by Erin Osborne
“I want to know if there’s three particular people stayin’ here right now,” I tell her, pulling my phone out as I watch the girl flinch. She probably thought I was getting ready to pull a gun on her ass. “There would’ve been two women and a baby. Look at these pictures and tell me if they’ve been here.” I growl out.
Laying my phone on the counter, the timid girl before me scrolls through the three pictures that are in a single album on my phone. There’s no recognition showing on her face of Riley or Shelby. When she gets to Nicolette, her face pales and I know that they’re here or have been here.
“T-t-this o-o-one,” she tells me, pointing a shaky finger at Nicolette’s picture on my phone.
Turning around to look at my brother’s, I nod my head and see that Steel is once again on his phone. “They still here?” I ask, not wanting to play games now that I know we’re close.
“I don’t know. I never saw the other woman or the baby, but this one came in and registered and got the keys. She was in a car and wasn’t driving,” she tells us, her voice still shaking with fear. I can smell the fear pouring off this girl and it’s honestly pissing me off because she still shouldn’t be this scared of us. But, I’m pissed, and Steel is cursing in the corner while on a call.
“What room are they in?” I ask, my patience level dropping rapidly.
“T-two rooms,” she says, pulling a book in front of her so that she can look up what rooms they’re in.
The girls gives us the information we need and the four of us head in the direction of the rooms she indicated. Both doors are standing wide open so we split up and go through the contents of each one. Shadow and I go in the second room and see nothing stick out about anyone staying here. I’m just about to go back through the outer door, when something under the small table catches my eye. I bend down and retrieve one of Shelby’s little stuffed animals. If this is still in the room that means my girl left in a hurry.
“Nothin’ over here,” Crash tells me, meeting me in the doorway of the room I’m standing in. I’m going over every inch of the room to see if anything else was left. “The room is disgusting though. Someone threw food all over the floor and I don’t even want to know what happened on that bed.”
A growl escapes my throat as a million different scenes enter my brain about Riley being hurt again. Crash apologizes when he realizes what he just did and takes a few steps away from me so that he’s not in range when I punch the fuck out of the building behind me. For once, Riley deserves to find some peace in her life. I know that I can help her find that, she just needs to believe in me enough to give me a chance to do that.
By the time I’m done punching to shit out of the brick wall behind me, my knuckles are raw and bleeding. This is going to sting like a bitch, but with Riley leaving something behind and the evidence in the other room, I’m going crazy right now. The rest of the guys leave me alone and continue looking through shit to make sure we’re not overlooking anything else. I pull out a smoke and lean against the wall I just assaulted, inhaling the nicotine and letting it try to take the edge of crazy I’m feeling right now away.
“Prez, the dumb bitch left her phone behind. I’m not sure if it was on purpose, or if she’s tryin’ to get us to follow a non-existent lead,” Crash says, coming out to stand with me. “I got in it and someone is goin’ to Benton Falls to keep an eye on Slim’s club. Whoever it is also askin’ if she made it to Whitney Glen yet. Are we thinkin’ that Riley went there to hide out?” he asks, putting and idea in my head that I may not like. I might have to go through Slim for this one, and I’m not going to be happy about that.
“I’m callin’ Slim. Let him decide the best way to handle goin’ into Butcher’s territory,” I answer, pulling my phone out and letting the smoke from my cigarette swirl around us in the slight breeze blowing in. “Slim, need a hand.”
“What’s goin’ on Gage?” he asks, and the other end of the line goes quiet as he shuts himself off in a room.
“First you need to know that some asshat after Riley is in your territory. I have no clue who it is or what they look like. I’m sure you’ll know if there’s a random around town,” I begin, needing to get this last part out. “I think Riles went to Butcher’s place seekin’ refuge. Can you make a call and see if we’re gonna be welcome?” I ask, needing to know that he’s got my back on this.
“Someone’s after that poor girl after everythin’ she’s been through? You bet your ass I’ll make sure you get a warm welcome. Head out now and I’ll tell him to expect you. How long?” he asks, slamming his hand against the table or wall if the sounds coming through the phone are any indication.
“I think we’re about an hour out,” I respond.
Slim tells me he’ll handle it and hangs up the phone. I put mine back in my pocket after reading the message from Tech that Riley’s phone hasn’t moved since we left. Either she dumped her phone or left it so that we’d know she was in the area. Squishing the remainder of my smoke under my boot. Crash, hearing my end of the conversation, grabs the other two and we make our way to our bikes a few feet away. Time is wasting and I’m not stopping until I know she’s safe.
The four of us make our way to Butcher’s clubhouse in record time. I’m surprised I even remember how to get here honestly. But, we make it and I see Riley’s car sitting in the parking lot. Relief floods my body and I can’t wait to lay eyes on my girls. Before we make it off our bikes, Butcher and Shark, his Vice President, come out and meet us. By the look in his eyes, I know I’m not going to like what he has to say.
“How is she? How’s the baby?” I ask, needing to know that first.
“She’s shaken up. They both are. Riley’s been a mess since she got here a little while ago. Tellin’ us about some bitch pretendin’ to be her sister that kidnapped her?” he asks, wanting to verify the truth of her words.
“Yep. Bitch came in and knocked my prospect out, took my girls, and we just got a lead on them comin’ here. Dumbass left her phone at the hotel and we took a chance,” I answer, pulling out a smoke to calm down again.
Shark, called that because he’ll tear anyone apart limb from limb, eyes Steel as he’s once again on the fucking phone. Feeling eyes on him, Steel looks up and gives us an apologetic look before slipping his phone in his pocket. I will be finding out what the fuck is going on with him. This shit is getting out of control and interfering with what he’s supposed to be doing right now.
“Your girl is in there, but she doesn’t want to see anyone. I told her you were comin’ and she still says she doesn’t want to see anyone. I don’t know what to do here, man,” Butcher tells me, stepping back in anticipation of my blow up.
Taking a few deep breaths, I don’t blow up like they all think I’m going to. Instead, I ask Butcher to lead me inside. Once she sees me, I know that she’s going to breakdown and come to her senses. At least I’ll be able to see with my own eyes that they’re both doing okay. That this psycho bitch didn’t lay hands on either one of them.
Butcher leads the way inside and I immediately zero in on Riley and Shelby sitting in a corner by themselves. She glances in our direction and a pained look crosses her face. I know that she wants to say something to me, but she’s standing her ground and not coming near anyone. Steel and Crash stay by my side so they know I don’t make a move that I’ll end up regretting in the long run. I can’t push Riley no matter how much I want to. There’s no telling what she’s going through right now and I don’t want to set her back even farther.
Riley
I’ve been at Butcher’s clubhouse for a little while now. As soon as I pulled up, I got questioned by the prospect and he almost didn’t let me in. Butcher came strolling out after a few minutes and let me in. I quickly filled him in on what was going on with the psycho that kidnapped me. There was a glint in his eyes that told me he didn’t necessarily believe me, but he let me stay regardless.
Sitting at a table with him, Shark, and one other member I can’t remember
, we’re talking about what my plan is when Butcher’s phone rings. I can tell that he’s learning from someone that Gage is coming after me. Even though I told him not to, he’s still going to try to be the hero. My own personal hero.
“He’s comin’,” Butcher says simply as he hangs up the phone and lays it back on the table next to him.
“I figured as much,” I reply, knowing that it was inevitable that Gage would come here. “I don’t want to talk to him. It’s not personal, but I’m trying to do this on my own. It’s what I have to do in order to prove to myself that I can take care of problems that come up.”
“Completely understand,” Butcher tells me. “I won’t make him leave though. I’m not startin’ a war with his club because you’re here.”
I nod my head to let him know that I understand what he’s saying. If Gage and whoever he brought with him want to come inside, he’s not going to stop them. Hell, I know he won’t stop Gage from coming over and talking to me either. Maybe we need to talk so he understands that I’m not playing around. I want to be on my own for a while. But on the other hand, all of Shelby’s stuff is in Dander Falls. What am I supposed to do now?
Staying in my own head, with a sleeping Shelby on my lap, I don’t notice when the guys leave the table we were all sitting at. The only reason I come out of my thoughts is the slamming of the clubhouse door. They probably did it on purpose to alert me that Gage is here now. This is going to be confusing as fuck. I still have no clue what I’m going to do. If I go back, I’m putting everyone I love in danger with this bitch following me back. What if she goes after Darcy? That can’t happen under any circumstances.
Within a few minutes, the door opens back up and my mouth waters at the sight of Gage walking in. He’s wearing a faded pair of jeans that ride low on his hips with a black tee shirt hugging his upper body, so I can see every muscle that’s not blocked by the cut he’s wearing. His hair is all over the place from wearing his helmet and I’ve never seen him look as sexy as he does right now. I can see the moment that relief takes over his body and it warms my heart to know that he was that worried about me. Gage is slowing breaking down all the walls that I’ve carefully built up over the years. He’s wearing me down in the best way possible, by showing me how much he really cares. There are no words pouring out of his mouth telling me what he thinks I want to hear or what he can do for me. He knows that I’m trying to find my independence now that my life is complete with Shelby back home. I want to be strong and he’s not trying to get in the way of that.
The men all head to the bar on the other side of the room. While they all sit with their backs to me, Gage sits on the stool and turns his body so he can look at me out of the corner of his eye. Before I can say or do anything, Shelby starts squirming in my lap to let me know that she wants to eat. It’s getting late and I need to get her some dinner so that we can go lay down in the room that Butcher set us up in. So, I get up and make my way over to the bar with my daughter on my hip. As soon as she sees Gage, I know I’m not going to be able to get away so easily. She’s holding her arms out to him and it’s just a matter of time before he takes her from me. He’s the same as me when it comes to my little girl. What she wants, she gets to a certain extent.
“Butcher, can I use the kitchen to get her something to eat?” I ask, trying to avoid Gage even though he steps just that much closer to me as I stand in front of the President of this club. I can feel his heat at my back and know that he’s trying so hard to stay away and failing miserably.
“Sure thing sweetheart. Help yourself to anythin’ in there,” he responds, a smirk covering his face as Gage growls from behind me.
I glance between the two men and see the look of protection and fierceness cover Gage’s face. It’s turning red and there’s a vein popping in his forehead. I’ve never seen this side of him before and I don’t know that I want to be around him like this now. Butcher is poking a bear I’m not sure that he should be shaking a stick at right now. Not when Gage is in the mood he’s in. I’m not helping matters by being so decisive. I want to go back with him, see where this thing goes, but I want to be independent and prove that I can handle things on my own, and there’s the matter of the bitch out to kill me. Or sell me, I know I heard mention of that a time or two when Tammy was threatening me.
Shaking my head, I leave the men to their pissing contest and go take care of my daughter. I’m just sitting down to feed her when I feel Gage walk in the room. I don’t even need to see him to tell that he’s in close proximity of me. It’s how it’s always been since the very first time I met him. For a few minutes he does nothing but stand behind me and watch my daughter and me interact. It’s like he’s an outside trying to figure out what’s going to happen next. I don’t want him feeling like that so I wish he’d just walk over to us so we could talk.
“Gage, I can feel you behind me,” I tell him, needing him to come sit with us. “Please sit down.”
Finally, he walks over to the small table we’re sitting at and takes the seat across from me. Shelby is in her glory knowing that the only man that has been a constant in her life is back. She gives him a huge smile, lighting up her whole little face. He returns her smile and reaches his hand out so she can take his large finger in her little hand. Once she has a hold of him, Shelby doesn’t let go. Throughout the remainder of her dinner, she’s hanging on to Gage like she’s afraid he’s going to disappear again. This punches me right in the gut and makes my decision that much harder. I don’t want to hurt my daughter, but I don’t want anyone else to get hurt either. Not because of me.
“Why didn’t you want to see me?” Gage suddenly asks.
“I know I’ve been trying to push you away and when you left without a word and I didn’t hear from you for a few days, I figured you’d left and wouldn’t be coming back again. Then when Tammy,” I pause when Gage goes to say something.
“Her name is Nicolette,” he says, going quiet so that I can finish what I was saying.
“Okay, when Nicolette came and kidnapped me, I knew that this was the best thing to happen. I was going to fight and do whatever I had to do in order to get Shelby and me away from her. As soon as she fucked up and left me alone, I knew that was going to be the only shot I had at escaping. So, I took it and came here. Now, I need to protect everyone. She’s still out there and I’m not taking any chances,” I tell him, letting the tears fill my eyes and the sincerity of my decision show on my face. “If I saw you, I knew that I’d want to go home with you. There’s something between us and I don’t know where it’s going to go, but I do want to find out. Once all of this is over with. For now, I need to stay here and let her find me here. Butcher and his club will take care of her and I can come home.”
“Why don’t you trust me that I’ll protect both my girls?” he asks, the anguish of my decision filling his face and his shoulders sagging in defeat.
“I do trust you!” I practically scream, not wanting him to get hurt or worse is my only thought right now. “I know what Sam was like when he was alive. If there’s even a chance that this is some form of blowback from that, I won’t risk you. I won’t risk anyone in the club. Especially Darcy and her unborn baby,” I finish, letting my head hang in defeat.
“Riley, you know that I care about you. Most days, I think that it’s more than carin’ about you. I know that I can’t push you and you want to do things on your own. Don’t you realize that bein’ with me doesn’t mean you can’t continue to find out how strong you truly are? I want to stand by your side and make sure that I’m your backup when you need it. If you want to do every single thing on your own, have at it. I’ll have your back when you need to fall and be the rock that you need to hold you up when things get too hard,” Gage tells me, grabbing my hand and hanging on like I’ll vanish without a trace again.
“Let me have a week and see what happens with this bitch. Maybe a few weeks max,” I plead with him and squeeze his hand harder to let him know that I will be coming hom
e.
“I’m leavin’ someone here with you,” he finally relents after looking at me for a few minutes. “I don’t like this Riley and things are goin’ to change when you come home. The only reason that I’m not pushin’ you to come home now is because I don’t want to risk you takin’ off so no one knows where you are. I see it in your eyes that it’s what you’d do. So, I’m goin’ to talk to Butcher and make sure that everyone here knows your mine. I will be back in a few weeks. You will call me every day and talk to me. Not a few second phone call either. We’re goin’ to use this time to get to know one another without fuckin’. Because that’s all I can think about right now,” Gage tells me, letting the lust and want fill his eyes. It’s the only thing I can think about now.
“Do you have to leave right away?” I ask, letting my own wants hang in the air. I’ve had a taste of the heaven that only Gage can make me feel and I want it again. He’s becoming an addiction that I don’t want to give up.
Last night was a night that I won’t soon forget. Gage had his way with me all night long and I can barely walk right now. But, he’s leaving, and I need to be there to see him off. It’s the last time I’m going to see him for a few weeks or so and I can’t be lying in this bed when he leaves. So, I quickly wash up, check on Shelby, and get dressed. Grabbing my daughter once I’m ready, I make my way downstairs and see Butcher and Gage talking at the bar. I don’t want to disturb them, so I take a seat at one of the tables and Ryan, one of the prospects brings the highchair over for me.
Once the two men are done talking, Gage makes his way over to my daughter and me. She holds her little arms up to him and starts babbling until he picks her up and gives her kisses all over her face. Shelby starts laughing and the sound is music to my ears. I never thought I’d get to hear her laughter, be able to wipe her tears, or cuddle her when she needs it. Now, I cherish every single second with her and I won’t let anyone get in the way of that or separate us again.