by Erin Osborne
“I talked to Crash about that. He’s going to help us out. I’ve been thinkin’ about havin’ you talk to the club’s lawyer too. Maybe he can help you find out some information. And if he already knows what happened, he can begin to do whatever we need him to do when we find her,” I tell her, not sure of how she’s going to react to Crash knowing about this.
For a minute, there’s nothing coming from the other end of the phone. I can’t hear a single thing in the background or coming from her, so I look down at my screen to see that she didn’t hang up. Now, I’m getting worried that I’ve overstepped my bounds here. I feel a panic starting to seep into my body that I’m pushing her away and she’s not going to let anyone else in. Fuck!
“Are you sure Crash can help?” she finally asks, her voice small and unsure.
“Yeah. He’s got a military background and contacts that I don’t have access to. He’ll keep it quiet, I promise,” I tell her, needing her to trust in me enough to know I’d never bring someone else in unless I was sure they’d keep quiet.
“I’ll have to think about the lawyer. I get your point and why you think it’s a good idea, but I’m not sure if I want to open that can of worms yet. It’s not like I have any proof or anything like that,” she answers, her voice already starting to gain its strength back.
“There’s no pressure, Riley. We take this at your pace and in the direction you want to take it,” I tell her, not sure what exactly I’m talking about at this point.
“Okay. Well, I’m going to get off here and get some things done. I’m moving slow after the party the girls threw last night,” she says, and I imagine her sitting on her bed and getting ready to lay back.
“Alright. I’ll see you tomorrow. I’m goin’ to look at a house soon, just so you know. If not, I’ll figure somethin’ out until we can find you one,” I respond, sitting up so that I can look at the piece of paper with the information on it.
“Sounds good. Bye, Gage,” she says before hanging up the phone.
As soon as I hang up with Riley, I dial the number that Steel left me. A woman answers and I explain to her what I want to do. She agrees to meet me in a half hour so that I can see the house and we can talk about everything. So, I make my way out to the common room and have a beer with Steel and Tech. Steel tells me that he wants to go with me when I look at the house. We finish up and make our way to the house not far from the clubhouse. It’s about halfway between the clubhouse and the salon.
The little house sits on a decent size yard. From the front I see that it has a covered porch that’s perfect for sitting on in the evening. Walking up the steps and knocking on the front door, the woman that introduced herself as Melanie answers it. She leads us into the living room that’s bigger than I thought it would be. Off to the back of that is a half bathroom. Across the hall from the living room is the staircase. Walking toward the back of the house, I see a dining room leading into the kitchen. It’s big and has a lot of cupboard space. There’s stainless steel appliances that look brand new. Off the kitchen are sliding glass doors that open up to a patio and large yard. A portion of the yard is filled with a pool. The whole thing is perfect for get togethers and Shelby as she grows up.
Normally I don’t get excited about things, but I think this house is perfect for Riley. Now it’s time to get to work and buy this, without taking the normal length to close on a house. I’m willing to give Melanie cash for it and have her walk away. She’ll sign the deed over to me and no one, other than Steel, will ever know a thing. He’ll keep his mouth shut and won’t let Riley know what happened here today or why I bought this.
“So, why do you want to buy this house from me?” she asks, sitting down and getting right to the point.
“I have someone that hasn’t had a very good life up to this point. She’s tryin’ to start over and make somethin’ of herself for when her daughter comes home. My goal is to help her out and give her an easier time,” I tell Melanie honestly.
“Okay. I’m willing to sell you this house. Only because of the good your trying to do. Not everyone thinks your good men, but I see the good you do in the town. So, you pay me what you told me on the phone and it’s yours. Free and clear. I have the deed right here,” she tells me, picking up the deed for the house. “We’ll have to go to the bank and sign this in front of a notary. You want to follow me?”
“Yes ma’am. I can’t thank you enough for doin’ this for me,” I tell her, standing up and letting her lead the way back outside. “I’ll hand the money over once we get there, if that’s okay.”
Melanie nods her head and climbs in her car. The thing is a rust bucket and I hope that she uses some of the money I’m about to give her to buy a new one. But, I don’t know her situation and I can’t assume anything about her.
Riley
After hanging up the phone with Gage, I look around at my meager belongings. Dealing with a man like Sam, you learn never to take a lot with you. I moved around a lot after Keegan left town, leaving everything I couldn’t fit in my car behind. Once, I had a nice house filled with things. It may not have been a good life because I didn’t have a lot of friends and no family to speak of, but it was mine.
The only thing I can say now is that I don’t have to constantly look over my shoulder. Sam is dead and buried so he’ll never be a problem again. Knowing that Keegan is safe and building a life of her own, I can finally begin to rebuild mine and start over. So, I’m moving closer to Darcy and going to work for her. It’s time that I begin to put roots down and get out of the mindset about picking up and running every time things get hard or I feel that I’m in the way.
Meeting Gage has been a high point in my life. Even before the mess with Sam, I was shy and not outgoing. It was hard to meet people and forget about guys. If a guy was around, I’d hide and not say a word. That was never the case with Gage though. He never let me hide away from him. He could see shit I didn’t want anyone else to see. The stuff I hid from everyone around me since I’ve been at the Wild Kings clubhouse. If he thinks I’m going to far inside myself, he finds a way to pull me out. Even if it’s making me think that things are happening between us when in reality I don’t see that happening.
I’m not sure what’s going to happen once I move to Dander Falls, but for now I can hide from him. I never stay on the phone with him for very long because even then he can see through the line of shit I try to pull on him. While he doesn’t outright call me out on it, he does call me out on it in subtle ways. Especially when I try to veer the conversation in other directions. Within a few minutes, he’s directing the conversation right back to what I’m trying to hide from. I learned being evasive doesn’t work with him and now I’m trying to figure out other ways of hiding.
Today, I have no idea what he meant when he said we’d take this at my pace and in the direction I wanted it to go in. Is he talking about just finding Shelby? Is it more that he’s going to want from me? I don’t know and it’s driving me insane trying to figure it all out. I can try to put some distance between us, but he’ll probably blow that plan right out of the water too. I may not know much about the man that is inserting himself into my life, but I know that he’s someone I could easily fall for. Relationships and finding love aren’t part of my plan. I don’t believe in love and the happily ever after bullshit everyone tries to feed you. At least not for myself. Because I can clearly see it in the couples I’m surrounded by daily.
Knowing that my stuff isn’t going to pack itself, I stand up and begin to finish filling the boxes with what little bit of things I have left out. It’s doesn’t take me long to finish at all. Once I have the boxes filled, I stack them by the door so that it’s easy for the guys to load them into the small trailer in the morning. There’s maybe ten boxes of things I have to move with me tomorrow. And I don’t have any clue if the house Gage is looking at is furnished or not, but I hope it is.
As soon as I’m done, I soak in a hot bath. My muscles need it and I want some time alone without the thought
that someone is going to come knocking on my door before I go tomorrow. Keegan will be here soon enough to say her goodbyes and it’s going to be hard as hell. For now, I’ll take solace in the bathroom where no one will bother me. I’ve added lavender smelling bubble bath and I sink down until it’s up to my chin. I close my eyes and let my thoughts fill with the one thing that consumes me; my daughter. When I’m alone, I can let myself imagine her back in my arms and us growing and learning together. The laughter and memories we will make are what keeps me going when I truly want to do nothing more than give up.
I’m so relaxed that I begin to fall asleep and know that it’s time to get out of the tub. Pulling the plug, I get out and dry off before going to bed. I’ve never been one to sleep with clothes on and I am not going to start just because I’m here. My door locks and the men of this club, and visiting clubs, are very respectful and have left me alone. We have conversations, but that’s about it. I fall into bed and drift off to dream about Shelby. The same as every night.
Chapter Two
Riley
TODAY HAS BEEN A WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITY. The men got all my stuff loaded up in the trailer, Skylar came over with the kids, and now I’m saying goodbye to everyone here in Clifton Falls. Keegan is the last to show up and there’s already tears in her eyes. This is not going to be good. I’m going to miss her the most and I think that it’s going to be hard to only see her once in a blue moon. I’ll have to see what I can do to make sure that we are able to spend time together.
“Are you sure that this is what you have to do?” she asks, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“This is what I have to do Keegan. I can’t be here with all of you happy couples knowing that I have a baby out there that could be getting hurt or worse,” I tell her, tears filling my eyes for a couple of reasons. “We’ll still talk, and I’ll make trips to see you. You can come there to see me too.”
“It’s not the same though. I just got you back,” she says, letting the tears flow and blaming it on pregnancy hormones.
“I know. Trust me, this is hard as fuck on me too. But, you have Rage, the kids, and now a new little one to worry about. And I need this. You know what’s going on with me and what I’ve lost. This is what has to happen,” I tell her, pulling her in for a hug and not wanting to let her go.
“I hate to break this up, but we need to get on the road. Gage and a few others are going to be meetin’ us at the house,” Cage tells me, his arm wrapped firmly around Skylar.
I nod my head at him and give my sister from another mister a squeeze before letting her go. A tear-filled smile graces my face as I turn my back to everyone and leave the Clifton Falls clubhouse. I can’t stand to see everyone here and the watery smiles that grace the faces of the women I’ve come to consider good friends and the men that stand by them. They have their happily ever after. Even if it took some pain to get to that point in their life.
For me it’s something completely different. It’s the end of yet another chapter of my life and the beginning of something better. At least that’s my hope. That’s what I keep telling myself in making this huge move for me. Out of my comfort zone and away from everyone I know. Away from the one person that’s always had my back no matter what.
The ride to Dander Falls took less time than I anticipated. Skylar could tell that I didn’t really want to talk so she gave me space. I spent most of my time staring out the window and dreaming of the promises that Gage is filling my head with. He swears up and down that he’s going to find my daughter and do whatever he has to in order to bring her home. Where she belongs. Even though I don’t want to let hope that he’s right seep in, it still does. It fills me to the point that every now and then a genuine smile forms on my face and I can feel the walls I’ve built start to crumble.
In my past it’s done nothing but hurt me and I’ve lost the one thing that meant anything in this world to me. So, I will try to keep my mind on seeing the house I’ll be staying in, beginning work at the salon, and everything else that doesn’t even remotely remind me of Shelby or Gage’s hunt for her. I’ll continue to tamp down the rising hope and let the insecurities take over when they need to. It’s what I’ve been doing for years and it’s going to take time to stop that from continuing to happen.
Pulling up to the house, I see that Gage is already sitting there waiting for us to get here. He’s sitting on his bike and I let my gaze travel from his long legs up to his face. Gage looks so relaxed and sexy right now and I have to tear my gaze away from him. I can’t afford to get caught up with him in anything but friendship. This can’t be anything more and I don’t know how I’m going to be able to fight the feelings that seem to grow every time we talk on the phone or are in close proximity. There’s just something about him that calls to me.
From our talks, I know all about the baby that Bailey and he lost. I know that it tore him apart and no one saw him grieve for his lost son. They all watched him get Bailey out of her own head and back on track to live her life. One that didn’t include him. The guys in the club see him walk up to the spot where they built a memorial for him. Other than that, no one knows about the nights that he’s cried and screamed out his grief. I was on the phone with him one night when he cried for a long time. So many what-if’s run through his mind. I know where he’s coming from. I live with them daily about my daughter.
“Hey beautiful,” Gage calls out as soon as I step out of the SUV.
I give him a little wave and walk over toward him. Before I can get up to close to him, another truck pulls up and I see Darcy step from the front. Skylar is going to hang out with her for a little while so that they can talk. There’s a lot that’s been on my boss’s mind and I know that she needs this visit. So, I’m going to move my meager belongings into the house and wait for her to get back.
“Let’s get this unloaded,” Gage says as the truck pulls away and two more bikes pull up in its spot.
“Riley, this is Shadow and Wayne. They’re goin’ to be helpin’ us get your stuff in,” Gage tells me, making the introductions.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I tell them before turning back to Gage. “You didn’t need to bring them. Honestly, I could unload it myself in no time at all.”
“They’re goin’ to help. We’ll get it all inside and then unpacked for you,” he tells me, leaving no room for argument. Something I’m noticing he does more and more.
I grab two boxes and follow everyone else into the house. My first glimpse of it, shows it to be the perfect place to bring Shelby home to. Well, that’s if she ever comes home. The downstairs holds a living room, small dining room, a kitchen with a breakfast nook, and a bathroom. Upstairs there’s two bedrooms and a second bathroom. In the master bedroom, there’s a huge room, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet. Instantly I fall in love with the house. I can’t wait to have the money to decorate it and make it my own. And then put Shelby’s imprint on it once she’s here.
We get everything unloaded in no time. Gage, Shadow, and myself quickly unpack while the guys eat whatever Crash and Trojan dropped off. Now, it’s our turn to eat. Thankfully, there was a couch, a love seat, and one chair left here so that we have somewhere to eat. For the rest of the furniture, I’ll have to figure that out as I go. Right now, I’ll sleep on the couch with a set of the sheets I have packed and the one blanket I have in my possession. It’s a sad existence, but it’s mine and I’ll make due until I can get more things.
“You need us to do anythin’ else?” Joker asks, taking a seat on the opposite end of the couch.
“No. Everything is unpacked and there’s nothing else to do,” I say, looking at him before turning back to my burger. “Thank you for helping me. For everything.”
“Don’t mention it,” he tells me, getting up to go talk to Gage while they wait for Skylar to get back.
I’m left with my thoughts and all the plans that I want to do to this house. I begin to make lists in my head of everything that I’m going to need to buy, includin
g food. The only thing I brought with me was coffee and a coffee pot for the kitchen. Somehow, I’ll have to figure out how to get food and dishes in here immediately. That’s a dilemma I’m going to have to think about when everyone leaves.
Gage
Finally, everyone has left Riley’s new house and there’s nothing left for her to do. She’s been a nervous wreck all day but has tried to hide it. I’m sure it didn’t help that Darcy kept looking between the two of us, almost as if she senses that something is going on between us. Or maybe, she is just tired after the move and leaving everyone she knows. Hell, Darcy and I are the only two that Riley really knows here. So maybe she’s nervous about being in a new town. I just hope that it doesn’t have anything to do with me. That’s the last thing I want.
“So, are you ready to start work tomorrow?” I ask, helping her get the blankets on the couch.
“Yeah. I don’t know what to expect. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked in a salon, but Darcy said that she didn’t care about that. Told me it’d be like riding a bike and I wouldn’t forget,” she replies, only sparing me a glance while she talks.
“Is that why you’ve been so nervous today?” I ask, wanting to get this out in the open right now.
“That’s part of it,” she answers, not giving anything more up than that.
“What’s the rest of it?” I ask, letting her know that she’s not going to hide from this.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about what you said the other night on the phone, trying to figure out what you meant by it. And, you make me nervous,” she tells me, not quite looking at me, but not shying away from it either.
“I make you nervous? Why?” I ask, letting the rest of what she said go for now.
“Because you make me believe in things I haven’t believed in for a long time. I don’t know what you want with me, and I don’t know how you’re going to find my daughter,” Riley tells me, sitting down on the couch and finally looking at me.