by Wilder, L.
“And I love you.” I kissed her briefly, then said, “The cops will be here soon. We better get going.”
With a quick sigh, she released her hold on me and said, “I know.”
“When will I see you?”
“It’s probably going to be a while. Once we’re done here, I’ll have to get Katie down to the station and complete a mountain of paperwork there. Then, after I’m done there, I need to head over to the office and fill out even more paperwork, but I’ll try to be as quick as I can,” she promised.
“I’ll be waiting.”
She gave me another quick kiss, then I made my way over to the truck and got in with Rider. I never took my eyes off Landry as Rider pulled out of the parking lot. I didn’t like leaving her, but with the cops on their way, I didn’t have a choice. At least I could find comfort in knowing that it was over. Landry was safe, and it wouldn’t be long until Katie was returned to her foster parents. I didn’t want to think about what might’ve happened if Gus and the brothers hadn’t come through for us. Once again, they showed me what it meant to wear the Satan’s Fury patch, and I couldn’t wait for the day when I could actually call them my brothers. As Rider drove out of the parking lot, I turned to him and asked, “We going on to the garage?”
“Maybe later, but for now, we’re going to let Mack have a look at the hand.”
I’d almost forgotten about it until he mentioned it. I lifted it and wiggled my fingers so he could see all the swelling and bruising. “You think it’s broken?”
“Definitely.”
“You think Mack will be able to fix me up?”
“Yeah, but it’s gonna hurt like a motherfucker,” Rider scoffed.
“I’ll be all right. Nothing a few beers won’t take care of.”
When we made it back to the clubhouse, I went down to the infirmary so Mack could have a look at my hand. Rider was right. He was able to patch me up, but it hurt like a sonofabitch. Not only did he have to set the damn thing, he had to put my hand in a fucking cast. By the time he was done fixing me up, it was well into the afternoon and too late to bother with going to the garage. I hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before, so I decided to go back to my room for a quick break. I took a couple of the pain relievers Mack had given me and lay across the bed. The next thing I knew, Landry was crawling into bed next to me. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, beautiful. Did you get everything sorted with Katie?”
She nodded with a smile. “I did. Thanks to you and the guys.”
“I’m just glad it all worked out.”
When I went to reach for her, Landry’s eyes widened with a gasp as she noticed the cast on my hand. “What happened?”
“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”
“No, it’s not nothing!” she fussed.
“I had a little run in with a wall.” I smiled as I told her, “It won.”
“So, it’s broken?”
“Yeah, but it could’ve been worse. Now, stop with the inquisition. I’m fine.”
“I don’t think so. Why did you have a run in with the wall?”
Before I could answer, her phone dinged with a text message. With a huff, she rolled over and grabbed it out of her purse, quickly scanning the screen. Seconds later, she was reaching for the remote. “We need to turn on the news!”
The TV came on, and seconds later, Katie’s face crossed the screen. We both watched quietly as the reporter announced the cancelation of Katie’s previous Amber alert, stating that she’d been found unharmed and had been returned to her foster home, and just as Gus had hoped, there was no mention of Satan’s Fury. As soon as it was over, Landry turned off the TV and lay down next to me. She curled up to my side, she said, “Now, about the hand …”
“It’s fine, Landry. Really.”
Her brows furrowed as she pushed, “So, you’re not going to tell me what happened?”
“Already told you, there’s nothing to tell.” It meant a great deal to me that she was so concerned, but at the same time, it was a conversation I’d hoped to avoid. I had no intention of telling her about the visit I’d had with Strayhorn. As far as I was concerned, I’d dealt with him, and if all went as planned, he would no longer be a problem for either Landry or his wife and kids. Hoping to distract her from her line of questioning, I rolled over and faced her as I asked, “You remember that house we went to look at?”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“What would you think if I made an offer on it?”
“Seriously?” She eased up on her elbow. “Why the sudden interest in it?”
“Not exactly sudden,” I answered casually. There wasn’t anything particularly special about the house. It was just a simple three-bedroom painted brick house with all the basic necessities, but when I thought about Landry being in that house with me, nothing about it seemed simple or basic. Instead, it couldn’t have felt more perfect. “It’s close to work and has that big backyard for Duchess, and there’s plenty of room for you to have an office.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, you.” When our eyes met, I told her, “If I buy the house, I’d be buying it for us.”
“But—”
I could see the wheels turning in her head as she considered what I’d said. I knew it was early, that we were still getting to know one another, but I knew without a doubt that Landry was the one for me. Hell, I was pretty sure I knew it from the moment I spotted her out on the street with Duchess. I just hoped she felt the same. “It’s a simple question, Landry. Should I get the house or not?”
CHAPTER 20
Landry
The days after Katie’s kidnapping were a complete blur. Between filling out all the paperwork, answering questions from both Mrs. Hawkins and the police department, and getting Katie settled back in with her foster family, it seemed like I could barely catch my breath. But at the end of the day, it was all worth it. Knowing that he was facing substantial jail time, Christopher Coburn relinquished his parental rights, giving the Hopkins family the opportunity to take her on permanently. I was worried that Katie might not be ready for such a big leap, but when I told her the news, she couldn’t have been more pleased. She loved being with the Hopkins, and it meant a great deal to her that she’d be able to stay with them indefinitely. I couldn’t deny that it did my heart good to see her so happy. It made me feel like I had some small part in making her life a little better, and I liked the feeling. It was one of the very reasons I’d found myself driving out to the Strayhorn home to check in on Aniya and the kids.
It had been just over two weeks since I’d had the encounter with Aniya’s husband at the coffee shop. Considering how that had turned out, I’d decided to back off for a little while, give it some time to settle down, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t tried to reach out to Aniya. I simply wanted to make sure that she and the kids were okay, but I couldn’t get her to answer her cell. Hoping to avoid her husband, I’d tried calling her at the coffee shop, but she wasn’t working today. I’d just have to see for myself if Mr. Strayhorn had ruined everything we’d worked so hard to accomplish.
I was feeling a little uneasy as I pulled up to the house but felt slightly better when I didn’t spot the Ford pickup in the driveway. I parked and kept my eyes open for any sign of the husband, then made my way up to the porch. A wave of nervousness washed over me as I lifted my hand to knock. My mind was suddenly bombarded with thoughts of Strayhorn yelling at me and threatening to slit my throat. Those memories combined with the fear of having been locked in the storage closet with Danny and Katie were enough to give me second thoughts about my impromptu visit. I was just about to turn and leave when the front door opened and Fiona appeared with a bright smile. The tightness in my chest quickly faded when I saw that Fiona was no longer scared to see me. In fact, she actually looked happy as she announced, “You’re back.”
“I am.” I knelt down, so I could look her in the eye as I spoke. “I wanted to come by and see how you were doing.”
&n
bsp; “I’m doing ‘weally good. I gots a gold star today in Missus Tatum’s class.”
“A gold star? That’s wonderful!”
She nodded. “Momma gots me a treat for it.”
“That’s really great, Fiona. I’m very proud of you.” Seeing her so pleased warmed my heart. I had no doubt that her mother felt the same. Curious as to where she might be, I peered through the crack of the door. “Is your mom at work?”
“She’s in da kitchen.” Fiona reached for my hand and tugged me inside, leading me straight to her mother. As we entered the room, Fiona excitedly announced, “Momma … it’s Missus Daw-sun.”
When Aniya turned to face me, I was thrilled to see that her black eye was almost gone, and there were no other signs of bruises anywhere to be seen. A bright smile crossed her face as she said, “I was wondering if you would be back!”
“I had to come check on my favorite crew.” As I stepped further into the room, I spotted Joseph sitting at the table. He was eating a bowl of cereal, and from what I could tell, he seemed bruise free and perfectly content as he shoved a big spoon-full of cereal into his mouth. He continued to chomp away as I told Aniya, “I tried calling, but I haven’t been able to reach you on your cell.”
“That would be because Stephen busted it all to hell that day in the coffee shop,” she grumbled. “But I’ve got new one. I’ll get you the number before you go.”
I’d been there several minutes, and from what I could tell there was no sign of Aniya’s husband anywhere—no truck, no clothes, and no booming voice, screaming for me to leave. “Since you mentioned him … Where is your husband now?”
“Hell if I know.” She shrugged. “I haven’t seen him since the day he packed up and left.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I honestly don’t know what happened. One day, he was set on staying here and trying to make things work, which would’ve never been a good thing, and then the next thing I know, he comes to the house all black and blue, covered in blood, and barely able to walk. Somebody got him real good. He hardly said two words to me … just packed his crap and left. Told me and the kids good riddance.” She rolled her eyes with a heckle. “If you ask me, him getting his ass kicked was some kind of divine intervention.”
“And how long ago was it that he left?”
“I don’t know. About two weeks ago?” I was trying to think back to what was going on two weeks ago when she said, “It was the same morning that little girl went missing.”
While I was baffled by what had happened with Aniya’s husband, it was easy to see that she was relieved that he was gone, and if Fiona and Joseph’s moods were any indication, they felt the same way. “So, things are going okay?”
“Things are going better than okay.” She glanced over at her children with a soft smile as she said, “The kids are doing good in school and really like the new daycare, and I just got extra hours at work … even managed to pay off the water bill balance and part of the electric.”
“That’s fantastic, Aniya. I’m really excited to hear that.” I could’ve spent the entire day sitting there and listening to her tell me about how well things were going, but sadly, I simply didn’t have the time. I’d invited my parents over for dinner, and since it was going to be the first time they’d met Clay, I wanted everything to be perfect. After checking the time, I told her, “I’ve really enjoyed seeing you guys, but I should get going.”
“Okay. I’m glad you were able to stop by.” She showed me to the door, and I was just about to walk out when she said, “Ms. Dawson?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for everything. It’s really meant a lot to me.” Before I had a chance to respond, she reached out and hugged me. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
Her words brought tears to my eyes. It wasn’t often that I was thanked for the work I’d done, and it meant a lot to me that she’d said them to me. I hugged her back as I whispered, “I’m really glad I could help.”
As soon as we said our goodbyes, I rushed back to my car and started towards my apartment to get ready for my parents’ arrival. I spent the better half of the afternoon cleaning and cooking, and I had to admit, everything was looking pretty good. That didn’t mean I wasn’t still freaking out. While I would’ve never admitted it to her, my mother’s opinion meant a lot to me, and I really wanted her to like Clay, especially since I’d agreed to move in with him. I was trying to think of the perfect way to break the news to her when Clay came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, hugging me with my back against his chest. “Hey, beautiful. It smells great.”
“You think so?”
“Yep! Can’t wait to dig in.” He lowered his mouth to my neck, and I started to giggle when his lips brushed across the sensitive flesh. I pushed him back with my hip, causing his cast to bump against the counter. “Easy there, killer.”
“Your own fault.” I teased. “You know how ticklish I am.”
When I turned to face him, he smiled and said, “You’re right. I just can’t seem to help myself.”
“Mm-hmm.” My eyes dropped down to his cast, and I suddenly found myself thinking about the conversation I’d had with Aniya. She mentioned that it had happened the same morning that Katie had been kidnapped, the same exact morning that Clay appeared at the Rebels’ clubhouse with not only a broken hand, but numerous bruises and scratches. When I’d asked him about it, he was vague at best, so I decided to ask again. “You know, you never really told me how you broke your hand.”
An uneasy expression crossed his face as he glanced down at his cast and sighed. “Let’s just say I had something I needed to handle, and I handled it.”
“Was this something you had ‘to handle’ club related or something more personal?”
“Landry,” he protested.
“Okay, I’ll leave it,” I lied. I turned my attention back to the stove, and as I started to stir the noodles, I told him, “You know that guy who threatened me at the coffee shop?”
“Uh-huh.”
“I talked to his soon-to-be ex-wife today.” Not giving him a chance to respond, I continued, “She told me that he came to the house a couple of weeks ago and packed all his stuff. Told her that he wouldn’t be coming back.”
“Oh, really?” he asked casually. “You believe that?”
“I don’t know. She said someone had beaten him up pretty bad. He was barely able to walk, so maybe whoever it was talked some sense into him.”
I glanced over my shoulder, and when I saw the slight smile on his face, I knew that one way or another, Clay had been involved in getting rid of Stephen Strayhorn. I should’ve been upset with him for meddling, but when I thought back to how happy Aniya and Fiona seemed during my visit, it was impossible to be angry. Doing his best to play it off, he cleared his throat and said, “Sounds like the guy got some sense knocked into him.”
“Apparently so.”
With a mischievous smirk, he reached over and stole a bite of bread as he asked, “When are your folks gonna get here?”
“Any minute.” I motioned my hand towards the cabinet. “Would you mind getting out a few glasses?”
“Sure thing.”
He’d barely taken a step when there was a knock at the door. My breath caught as I watched him go over and open it, smiling kindly as he greeted both of my parents and welcomed them inside. I listened to them banter back and forth with small talk about the weather while Clay took their coats. As he turned to carry them into the living room, my mother looked at me with a big smile. “He’s so handsome, and very charming.”
“I think so too.”
I walked over and gave her a quick hug, then turned my attention to my father. It had been weeks since I’d spoken to him, but I knew that Mom had kept him up to date on everything that was going on in my life. When I reached up to hug him, he squeezed me tight and whispered, “You look wonderful, Landry. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen you so happy.”
“Thanks, Dad. I am happy. In fact, I’m very happy.”
“Good.” He was still hugging me when Duchess came trotting over and started sniffing at his feet. A big smile crossed his face as he asked, “Is this the dog you hit with your car?”
“Yes! This is Duchess.”
Mom’s mouth dropped when she saw her. “My goodness, Landry. That dog is enormous. It’s a wonder you didn’t make a mess of your car.”
“I didn’t hit her that hard, Mom. It was more of a bump or a hard nudge.”
Clay chuckled as he added, “I’m not sure Duchess would agree with that.”
“Well, she’s just fine, and now that it’s all said and done, she’s got a good home.”
Dad looked over at Clay as he asked, “You decide to keep her?”
Clay knelt down and rubbed Duchess on the head as he answered, “Yes, sir. She kind of grew on me, and I couldn’t see letting her go.”
“Well, that’s great. I’m glad to see that it all worked out.” I headed over to the oven and pulled out the casserole as Dad asked, “So, how are things at work?”
“Believe it or not, they’re finally starting to settle down.”
While I set the table, I told them what I could about what’d happened with Katie, and the promotion I was up for, and while they both seemed very pleased, my mother was much more interested in my relationship with Clay than she was with my work. As soon as we sat down to eat, she watched his every move and listened intently to everything he said. I knew she was trying to size him up when she asked, “So, Clay … What do you do?”
“I work down at the club’s garage.” He took a sip of his tea and continued, “We do restorations … classic cars and bikes mostly.”
“That sounds interesting.” I could tell by her tone that she wasn’t exactly impressed, especially when her eyes dropped to his leather vest. It was moments like these when I wished my mother was more like my father. I didn’t have to worry about what he was thinking. As long as I was happy, he was happy. Unfortunately, she didn’t feel the same. She’d always felt the need to push my brother and I, so I wasn’t surprised when she said, “Is this something you plan to do long term?”