return the favor, divulging him of his shirt as well.
Our movements are frantic, rushed. I can’t slow them down and damn it, I don’t want to. If I slow down, I may convince myself that we shouldn’t do this. That a life with Griffin is the better choice. That Kane isn’t offering me anything long-term. That I deserve long-term.
I rock against him, feeling the friction between the cotton of my panties and the denim of his jeans. He reaches for the clasp of my bra while I go for his zipper. I close my hand around his cock just as his mouth closes over my nipple.
I stroke, he sucks. I sigh, he groans.
~Kane~
I toss Katy’s bra to the floor, managing to land it beside the gun she had no clue how to use. I tug her nipple inside my mouth, biting down on her hardened peak until she cries out. If she continues to pump my cock like she is, I’ll blow my fucking load in the palm of her hands.