by A. M. Myers
“You want to try throwing the other two or do you just want your prize?”
He immediately drops the rings back on the counter and reaches for the penguin in my arms, his hands opening and closing in a “gimme” gesture. I chuckle as I pass the toy over to him and he almost falls back as he struggles to wrap his arms around its belly.
“Here, why don’t you let Mama carry that for you?” his mom asks, trying to take it from him but he rips it out of her grasp and wobbles on his feet before righting himself.
“No. I got this.”
His little voice is muffled by the toy and I laugh as she flashes me a look.
“Thank you.”
“No problem,” I reply, nodding. She turns and takes off after the kid as he struggles to carry his new friend, his steps faltering as the penguin’s weight throws him off balance. Chuckling, I shake my head and turn back to Streak. The smile falls from my face when he glares at me and I grit my teeth. I’m done with this fucker.
“Hey, our shift’s up,” Storm calls out to all of us and Streak jumps up so fast he almost knocks the chair over.
“Thank fucking God.” He stomps out of the booth and I roll my eyes as I follow behind him. Blaze walks up to us as we all meet between the rows of booths and the next shift files into the spaces we just abandoned.
“I got something I want to run by you so head to the clubhouse before y’all go home,” he instructs and I nod, irritated that I’m not going to be able to get to Piper sooner but I do need to grab the folders out of my room. Since getting back together with Piper, she’s stolen a lot of my attention and the cases got put on the back burner but I need to start digging into them again. Especially now that I have more to lose.
I follow the rest of the group back out to the parking lot where our bikes are parked and the roar of our engines flood the air around us as we pull out onto the street in a single file line. My mind drifts to the cases again as we drive back to the clubhouse and I hope that the time I’ve spent away from them will help me see things in a new light. Maybe I’ll have a new perspective. Smith was right last night when he said I was a brand new man with Piper. Hell, I can’t even remember that guy and I can’t help but think that maybe that was the reason I couldn’t come up with a lead. Maybe now, with more to fight for, I’ll finally be able to see things clearly. Then again, maybe I shouldn’t get my hopes up. I still can’t convince anymore of my brothers that there is something going on and now that Piper is back in my life, I’m terrified of actually being right. What the fuck would I do if something happens to her? How would I survive?
Shaking my head, I push the thoughts from my mind as we pull into the clubhouse parking lot. They are too damn painful and I can’t think like that or I’ll go crazy. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect her, though. She is my whole goddamn world and I’ve already lived enough of my life without her. After parking in our usual spots, we all climb off our bikes and everyone jokes around as we make our way to the door. I step out ahead of everyone else, eager to get the files and get back to Piper and when I pull the door open and step into the bar, all my thoughts screech to a halt.
What. The. Fuck?
Autopsy photos of Dina, Laney, and Sammy are plastered all over the walls over and over again, so close together that you can’t even see the blue paint that Ali, Carly, and Tate put on the walls a few months back. Some are in color and others are in black and white but they all stare back at me, taunting me with my inability to figure this shit out. My mind is blank, struggling to take it all in at once and process it as my heart thunders in my chest, wild and chaotic.
“Holy fuck,” someone whispers behind me and I glance over my shoulder as Storm stares at the photos with wide eyes and pulls Ali closer. She gasps and a tear slips down her cheek as she looks around at all the women we lost and my stomach sinks like a stone. Not a single wall in the place isn’t covered in their faces but right in the middle, written in red above the war room door is a message that confirms all my worst fears.
I AM WINNING
“Girls…” Blaze says, his voice haunted as his eyes travel around the room and I realize that everyone is standing behind me now, staring in horror at our home. “Go outside and wait for us.”
“No,” Chance snaps, shaking his head, his body tensing as he wraps a protective arm around Carly. “Not outside. Not out in the open.”
Blaze nods and blows out a breath, almost like he’s collecting himself. “Right. Upstairs, then.”
Chance nods in agreement as Smith and Moose do the same before kissing their girls. The girls huddle together and file toward the stairs, whispering to each other in frantic, scared voices as they climb up and after they disappear down the hallway, I release a breath but we all are silent as we try to sort through our thoughts and this new reality we’ve found ourselves in.
I’ve never wanted to be wrong more in my goddamn life than I do right now.
Running my hand through my hair, I try to think about what this means for all of us but there is so much we need to do, so much to plan and prepare for that I don’t even know where to start. I wish this was a dream or just the worst case scenario playing in my head.
I wish that I had investigated harder… been more insistent that something was going on when Kodiak challenged me.
I wish I would have been on Rodriguez’s case more.
I wish I would have found anything to help us solve this.
“Streak,” Blaze calls, snapping me out of my thoughts. His voice is authoritative and I think it puts us all just a little more at ease to know he’s got a plan. Or, at least, I hope he does. Streak walks up to his side and they lock eyes. “Go check the security footage.”
“On it.” He nods and takes off up the stairs, disappearing down the hallway to his room as I turn to look at the rest of the guys as I try to force my mind to work. What the hell do we do? Where do we go from here? Storm turns and claps his hand on my shoulder as he shakes his head.
“Man… I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you.”
I shake my head and blow out a breath. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Hell, it’s not their fault and I don’t blame them one bit. Even I was starting to believe that it was all in my head but as I turn back around and stare up at the walls and the message left for us, my stomach twists and my heart climb up into my throat. If I close my eyes, I can see a photo of any of our girls up there with the other three and I clench my fists. He’s been ahead of us at every turn, so far ahead that we didn’t even realize we should be watching out for him and we’re so far behind this guy, so lost that I don’t even know how we’re going to stop him. An image of another photo pops into my head, this time of Piper next to Dina, Laney, and Sammy and my stomach rolls again.
Fuck.
I’m going to throw up.
“What do we do?” Smith asks, echoing my thoughts and as I open my eyes and turn back to look at them, they all shake their heads.
I know what I want to do. I want to take my wife and disappear until this is all over but I can’t do that. These men are my brothers and I won’t abandon them.
Not now.
Not ever.
“Goddamn it!” Streak bellows from upstairs and we all turn as he comes barreling down the steps with a laptop in both hands and rage painted across his face. “I’ve got nothing!”
He throws one of the laptops against the wall and it smashes into several pieces as a few photos float to the floor. It’s so quiet that the sound bounces off the walls, taunting us from all angles as he marches over to us. Tossing the other laptop onto the table, he spins it to face us as a video begins playing. The front door to the clubhouse opens and a man dressed in all black with a hood pulled up over his head steps inside, tucking something into his pocket.
“Who forgot to lock the fucking door?” Blaze asks and I glance over my shoulder as everyone shakes their head.
“It was locked, Blaze,” Henn assures him. “Checked it myself.�
�
We turn back to the video as the man sets a thick stack of the photos down on one of the tables and pulls out a can of something.
“Is that glue?” I hiss, my eyes widening as he pops the top open and paints the substance inside on the back of the first photo before slapping it on the wall. We all watch in horror as he continues down the line, blanketing our clubhouse in the photos and I clench my fists as fury twists through my body. The guy is completely average, just like every other descriptions we have for him and I shake my head as I clench my teeth so hard my jaw aches.
“Please tell me you got his face,” Chance hisses, his shoulders tight and his face serious. Streak slams his fist into the table before blowing out a breath.
“No. Because three of my cameras were disabled before he ever even showed up and the others never caught an image of his face. Not once during the entire two hours he was pasting these fucking things on the walls.”
“How is that even possible?” Smith asks and Streak shakes his head and scrubs both of his hands over his hair.
“I don’t want to give the guy props but fuck, he’s good…”
My heart stops for a second and my stomach drops as we all look at each other with wide eyes and fear creeping into our gazes.
Fear for each other.
Fear for our families and fear for our club.
Holy fuck…
Who in the hell are we dealing with?
Chapter Twenty-Two
Piper
Leaning back in my chair, I stare down at the last text I sent Wyatt over an hour ago when I finished with my last client of the day that he still hasn’t replied to as my leg bounces incessantly and my stomach knots with worry. It’s not like him to not answer me. In fact, I would say that he is almost perfect in that regard because his responses are always so quick. If anything, I am the one that takes time to answer because I’m busy with a client or right in the middle of editing photos and I can’t help but jump to all of the worst case scenarios.
Maybe I should try calling him…
My finger hovers over the phone icon for a moment before I blow out a breath and shake my head. No, he’s okay and I’m just overreacting. Shaking my head, I put my phone back in my pocket, telling myself over and over again that he’s okay and I need to relax as I absentmindedly nibble on the donut I grabbed off of the snack table but I can’t taste it.
What if something happened to him?
What if he crashed his bike and he is lying in a ditch somewhere, injured, and I’m here at my stupid support group, eating a damn donut?
I look down at the offending pastry in my hand with disgust before getting up and trudging over to the garbage can in the corner of the room. Wyatt has been so supportive of my issues and he has been encouraging me to come back to meetings since I’ve been so wrapped up in us lately but on a night like tonight when I can’t get ahold of him, it feels like I shouldn’t be here. After tossing my food in the trash, I turn and drag myself back to my seat as I glance at the door. Maybe I should just go now, before Dr. Brewer starts the meeting so I can make sure he is okay. As I sink into my seat, still chewing over the possibility, Dr. Brewer stands up and claps her hands, commanding the attention of everyone else.
“Let’s get started, everyone.”
Glancing around, I look for Lillian but I can’t find her anywhere and I scowl.
I wonder if she is coming tonight.
She tends to skip more meetings than I do and I get the hint that there is a big part to her story she still doesn’t want to tell no matter how much Dr. Brewer pushes her. I can’t say that I blame her, though. Some things are just too painful to talk about and no one understands that more than me.
As everyone finds their seats, the door bursts open and Lillian runs into the room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she says and Dr. Brewer nods. Lillian enters our little circle and sinks into the chair next to me as I flash her a smile. She releases a breath and sets her purse on the floor, her body slumping in her seat.
“Okay?”
She nods. “Yes. Traffic was awful, though. Something about an accident on the interstate.”
The haunted look in her eyes makes my heart ache for her and I shake my head but keep my mouth shut. Lillian is not as far along in her recovery as I am and she has a whole hell of a lot of walls up. I do know that three years ago, she and her fiancé were driving to dinner when something happened and he was killed. She always refers to it as an accident but the look on Dr. Brewer’s face every time she does tells me there is more to it. Once, she slipped up when we were out to dinner and said that when she closed her eyes at night, she could still see that man but as soon as the words came out of her mouth, she stopped talking and I didn’t want to press too hard. I know how fragile people can be and if she’s not ready to talk about it, I’m not going to force it from her.
“Okay, who would like to go…”
The door opens, cutting Dr. Brewer off and I glance over my shoulder as Tate walks into the room, looking apprehensive as hell. What the hell is she doing here? My mind spins, wondering if she is here because something happened to Wyatt but then I notice how nervous she looks and I flash her a kind smile. Her gaze meets mine and she sucks in a breath before confidently walking across the room and sinking into the open chair on my other side. Dr. Brewer smiles at her and Tate shifts in her seat.
“Hi. Would you like to introduce yourself?”
Tate shakes her head and Dr. Brewer nods in understanding. A lot of people like to sit through a few meetings before they feel comfortable enough to tell their own story and I was one of them. I came for an entire month before I even shared my name. As Dr. Brewer turns her attention to someone else, I nudge her arm.
“Hey.”
She smiles but I can see the apprehension in her eyes. “Hey, I hope this is okay. Fuzz told Lincoln about it and he thought it might help me.”
“Of course,” I tell her, nodding. Things between Wyatt and me have been going really well and he knows everything now so I have nothing to hide from him, not that I think Tate would spill my secrets. “You can talk to me sometime, too, if you’re not comfortable telling your deep dark secrets to the whole group.”
“Thank you,” she answers before chewing on her bottom lip. “I don’t mean to be rude but Lincoln didn’t really know your story…”
“Piper,” Dr. Brewer says, cutting Tate off as we both glance up at her. “Maybe you’d like to share your story for our new members?”
She motions to Tate and a man across from me who can’t seem to sit still and I nod as I take a deep breath, mentally preparing myself to relive the worst night of my life, and sit up a little straighter.
“Okay… My name is Piper and I’m here because… when I was nine years old, a man broke into my house and murdered both of my parents before trying to kill me.” I can feel Tate’s wide eyes boring into the side of my head but I keep going. “I never really learned how to deal with the pain of that and when my husband joined the Marines and deployed, I kind of lost it.”
Dr. Brewer flashes me a look full of displeasure at my attempt to break up the tension I feel coursing through my body and I sigh.
“I lived on the streets and I honestly can’t tell you what was real and what wasn’t. I was found on a park bench about a year later and taken to the hospital where I started getting the help I needed.”
Dr. Brewer nods. “Thank you, Piper. You have missed the last few meetings so is there anything new you would like to share?”
“Um…” I whisper, fighting back a smile as color stains my cheeks. “Yeah, actually. I reconnected with my husband after being apart for ten years and I told him the truth about what happened when I left him ten years ago.”
“And how would you say things are going?”
“Really well. Back then, I told him I had fallen in love with someone else… I don’t really know why… but when we saw each other again a month ago, he understandably wanted answers. Ever
since I told him the truth, he’s been incredibly supportive and I feel really good. I am still just trying to take it one day at a time and I’m remaining very conscious of how I’m feeling but I’m happier than I’ve been in a really long time.”
She flashes me a wide smile, nodding in approval as she turns her focus to someone else. I know that won’t be the end of it, though. At my next appointment, she will want to delve deeper but I hope she can see how strong I feel and how happy I am. Tate nudges me, keeping her voice low as another member of the group begins telling his story.
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
I shake my head, never quite sure how to respond when someone says that to me.
“I know how you feel. My mother… she was murdered last year…”
Pain blooms in my chest as I reach over and grab her hand in silent support. I don’t offer her the same apology she did to me because I know it doesn’t make it any better.
“Anytime you want to talk, I’m available. Okay? I won’t have any answers for you but sometimes it helps to just get the words out there.”
She nods and I give her hand a squeeze before releasing it. The rest of the meeting passes quickly as I listen to how everyone else has been coping with their issues and when Dr. Brewer dismisses us, I pull my phone out of my pocket again, my belly flipping as I search for a message.
Still nothing.
“Hey,” I say to Tate. “Is Kodiak with the guys?”
“No. He insisted on taking me to see the baby doctor today after I had that little cramp at your place last night.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” she answers, rolling her eyes as we stand up and grab our chairs to stack them against the wall before we leave. A huge smile stretches across her face. “Although, you should have seen his face when they said they could see two babies in there.”
My eyes widen. “Twins? That must have been a shock.”
“Not for me. I’m a twin and my half brother was a twin before his brother died but I think Lincoln let that little tidbit slip his mind when I told him he had knocked me up.”