Bait

by Mia Carson

  My blood had chilled as he talked. “What happened?”

  “Bláithín’s boyfriend showed up again and tried to get into the house. We have to go,” he said, as he started pulling me behind him faster than I could walk. I almost had to trot to keep up with his long strides, but after a moment he realized he was dragging me and slowed his pace enough that I could walk quickly and still keep up.

  “Again?” I asked.

  “Yeah. He showed up the other day unannounced. Bláithín and I had a talk about that.”

  “Is she okay? Bailey?”

  “Everything’s okay. She’s shook up, is all. She called the cops and he took off.”

  I pursed my lips, feeling guilty that I hadn’t warned her about bikers. I had plenty of experience dealing with them. Most were great guys, but more than a few had an attitude. And then were those, like the Ravens, who didn’t give a fuck and would just as soon beat the shit out of you, or worse, as say ‘fuck you.’ We reached the Volvo, and understandably, he allowed me to open my own door.

  “I hope you don’t mind if I stop by home before I take you to your apartment,” he said as we turned onto the road and he put his foot down, the car pressing me back in my seat as it accelerated hard.

  “No. Do what you have to.”

  Thom

  We raced home. I was driving well above the speed limit, but I’d risk the ticket. The Raptor Center was only twenty minutes or so from home driving at normal speeds, but I made it a tick over fifteen. The police were gone, and both Bláithín and Bailey stepped into the garage as I pulled to a stop. I pushed the button to start the door down and bounded out of the car.

  “Everything okay? Bláithín? Bailey?”

  Bláithín nodded, her arm protectively around Bailey. “Yeah. I am now.”

  We stepped into the kitchen, and Carolyn shut the door behind us. “Tell me what happened.”

  Bláithín shrugged. “Bailey and I were having a snack when the doorbell rang. It was Randy. I opened the door to tell him to go away, but he wouldn’t leave.”

  “Did you tell him not to come here again?” I asked.

  “I called him last night and told him. I told him he got me in trouble, that I had to work and couldn’t see him today, but that I would see him tomorrow.”

  “Why did he show up then?”

  “I don’t know. He said he had to see me.” She looked down for a moment before continuing. “I tried to send him away, but he said he just wanted to talk to me. He said he wanted to come in just for a few minutes. I told him no, it wasn’t allowed, and I was already going to be in enough trouble. I tried to shut the door, but he put his foot against it. That’s when I got scared. I ordered him to leave, but he started pushing the door open. I tried to hold it shut, but he was too strong. I yelled for Bailey to run to his room and lock his door.”

  “Did he get in?”

  “No. He got the door open but stopped. He wouldn’t let me close the door, but he started apologizing. He said he just wanted to talk to me. I told him if he would let me close the door I’d come outside and we could talk. He did, and I did, locking the door behind me.”

  “Why’d you do that?” Carolyn asked, her tone telegraphing her surprise. “You don’t know what he might have done!”

  She nodded slowly. “I know, but I was afraid to let him in with Bailey inside. I thought if he tried something outside, I could start screaming and someone would help.” She looked at me, her eyes haunted. “He kept apologizing, saying I was making him crazy and he just wanted to see me. I told him he scared me with the way he was acting. He said he was sorry, and I told him if he’d leave right then, I’d see him tomorrow.”

  I glared at her. “Are you?”

  “No! I just said that so he’d leave! I let him kiss me, then he left. I ran inside, made sure Bailey was okay, and then called the Guards.”

  I wasn’t happy, but it sounded like Bláithín did everything she could. “You did good,” I said with a nod.

  “I’m so sorry. I had no idea something like this would happen.”

  “What did the police say?”

  “They wanted to know his name and where he lives. I don’t know where he lives, but I gave them his name.”

  “That’s it?” I demanded. Logically I didn’t know what else they could do, but it seemed like a damned weak response to me.

  “They asked about visible tattoos. I told them about the bird on his neck. He has a bunch on his arms too, but they were all kinds of different stuff. The one on his neck was easy to see and tell what it was.”

  “What bird tattoo?” Carolyn asked, her eyes wide.

  “He has a bird tattoo on his neck,” Bláithín said, touching the right side of her neck, “and a big one on his back.”

  Carolyn paled. “The one on his back, was it a raven with its wings spread?”

  Bláithín looked at her in astonishment. “Yes! How’d you know?”

  Carolyn covered her mouth with her hand as her already wide eyes opened even wider. “Carolyn?” I asked.

  “I know him. What did you say his name was?”

  “Randy Carson.”

  Carolyn started shaking her head before Bláithín quit speaking. “That’s not his name. His name is Scott Rockford.”

  “You know him?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Remember I told you I broke up with my boyfriend?”

  “That’s him?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, or one of his brothers.”

  “Brothers?” I asked.

  “Club members. They all have the tattoos. What does this guy look like?”

  Bláithín’s eyes flicked between Carolyn and me. “Older. Maybe forty or forty-five? Big. Muscular. Like a bodybuilder maybe.”

  “Dirty blonde hair, kind of long, with hazel eyes?” Carolyn asked.

  Bláithín blinked a moment. “I don’t know about the eyes, but the hair is right.”

  “Does he have a small scar right here,” Carolyn asked, touching the inside portion of her left breast.

  “Yes. He said he got it protecting a client.”

  Carolyn snorted. “Yeah. He got it in a bar fight when someone cut him with a ring.”

  I looked at Bailey. “I need to talk to Carolyn and Bláithín in private. Go to your room please, and wait until someone comes to get you, okay?”

  “Okay,” he said. I could tell he was still shook up.

  When he was gone, I turned to the two women. “What the hell is going on? What does he want with Bláithín?”

  They looked at each other. “I don’t know,” Carolyn said softly.

  “How does he know about her? Are you still seeing him?”

  Carolyn looked down. “No.”

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “Nothing!” Carolyn said. “I broke up with him four months ago, just like I said. I hadn’t seen him in months, then right after I bumped into you, he showed up again. I told him to get lost and that I didn’t want to see him anymore.” She clearly had more to say so I waited her out. “When you and I started dating, he didn’t like it and wanted to know your name. I didn’t want to tell him, but he roughed me up a little and threatened me.”

  “You told him my name and where I lived? You didn’t think I needed to have that piece of information?” I growled.

  “Not where you lived. I lied and said I didn’t know. I called the cops on him after that. He showed up at work a few days later, upset I called the cops. I told him to fuck off, and I haven’t seen him since. I thought it was over and done with.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I demanded.

  “Tell you what? That I have a crazy ex-boyfriend? I haven’t seen him in weeks. I thought calling the cops on him put an end to it.”

  “Did they arrest him?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?” I demanded. Something about her story sounded off.

  “He said he was with friends, and they backed him up. He claimed I was making up stories to get back at
him for breaking up with me.”

  “So what does he want with Bláithín? That’s too much of a coincidence.”

  “I know.”

  “Will you tell all this to the police?” I asked.

  She looked miserable as she nodded. “Yes. I’m sorry, Thom, I really am. I didn’t know he was going to do something like this or I would have told you. I swear.”

  “Hang on,” I muttered as I pulled out my phone and looked up the number I needed.

  “Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Department, Officer Rodriquez speaking.”

  “Officer Rodriquez, this is Thomas Gregg, 1022 Cavendish Drive. Your department responded to a complaint at my house a little while ago. A man tried to break into my house.”

  I heard some typing. “Yes, I see the call right here,” the officer said. “It says here the call was placed by a—is it pronounced Blaith-in Byrne?”

  “Blaw-heen, and she’s my au pair. I was away at the time. I have some additional information about the guy that tried to break in, information Bláithín didn’t know. Who do I need to talk to about that?”

  “I’ll have Officer Pendleton, the officer that responded to the original call, come see you. You can give him the information then. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

  “No, thank you.”

  “Have a good day, sir.”

  “The officer that you spoke to is going to come back,” I said as I ended the call. I paused and looked at my au pair. “Bláithín, will you excuse us for a moment?” Bláithín nodded and left. When she was out of the room, I turned my attention back to Carolyn. “Anything else I need to know?”

  She looked down. “No. I’m so sorry, Thom. I didn’t know.”

  “How crazy is this guy, and do you have any idea why he’s doing this?”

  “Not crazy, as in insane,” she said softly, looking up to meet my gaze briefly before staring at her shoes again. “He found out you had money.”

  “Dammit,” I muttered. “Did you tell him that too?”

  “No. I swear. The only thing I told him was your name. He was choking me and I panicked. I didn’t want to tell him, but I was afraid he would really hurt me. He wanted me to try to blackmail you, but I refused.”

  “Was that before or after he choked you?” My voice was sharper than I meant for it to be, and she shrank in on herself a little more.

  “After. After I told him your name. That’s when I told him to get lost, that I would never come back to him, and I’d never agree to help him.” She swallowed hard. “He said he was going to take me back because he felt sorry for me. I told him I didn’t need his sympathy, and I haven’t seen him since.”

  “There’s nothing else?”

  She looked up, her eyes welling with tears. “No. I swear. I would have told you if I’d known he would do something like this.” She kept repeating her assurances, seemingly desperate for me to believe her.

  “How long were you with this guy?”

  “A couple of years.”

  “Did you leave him, or did he leave you?”

  “I left him.”

  “Why?”

  “He was cheating on me.”

  I took a deep breath as she stood in front of me, her head hanging low. I turned off the emotional part of my brain, switched on the logical side, and thought about what she’d done. Did I have a right to be upset with her? Logically, she hadn’t done anything wrong. It wasn’t like I’d spilled my guts to her about my past lovers, so why should I expect her to? She hadn’t done anything other than give this asshole my name, and then only under duress.

  I still wasn’t happy about what had gone down, but I couldn’t hold Carolyn solely responsible. Bláithín either, and Bláithín had proven herself by doing what she could to protect Bailey, even at the risk of her own safety. The whole situation was just fucked up, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault other than this Scott asshole.

  “Look at me,” I said softly, lifting her chin. “Have you told me everything? Have you lied to me?”

  “No, I promise. I’ve told you everything.”

  “Then we’ll get through this.”

  She looked like she was going to cry. “I didn’t mean for anyone to get hurt.”

  “I know.” She looked so sad I felt sorry for her. I started to kiss her, but she looked down again. I tipped her face back up. “We’ll get through this,” I repeated. This time she let me kiss her, an innocent kiss, and she melted into my chest, her arms surrounding me as I wrapped her in mine.

  “This is all my fault,” she murmured into my chest.

  “No. It’s Scott, or Randy, or whatever the fuck his name’s fault.”

  “I should have told you.”

  “Maybe. But you didn’t know. Are there any more cray ex-boyfriends I need to know about?”

  “No.”

  I sighed, holding her tight. I was still holding her when the doorbell rang. I answered the door and it was Officer Pendleton. I invited him in, but since I had nothing to add, I stood to the side as Carolyn and Bláithín went through their story again. Carolyn told him everything she told me and added that Scott was the president of the Ravens Motorcycle Club, a fact she hadn’t mentioned before. It was annoying the cop didn’t seem to care about any of the other stuff that had gone on before the break-in attempt. If it wasn’t directly related to ‘Rock,’ as Carolyn called him, breaking into my house, the officer either cut her off or ignored her.

  It took about fifteen minutes before Pendleton had everything he wanted. “Thank you, this will be helpful,” he said as he closed his notebook. “Now that we know where to find Mr. Rockford, we’ll pick him up.”

  “Thank you, Officer,” I said as I escorted him to the door.

  “This sounds like a lovers’ spat to me, so he probably won’t be back after we snap the cuffs on him, but keep your doors and windows closed and locked, just in case. If he shows up again, give the sheriff’s department a call.”

  “We will. Thank you.”

  After the officer left, we prepared dinner. The mood in the house was subdued. Nobody wanted to talk about what happened, but at the same time, the event loomed over and buried every other topic under its weight.

  “I should go,” Carolyn said after the kitchen was tidy.

  “I think you should stay, at least tonight.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if the cops don’t locate this Rock guy, there’s no telling what he might do. You’ll be safer here.”

  “I’ve already caused enough trouble by being here, don’t you think? Maybe it would be best if I just left and got out of your life.”

  A chill passed over me. “Is that what you want?”

  Her lips thinned as she looked at me with sad eyes. “No, but that might be for the best.”

  “The best for who? Not me.”

  She sighed. “I thought I was getting a fresh start, leaving my past behind, but now this happens.”

  “I said we’ll get through it, but you have to want to. Do you want to?”

  She looked at me, her eyes pleading. “Yes.”

  I kissed her softly. “Then we will. Stay, just for tonight.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  She said nothing for several long moments. “Okay.”

  I couldn’t help but smile. “I would have liked our first night together in my house to be under different circumstances, but I’ll take it.”

  She leaned into me and placed her head against my shoulder. Having her in my arms felt so very right, and I held her for a long time. I was still holding her when Bláithín appeared. Carolyn’s back was to her, and Bláithín looked slightly surprised to see us holding each other. She averted her eyes as she slowly backed away, leaving us to our moment. I didn’t know what Bláithín wanted, but it could wait. At this instant there was nothing more important than what I was doing.

  Carolyn

  “You’re sure you want to stay here?” Thom asked as I unlocked my apa
rtment door and we stepped inside.

  “Yes. I can’t hide at your house forever,” I replied as I shut and deadbolted the door.

  “Maybe not, but until this situation is over, you might be safer there.”

  I smiled to myself at his concern. “I’ll be okay. There are neighbors all around. He’s not stupid enough to try anything here.”

  His lips thinned. “I still don’t like it.”

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”

  I was talking big, but in reality, I was nervous staying alone. Rock wasn’t stupid, that much was true, but he was used to getting his way. He was a vengeful bastard if someone crossed him. When he got like that, he didn’t always think things through. In my time with the Ravens, they’d done things I thought were stupid to make a point with someone. All the brothers were willing to go to jail for the club, so they didn’t seem to care if their actions did little other than bringing down more heat. It was all about making people respect and fear them. I used to be all in on that, but now I understood how stupid I’d been. I feared Scott, but I didn’t respect him.

  “You call me or send me a text when you get to work in the morning, okay? If you see anything that looks wrong, you get your ass in your car and get to my place, or call me and I’ll come get you, okay?”

  “You’re sweet,” I said as I patted him on the chest.

  “I’m serious, Carolyn. This guy’s already proven he’s willing to break into a house to get what he wants.” His face was hard but his eyes were soft.

  I was under no illusion that he loved me, but he still seemed to care about what happened to me. Letting me spend the night with him, his concern for me now, touched me in a way I’d never felt before. For the first time in my life I felt like something other than a man’s plaything, like my wants and needs mattered too.

  “I know. I’ll be okay. I can’t hide forever.”

  “You’re not hiding.”

  A faint smile tugged at my lips. “Maybe not, but are you ready for me to move in with you? Rock’s going to get a slap on the wrist and that’s it. He’ll be out the day after they pick him up. How long do I stay with you? A week? A month? A year? Are you ready for that?”