by Ivy Blake
“A couple of weeks ago,” my father began, “a package arrived in the mail. It had a few things in it, but among them were photos. Pictures of the family. Of us. Of you.”
“Pictures,” I said.
“Yes, sweetie. Pictures of us out and about. Through the window of our home. Some were of you alone in town, which we’ll talk about later,” my mother said.
“There’s a reason I tell you not to go out into this city alone,” my father said.
“Did you come down here to scold me about it?” I asked. “Or scare me with a threat?”
“We brought you down here to inform you that whoever’s doing this isn’t playing around, Harper. This isn’t a game, and I would appreciate it if you tucked in your attitude and showed us a bit of respect. That protection detail at the rally yesterday was for you.”
“But I thought all of us were in the pictures,” I said.
“Yes, but in the note-”
My father held up his hand to my mother, signaling her to shut up. And in true, obedient form… she did.
“Among the photos was a note, and in it, the writer stated I needed to stop running for Mayor. If I didn’t, they said they would take matters into their own hands to ensure I didn’t win.”
“I still don’t know what that has to do with me,” I said.
“It’s going to scare her,” my mother said.
Nothing could scare me more than you, father dear.
“What?” I asked. “What’s going on? What’s happening, Dad?”
“One of your pictures, when you were in town alone, had your head circled in red. With an ‘X’ through it. I could only assume that when they meant ‘take matters into their own hands,’ they meant harming you in some way.”
I felt my stomach sink to my knees. My head became dizzy, and my knees grew weak. Someone wanted to kill me? Who the fuck would want to kill me? My father was the asshole. He was the one spewing bullshit day after day. Why did they want to harm me!?
“I told you it was too much,” my mother said as she scrambled for me. “She’s pregnant, Ryan. We can’t bring stuff like this down on her head.”
“It’s not my fault she’s pregnant. And if she wants to be an adult and raise this child right, she’s gotta learn the truths about this world. Especially if I win this election. She’ll always be a target if I do. You both will be. It’s what you signed up for when you said you’d help me with my campaign.”
“No one signed up to die for you, Ryan,” my mother hissed.
I felt my mom wrap her arms around me as my father huffed. Typical. He could even take a threat on my life and somehow make it about him. I sighed into her neck and drew in her comforting smell. The floral undertones of her bright perfume. For the longest time, I’d associated it with comfort. I would crawl into my mother’s lap as a child, bury myself into her bosom, and drink her in like a glass of fresh water.
But now, her perfume smelled stale. Tainted with the weakness, she had succumbed to and the actions she took to make me fall in her footsteps.
“Should we go to the police?” I asked.
“That won’t be necessary. I’ve decided to hire on The Black Angels.”
I felt my entire body stiffen as my mother pulled away from me.
“They’re going to be able to protect us better than the police can,” my mother said. “They’re quiet, and we’ll have their protection around the clock from now until the election. And this means that if you want to go out in public, you won’t need one of us. You can take one of them and spread your wings a bit.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Patrice,” my father said. “But yes. They’ll be much better all around than the police.”
I knew what was going on. My father liked the fact that he could keep The Black Angels from talking to the press. The police had loose jaws when it came to the local newspaper, but The Black Angels didn’t. They’d sign anything to get work, which meant signing away their ability to talk to the press if it meant securing work.
“You hired outlaws to protect me,” I said.
“To protect us,” my father said.
“And you’re okay with this,” I said as I looked at my mother.
“It… takes some getting used to. You know, digesting things,” she said.
“But what does that say about us? Won’t that mess up your campaign?” I asked.
“I’m touched that you’re still so concerned about my campaign,” my father said.
“I’m still hired by your campaign to care, so of course I care,” I said.
“It’s fine,” he said. “They are good at what they do. The man you pointed out to me earlier. The one backstage? He was the one coming after you to make sure you were all right. We had a breach backstage at the end of the rally. He was the one that chased them down.”
“We had a what?” my mother asked.
No, we didn’t. There was no fucking breach. That was Cade trying to talk his way closer to me. Fuck. Was he the one that organized this job in the first place?
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that one of the Black Angels took those hoodlums down and not the police. They’re so spread out with the other crimes that happen around this city, and my family deserves the best. I don’t want this story hitting the media because it’ll mess with the election, and I don’t want lazy ass police officers guarding the two of you,” he said.
“So… they’re just going to be here. Around the house,” I said.
“Around the house and around the clock,” my father said.
“Just like that.”
“Just like that,” he said.
I was speechless. As I sat back into the chair at the table, my father got up and walked away. Like his portion of the meeting was done. I’m sure he had more important things to do, like spew more bullshit online for his social media or whatever it was he did in his fucking office. But I was still processing that The Black Angels would be here.
At my house.
If Cade was the one that worked this deal with my father, then that meant he would be spending a lot more time around me. That meant I would see him more often. And seeing me more often with my stomach growing in size every single day, it would only be a matter of time before it led to the conversation.
The conversation where I would have to tell him this child was his.
Shit.
How the hell was I going to get out of this now?
Chapter 12
Cade
“I think you guys know why I called church,” Doc said.
He lifted up the signed paperwork as the guys cheered on.
“Three hundred thousand dollars in the tank!” Ink said.
“I take it it’s scheduling time?” Vex asked.
“How does Thomas wanna work this shit?” Blade asked.
“Ryan Thomas is leaving that to us. Now, we can’t all work around the damn clock, so I figured our usual would suffice. One person posted in the evenings in their house, two around it during the day, and all of us during his rallies. If he requests special protection for his daughter, we’ll give him that, and if he wants more people at night, then we’ll discuss when it comes up,” Doc said.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Vex said. “But I can’t take this first shift tonight.”
“Why the fuck not?” Ink asked. “You got a hot date?”
“Fuck you. My moms gotta get to the doctor, asshole.”
“How’s she doing anyway?” I asked.
“It is what it is. The M.S. is eating her alive, but she’s comfortable,” Vex said.
“Because of your mom, Vex, you’re only gonna be doing daytime shifts. Only three days a week, if we can swing it. If you can handle more, you let me know. Otherwise, that’ll be it,” Doc said.
“Thanks. I’ll let ya know,” Vex said.
“No worries on tonight,” I said. “I can take the first night shift.”
“Why the fuck does that not shock me?” Ink asked, grinning.
“Can it with the jokes. On a real note, you know you can’t fuck around with his daughter, right?” Doc asked.
“She’s pregnant. What the fuck kind of weird shit are you guys into?” I asked. “I’d only fuck a pregnant chick if I was the one that got her that way.”
“All in favor of the schedule?” Doc asked.
We all voted, we all solidified, and five minutes later I was on my bike and heading to Harper’s home. I was ecstatic. I was ready for this night with her. I didn’t know how Ryan Thomas would greet me or anything, but I’d be in the same fucking space as her. The wind whipped around my body as the sun sank beneath the horizon, and as I pulled up to the house, I saw someone standing at the window over the garage.
But they moved before I could see them, leaving nothing but a fluttering curtain in their wake.
I parked my bike on the side of the house and rang the doorbell. The door ripped open, and I was face-to-face with the asshole himself. Ryan Thomas looked me up and down, his eyes analyzing me as I held out my hand.
“Mr. Thomas,” I said. “I’m your nightwatch. Cade.”
“Nice to see you again,” he said curtly.
He stepped off to the side, ushering me in with his head. I stepped through the threshold of his home and looked around, clocking where everything was. The kitchen. The staircase. The fireplace room and the living room. I made my way towards the staircase to go walk around the second floor, but it was Ryan’s voice that stopped me.
“You’ll be downstairs,” he said.
“Then walk me through the rest of the house verbally,” I said. “Because the more I know about it, the better I can protect it.”
I heard him give me an exasperated sigh before he nodded.
“Through this hallway door is the staircase leading into the basement. It’s completely underground, so the only way to access it is through this hallway door. When you go upstairs, it’s one long hallway. Three bedrooms and one bathroom sit on it, and the door all the way at the end of the hall is the bedroom over the garage,” he said.
“Where do you and your wife sleep?” I asked.
“First door on the right,” he said.
“And your daughter?”
His eyes narrowed at me, assessing me once again before he drew a breath through his nose.
“The room at the end of the hall,” he said.
“Have a nice night,” I said. “Should you need anything, I’ll be on the couch. I’ll make two house rounds during the night, just to make sure everything’s okay. No private doors will be opened unless a threat is perceived.”
“Good. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Except the alcohol. That cabinet is locked,” he said.
I could pick your fucking lock in a heartbeat.
“Not necessary. I don’t drink on the job,” I said.
“On the job,” he said, chuckling. “Goodnight.”
“Night, sir.”
I watched as Ryan made his way up the stairs. He turned back one last time to look at me, sizing me up before he went to bed. I could hear him and his wife chatting as he opened the door, then all the lights in the house turned off. I took a seat at the kitchen table and waited them out, my leg jiggling to pass the time. I kept my ears peeled for any sounds of distress as my eyes continued to scan out the windows.
Then, all was silent in the Thomas household.
Slowly, I began up the steps. Some of them creaked underneath my feet, and I memorized which ones they were so I wouldn’t make noise coming down. I stood by the Thomas’ room, listening to see if I could hear anything.
But the only thing that was coming from their room were snores that could saw down a forest.
Grinning to myself, I trained my eyes on the end of the hallway. Them snoring would give me a good gauge as to when they were asleep and awake, which meant talking with Harper would be easier. I slowly made my way down the hallway, keeping silent on my feet as I approached her door.
My heart was hammering in my chest as blood rushed through my ears.
I reached out for the doorknob and stopped. I listened for her parent’s snores, smiling when they hit my ear. There was only the door that separated us. The heavy wooden door they had her trapped behind. I closed my eyes and centered my mind, training my ears in the house one last time.
Then, I twisted the doorknob and opened Harper’s door.
Chapter 13
Harper
I saw him pull into the driveway. His helmet was on, and his jacket was covering his body, but I knew it was him. Those strong arms and those long legs straddling that smooth red and chrome bike. I sat down on the edge of my bed as I listened to the doorbell ring. My mother was already in bed and I was already in my pajamas. I could hear the two of them talking as Cade’s low tones rumbled up the stairs.
I closed my eyes and imagined he was speaking with me. He was right there. Right downstairs in my fucking home. I felt my body warm at that idea. I felt a ricocheting shiver slither up my spine. I listened closely as my father walked up the stairs, disappearing into his bedroom to do whatever the hell it was my mother and him did before they fell asleep.
I wondered what I should do. Should I risk going down and talking to him? Should I stay up here? I could go downstairs for some water and encounter him that way. I could go grab another blanket out of the hallway closet and peer downstairs. I could hear my parent’s snoring coming from their rooms as I racked my brain for what to do.
The father of my child was downstairs, and I didn’t know what my next move needed to be.
I got up from my bed and paced back and forth. My stomach was protruding, and my heartburn was returning. If I didn’t get it under control soon, I’d have to go downstairs for some milk anyway. I groaned, my hand pressing into my stomach as my little boy began to kick.
He was really giving me a run for my money.
Just then, I heard a sound. I stopped my movements as my heart thundered in my ears. Was that a creak? Was someone in the house? Of course, there was someone in the house. Cade was fucking in the house. But when I stopped I couldn’t hear the noise, so I went back to pacing.
Until the doorknob of my room turned.
Whipping myself around, I watched the door swing open. My eyes widened as I took in his form, his rock hard body standing in the doorway. Cade’s eyes drilled into mine, his light green eyes peering from underneath his stern brow. His eyes fell on my stomach as I rubbed it, trying to get my son to stop kicking.
Our son to stop kicking.
“You can’t be here,” I said in a whisper.
But all he did was come in and shut the door.
“Cade, if my parents find you in here, my parents are gonna kill me,” I said harshly.
“We need to go talk somewhere,” Cade said.
Fuck, how I’d missed that voice. I allowed it to rush over me. To wrap me up in its rumbling warmth and relax my body. I ran my eyes up and down his form, taking in the strength of his legs and the length of his body. I knew that ever second I spent behind these closed doors with him spelled trouble with my father.
At least if we went outside somewhere, I could take the blame and tell my father I couldn’t sleep.
“Okay,” I said, sighing. “We have a private garden in the back.”
“Lead the way,” Cade said.
Grabbing my robe, I slipped my feet in my slippers. I walked past Cade as my robe fluttered against his body. I could feel him studying me. I could feel him taking me in. Cade helped me down the stairs as our feet bypassed the noisy steps, and I sighed with relief once we dumped out into the backyard. My parents’ snores were still coming from their rooms, rattling the walls as I rolled my eyes.
How the hell could the two of them stand one another?
We walked out into the middle of the garden my mother kept up to relieve her stress. Roses and tulips and trees were fading, and the leaves were beginning to change colors. The grass was green and smelled of fresh air, and the dirt beneath our
feet was fraught with water and pliable against my heels. I closed my eyes as we walked through the small pathway, the stones dumping out to a porch swing set up in the middle of our backyard.
I walked over to the swing and leaned against the post, knowing that if I sat down, Cade would sit next to me.
And the last thing I needed was to be reminded of how wonderful his body felt against mine.
I looked up at him from underneath my eyelashes. The way he loomed over me and the way his eyes kept scanning the perimeter made me aware of the danger that lurked in the shadows. He took slow steps towards me, his body hovering as he guarded me against every angle. I could feel his heat radiating from my body. Pounding me with its warmth as his musky scent reached my nostrils.
I was inches away from feeling his leather against my skin before he stopped.
“Is the baby mine?”
I looked up into Cade’s eyes and lost myself in his beauty. In the way, the shadows played off his sharp features. I could see the vein in his neck pulsing, and I wished to rake my teeth across it. I could feel the phantom pangs of his large hands coming down against my ass, and my knees shook at the memory of them.
I had no way to run from this anymore.
“Yes,” I said as I swallowed thickly. “It is.”
Chapter 14
Cade
I couldn’t be away from her for another second. I couldn’t stand the heated tension growing between us. Her words hit me like a crack against my cheek, and the sting reverberated all the way down to my cock. She was inches away from me. Her soft skin and her malleable ass mere inches away from my fingertips.
I closed the gap between us and took her into my arms before I devoured her.
I felt her melt against me instantly. Her hands gripped my leather cut, pulling me closer to her. I swiped my tongue across her lips, demanding access to the sweet, succulent depths that was her body.
I could ask more questions later. Right now, I needed to feel her against me.
Her hands worked my cut off my shoulders as I dragged us to the porch swing. My cock was pressing painfully against my jeans, threatening to burst through my zipper at a moment’s notice. I pulled the bow of her robe free, slipping the silky fabric away from her skin. I sat down in the swing and brought her to me, my legs spread for her body as she laid against my chest.