by Wilder, L.
“That was my fault. I shouldn’t have bailed on you like that.” Feeling guilty, I glanced up at him and said, “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing for you to apologize for, Landry.”
I snuggled up a little closer and whispered, “Thank you for coming here tonight. It really means a lot to me.”
“Good, cause you mean a lot to me.” He rested his head back on the pillow and closed his eyes as he said, “Now, get some rest, beautiful.”
I was tempted to argue, especially when having him so close brought up all those hot memories from the night before, but I was just too exhausted. And from the looks of it, he was too, so I did as I was told and quickly drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I awoke to not only an empty bed, but an empty apartment as well. I lay there a few more minutes before I forced myself out of bed and into the kitchen for a cup of coffee. When I spotted a note from Clay sitting on a little pink box, a huge smile crossed my face. I rushed over to read what it said:
Morning, Beautiful,
Sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up. I had to get back to the clubhouse, but I’ll give you a call in a bit. Take it easy today.
Clay
Enjoy your breakfast!
Still smiling, I opened the pink box and found it filled with muffins, croissants, and various other baked goodies. It seemed that Mr. Clay Hanson was full of surprises, and I couldn’t deny that I liked it. I liked it a lot. After I made myself a cup of coffee, I grabbed one of the chocolate croissants out of the box. I leaned against the counter as I took a bite, and a small groan of pleasure vibrated through me as I stood there savoring the decadent treat. Once I was done, I headed to the bathroom for a shower. As much as I hated to go into the office on a Sunday, I didn’t have a choice. I needed to get my reports on the Coburn case sent over to Mrs. Hawkins. The emergency hearing for foster placement would be the following morning, and I wanted to make sure I had everything ready for the attorney who would be handling the case. I had a lot I wanted to get done, so I wasted no time getting dressed and out the door.
When I got to the office, I picked up the phone to call Danny down at the precinct. As soon as he answered, I asked, “How you making it this morning?”
“I’m here. That’s gotta count for something, right?” he scoffed. “What about you? Have you recovered from all of last night’s excitement?”
“No, but I’m working on it.” Danny had been on the force for years, so last night wasn’t anything new for him. He’d seen it all before, and even worse. The same didn’t hold true for me. I was still trying to wrap my head around everything, and seeing Katie in danger didn’t help matters. I thought back to the moment when I pulled up at the house.
Danny had just arrived and was talking to Coburn, who was pacing back and forth on the front porch. I couldn’t help but notice the almost-empty bottle of tequila sitting on the table as I got out of my car and started walking towards them. Coburn lost it as soon as he saw me. “What the fuck are you doing here? Are you the reason why this fucker just showed up at my house?”
“I already told you,” Danny barked. “A call was made about a possible domestic disturbance. We’re here to make sure everything’s okay.”
“Done told you everything’s fucking fine, so the both of you can get your sorry asses off my goddamn property,” Coburn slurred.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Coburn. That’s not going to happen until we speak to your girlfriend, Casey Michaels, and your daughter.” Danny continued towards him as he said, “Where are they now?”
“Casey’s gone. I done got rid of her sorry ass,” he shouted.
“And Katie?” I asked nervously.
“She’s in the house,” Coburn answered. “She’s fine.”
Coburn had scratches on his face, and when I glanced down at his hands, I noticed that his knuckles were all scratched and bloody as well. Seeing his wounds terrified me, making me wonder what he might’ve done to Katie. It was like he was reading my mind when Danny growled, “I’m going to need to see that for myself.”
Without asking for consent, Danny walked past Mr. Coburn and barged into the house. “Hey! Where the fuck do you think you’re going?”
As Danny entered the house, I could hear him shout, “Katie! It’s Officer Reed. Where are you?”
Coburn raced in behind him, and when Danny reached the bathroom door, Coburn lunged at him, trying to prevent him from getting to his daughter. Thankfully, Danny was stronger than he looked and was able to tackle him to the ground. After he got Coburn restrained, Danny put him in a pair of cuffs and led him out to the patrol car. As he started out the door, I heard him call into the dispatcher and request backup. Once they were outside, I turned my attention to the bathroom door. I cringed when I noticed that the wood was covered in dents and blood stains. I reached for the handle, and when I saw that it was locked, I tapped on the door. “Katie? Are you in there?”
“Ms. Dawson?” she cried.
“Yes, sweetie. It’s me. Can you open the door for me?”
Without answering, Katie eased the door open, and my chest tightened when I saw that she was still crying. She rushed towards me, wrapping her arms around me as she sobbed, “You came!”
“Of course, I did.” I hugged her tightly. “I’m just sorry I couldn’t get here sooner.”
“I’ve never seen him this bad. I was so scared.”
“Everything’s going to be fine, Katie.” I looked down at her as I said, “Your father really messed up tonight, so he’s being arrested. I need to know if you have any family in the area who might be able to look after you for a while.”
“No, ma’am. Not that I know of.”
“Okay, then we’ll have to figure something else out.” I stood up and asked her, “Do you think you could gather some clothes for me?”
Her lips trembled as she asked, “I’m not going to stay here?”
“No, Katie. It’s not safe here, but I promise I’ll get you to a place that is. Okay?”
She nodded while she wiped her tears. “Okay.”
I followed her into her bedroom and helped gather some belongings, then Katie and I went outside to check on things with Danny and Mr. Coburn. As always, Danny was wonderful with Katie. He helped set her mind at ease as he explained the situation with her father, relieving her of any blame she might be feeling, and I could tell it meant a great deal to her. His soft side was one of the reasons why I enjoyed working with him, especially in situations like these.
I was pulled from my thoughts when Danny said, “Thankfully, the asshole hasn’t been able to post bail yet.”
“I wonder what will happen to him.”
“I figure the judge will slam him this time. The charges are stacking up against Coburn: domestic disturbance, domestic violence, child endangerment, assault of an officer, and resisting arrest. I wouldn’t be surprised if the judge throws the book at him.” He paused for a moment like he was reading over something, then said, “But you know how the court system works. It’ll be at least a month or two before he goes to trial.”
“Do you think he’ll stay in jail until that happens?”
“Doubt it. If I had to guess, I’d say it won’t be long before that bat-shit-crazy girlfriend of his comes to get him out.”
“You’re probably right.” I sighed. “You gotta wonder why she’d ever want to be with a guy like that.”
“Can’t ever tell. Probably ’cause she can mooch off his ass instead of actually getting a damn job of her own.”
“Probably so.” Thinking back to the reason why I called, I asked, “Would you mind getting me a copy of your report when it’s done?”
“Sure thing. Just give me a few minutes to wrap things up, and I’ll send it your way.”
“Thank you, Danny. You’re a sweetheart.”
“Anything for my favorite DCS agent.”
As soon as we ended the call, I turned on my computer and started filling out my reports. It took hours, but thankfully, I managed to get eve
rything written up and emailed over to Mrs. Hawkins. Thinking I would get a little more work done once I was back home, I put my files in my bag and headed back to my apartment. When I walked in, the box of goodies Clay had brought me for breakfast were still sitting on the counter, taunting me with all their yumminess. Unable to resist, I opened the box, and smiling like a goofy kid, reached inside for a donut. I took a bite, and just as I expected, it was just as amazing as the croissant I’d had earlier. Once I finished, I decided to send Clay a message and thank him for the sweet gesture.
Me:
Just wanted to say thanks for the breakfast. You didn’t have to do that.
Clay:
Hated to leave without saying goodbye, but I knew you needed the rest.
Me:
I figured you had to get back.
Clay:
I did. Had to help get things ready for tomorrow.
Me:
What’s tomorrow?
Clay:
Going out of town for the day.
Me:
Just for the day?
Clay:
Yeah. Leaving early. Back late.
Me:
Okay. Well, I hope it goes well.
Clay:
Thanks. I’ll see you when I get back?
Me:
I’d like that.
Clay:
I’ll touch base tomorrow.
Me:
Okay. Talk to you then.
While I was a little disappointed that I wouldn’t be seeing Clay again any time soon, I was glad that he’d come over the night before. I still had my apprehensions, but seemingly less bothersome than before, I was able to focus on other things—like work and catching up on chores around my apartment. After I threw a load of dirty clothes in the wash, I cleaned the dishes in the sink and stripped the bed. After a little dusting, I took a break from straightening up to do a little work. It didn’t seem like I’d been at it for long when I looked over at the clock and saw that it was after ten. Knowing I had a full day ahead, I decided to call it a night and went to bed.
The following morning, Katie’s case was brought before the judge. As expected, he agreed to place her into foster care until the official hearing, which would be in a couple of weeks. Hoping that would be the case, I’d already started searching for the perfect home to place her in. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins were younger than some of the families I’d worked with, but both were extremely sweet and I liked the fact that they lived in a nice neighborhood close to Germantown. The house was a traditional four-bedroom home with plenty of room for them to foster Katie for the next few weeks. I hoped it would be a good situation for her. From the excited way the foster mother spoke about wanting another child in the home, it was clear that she was happy about taking Katie, which in turn set my mind at ease. She and her husband were even interested in keeping Katie full-time if the courts decided her father was unfit.
On my way back to the office, I found myself thinking about Clay. As soon as he entered my mind, a smile crossed my face and butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I wished he was near so I could share the good news with him, but then I remembered that he and his brothers would be out of the town for the day. Now that I’d actually had time to really think about it, I found myself curious about not only where they were going, but what they would be doing.
Prospect
The brothers and I had been up and moving since well before sunrise. We had to double-check all the crates and get them loaded into the secret compartments of the horse trailers. It was one thing to hear Rider explain how this whole thing worked, seeing it all in action was something else entirely. These men took nothing for granted, taking every precaution necessary to ensure our safety as we headed to Mobile. I was worried that I might fuck something up, but Rider and Murphy were both watching me like a hawk, making sure that I did everything exactly the way it needed to be done. Once we got all the different crates loaded onto the trailer, T-Bone and Gauge brought over the horses and secured them inside. As I stood there looking at the white, seven-foot-wide trailer with two of Gus’s beautiful black mares inside, it was hard to believe that there were hundreds of illegal weapons hidden in it. The same held true for the second trailer parked right next to it. I had no idea how Gus came up with the idea, but it was fucking brilliant.
I could tell the guys were getting anxious to get on the road, but no one was moving until Gus gave the word. Since he was nowhere in sight, I decided to run inside the clubhouse for a quick piss-break. I was just making my way back outside when I heard Jasmine call out, “Hey, Clay! You got a second?”
I stopped, and when I turned around, she was standing behind me. As soon as I caught sight of her wicked black eye and busted lip, I wanted to track down the motherfucker from the other night and have another go. Jasmine was one of many club hang-arounds, but unlike the others, she’d been there a while. She understood how things worked, respected the club, and did her best to be there for the brothers whenever they needed her—and she did it without trying to sink her claws into one of them. I liked that about Jasmine. Hell, we all did, and it was one of the reasons why I’d gotten so angered by the situation the other night. “Sure. What’s up?”
“I just wanted to say I was sorry about the other night.” A dark red blush crept across her face as she continued, “I tried to handle things myself, but ...”
“Nothing for you to apologize for, Jasmine. That guy was a complete douche, and what happened is entirely on him,” I assured her.
“Yeah, but I should’ve known better. I should’ve seen that he was a dirtbag from the start and steered clear.”
“We all make mistakes.” I might’ve said more, but when I heard Murphy shout that it was time to roll out, I knew I didn’t have time. “Sorry, I gotta run.”
I turned, and by the time I made it back over to the others, they were all loaded up and ready to head out. Wasting no time, I got in the truck with Rider, Gunner, and Gash. We waited patiently as Shadow and Blaze pulled their trucks out of the gate, then followed behind. With the two large horse trailers, it took some maneuvering to get through downtown, but we finally made it to the Interstate. With over six hours of driving ahead of us and only one quick stop for fuel, I did my best to settle in for the long drive. I glanced over at Rider and Gunner, and just as I expected, their total focus was on the two horse trailers in front of us. It was impossible not to be moved by their commitment to the job at hand. As I turned my attention back to the trailers, I felt good knowing I had them both at my side, and I hoped one day there would be a brother who’d feel the same about me.
By the time we made it to the dock in Mobile, it was already after one. I’d never actually been at a loading dock with all the different cranes, barges, and cruise liners. It was a lot to take in. With everything that was going on around us, I wasn’t even sure what we were supposed to be looking out for, but thankfully, Rider and Gunner were able to determine that the coast was clear and signaled to the others, letting them know it was safe to proceed. As soon as they’d parked, Murphy got out of the truck and headed over to a black SUV. Moments later, an average-sized guy with dark hair and black sunglasses stepped out with three other dudes and shook Murphy’s hand. While they talked, the rest of the brothers gathered around and took a moment to stretch their legs. I was taking everything in when Rider walked up behind me and asked, “How ya making it?”
“Good.” I cocked my head to the side and popped my neck. “My ass and back may never be the same, though.”
“Good.” He chuckled and gave my shoulder a pat. “We’ll take our time heading back ... grab something to eat and fuel up.”
“Sounds great.” I motioned my head over to Murphy and the guy he was talking to. “That Ronin?”
“Yeah, that’d be him.”
“For some reason, I thought he’d be bigger,” I scoffed.
“Don’t let his size fool ya,” Rider warned. “Ronin isn’t a man to be messed with.”
Ou
r conversation came to an abrupt end when Shadow opened one of the horse trailers and said, “Come on, boys. Let’s get this thing done.”
Rider motioned for me to follow as he stepped inside the trailer. He took ahold of the mare’s reins and walked her down the ramp, then looked over to me. “You get the other one and follow me.”
“You got it.”
Following Rider’s lead, I took ahold of the second mare’s reins and carefully led her out of the trailer and over to Rider. We tied them both to the fence, then went over to the second horse trailer and did the same with the other two. As soon as we had them sorted, we started helping the guys unload the wooden crates, one by one, onto the dollies. When it was my turn, I reached for one of the larger boxes and carried it over to the others. As soon as we had both trailers all unloaded, Blaze turned to me and Gash, “You two get the dollies down to the dock.”
“You got it.”
Gash and I took control of the dollies and followed the others. When I saw which boat we were headed to, I nearly stopped dead in my tracks. I remembered him mentioning a yacht, but I never imagined that it would be a brand new seventy-foot, high-performance yacht with all the bells and whistles. I tried to keep my surprise under wraps, but when I noticed T-Bone smirking at me, I knew I hadn’t done a good job. “It’s pretty badass, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty fucking sharp.” I took a quick glance around as we made our way to the lower deck. “I sure wouldn’t mind having one of these for myself.”
“You and me both.”
Once we got below deck, Blaze reached for one of the crates, and as he started to put it in one of the storage compartments, he looked over to T-Bone and asked, “What the hell would you do with a boat like this?”
“It’s a chick magnet, brother.” T-Bone chuckled. “I’d have so many women, I’d have to shake them off with a stick.”
