by A. M. Myers
“Wait,” Piper says, her eyes scanning the page in front of her. “I think I found something.”
She hands the notebook to me and I read the entry on the page.
Dear Diary,
I went down to the coffee shop today and met this wonderful man who listened to me for almost an hour as I told him all about my Pip. He said she sounded like a really great girl and that if I loved her as much as I claimed then I should do whatever it takes to get her. I left there feeling so confident and he’s going to meet with me again tomorrow to go over a plan. I haven’t felt this hopeful in a long time and I can’t help but think that this is all going to work out. Piper and I are fated to be together, I just know it. The way she looks at me, I can feel the power of our connection…
I drop the notebook on the desk and shake my head as I blow out a breath. God, I feel fucking crazy just from reading that.
“What do you think? Could the guy be Warren?” Piper asks and I shrug.
“It’s possible but I’ll have to keep digging to know for sure and even then, we probably won’t find anything concrete.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t need anything concrete.”
“Can I ask why you want to know?” I can’t see any way that knowing Warren had a part in this is going to help her and it might even make it all worse but that’s just my opinion. She chews on her bottom lip as she stares at the notebook and finally, she looks up and sighs.
“I know what Lillian did was insane and that her obsession with me can’t be blamed on anyone else but…”
I nod, leaning back in my chair. “You want someone else to blame.”
“A little bit,” she admits with a nod. “It’s just hard to reconcile these two people that were Lillian… like my friend is a completely different person than the one who did all these crazy things.”
“Can I be honest with you, Piper?”
She nods, sucking in a breath. “Of course.”
“I think you need to let this go. It can’t be healthy,” I tell her, hoping my voice doesn’t sound too harsh and she sighs before nodding.
“I know I should just let it go but maybe these notebooks will help you somehow with Warren as well as giving me closure so I have to pursue this.”
Sighing, I nod. “Okay, well, I’ll keep looking into them and if I find anything, I’ll let you know but please don’t get your hopes up.”
“Thank you,” she says, her voice full of emotion as she stands up and walks over to me before leaning down and hugging me. “I really appreciate your help, Streak.”
I nod, patting her back. “Don’t mention it and don’t let your husband kill me.”
“Don’t be stupid.” She laughs as she pulls back and turns toward the door. “You’re way too important to this club for any of these guys to kill you. I can’t promise there will be no maiming, though.”
“Oh, excellent,” I answer, rolling my eyes and she laughs again as she walks out of the room. As soon as she’s gone, I turn back to the notebook laying open on my desk and sigh before grabbing it to dive right back into the rabbit hole I desperately want to escape.
Chapter Eighteen
Rowan
“They’re pulling into the gas station now,” Travis says into his phone laying on the desk, his fingers flying over the keyboard as he leans closer to the monitor, his complete focus on helping Blaze, Storm, and Chance complete the rescue they are doing right now. Apparently, the wife contacted the club and asked for their help but the issue is that they are only passing through Baton Rouge on their way to visit family so the club has to step in and rescue the wife and their two kids at a gas station along the interstate while this woman’s husband is in the bathroom. It honestly sounded insane when he told me about it earlier but this is what they do. As I watch him work, I can’t help but smile at the tiny little crease between his eyebrows and the way he bites his lip in concentration. Shaking my head, I turn back to the newspaper laid out on the bed in front of me, open to the help wanted pages.
Yesterday, Lincoln, Tate, and I drove the three hours to Grand Isle to sprinkle Mom’s ashes in the ocean just like she wanted and it was intense. We went to the same beach where Lincoln and Tate were married last year, the last place we were all together as a family because it seemed like the perfect spot to scatter her ashes and even though she has been gone for over a month now, actually watching her ashes sink below the water felt like I was truly letting her go. All of the pain I’ve been running from smacked right into me and I spent the night, sobbing into Travis’s chest while he rubbed my back and pressed kisses against the top of my head. When I woke up this morning, I was still sad but I also knew it was time to move on with my life and finally put some roots down here in Louisiana, starting with a job.
“Dad just went into the bathroom,” Travis says, distracting me from the paper and I lean back against the wall and cross my arms over my chest as I watch him. “Move now.”
“We’re fucking going,” Storm answers.
“Asshole,” Travis mutters, making a face at the phone that makes me laugh. It’s nice to see him like this since the last two days have been hard on all of us. After the wedding, the mood in the clubhouse was even darker before and it’s uncomfortable to be stuck here. Everyone wants to be jumping into action, doing something to find Warren and stop whatever evil plans he has but there is just nothing to do. But that doesn’t stop any of them from trying and when they can’t find answers, they come harass Travis. It weighs down on him so much and I’m just about ready to tell them to take a fucking hike the next time they barge in here demanding answers that no one has. Which I can freely do now since I told my brother all about Travis and me yesterday. To say he wasn’t pleased would be an understatement but after Tate and I talked him down a little, he agreed to let me run my own love life. He hated every second of it but I think it went as well as could be expected. I mean, Travis is still in one piece and there isn’t a single bruise or broken bone on his body so I consider it a win. Lincoln did make it very clear, though, that if he saw me crying even once and Travis was the cause, he would break every single one of his fingers. So, like I said, it went as well as expected.
“He’s on his way back to the van. Where are you?”
“Pulling out of the lot now,” Storm answers. “Let me know when he steps outside.”
Travis types a few things and I see the screen change from one security camera before he flicks back to another one. “You’re good. He can’t decide what fucking snack to get.”
“Priorities, man.” Chance laughs.
“Pulling onto the interstate now,” Blaze calls and Travis flicks through a few cameras again before nodding to himself.
“He’s paying now. I’ll keep an eye on him for a bit.”
They hang up but Travis remains focused on the screen and I climb out of bed before walking over to him and leaning on his shoulders as the man walks out of the gas station and sees his empty van.
“Is he going to call the cops?” I ask, wondering if they made it look like a kidnapping and Travis shakes his head.
“Naw. She left him a note that tells him not to come looking for her.”
I purse my lips as he stands outside his vehicle, raking his hands through his hair. “But the kids… wouldn’t that make y’all accessories to kidnapping the kids?”
“They aren’t his kids. He married Anne eighteen months ago and immediately started beating her so she never let him adopt them. She said she had to get out before he turned on her kids.”
“What happened to their real dad?”
He shrugs. “He’s dead but I don’t know what happened to him.”
“That’s so sad.”
“Yeah,” he answers with a nod. “But you can go back to whatever you were doing over there. I’ll just be another few minutes with this.”
I hold my hands up in surrender and back away from him. “Kicking me out, huh?”
“Never.” His gaze flicks to mine and the sin
cerity shining in his eyes almost knocks me off my feet. I wouldn’t say that we’ve both been clingy lately but we have definitely been leaning on each other to get through all of the shit going on around us and honestly, I don’t know what I would do without him. Somehow, he keeps me sane despite the chaos and I think I do the same for him. Or, at least, I hope I do. “What are you working on over there?”
“I’m looking for a job,” I say as I crawl back into bed with a sigh and scoop up my newspaper, scanning the help wanted section again. There are quite a few jobs listed but none of them have really caught my eye yet. Although, I suppose it would help if I had any idea what I wanted to do but for so long, I’ve been just surviving instead of living so I don’t even know where to start. Hell, I don’t even know what I like.
“I don’t like it.”
I glance up at him. “You don’t like what?”
“The idea of you getting a job right now. Until we catch Warren, I don’t really want you leaving the clubhouse alone,” he says, his gaze flicking between me and the computer screen with the same concern on his face. Sighing, I shake my head and set the newspaper in my lap.
“Are you really trying to tell me I can’t work?”
He nods. “For now.”
“You know,” I muse, cocking my head to the side as I flash him a look of defiance. “I don’t think you get a say.”
“Sure I do,” he shoots back, standing up and stalking across the room to me before planting his fists on the bed and leaning in for a kiss. When I won’t give him one, he growls and grabs the paper, tossing it to the floor behind him. Before I can object, he grabs my leg and pulls me down to my back on the bed as he looms over me with a grin. “You’re so fucking cute when you’re mad.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “Don’t give me that shit. I’m getting a job and you can’t stop me.”
“Whatever you want to believe, Princess,” he answers before sealing his lips over mine and I sigh. My biggest weakness is my need for him and it doesn’t matter how mad I am when he kisses me because I can’t resist him. Pulling back, he flashes me a triumphant grin. “Hey, what do you say we get out of here?”
“And go where?”
He shrugs, leaning down and stealing another kiss. “Anywhere. I’m fucking tired of being cooped up in this place.”
“Wasn’t it you who just said I shouldn’t leave the clubhouse until Warren is found?” I ask, arching a brow but he is unfazed, shooting me a cocky grin.
“I said you shouldn’t leave alone and you’re not. You’ll have me there to protect you.” That damn grin on his face only gets wider as he stares down at me with fire in his eyes and there is no way in hell I’m backing down from this challenge. Pasting a coy little smile on my face, I drag my fingertips down his arm as I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and meet his gaze again.
“Wow, baby,” I breathe, arching my back so my tits press up against his chest. “That really turns me on.”
His gaze searches mine, hungry and ready to pounce, and as he leans down to kiss me again, I press my hand against his face and shove it away from me.
“Not.”
“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that one, Princess,” he growls as my belly does a little flip as I wiggle out of his arms and slip off of the bed, evading his grasp. We square up on opposite sides of the room, Travis ready to close the distance between us and me ready to bolt in the other direction to get away from him, and he flashes me a predatory smile as he takes a small step forward. My belly flips and I fight back peals of giggles as I watch him stalk toward me. He springs into action and I shriek as I try to get away from him before he hooks his arm around my waist before I can get away and pulls me into his body. Breathing heavily, his eyes meet mine for just a moment before we slam together, kissing like we’re drowning in our desire and we stumble backward until we run into the wall.
“Travis,” I breathe when he moves down my neck, pressing hot, needy kisses against my skin and he growls, moving back up to nip at my ear.
“I had a whole plan, you know,” he whispers as his hand slips under my t-shirt and he cups my breast, giving it a squeeze.
“What was it?”
He shakes his head, moving back to my lips before pulling back enough to meet my eyes. “I had a whole little… thing planned for us.”
“Like a date?” I ask, my heart skipping a beat and butterflies flapping around in my belly as I search his gaze. He looks away and nods, a look of nerves flicking across his face.
“I wanted to do something normal with you. Something that didn’t involve shit like stalkers in nightclubs and severed heads showing up at weddings.”
I can’t wipe the grin off of my face as I lean in and press a kiss to his lips. “Okay. Do I need to go change or will this work for what you have planned?”
“You look amazing, Rowan,” he replies, his gaze dropping down my body and I laugh. I’m just wearing jeans and a t-shirt but with the way he looks at me, it feels like it could be a ball gown. Meeting my eyes again, his teeth sink into his bottom lip. “You really want to go?”
I nod, my smile so wide it feels like it’s going to crack my face. “I do. Now, how do we sneak out of here?”
“You go downstairs like you’re going to your room and then sneak out of the back door. I’ll storm out of the front like I’m pissed about something and we’ll meet at the Impala.”
Leaning forward, I plant another quick kiss on his lips before pulling away. “Okay.”
“Go and I’ll meet you down there.” He smacks my ass as I turn to leave and I shoot him a look over my shoulder before slipping out of his room and practically running down the hallway to the stairs. A few people are milling around in the bar area but they barely give me a second glance as I walk down the hallway to my room. Stopping outside of the door, I grab the handle like I’m going to open it before peeking behind me. Everyone has moved onto something else so I release the handle and sneak over to the back door, squeezing my eyes shut as I press on the bar to open it. It makes a little squeak but I slip outside without glancing back to see if anyone else heard before softly closing the door and booking it across the parking lot to Travis’s Impala. My heart races and I can’t wipe the grin off of my face. I swear, it’s like I’m sixteen and sneaking out of the house to meet up with a boy all over again. Although, I’m not sure if Lincoln would be any less pissed this time around as he was when I was a kid.
Stopping next to the car, I turn toward the front door just in time to see Travis shove it open and stomp outside but as soon as he sees me, a big grin stretches across his face, breaking his cover. No one really seems to notice though and once he reaches the car, he jumps behind the wheel, while I wait for him to unlock my door. Instead, he rolls down the window, leaning across the seat to talk to me.
“Will you get the gate? The code is zero, five, two, zero.”
I glance up at the lock on the gate and nod before running over to the gate and punching in the code. It unlocks with a click and as soon as it swings open, Travis drives the Impala out onto the street before stopping to wait for me. I close the gate behind me and double check that it’s locked. The last fucking thing we need is Warren getting into the clubhouse… not that it’s not already easy enough for him to get to us. Sighing, I walk over to the Impala and sink into the passenger seat before turning to Travis. He flashes me a blinding smile and grabs my hand as he takes off down the street.
“So, where are we headed to?”
He glances over at me and winks. “It’s a surprise.”
Shaking my head, I watch him as we drive, wondering what is going through his head right now. Maybe this is just what he said, an excuse for us to get out of the clubhouse and seize a little bit of normal but it feels an awful lot like more than the casual relationship we agreed to and I don’t know what to do with that.
“What are you thinking so hard about over there?” he asks, pulling me out of my thoughts and I blink at him before leaning my head back against
the seat and flashing him a smile.
“Just trying to figure out where we are going.”
He laughs. “You’re not good with surprises, are you?”
“I guess not,” I answer and his brows knit together as his gaze flicks between me and the road repeatedly.
“What do you mean, you guess not?”
I shrug. “I’ve never really had anyone do something like this for me.”
“Come on, you’ve had boyfriends before,” he replies. I arch a brow at the word boyfriend and he releases a nervous chuckle. “Not that we… I mean, I’m not…”
I scoff. “Don’t worry, Travis. I know what this is and even though I’ve had boyfriends before, none of them ever did anything like this. I’ve never even really been on a proper first date.”
“What’s a proper first date?” he asks and I have to laugh at how clueless and inexperienced we both are when it comes to relationships.
“You know, like when you meet someone and you like them so you ask them out. For me, it’s always just been I start hanging out with someone and we like each other so we become a couple before we ever even have a date.”
He shakes his head. “That’s a fucking shame. A gorgeous girl like you deserves shit like this.”
“Oh, how romantic.” I laugh, crinkling my nose at his statement as butterflies flutter around in my belly. When I’m with him, the rest of the damn world just fades away and here in this car, on our way to a date, nothing else exists but I wish I knew more about him. There is this glaring contradiction when I look into his eyes and I can tell he’s experienced real pain in his life. I want to hear about it and if possible, ease just a little bit of his suffering. Leaning on the arm rest between us, I flash him a smile. “Tell me something about yourself.”
“And why would I do that?”
“Because,” I say, batting my lashes at him as he fights back a grin. “I asked you very, very nicely.”
