by Evie Nichole
I hadn’t thought Snake would remember finding me at the library the first time I left him. It’d been six years.
I couldn’t leave through the front without my keys, so I was trapped inside. If he came in, we were going to be locked in the building like two caged animals. It would have to be a fight to the death because I wasn’t going with him.
I grabbed the letter opener I kept at the front desk and then silently climbed the stairs. I moved to the farthest dark corner, chills racing up and down my back as I felt my way along the bookshelves. It was pitch black in the corner as I curled up with my back to the shelf of books. As much as I didn’t want to have to face off with Snake again, I was as prepared as I was going to get for it to happen.
I sat and waited, listening until my head ached, for any sounds that signaled someone else was with me. Time moved so slowly. What felt like hours had passed, but I knew it hadn’t been that long yet because the clock on the main floor hadn’t sounded the next hour.
I was debating what I should do when I heard the motorcycle fire to life outside and then roar off. I still didn’t feel safe, so I waited for a while longer before slowly creeping downstairs.
The library was silent as a tomb and no one came charging at me even after I stood in the middle of the open area, testing it. I thought about staying holed up in the library until morning, but I didn’t want to chance bringing Margie and Carly into it.
I sat at the back window, watching the street below for most of the night. At one point, Snake parked at the end of the alley and watched the street for me. He had no clue that I was as close as I was. I’d wanted to run from him, but I made myself sit and watch. If I knew he wasn’t sneaking up behind me, my anxiety could relax at least a little bit.
The next time he left, I climbed down from the window and ran to the police station. I ducked into the station and sat down at a bench by the front door for a few minutes, catching my breath and gathering my courage. I’d never gone to the cops before. I’d been too afraid to when Snake was around, and after, I had no reason to. I couldn’t deny a small amount of distrust that settled in my stomach whenever I thought about cops. Mom had raised me that way.
The only cop I could ever remember trusting was the DEA agent I’d met when I was twenty-one. Jack Stone had treated me like a human. He’d looked at me like he felt sorry for me, which didn’t sit right with me, but he’d been nice. And still remained one of the most attractive men I’d ever seen.
Jack Stone had appeared in more than a few of my dreams over the years, and I still had his card stashed away in my emergency bag.
I cursed and stood up. My emergency bag was still at my apartment. I had to get it.
An older woman at the front desk raised her eyebrows at me and frowned. “Can I help you?”
I nodded. “I need to speak to someone in charge.”
She cleared her throat and put down her nail file. “What do you need?”
I looked over my shoulder and then back at her. “Someone in charge.”
After a massive sigh, she picked up her phone and muttered something to someone on the other end. “Have a seat. Someone will be with you shortly.”
I sat back down on the bench and waited with my heart attempting to climb up my throat. My hands were sweating profusely and I was faintly aware that I had the stench of sweat and fear coming from my body.
When an officer did come out to see me, the guy they sent out was no better than a traffic cop. I cursed and glared at the woman at the desk. “I need to speak to at least a detective. The president of Rage MC is trying to kill me.”
The cop’s eyes widened just slightly and he looked behind him. “I’ll get someone for you. Just stay here.”
I watched as he pulled out his phone and started tapping at it aggressively before even passing the desk. My stomach twisted and I tightened my fingers on the edge of the seat. I had a bad feeling. Nothing felt right.
I waited another five minutes before standing up and asking the woman at the desk for the bathroom. She pointed me off to a hallway in the back and I stood at the door for a second, looking into the bullpen of desks. I could see the cop who’d come out to me, standing with another cop. They were whispering hurriedly to each other.
I stood there until he looked over and then I pointed to the bathroom, letting him know that’s where I’d be. He nodded and turned away from me, more hurried than before.
Nothing about me was stupid enough to wait for him to prove me right about cops. I locked the door behind me and then grabbed the trashcan. There was a tall window on the wall farthest from me and it was begging to be my escape route. I dumped the trashcan into the sink and flipped it over before stepping onto it. I shoved the window open and wedged the top half of my body out of it. After seeing it was clear, I pushed myself out of it, face first onto a pile of garbage.
I came up gagging, but silently pushed my body against the wall and slipped away from the station, just in time to see Snake talking to the cop in the back alley. He was pointing inside the station and I could see him telling Snake to wait a second.
I took my chance to run and headed back to my apartment. It was the last place I wanted to be, but I had to get my bag if I wanted to survive. After making sure the apartment was empty, I crept inside and ripped my bag down from the sink. I shoved more clothes inside and then left just as quickly as I’d arrived.
It was hot, but I pulled on a jacket and made sure the hood covered my head as I made my way to the bus station. I had no clue where to go, but I had what I hoped was a trump card in my bag.
Once I got to the station, I found a back corner with a payphone in it. I pushed my change in and dialed the number I had for Jack Stone with shaking hands. I kept my back to the wall and watched the front doors to make sure Snake didn’t appear.
“Yeah?”
“Jack? Jack Stone?”
The man sighed. “Nope. Stone ain’t with us anymore. I got his number.”
I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped my lips. He’d been my last hope. After Jack, I didn’t trust anyone else to help me.
“Jesus, lady. He knock you up or something?”
“Yes! I’m pregnant with his baby. He gave me this card. I need to get a hold of him.”
I could hear the guy debating with himself, so I upped the ante. “There’s something wrong with the baby. I need to know if this runs in Jack’s family. I wouldn’t bother him otherwise. I just don’t know what to do.”
The tears got him. “Keep it together, lady. Last I heard, Stone opened a private security firm down in Memphis. Stone Security. I can’t believe that piece of shit is still handing out this number. You’re better off without him, honey.”
I hung up and went to the closest ticket counter. “One way to Memphis, please.”
The man at the counter quoted me a price and I pushed a couple of bills across the counter at him. After getting the ticket, I had to wait until it was time to load up onto the bus.
That was the worst part. Waiting for Snake to burst into the bus station and grab me was excruciating. As the big clock on the wall over me ticked away the minutes, I could feel Snake getting closer. The man had people all over Jackson. One wrong move and I was a goner.
Finally, the bus pulled up outside and they called for anyone riding to Memphis. I walked as casually as I could over to the driver and handed her my ticket. Anxiety ate way at me until I was sitting at the back of the bus, with my head down and away from the windows. When we did finally get on the road, I didn’t allow myself to breathe out a sigh of relief. I wasn’t dumb enough to think that Snake was done with me just because I left Jackson.
Chapter 4
I got off the bus in Memphis and immediately got a cab to a cheap motel that took cash and didn’t ask for a name. The room was ten times worse than my apartment ever could’ve been and I could hear people screaming at each other constantly, but there was a computer in the main office that guests could use, for the low, low price
of ten dollars an hour.
I kept my bag on me and used the computer to quickly search for Stone Security. A location in Memphis popped up and I scribbled down the address before erasing the search history and going back to my room.
The lock on my door wasn’t great, so I shoved the dresser in front of the door and the chair in front of the dresser. The only window into the place was in the bathroom and it was so small that only a small toddler could’ve passed through it. I was locked in tight. The only concern I had was if someone did get in, I was stuck with them.
I put my bag on the toilet seat and turned on the shower. My body was stiff and I’d picked up a distinct garbage smell outside of the police station. I needed a shower and some time to think.
Carly would go looking for me. If she couldn’t find me, she’d go to the police and then the cop who’d tried to hand me over to Snake could send Snake her way and she’d be doomed. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I caused her to get hurt. Margie, either. I thought about Mark and sighed.
The water was actually hot, and I groaned as it pounded into my sore back. I rested my forearm against the wall under the showerhead and let the water rain down on me as I tried to make sense of what I was going to do.
I had to call them. Maybe not Mark. As much as I hated to just vanish on him, he didn’t even know where I lived or worked. He’d just think I lost interest. Carly would be my first call. I knew she would’ve been worried after I missed brunch, but if I didn’t show up at all that day, she’d have a come apart. She was used to seeing me daily.
I finished my shower and got dressed in jeans and a tank top. I wrapped my hair into a bun and then packed everything back in my bag before moving my barricade and heading out to find a payphone.
The one I found was next to a dollar store. The parking lot was dotted with trash and people standing around. I kept my front to them so I could see if anyone was coming up to me.
Carly answered on the first ring. “This better be you, Raelyn, and you’d better have a fucking great excuse for ditching me today!”
I gave a light chuckle. “It’s me. I don’t have much time to talk, Carly. I just need you to do something for me.”
She sucked in a large breath. “What’s going on?”
“I had to leave town. I can’t tell you details, but I’m safe. You can’t look for me, though, Carly. Just tell Margie that I’m safe and that I’ll come back when I can.”
She made a choking noise. “What? What are you talking about?”
“That’s all I can say. I wish I could tell you more. God, I wish I could tell you more. Just don’t go looking. Don’t ask anyone questions. Don’t mention my name to anyone besides Margie. I know it all sounds crazy, but I’m serious.”
Finally, Carly laughed. “I get it. This is payback. I must’ve done something stupid last night. Go on. Tell me what asinine thing I did.”
“Stop it, Carly. I’m serious. I’m sorry to spring this all on you, but I won’t be back for a while—if ever. I’m so sorry. Just remember what I said. Tell Margie. I’ll call you when I can.” I fought back tears and blew out a big breath. “Don’t bring any stray guys home, okay?”
I hung up the phone and waited for a few minutes to make sure she didn’t dial the payphone back. When she didn’t, I went back to the motel and shoved my furniture back in front of the door after making sure the room was empty. Then, I curled up in the chair and cried until I fell into a light sleep, jerking awake at every slight noise outside.
*
The next morning, I showered again, feeling dirty from sleeping in the chair. I pulled my jeans back on and then shrugged into a T-shirt. I put my hair in a ponytail and pulled a hat on over it. Unfortunately, all I had to wear were my wedge heels. They weren’t meant for sprinting across cities, but they’d worked the day before, so I had to have faith in them.
I took another cab, accepting that I was using the last of my money to get to Jack Stone. If he was a bust, I was out of luck. I would be homeless and penniless.
I started to worry when the driver drove out of the city limits and into a greener area. I watched his meter climb higher and higher until I couldn’t take it anymore. “Stop.”
He did as I asked and looked back at me. “What’s wrong?”
“If I don’t walk from here, I’m going to have to run away from the tab when we get to this place. Thank you for driving me this far. I’m sorry I don’t have more for a tip.”
He stared at me for a few minutes and then smiled. “I’ll take you the rest of the way for a hand job.”
I stared at him with a blank face and then shoved the money at him. “Get lost, asshole.”
He called me a bitch and then sped away. I just rolled my eyes. He wasn’t the first guy who was willing to be so nice just for a hand job, or a blowjob, or even a quickie. The things men thought they could ask for, just for being nice, astounded me.
I flipped him the bird, letting the stress and anxiety get to me for the moment. I was doing my best to hold my shit together, but I could only take so much.
I walked another mile before coming up over a hill and spotting the business. It was bigger than I expected. With more windows. I’d never seen a building like it. I’d never even been around so much green.
If I was being honest with myself, all of the grass and trees were making me feel a little anxious. I’d never been out of Jackson, and the part of Jackson I lived in wasn’t green. This place was almost foreign.
Stone Security was a big square that looked like it’d been tipped on its side. The whole thing was glass and steel in a way that made me terrified of going in. I didn’t completely understand how a gust of wind didn’t knock it over and shatter the whole thing.
I gathered my nerve and remembered that Jack Stone was the only thing standing between Snake and me.
I pushed open the front door and a blast of cold air hit me. The place smelled clean and was so silent that it made my skin itch. There was a large desk at the other side of the room with a couple of big guys in uniforms behind it.
As soon as I stepped inside the building, they were alert. They both watched me as I got closer to them. The larger one, with a buzzed head, nodded at me. “Ma’am. Can we help you?”
“I need to see Jack Stone.”
He frowned. “Does Mr. Stone have an appointment with you today?”
I frowned back at him, feeling desperation crawl up my neck like a tangible thing. “No, but it’s very important.”
The smaller one shook his head. “Mr. Stone is busy. He’s always busy. Make an appointment, lady.”
I sucked in a large breath and then blew it out slowly. “I need to speak with him. Please, let him make the decision himself on whether or not he wants to see me.”
“Just go home and make an appointment.”
I slapped the counter and glared at him. “I don’t want to be a pain, but I’m going to be. You either get Jack or I’m going to scream so loud, this whole building will crumble.”
“That won’t be necessary. What can I help you with?” a deep voice asked from behind me.
I turned around and met the stare of Jack Stone. I took a second to appreciate that he’d gotten better with age. The pretty eyes were still there, though, planted in the middle of a hard face.
I pulled my hat off and gave him a smile. “I doubt you remember me, but—”
“Red. From Jackson.”
I stared at him for a few seconds and nodded. “I have to talk to you and ask for a big favor.”
He frowned, but nodded. “Come on up to my office.”
I silently followed him to the elevator, taking him in. He was dressed in black cargo pants with a fitted black T-shirt. His boots were black, too. He was smudged in dirt and grass, but he smelled amazing. There was something fresh to his smell, like rain and wood.
“Sorry about Hank and Dan at the front.” He swiped a card, and the elevator doors immediately opened. He gestured for me to go in first, and t
hen he leaned against the wall opposite me. His bright blue eyes strayed down my body before coming back to my neck. “You still running in the same crowd?”
I reached up and felt my neck. It ached to the touch and I shivered at the memory of Snake’s fingers around my neck. “No. That same crowd keeps finding me, though.”
He shook his head slowly and looked down at his boots. “You telling the truth?”
I stood up straight and balled up my fists at my sides. “I don’t lie. I haven’t stepped foot inside of Rage in over two years.”
His eyes moved back up my body. “Okay.”
I turned and faced the number panel and prayed that he wasn’t going to be an asshole. I’d had enough assholes. Surely, it was my time to find a nice guy who was willing to help. For free.
The doors opened, and Jack led me through a set of desks and into a conference room. He motioned toward the table. “Go ahead and have a seat. This will work better than my office. I’ve got to get changed, but I’ll be right back.”
I nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”
I didn’t sit, though. I went to the massive wall of windows and looked at the landscaping. It was beautiful and I could see some sort of obstacle course that I hadn’t been able to see from the front. There were several men running it.
I watched with interest as they leapt over barricades and dove under ropes.
“They aren’t nearly as impressive looking up close.”
I spun around to find a guy just as big as Jack standing behind me. He’d crept in silently. I put my hand over my heart and frowned at him. “You scared the hell out of me.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips before fading. “Jack said you had something you needed to talk to him about. Can I get you anything while you wait on him?”
I cocked my head to the side. “He sent you to get me coffee?”
Another smile, and then a shrug. “I do a little bit of everything. Do you want coffee?”
I shook my head. I was keyed up enough as it was. Something about being in front of Jack had me all twisted up. I was more nervous than I should’ve been. “No, thank you.”
