by Harley Stone
Besides being smart and skilled, they were genuinely good people. Not a one of them had met Tina or Dylan, but they were all committed to keeping them safe. Not only because it would make Emily happy, but because it was the right thing to do. They were the kind of men who’d joined the military to help people. My story wasn’t quite so noble. I didn’t deserve to be among their ranks, but was determined to carve myself out a spot.
Regardless, my desire to get patched in had nothing to do with why I’d offered up my house as a refuge. No, my motivation was far more selfish than that. Tina’s intense hazel eyes and lush curves had been tugging at my thoughts since the moment I laid eyes on her, and I wanted to figure out why.
Also, something primal inside me needed to know she was safe.
She was a single mom trying to get away from the piece of shit she was still married to. A smarter man would steer clear of that kind of drama, but for some reason, I couldn’t. The woman hadn’t given me the slightest hint she was interested in me, but it didn’t matter. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her intense hazel eyes staring back at me.
Maybe the altruistic spirit of the Dead Presidents was rubbing off on me, but I didn’t think so. I only hoped we weren’t too late to help her.
7
Kaos
AS WE NAVIGATED the underground parking garage, Tap pointed to a tan Mazda that looked like it had seen more turns around the sun than I had. “There. That’s Tina’s car. Park in the nearest visitor spot.”
I did as I was told, and we both got out. Shouldering his backpack of goodies, he followed me. We found Rabbit leaning against the front of the building not far from the entryway. He peeled off the wall and joined us, flicking away the toothpick he’d been chewing on.
“No sign of the motherfucker,” he said, sounding disappointed.
I called up to the unit. A woman answered. It didn’t sound like Tina, but I wasn’t sure.
“Hi. It’s Kaos. I’m here for Tina and Dylan.”
“Fine,” she snapped, her tone unnecessarily hostile. “Come on up.”
The security door unlocked with a loud buzz. I opened the door and headed in with the guys behind me. Tap kept snapping pictures of God-only-knew-what as Rabbit watched me with open curiosity.
“Hmm,” he said as we headed toward the elevators. “’Magine that.”
“Imagine what?” I asked, bracing myself for whatever shit he was about to flick me.
“You being a hotshot hockey player and all, I thought you’d be better with the ladies, but it sounds like they hate you almost as much as they hate me.” Rabbit grinned as he entered the elevator and paused at the number pad. “Fourth floor, right?”
Tap nodded, and Rabbit pushed the button. The doors closed.
“I think that was Tina’s sister,” I replied, unsure why I felt the need to defend myself. “I haven’t met her.”
Rabbit cocked his head to the side and smirked at me. “You got any sisters, Kaos?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Just brothers.”
“Well, I do, and if some motherfucker named Kaos showed up to take my sister to safety, he’d have to fight me, first. You should have given her your real name or something. Made yourself sound more respectable and a little less… chaotic and shit.”
Tap arched an eyebrow at Rabbit. “Her husband’s name is Matt. Sounds innocuous as fuck, but he still beat the shit out of her.”
The elevator doors opened, and we exited.
“Yeah, I get that,” Rabbit said. “But I still wouldn’t hand my sister over to someone named Kaos.”
Ignoring Rabbit, I found the unit number and knocked.
The door opened far enough to reveal an engaged chain and a sliver of the woman on the other side of the door. The chain might have made her feel safe, but it looked flimsy as hell. Any one of us could have dropped a shoulder and plowed right through it without much more than a bruise to show for our trouble.
“There’s no way that’ll stop Matt,” I said to Tap.
He nodded, snapping a picture.
From what little I could see of her, the woman on the other side of the door wasn’t happy to see us. Narrowing her visible eye at me, she said, “You must be Kaos.”
Someone had described me. Wondering if it was Tina or Dylan, I nodded. “Yes ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you… uh…”
I waited for her to provide her name, but she didn’t. Instead, her gaze swiveled to take in my companions. “Why did you bring these two?”
Tap stepped forward, swinging his backpack down his arm. “Because we don’t know what Matt Parker is capable of and we always come prepared. We’re professionals. You must be Elenore. Your sister is lucky to have you looking out for her, but she’s not safe here. I’ve already made out three ways I could have breached this building, and if we didn’t respect you and the law, we’d be through that door before you could shout a warning. That little chain sure as shit wouldn’t stop us. To my understanding, Matt has no respect for you or the law. He’s unstable, and if he wants to get to Tina here, he will. From what I’ve seen, you won’t be able to stop him.”
Elenore stiffened. Tap’s warning struck home so hard she didn’t even try to deny it.
He unzipped his pack and propped it against the door, opening it wide enough so she could see inside. “We plan to take Tina to a more secure location but have no intention of leaving you alone and vulnerable. My name is Tap, and I have security equipment I’d like to discuss with you. Our club is called the Dead Presidents. We’re veterans who have made vows to serve, protect, and aid the people of our community. Time is of the essence, but if it makes you feel more comfortable, you should google us and find out what we’re about.”
“I’ve heard of the club.” Her expression turned thoughtful. “My company contributed to your toy drive last year.” She turned her gaze toward Rabbit. “What about you? Why are you here?”
“The name’s Rabbit.” He gave her a wide smile. “My little sister once dated a guy who smacked her around. I was in Afghanistan at the time and couldn’t do shit about it. By the time I got home, the motherfucker was in jail for armed robbery. I can’t get to him in the slammer, but I have a lot of feelings about what he did to Rose. I’d like to take those feelings up with someone, and if this Matt Parker clown shows up, he’d make a good target. I’ll protect you and your sister the way I wish someone would have protected mine.”
Shocked, Tap and I both stared at Rabbit. I hadn’t known about his sister and it was clear Tap hadn’t either. Maybe there was more to the energetic, mouthy, slightly crazed mechanic than I’d previously assumed.
“I’m sorry to hear about your sister,” I said.
Rabbit waved me off. “It was a long time ago. Now I have brothers to watch my back and protect my family when I can’t.”
The door closed. Metal scraped against metal, and then it swung open and Elenore stood in the doorway. Like her sister, she was a brown-haired, hazel-eyed beauty. Wearing sneakers, leggings, and a tank top, her hair up in a ponytail, she was built like a ballet dancer, tall and lithe. Rabbit’s gaze raked over her body and his jaw dropped.
She eyed him skeptically before facing me. “Tina and Dylan are almost done packing and will be out in a minute. Dylan doesn’t know what an abusive piece of shit his dad is, so please watch what you say in front of him.”
Now it was my turn to gape as I wondered how she could possibly believe that bullshit. Dylan was smart and observant. Matt had left bruises on Tina twice. Regardless of whatever lies Dylan had been told to cover up the truth, that kid knew damn well where his mom got those bruises. I’d bet my left nut on it. Still, I wasn’t there to make waves or point out the obvious, so I snapped my mouth shut and agreed. “Yes ma’am.”
Tap spun around and snapped a few pictures of the door locks before joining us in the living room. “Where do you want me to set up?” he asked Elenore.
“Kitchen.” She gestured toward a doorway before eyeing me and Rabbit. “
You two can have a seat in here and wait.”
Although her grey leather sectional looked cozy, I wasn’t a have-a-seat-and-wait type of guy. Besides, I had different orders and was anxious to follow them. “You sure they won’t need help with their luggage?” I asked.
Elenore frowned. “Maybe. One sec.” She hurried down the hall and disappeared from sight.
“Nice place,” Rabbit said. Settling on the chaise portion of the sectional, he kicked up his feet to get comfortable. I shook my head, hoping the grease from his jeans didn’t stain the leather. Someone had left an open magazine on the seat cushion. He picked it up and angled the page toward me. “Water Soluble CBD Creates a Clear Solution,” he said, reading the article title out loud. “Think she reads this shit for fun?”
Tap had already disappeared through the kitchen doorway, leaving me alone to deal with Rabbit. I shrugged, because I didn’t care what Elenore was into. I was itching to get out of the condo before Matt showed up, saw me, and all hell broke loose. As much as I’d like to flatten the bastard, I didn’t want to think about how that would affect Dylan.
Elenore appeared in the hallway with a suitcase in hand and a bag slung over her shoulder. I hurried over to lighten her load. As I took the bags, Tina emerged. I’d been expecting tears and hysterics about having to leave the comfort of her sister’s condo, but when her gaze met mine, resolve and determination stared back at me. She was okay. I didn’t realize how worried I’d been, but the wave of relief that washed over me confirmed that my emotions had gotten all wrapped up in this woman’s plight.
“It’s good to see you again,” I blurted out. There should be nothing good about it. I was only there because Matt had threatened her safety, which made my statement sound really fucking thoughtless. “Not under the circumstances, of course, but I’m glad you’re okay.”
She dropped her gaze. “Thank you for coming for us.”
“I told you, we help people. Whatever you need.”
Dylan emerged with a backpack over his shoulder, rolling a suitcase behind him. His gaze landed on me and a grin lit up his face before he caught himself and schooled his expression. Giving me a very cool, very masculine lift of his chin, he greeted me with a simple, “S’up Kaos?”
The kid could try to hide it as much as he wanted, but he was happy to see me. He appeared almost relieved. Fighting back my own smile, I returned his chin lift. “S’up Dylan?” Turning my attention back to Tina, I said, “Let’s get you guys out of here.”
Tina frowned at Rabbit, who was watching our exchange from the comfort of the sectional. He set the magazine down and stood, offering her a smile.
“This is Rabbit,” I said, ushering her and Dylan forward. “Tap’s in the kitchen. They’re going to help your sister out with security and make sure she’s safe.”
Tina tensed. “You want me to leave my sister alone with two strange men?”
When she put it like that, her hesitancy made sense. “Rabbit’s the only strange one. Tap’s perfectly normal,” I said, trying to add a little levity to the situation.
Rabbit took a mock swing at me, but I easily pivoted out of his range.
“I’ll be fine,” Elenore said, giving her sister a wave with something that looked like a Taser in her hand. I was certain she hadn’t been carrying that thing when she let us in, which meant Tap had equipped her as soon as she’d walked into the kitchen.
Tap came up behind Elenore and introduced himself to Tina and Dylan. “Tina, before you leave, I need to fill you in on what to expect. Would it be all right if Kaos and Dylan take the bags to the car while we chat?”
Dylan slid closer to his mom, glaring daggers at Tap and Rabbit. Regardless of how happy he’d been to see me, he wasn’t about to leave his mom and aunt alone with strangers. Despite the fact I had no claims on the kid, a bizarre sort of pride swelled in my chest. He had a lot more going for him than people realized.
Tina turned toward me and raised her eyebrows, silently deferring to me.
“Tap and Rabbit are good, and they know what they’re doing,” I said. “You can trust them.”
“I’ll help load up the car,” Rabbit offered, grabbing a couple of bags. To Dylan, he added, “I know Tap looks tough, but he’s a fu… a frickin’ nerd. He’s about to talk their ears off about locks, video cameras, and alarm systems. I’ve heard it all before and it’s boring as hell. Trust me, man, you don’t want to have to sit through his spiel. Besides, if he gets out of line, your aunt can tag him with the Taser he just loaned her. I think I’d like to see that.”
Tap frowned at Rabbit.
Dylan didn’t look convinced, but Tina pushed him toward us. “We’ll be fine. Help the guys.”
Dylan stopped long enough to point a finger at Tap. “You better be nice to Mom and Aunt El.”
Tap held his hands up in the universal sign of surrender. “You have my word. Man to man.”
That seemed to appease Dylan. He followed Rabbit to the door as I grabbed the rest of the luggage and joined them, stopping to give Tina one last reassuring smile before I slipped out.
8
Tina
TAP WAS A handsome, muscular man with caramel-colored skin and a kind smile. The guys hadn’t been there long, but he’d already equipped my sister with a Taser, leveling the playing field so she wouldn’t feel quite so helpless with strangers invading her home. It was a brilliant move, really, and I could tell Elenore was warming up to him already.
“You should see the stuff he has in his backpack,” she whispered to me as we followed Tap into the kitchen. “These guys are legit.”
Her endorsement put me at ease, and I sat across the table from Tap. Elenore played host and got us all water.
“Thank you for trusting us. I know this can’t be easy for you,” Tap said.
“I don’t have much of a choice,” I replied. God, I sounded like an ungrateful hag. Shaking my head, I tried again. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. The way you’ve all jumped through hoops to help us is… I can’t thank you enough. I’m just angry and frustrated that Matt put us in this position.”
“He’ll get his.” Tap rifled through his backpack. “They always do in the end. Especially when we intervene. Look, I’m not good at small talk, and quite frankly, we don’t have time for it, so I’m going to jump right into the thick of things. Your cell phone is the easiest way for Matt to track you. I’m sure you don’t want to give it up, and we won’t make you, but it’s the smart thing to do.” He pulled a boxed iPhone out of his bag and set it on the table. “I won’t leave you without a phone. I’ve added contact information for me, Kaos, and our club leader, Link, into this one. It’s prepaid for the month with unlimited data. I can have your contacts transferred over. We just ask that you only share the number with the people who absolutely have to have it.”
I nodded, eyeing the phone. It was a much newer model than my refurbished one. “That’s very generous of you.” Still, my phone was the way I stayed connected. Since leaving Matt, I’d been rebuilding friendships with the women I’d previously neglected, and the idea of disappearing on them again made my stomach sink. Pulling my phone out of my jacket pocket, I hesitated. In addition to the contact information for my friends, it held priceless pictures of Dylan and Elenore. “Will I get this phone back?”
“Yes. And I’ll backup all your photos and texts in a secure location just in case something happens to it.”
“Thank you.” It was just a phone. A possession. I wasn’t emotionally attached to it. I handed him mine, and then squeezed the boxed phone into my purse.
He nodded, tucking my phone away into a pocket of his backpack. “I’ll keep this one charged and active at the club headquarters. Trust me, if Matt tracks it there, he’ll regret it.”
“I have a request,” Elenore said, joining us at the table. “Any altercations your club has with that asshole… I want them recorded. Seriously. Watching a bunch of bikers beating the crap out of him is all I want for my birthday next mo
nth.”
“We’ll see what we can do,” Tap said with a smirk. “Tina, I’d like to take your car to the station as well.”
“My car?” My hard-earned independence felt like it was slipping away. I’d done this before—giving up my freedom because some man wanted to take care of me—and that had blown up in my face. I didn’t know if I had it in me to trust like that again.
“She just got a car. You can’t take it from her,” Elenore said as if reading my mind. She grabbed my hand. “That’s the kind of shit he did to her.”
Tap’s eyes softened. “I understand, and I won’t be taking anything away. I only want to park it at the fire station until we get this situation under control. Tina, you are still technically married, and Washington is a community property state. I’m sure Matt knows about the car. He can report you missing and have the police search for it. If they find it at the club, we can handle the fallout, but we don’t want anything to lead Matt to you and Dylan. Kaos has a very nice Escalade that I’m sure he’ll let you borrow whenever you want. Hell, he let Spade use it last week to chauffeur his little sister and her date to prom. If he’s using it, the club can loan you a car. This isn’t about taking away your freedom. You won’t be locked in the house or any of that bullshit.”
“I want to know where she’ll be staying,” Elenore announced.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Tap fired back. “No offense, but I doubt you’ve been trained to watch for a tail. We have. Any time you want to see your sister, we can bring her to you and keep you both safe. Then we can make sure nobody follows her back to Kaos’s.”
Elenore frowned. “Good point.”