I know he can’t make things different. It’s too late for that.
I also know it’s not his fault. Not really.
One more reason for me to hate King. Not that I need it.
I stand up and straighten my shoulders. I’m not a pussy. Never have been.
I can handle this.
And do it with a smile on my face.
I strip off my clothes and wind my hair into a knot at the top of my head as tires jerk to a stop in front of the house. I’m just making my way down the hall as the knocking starts on my door.
I take a second to pee then grab one of my towels and wrap it around me.
The knocking is getting louder and so is the street outside my house. Hank is at my heels as I pull open the door just enough so the officer on the other side can get a good look at me.
I’m not sure which surprises him more. Me in a towel or the deep growl coming from behind my knees. Whatever it is, I managed to throw him off enough that it takes a few seconds before the questions start.
Even then I’m the one asking them.
“Oh my gosh.” I stick my head out the door and look at my driveway and the road with what I’m pretty sure is a great shocked face. “What happened?”
The officer finally clears his throat and takes a little step back. He adjusts his vest, working hard to keep his eyes off the decent amount of cleavage I made sure peeked out the top of my towel. “Morning, ma’am. I’m officer Knicks. Did you hear anything strange about twenty minutes ago?”
Hank’s growl amps up a notch as soon as Officer Knicks starts talking. I turn around to shush him, but my guy’s not having it.
He’s had too much excitement for one day.
I face Officer Knicks and give him my sweetest smile. “Would it be okay if I put on some clothes and come outside to talk?”
“Of course.” He steps back to the group of police officers collected in my driveway.
My neighborhood is quiet and filled with retirees who have owned their houses for the entire fifty years they’ve been standing. This is not normal for the small college-area neighborhood and it looks like they cleared the police department out for the occasion.
I shut the door and pull on a pair of leggings and a tank top before going back outside where all my neighbors are loitering around. I’m not sure I’ve met any of them.
Way to kick off the introductions.
Officer Knicks sees me and immediately comes to meet me. “Miss—”
“Shelly.” No reason to keep this formal. My plan is to keep this simple.
I don’t know shit.
“Shelly.” He whips out a notepad and scribbles across it. “Did you hear anything strange earlier this morning?”
“No.” I shake my head. “I was just about to get in the shower when I heard you knocking on my door.”
Is it bad that it’s this easy for me to lie to a cop?
His head barely tips to one side. “Really? Nothing before that?”
Uh-oh.
Officer Knicks knows something.
But I’m already in too deep. I shrug. “I’m a pretty heavy sleeper I guess. As soon as I got up I went straight into the bathroom and started the shower.”
“Some of your neighbors have mentioned that you’ve had house guests the past few days.” He steps in a little closer. Stands a little straighter.
If this guy thinks he’s going to intimidate me he’s real fuckin’ wrong. I’ve never dealt well with confrontation.
Sorta makes me angry.
Volatile.
Prone to throwing things.
Probably shouldn’t do that now.
But I can’t help myself from stepping in closer too. Pretty sure I also have my bitch face on.
That thing has a mind of its own.
“Listen, Officer Knicks.” I shoot a glare at the crowd of loiterers staring my way. “I can’t help it if my neighbors find my personal life to be questionable.”
Officer Knicks is clearly not comfortable with this conversation which is exactly why I took it where I did. I cross my arms over my chest. “I didn’t hear anything this morning and unless you have more to discuss I’d really like to get back to my shower.”
Another cop strides up to whisper in Officer Knicks’ ear before turning back to the group of neighbors who might just be getting some steaming piles of Hank shit in their yards tonight.
“The descriptions we’re getting of the vehicles spending hours parked in front of your house are very specific.”
I shrug. “So?”
“One is tied to a suspected gang member and was seen here this morning when shots were reportedly fired.”
“Reportedly?” Pretty sure he’s not a fan of my answering his questions with a question.
Pretty sure that’s why I’m doing it. This isn’t just about protecting Shaun anymore.
Now they’re trying to reel in men who’ve spent countless hours making sure I’m safe. Men who’ve already had enough shit thrown their way.
If I can block some of it I’m going to.
“Yes. Reportedly.” Officer Knicks doesn’t look happy he has to admit that fact.
“Weird, ‘cause I didn’t hear anything.” I turn to walk back to my house. “Now if you don’t have any more questions I need to get on with my day.”
My parents would be appalled at my behavior right now. Sorta makes the whole thing even better.
I’ve watched enough shows to know they don’t have shit.
A whole bunch of hearsay.
But I also know these guys don’t have a lot to do. The evidence of that is spread all down the street.
That means they’re going to be a pain in my ass for a while.
It also means Hawk can’t come back here. Not anytime soon.
Neither can anyone else.
And The Horsemen just came looking for where I live.
I shut the door and lock it behind me. Maybe it’s a good thing that the police will be patrolling my neighborhood looking for ‘suspected gang members’. Maybe they’ll catch The Horsemen and cut off another of King’s arms.
Figuratively.
Unfortunately.
I call Shaun and don’t even hear it ring before he answers.
“You okay, Sweetheart?”
I smile a little in spite of the insanity of my morning. “I like when you call me that.”
The line goes quiet.
He probably doesn’t know what to do with that. No question that the man is emotionally stunted. That means I’m going to have to be pretty transparent with him.
“Makes me feel like more than just a pet to you.”
“I would never think of you like that.” He almost sounds angry. “Never.”
Now I’m full-on smiling. “The cops asked about Cook’s truck.”
“Shit.”
“Well not exactly but I’m pretty sure that’s the specific-looking vehicle he was talking about being in front of my house this morning.”
“Cook and his fucking truck.” He’s muttering to himself now and I can only pick up bits and pieces of what he’s saying.
Something about King.
Something about The Horsemen.
And something about ass kicking.
“Where are you?” I go to my bedroom and start grabbing stuff from my closet. I need to get dressed and get the fuck away from this place for a few hours.
Otherwise the cops might end up getting called again.
Cause I’ve got a full carton of eggs and a dog that shits gallons.
“Close.”
I straighten. “How close?”
I move to the window that faces my back yard and snap the blind up.
Shaun jumps back a few feet and loses his balance, falling onto his ass, barely missing the pile Hank dropped last night.
Really?
I shouldn’t be surprised. Shaun isn’t the sort of guy to be happy about leaving me to fend for myself.
I open the window. “You can’t come in yet. They’
re still all over my driveway.”
There’s two doors into my house. The front door that I never use, and the side door that leads to the carport.
“Pop out the screen.”
“You want to climb through my window?” I smirk at him. “How very teenage boy of you.” I unhook the clips holding the screen in place and push it toward him.
Shaun pulls it out and sets in on the ground, propping it against the house, before angling himself through the window.
He’s remarkably good at it even with his body being as big as it is.
I don’t dwell on the fact. If I let myself imagine why he might be so capable I would end up sad that a kid had to learn shit like that to serve such a piece of shit like King.
I really wish Kerri killed him when she had the chance.
If I ever get a shot I won’t make the same mistake.
14
SHELLY DROPS HER bag just inside the door as her dark eyes scan the space. “Nice.”
She walks to the large sectional where I used to spend most of my evenings after work and sits at one end. I grab the handle on the side. “It’s a recliner.”
I’m careful when I lower her back, making sure she’s ready for the change in positions. Shelly wiggles a little, scooting her body down into the V made by the footrest lifting up. “I think I should get one of these.” She eyes Hank where he’s walking around sniffing every corner of my living room.
“He’s allowed anywhere you are.” I want that dog stuck to her like glue. Especially since I still have to work.
“Come here, handsome.” Shelly pats her lap. Hank lifts his head and decides to abandon whatever he’s hunting for to try out his new bed. She grunts as the giant dog works his way onto her lap.
Part of him does anyway.
“You hungry?”
She hasn’t eaten at all yet today and it’s bugging me.
Because it’s my fault.
Along with the fact that she and Hank aren’t safe to stay at their own house.
Not that I’m upset to see her in my place.
Not at all.
More the opposite.
I grab her bag and take it back to my bedroom, spreading the evidence of her a little further. Trying to make it seem more real.
I’ve never wanted a woman in my life. Avoided it at all costs.
But now I can’t stand not seeing her everywhere. Touching every bit of what’s mine.
“Ooohhh.” Shelly runs into my room and launches herself into the middle of my bed, her body bouncing as she lands.
Damn but I want to see her spread naked across my sheets.
But I don’t deserve it just yet.
Not after the day she’s had because of me.
“Is this a king?”
“Yeah.” I’m not a little man. Thought I wanted as much space to sleep as I could get. But after spending a few nights in Shelly’s queen-sized pink fluff of a bed I’m wishing I went smaller. I like having her body close to mine and that bed will give her too much room to roam.
She sits up and scans the rest of the room. The bed and dressers are the darkest wood I could find. Almost black.
So are the covers on the bed.
And the chair in the corner.
And the rug on the floor.
She lifts a brow at me.
“What?”
She shakes her head. “I can’t judge someone for their full-commitment to a color scheme.” She scoots off the mattress and lays one hand in the center of my chest. “I like it. It’s slick.” She wanders back down the hall. “Could use a little pink though.”
I glance at the bed.
She’s right.
It could use a little pink.
“Maybe we can go shopping later.” I follow behind, watching as my girl moves through a space that was never meant to have a woman in it. “Get some things to make you feel more at home.”
She slowly turns to face me. “How long do you think it will be before I can go home?”
I wish I knew.
Between the cops and The Horsemen I can’t keep her safe there, and right now her safety is all that matters to me.
I owe it to her since I’m the one who stole it.
“I hope soon.” I move in close and reach for her. I need to know she doesn’t hate me because of all this. “I miss that big pink bed already.”
She laughs as I pull her in close, pressing her cheek to my chest. “I’m sorry this is happening like it is.”
“Not your fault, Sweetheart. My fault.”
“It’s King’s fault.” The ice in her voice tells me all I need to know.
Shelly doesn’t blame me. All her blame rests on one man.
And he deserves it.
But I deserve a little of it too. I knew there would always be the chance that my past would come back on me and anyone I was close to.
It was one more reason I knew I wasn’t the sort of man who should even hope for things most take for granted.
And then I met Shelly.
“Not just King’s fault.” I hold her tight to me. “It’s my fault too. King wouldn’t have given two shits about you if it wasn’t for me.”
“That’s not true.” Her voice is quiet. Shelly tips her head back to look at me. “I’m Kerri’s best friend. I’m over at Jill’s house all the time. I was around all of you. Close enough he would know it would piss someone off if something happened to me.”
She’s not wrong.
But being with me made the target already on her back bigger. Moved her to the beginning of a short line of ways King can get at those of us who wronged him, and the fact that she’s close to not just one of us, but two makes her all the more appealing to him and The Horsemen.
I know that.
Which means she figured it out days ago.
And there’s still not a trace of fear in her eyes when she looks at me.
Because Shelly’s the strongest person I’ve ever met.
But why?
No one ends up like that without something in their past that stole their ability to be weak.
“Why aren’t you scared, Sweetheart?”
“It’s not that I’m not scared.” Shelly backs away, moving toward the kitchen and dining area, her eyes wandering around more dark furniture. “I am.” She turns, studying my face for a second. “I don’t want you to worry about me.”
Her gaze stays on mine for a second longer. She smiles softly. “But I’m a little glad you do.”
I reach out and grab her by the front of her shirt and pull her in close to me. “It’s all I do.” I tangle my fingers in her hair and press my nose into the dark waves. “All I can think about.”
I shouldn’t admit that to her. Let a woman know how much power she has over me.
But Shelly’s had it from the first fucking day. She took it before I knew what happened.
And one day she might use it against me. Break me in a way neither of us could survive.
I’ve seen it happen. It stole everything from me in one second. Shoved me down the path that led straight to King and his fucked-up world.
But that is also exactly what led me to her.
Shelly’s arms wrap tight around my waist. She doesn’t say anything. Just holds tight.
I’ve known this woman for months. Watched her.
Wished I was different.
And in less than two weeks she has me where I never wanted to be.
Thinking maybe I am.
The thought of hurting her causes me physical fucking pain.
No matter what she does.
Could I kill a motherfucker for touching what’s mine?
Fuck yeah I would.
But not her. No matter what.
At least I hope not.
****
“IT’S NOT AS much fun when I might have to actually do it.” Shelly sets the small handgun I bought this morning on the shelf separating her from the range.
“Never is.” I pick it up and walk her through
the steps of reloading again. I need her to have something she can handle with her eyes closed. “I signed you up for the next concealed carry class.”
“I don’t want to carry a gun all the time.” She takes the reloaded weapon and faces her target, emptying the clip in less than ten seconds.
All hit their mark.
All would kill.
Except for the one she always sends right through the dick.
And every one of them shoves my chest higher.
The lanes are packed tonight with people looking to blow off steam after a long work week, most of them men.
And all of them can’t stop watching my girl.
The urge to step closer to her hasn’t stopped since we walked in.
But Shelly only looks at me. Leans into me whenever it’s safe.
“You don’t have to carry it all the time.” I tip my head to the empty gun she set on the shelf. “Only when you’re not with me. Reload.”
She blows out a sigh and makes short work of the job. It’s a shame things are shaking out the way they are because she’s really got a knack for shooting. It could have been something she enjoyed if King hadn’t come along and fucked everything up.
But that’s what he’s good at. Fucking lives up.
“Looks like I’m not the only one making sure my girl can defend herself.” Tracker’s voice is muffled as he comes up behind me with Kerri at his side.
She looks happier to be here than Shelly is.
Happy is the wrong word.
Kerri looks ready to be sure she can do what needs to be done. Her jaw is set. Eyes sharp as she immediately moves into Shelly’s lane, giving her the go-ahead to start shooting.
I stand back, Tracker and me behind the girls as they stare down the lane.
Shelly empties her clip and steps to one side, giving Kerri the space she needs to unpack her gun and load. She’s fast enough I’m a little embarrassed at my own speed. Shelly reels in her target while Kerri works, switching it out for a new one then sending it to the end of the lane as Kerri finishes up.
Kerri unloads just as quick and just as accurately as Shelly did.
Tracker leans into my side. “King better hope to God he never runs into those two together.”
I smirk in spite of all the thought drags through me.
If King gets near Shelly what she does to him will be the least of his worries.
We spend the rest of the evening letting the girls show off for the room. The two of them blast through enough ammo to supply a small army but I don’t care. I’ll spend as much as it takes to make sure Shelly’s ready for something I hope to God never comes.
Hawk Wild (Lost Boys MC Book 2) Page 13
