by Carol Dawn
“Well, that’s not a bad idea,” I agree. “It would be so much simpler to have one of those instead of waiting for book deliveries. However, I rather enjoy the feeling of the pages between my fingers. And nothing beats the smell of a good book.”
He chuckles as he digs through his mailbag.
“Looks like you got something personal today, Miss Thea,” he says, handing me the mail. “Have a good day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Charlie,” I say, distractedly. “Give Deborah my love.”
“Will do.”
I toss the bills and junk mail on the counter and stare at the simple white envelope with my name on it. I’ve never received personal mail here before. Heck, I’ve never received any mail here.
Strange.
I open the envelope and pull out a piece of paper. Unfolding it, I read the computer printed note.
Thea,
Walking to your car, you ass sways side to side,
Stretching your arms up, your breasts are open wide.
Unlocking your front door, your eyes never look my way,
Undressing in your room, open blinds means you want to play.
Steam filling up the bathroom, in the shower is where I like you most,
Soap running down your body, I’m watching you as a ghost.
Sliding naked under the blankets, you think you’re safe and sound,
But I’m always there, always watching,
Say a word, and you’ll never be found.
“Hey, Thea. It looks like I made it just in time. Or did you already snatch the good ones?”
My heart is racing as I glance at the person who just walked in, my newest friend, Bella.
“I don’t know how I managed it, but I was actually able to come without Blake riding my heels.”
I’m feeling light-headed and barely catch myself on the counter before I fall, the note falling to the ground.
“Hey, Thea. What’s wrong?” Bella asks, worried.
Not knowing what to say, or if I’m able to say anything, I just stare at Bella, tears of fear falling down my face.
My worried friend grabs the paper off the floor and reads it silently.
“Oh my god. What the hell, Thea? You have a stalker? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“I don’t…I just found out. Oh, god, Bella. Someone’s been watching me.”
“That’s it, close the store, we’re going to the clubhouse. Blake and the others will help you.”
The clubhouse? I don’t think so.
“Uhm, no,” I say. “First off, did you read that last part? It says not to tell anyone. It’s a threat, Bella.”
“Yes, it is,” she agrees. “But I promise you that the guys will protect you. Please, come with me.”
“I’ll just go to the police,” I suggest. “They help with these types of things, right?”
“Sure, they do,” she says. “But the Infernal Sons will do a much better job. I know that you feel uncomfortable around so many people. I know that you’re unbelievably shy around strangers. But, please, trust me. If you feel too uncomfortable, we can leave.”
I know that I should do something. Someone has been watching me long enough to know some of my routines. But I’m so terrified, and I just want to go home and hide behind locked doors.
“Honey,” Bella says, quietly. “It sounds like this person has cameras in your home. In your bathroom, Thea. Your bedroom. I know you enough to know that you want to go home and hide away but trust me enough to know that it’s a bad idea. At least let the guys look over your place and check for cameras.”
Knowing that she’s right, that I need help, I relent and nod my head.
Bella releases a gust of air before pulling out her phone.
“Thank you. I’m going to call Blake and have him come pick us up. You’ll be safer with him taking you than if we were to drive ourselves.”
I don’t say anything while she rushes to the door and flips the sign to closed. She locks the deadbolt before returning to my side.
“What if they have camera’s in here, too?” I ask. “Things like this don’t happen to people like me. Who would want to stalk a fat girl?”
“Stop talking about yourself like that,” she scolds. “You’re beautiful, and you know it.”
She places her phone on the counter and hits speaker.
“Baby?” A deep voice answers.
“Uhm, listen,” she starts. “Don’t freak out, but I need you to come to The Book Bin and pick Thea and me up. We have a bit of a situation, and we need to talk to the guys. I’m afraid for her to drive herself, and there’s no way I can protect her if something was to happen.”
“What the fuck, Bella? I let you out of my sight for an hour, and something happens. Never again, baby.”
“Oh, I’m fine,” she huffs. “It’s not me who’s in trouble. Please hurry. We’ll be waiting.”
“I’m already on my way, baby. I want an explanation from both of you when I get there.”
He hangs up.
“Dang, I didn’t even get an, ‘I love you.’ I’m in trouble.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say, embarrassed. “I don’t want to cause any trouble.”
Bella wraps her arms around my neck. “No need to be sorry, honey. You know how he is. All bark and no bite.”
I do know how he is. He’s extremely protective of Bella and their daughter, Sophia. He’s so in love with Bella to the point that jealousy oozes from my pores. He’s intense and scares the living daylights out of me.
But I also know he’s a good man.
It isn’t much longer when he bangs on the door, causing me to jump.
After Bella lets him in, he wraps her in the tightest embrace I’ve ever seen. I turn my head away, giving them their moment.
“Now, what the fuck is going on?” he demands.
I try to remind myself that he’s a good man as a dark look crosses his face while he reads the letter I received.
Good man or not, he scares me.
“Grab your shit, ladies,” he says, folding the paper and putting it in his pocket. “Thea, have you gotten any more letters like this?”
“No,” I answer softly.
“Is there anyone out there you can think of that would want to scare you?” Blake asks softly.
I can only think of one person.
“My sister’s husband isn’t too happy with me right now,” I tell him. “But I don’t see him doing this.”
“Why isn’t he happy with you?”
My eyes water thinking about my sister.
“My sister was killed in a car crash about a month ago,” I tell him. “She was nine months pregnant at the time. They were able to keep her alive long enough to deliver her son via c-section.” I close my eyes, trying to block out the unwanted images of her bruised body. “Her husband was always abusive toward her. But she never had the kind of marks to prove it. Not any that I could see, anyway. Just bruises that could easily be explained away.
I’ve been trying to fight for custody of Brendon since the day he was born. I don’t want him to grow up in an abusive home. Marco, Brendon’s father, is very angry with me. But like I said before, I don’t think he would go to this level.”
Blake seems to take it what I said before he speaks. “We’ll talk more about it at the clubhouse. Do you have everything you need?”
I nod my head. “I’ll call my boss on the way over and explain why I shut the store down early.”
Settling into the back seat of Blake’s car, I reach inside my purse to make sure the soft square of cloth I never leave home without is tucked safely inside. I grip it between my fingers and let the old fabric attempt to soothe away my worries.
Chapter Three
Trigger
“Why didn’t you come to my birthday party, man?” Ink asks the moment I walk into the clubhouse the next morning. “You should have seen it. Rose had the whole place decked out. All that was missing was a clown.”
I�
��m sure if Rose would have even thought of a clown, she would have had one.
“I was there,” I admit. “Had a few beers then went home.”
“What? You couldn’t say happy birthday?” He asks.
“After seeing you surrounded by bunnies, being around you was the last thing I wanted,” I say.
A smirk spreads across his face. “Yeah, I had a good time with a couple of those bunnies.”
“I want you to remember all the fun you have with bunnies when you finally find the woman you want to make your ol’lady,” Brick says. “She won’t even be able to walk through the door without seeing some pussy that you’ve been balls deep in.”
A haunted look crosses Ink’s face before he’s able to shove it aside.
There’s a story there.
“Hey, listen up,” Prez says from his office door. “Chains just called and said he’s bringing someone in. Slim, are you here?”
“Yep,” Slim says from somewhere in the room. “You need me for something?”
“We might. Don’t go anywhere.”
About five minutes later, Chains walks in, followed by Bella and another woman.
A very sexy, tiny, woman with long wavy blonde hair and curves that make my mouth water.
Holy fuck.
She looks up and right at my face as if she could feel my stare.
My body wants to rush toward her, throw her over my shoulder and get her away from this group of men. But, somehow, I manage to send her a glare and turn away instead.
In that last nanosecond, before I turned away, I could see the hurt written all over her face.
Fuck me! I caused that.
“Is this the woman you told me about?” Prez asks.
“Yeah,” Chains responds. “Everyone, this is Bella’s friend, Thea. Thea, this is everyone.”
Her face blossoms red at all the attention directed her way.
“Hello, everyone,” she says softly.
The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard.
She glances in my direction before quickly averting her gaze to her feet.
She’s too soft for someone like me. Even if I could share feelings with her, I would never do it. I would ruin someone so pure.
I’ll look my fill, then move on with my life. Once she leaves today, I’ll never have to worry about it again.
Chapter Four
Thea
Oh, my word! What have I walked into?
I thought Bella’s man was scary and intimidating. I was so very wrong. Well, I mean, he is scary and intimidating. However, I see at least four other men who make Blake look scrawny.
“Thea,” one of the big bearded men says. “My name is Bear. I’m the president of the Infernal Sons. My VP tells me that you’ve come across some trouble.”
“Uhm! Yes, I…This… I mean when I,” well shoot, I’ve forgotten how to string words together to form a coherent sentence.
“Let’s all head into church so we can discuss this,” Blake tells them.
I follow Bella, and we enter a large room with a huge table at its center.
“Church is a euphemism for meeting,” Bella says.
I nod my head but don’t answer. I read enough books to understand biker talk.
Bella stumbles, and I manage to catch her before she fell over a chair.
“Sorry,” she says. “I can’t see very well with my peripheral vision. Blake is always getting on my case about moving my head around to get a better look at my surroundings.”
“It seems like something that would take some getting used to,” I say.
“Yeah, it’s been over a year, and I still freak out every morning when I open my eyes and the world doesn’t look as clear as it once did. It takes me a minute or two to remember that I see worse than a mole.”
“You’re the most beautiful mole I have ever seen,” Blake leans down and kisses the life out of Bella.
I’m not jealous.
I glance back over at the most terrifying man I’ve ever seen. The glare he sends in my direction is the same one he gave me when I first entered the building. At first, I thought I saw a flicker of interest. But the moment Blake and Bella moved from my side, he must have gotten a look at my body and decided that I wasn’t worth his time.
Blake pulls the letter from his pocket, and without saying a single word, passes it around. Finally, it gets around to the man with the scary glare. When he finishes reading, he looks right at me with so much anger in his eyes.
But no matter how hard I try, I can’t look away.
“This is the first time she’s received anything,” Blake says, gripping my attention. “She has a brother-in-law that she’s going through custody battles with regarding her nephew, but she doesn’t think he has anything to do with this.”
“It sounds like this person has been watching you for some time,” Bear says. “Chains, leave the girls here and go check out her place. Look for cameras.” He turns his gaze on me. “I think it would be best if you didn’t go back home for a few days. Just until we get our hooks into whatever the hell is going on. Slim, this is where you come in.”
A beautiful man dressed in a black shirt, red yoga pants, and black heels walks up to me. His already beautiful face perfected with makeup.
“Hello, I’m Slim,” he smiles kindly. “I know that you’re probably really scared and confused right now. But you can trust these guys to get shit done. Until then, it might be safer to stay somewhere else. I own a sanctuary called Infernal Haven. It’s safe and completely secure. There are constant guards, and someone is always available to go with you if you need to go to work or wherever. You would have your own room. We have Wi-Fi and plenty of tv channels.”
“Not to mention the library,” Bella adds. “They have so many books, Thea. You would never be bored.”
The idea of safety sounds really good. But I also know that I can’t go around vanishing for days at a time right now. I’m constantly being monitored to make sure that my home is a safe place for Brendon. That I’m responsible enough to care for him.
“I really appreciate you wanting to help,” I tell Slim. “But I can’t uproot my life right now. I need to prove that I’m stable enough to take care of a newborn. It’s been a month-long process and I feel that it’s so close to being fully decided.”
“Honey, you were so scared when I walked into the store,” Bella says. “You were on the verge of passing out.”
I nod my agreement. I’m not going to lie.
“I was,” I tell her. “But now that I’m thinking about it, it probably was Marco. He’s most likely trying to scare me so that I make a mistake and get points marked against me in this custody battle. I truly didn’t mean to cause any trouble.”
The room is silent, and I can feel my face heat. Everyone got together to help me, and I’m turning them all down. I feel so silly. I know it was Marco. He’s a bully.
“After thinking about it, I’m not afraid anymore,” I say, honestly, searching my bag for my phone. “I wouldn’t put it past him to try and scare me.”
Again, no one says anything. With shaky hands, I turn my phone on and call Ted.
“Lo,” a sleepy Ted answers.
Forgetting everyone was still in the room, I giggle.
“I thought you were going to read your book then work on your side projects?”
“What can I say,” he says. “I’m an old man in need of tons of beauty sleep.”
“Goofy man. Listen, can you come and pick me up?” I ask. “I can text you the address. You can just take me back to the shop.”
“Is everything okay, Little Bit?” his concerned voice fills my heart.
“Of course, everything’s fine. I just had a bit of a scare earlier. I’m pretty sure Marco is trying to cheat his way through this battle.”
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” he agrees. “But, as I said before, I don’t think you have anything to worry about. I have a feeling that Brendon will be sa
fe in your arms when it’s over. Text me the address and I’ll be there soon.”
Before I have a chance to respond, my phone is jerked from my hand. I look up, and up, and up until I see the sexy man with the mean glare, and stunning green eyes, staring daggers into my soul. His fade style black hair a mess as if he’s been running his fingers over his head.
I guess you could say he’s got your average sized body for a well put together male, but where my body is soft and squishy, his looks hard and firm.
I don’t have a brave bone in my body, and I hate conflict, but I want to scream, WHAT THE FRICK, MAN? However, I just lower my head and wait.
Chapter Five
Trigger
Who the fuck is she talking to that has her laughing? And more importantly, why the fuck do I care?
“Who is this?” I say gruffly.
“Well, hello there, sir,” a suspicious voice says. “The names, Ted. I’m Thea’s boss and friend. Who, may I ask, are you?”
“She doesn’t need a ride. I’ll remind her to call you later.”
I hang up and pocket Thea’s phone. I want to make her leave. I want her out of my line of vision, so I won’t have to work so hard to stay focused. But, more than anything, I want to wrap her in my arms and hide her away from the world.
“Uhm,” Thea clears her throat. “May I have my phone back, please?”
“No.”
“Oh! Uhm…maybe if… I just need to make a call. You canceled my ride back home and he’s going to be freaking out if I don’t reassure him that I’m okay.”
Crossing my arms in front of my chest, I stare down at the tiny woman. So small, so breakable.
“Okay, if you don’t want to stay at Haven, will you at least let us take a look at your home before you go back?” Chains asks her.
She pulls her attention from me and gives it to Chains.
I don’t like that one fucking bit.
“Blake, I truly don’t think it’s going to be a problem. But, if you want to, I don’t mind.”
“I’ll do it,” my traitor mouth blurts out.
