by A. M. Myers
I blink up at Tate, remembering her question. “Oh… yeah… I think he’s okay.”
I don’t.
Travis is clearly not okay and tears sting my eyes as I think about everything he’s been going through, silently, these past few weeks. He’s been in hell and my chest aches for him. On top of the stress every other member of this club was feeling from the situation, he also had to listen to Warren mock him and threaten the people he cares about. As I laid in bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes this morning, I promised him that I was going to be there for him unconditionally no matter how much it hurt me in the long run because it’s clear to me now that he needs me. My mind drifts back to the words he said in the car about me being the calm in this storm for him and the one place where he can breathe as I stare down into my coffee cup. If I’m his harbor, his shelter as this fight rages around us, then that’s what I’ll be no matter how much it hurts me when he walks away.
No more running.
No more keeping him at a distance because I can’t. It hurts me, it hurts him, and I love him too much to watch him suffer like this all alone.
“You two work things out then?” Tate asks, drawing my attention back to her as she chews on one end of the pen and I nod, deciding to keep the truth to myself. I know Tate has good intentions but all it’s going to take to set my brother off is one misplaced comment and I can’t have him telling Travis the truth about my feelings. I’m not ready for this to end yet.
“More or less… we’re figuring it out.”
She flashes me a grin. “I knew you would. The two of you were freaking made for each other.”
“I don’t know about that.” I laugh, trying to keep my tone light as a stake pierces my chest and pain floods my body. I so wish her words were true that Travis and I were made for one another but pretending like this could ever be anything more than the casual relationship we agreed to is asking for heartache. Glancing down at the notepad in front of her to distract myself, I nod to it. “What’s that?”
“We’re making a grocery list,” Emma says and Tate nods.
“This poor girl does not have near enough food to feed twenty fucking people for however long we’re going to stay here for.”
Emma laughs. “To be fair, I wasn’t expecting company.”
“You guys heading out soon?” I ask and they both nod. “Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not,” Tate says, dropping the pen on the counter and wrapping her arm around my shoulders. Someone clears their throat from behind us and we glance back as Blaze arches a brow.
“Sure hope you ladies weren’t planning on going out by yourself.”
Tate flashes him a sweet smile. “‘Course not, Blaze. We were just about to go ask you if you wanted to go, too.”
“Mm-hmm,” he hums, grabbing a mug from the shelf and pouring himself a cup of coffee. He takes a sip and closes his eyes, sighing, as he swallows and I study his face, noticing the new wrinkles around his eyes from all of the stress we’ve been enduring lately. This whole situation, it’s hell on each and every member of this club, hell on the family of the members, and we need to find a way to end it. I have no freaking idea how but we have to find a way. Blaze sighs again and takes another sip of coffee as he opens his eyes and nods to us. “Let me know when you ladies are ready to go.”
I nod as I stand up and grab my coffee. “I’m going to get get ready.”
“Ten minutes,” Tate calls and I nod in response before walking over to the stairs and dragging my tired body up them. I slip into the room and smile when I see Travis sprawled out in the middle of the giant bed, one leg hooked out of the covers as they ride low on his hips and his hand splayed out on his stomach. His full lips are parted as a gentle sawing noise fills the room. I’ve never heard him snore before but maybe that’s because I usually fall asleep first or it could be the fact that he was gone last night. Unable to stop myself, I sit on the edge of the bed and turn to him, studying his handsome face as he sleeps and the pain in his eyes when he told me about Warren last night rushes back to me. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, tears sting my eyes as I reach up and brush his dark hair off of his forehead. He looks so peaceful in his sleep, so serene and I shake my head, trying to imagine the hell he’s been dealing with over these past few weeks as my chest swells. He lets out a small groan and I can’t help but smile.
God, I love him.
Groaning again, he rolls toward me onto his side and sighs as reaches out, feeling along the bed for something as his eyes open.
“Morning,” I whisper and he looks up at me, flashing me a sleepy grin as he grabs my hand and gives it a tug.
“Mmm… come back to bed, Princess.”
I shake my head, my smile widening. He’s so damn cute in the morning and I don’t know how I’m ever going to get enough. “I can’t. I’m running to the store to get provisions with Tate and Emma.”
“I don’t fucking think so,” he growls, his smile falling away as he narrows his eyes at me and sits up, scooting across the bed and wrapping his arms around my waist. “I’ll come, too. You’re not fucking going anywhere alone.”
“You don’t have to…”
His hand slips into my hair, holding the back of my head as he slams his lips to mine, silencing my protests and I sigh, melting into him just like I always do as tears sting my eyes. How is it that after being together for weeks, each kiss still manages to rock me to the core? I’ve been in love before but I’ve never fucking felt like this and despite how happy he makes me, each good moment is tinged with the reality of our situation no matter how hard I try to ignore it. Pulling back, he meets my eyes and frowns when he sees the moisture gathering there, brushing his thumb across my cheek with such care that it’s hard to hold the tears back.
“What’s wrong?”
I shake my head and paste a smile on my face, choosing to focus on the happy as hard as I can. “Absolutely nothing.”
“Then, what’s with the water works, babe?”
“I don’t know,” I lie before letting out a humorless chuckle. “Maybe that we literally ran from a mad man again last night or the fact that he wants me or maybe it’s just because you’re so damn sweet to me.”
He nods in understanding and presses his forehead to mine, closing his eyes as he takes a deep breath. “Hey, when this is all over, what do you say we do something so fucking normal it hurts?”
“Like what?” I laugh and he shrugs.
“Dunno… dinner and a movie?”
I nod. “It’s a date.”
“Good,” he whispers, his smile shy as he leans in and presses his lips to mine. His kiss is gentle this time and it melts me on the spot as my chest aches with my love for him. When he pulls back, he flashes me a grin and gives me playful shove out of the bed. “Now, get ready so we can go shopping.”
“Hey, you know… grocery shopping together is a perfectly normal, boring thing to do,” I tell him as I stand up and shove my little sleep shorts down my thighs and step out of them. His eyes rake down my bare legs and he licks his lip as he nods.
“You’re right.”
I snap my fingers. “My eyes are up here.”
“I know,” he answers, grinning as he meets my gaze. “But I’m busy looking at your gorgeous fucking legs right now, babe. Give me a minute.”
“Get dressed.” I shake my head as I turn and walk away from him to grab my jeans off of the floor in the corner of the room. Aware of his eyes burning into my backside, I bend over slowly to grab them, smiling when he groans.
“You’re a dirty fucking temptress.”
I peek over my shoulder and grin. “The sooner you get ready, the quicker we can get back here so you can do something about it.”
His eyes widen a second before he flashes me a wide grin and jumps out of bed faster than I’ve ever seen and I laugh as he scoops his jeans off of the floor and begins pulling them on, almost tripping over his own feet. Once he manages to get them buttoned, he grabs a
t-shirt and yanks it over his head as he marches across the room. I button my jeans and when he reaches me, he leans in, kissing my cheek before he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder, smacking my ass.
“Let’s go.”
Something between a squeal and a laugh slips out of my mouth as I smack his back. “Put me down, Travis.”
Laughing, he sets me back on my feet before taking my hand and pulling me into another kiss. My body floats up off the floor as warmth rushes through me and I can’t help but smile against his lips as I lean into his body, needing to be closer to him. Lacing his fingers through mine, he plants a few more kisses against my lips before pulling away and tugging me toward the door of our room.
“Come on. I already can’t wait to get back here.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks and I can’t wipe the smile off of my face as we walk down the stairs together, hand in hand and my heart is pounding like crazy in my chest. We meet up with Emma, Tate, and Blaze in the living room and Blaze nods in approval at Travis before slipping a gun in the holster at his waist.
“You armed?” he asks, his gaze bouncing between Travis and Tate. Tate scoffs and reaches behind her back to pull out her pistol as she nods.
“Always.”
Travis shakes his head. “I didn’t grab mine but I can real quick.”
“No,” Blaze says, looking around at our little group before shaking his head. “I think two should cover it.”
“Three,” Tate calls as she turns toward the door, lifting up her pants leg to reveal a second gun hidden there and Blaze laughs.
“Sorry, I forgot that you never have just one,” he tells her and she glances back over her shoulder, shooting him a look of disappointment.
“How careless.”
They continue giving each other a hard time as we step outside and make our way to the big, black SUV at the end of the driveway. When we pulled up last night and I got my first look at Emma and Nix’s home, I was blown away. It’s a proper southern plantation house set on two acres of land with huge oak trees dripping in Spanish moss scattered around the property, and a large lake in the back with their own personal dock. Once we all got settled, Emma told us how Nix had purchased the house after it had been foreclosed on and fixed it all up himself. It’s honestly so peaceful out here that it’s easier to relax and forget the danger we’re all in for a moment and I think it will be just what we all need. Not that I want us to get careless but each and every person here needs to chill a bit or things will only get worse.
We pile into the SUV with Blaze behind the wheel, Emma in the passenger seat, and Tate in the back with us. Travis is glued to my side, my hand firmly in his as everyone else makes small talk, a lightness settling over the group that is so refreshing after all of the dark we’ve endured lately. I sigh. After the drama of last night, which honestly seems like a dream now in the light of day, today feels so free and peaceful and I’m so thankful for it. We need, at least, a day to relax and decompress before we hit this Warren situation head on again. Peeking over at Travis, I vow to find a way to help him sort this whole thing out and find answers as his comment about going out on a normal date drifts through my mind. I shake my head. I’m honestly so confused by what’s going on between us and I’m working so hard to keep my expectations non-existent but then he says something like he did in the bedroom that makes me think he sees a future in this.
No.
Don’t do that to yourself.
Sucking in a breath, I push all of my thoughts away and focus in on the conversation around me again as they all chat about putting together a big family dinner tonight and my mind drifts to the night after the last time we did that. Travis peeks over at me and we both smile. God, that was a damn good night. He gives my hand a squeeze and I lay my head on his shoulder, unable to wipe the smile off of my face as the city of Baton Rouge comes into view.
The grocery store parking lot is fairly empty when we pull in and Blaze parks the SUV near the back, his eyes scanning the areas around us for any possible danger. Travis’s body tenses, on alert just like Blaze as he nods to me and kisses the back of my hand before ushering me out of the SUV. Adrenaline floods my system, making my muscles feel twitchy as I gaze around the lot and Blaze orders us all to stay together. We don’t even get ten feet from the SUV when a high-pitched whining sound fills the air, pulling all of our attention to a man in all black sitting on a bright red crotch rocket six feet to our right. His face is covered by his full helmet but even through the dark tint of the visor, I swear I can feel his gaze on me and my stomach drops.
It’s him.
He revs his engine, looking straight at us and my heart climbs into my throat as his bike jumps forward, taunting us. I try to retreat to the SUV as Blaze pulls his gun out of its holster and holds it at his side, never taking his eyes off of the man on the bike but Travis grabs me and pulls me firmly into his side as he leans down and presses his lips to the top of my head.
“I’ve got you, baby.”
Time seems to stall as we stand frozen in the lot, watching the man on the bike as he just sits there, revving his engine and teasing us with the possibility of an attack. My heart hammers in my ears and I struggle to draw air into my lungs as tears sting my eyes. We can’t just keep standing here, waiting for his next move. We’re too out in the open, too exposed, and too far from any help we could get in the store. Standing here, in the middle of an empty lot with this psycho is going to get us killed.
“Go back to the SUV,” Blaze orders, his voice hard as he keeps his gaze fixed on the man on the bike, his shoulders tight and posture imposing. We all turn, ready to rush back to the safety of our vehicle. Another sound joins the whining of the bike, similar but deeper, as we all stop in our tracks and turn to the other side. A man, also dressed in all black with his face covered by a helmet, races toward us on a dirt bike. Emma is standing off to the side, a little ways away from the rest of the group and his gaze is focused on her as he twists the handle, accelerating across the lot.
I can’t take my eyes off of him, my legs shaking like crazy and my heart thunders in my chest as bolts of pain stab into me. Squeezing Travis’s hand, I watch in slow motion as he releases one of the handlebars and lets his arm hang at his side, revealing a blade. He gets closer and closer, closing in on us but none of us move, the fear thick in the air around us and all we can do is watch. Images race through my mind, horrific images that I don’t want to see, and a tear slips down my face as a tiny little voice inside screams at me that I need to do something but I can’t.
I can’t move.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t speak.
All I can do is watch as the cold claws of dread wrap around my heart, crushing it as he closes in on Emma, fear filling her eyes as she stumbles back a few steps and a gun shot rings out. The dirt bike swerves out of the way before he corrects his course, just mere feet from Emma.
Oh, God.
“No!” Blaze yells, pulling her back and jumping in front of her to shield her with his body just as the man on the dirt bike passes us, lifting his arm up to slice through the air and my breath catches in my throat as everything around us blurs and time stands still. A pained groan drifts through the air as Blaze clutches his stomach and crumples to the ground. Emma screams, her eyes wide as she rushes over to his side and drops to her knees. Blood pours out of his stomach and my stomach churns, my chest aching as I shake my head, turning to the man on the dirt bike as he stops next to the other man and lifts the visor of his helmet, revealing his face to me.
Warren.
For so long, I’ve wondered what he looked like, what I would see in the face of the man tormenting this club and I guess I always assumed it would be pure evil shining in his gaze but instead, his brown eyes are burning with rage and pain as he stares at me. Travis was right about his appearance – completely average, the kind of man you would walk straight past on the street and not even spare a second glance. I study him, trying to comm
it his every feature to my memory for later as his gaze bores through me. Slowly, a smile stretches across his face and ice seeps into my bones. He winks, sending a shiver twisting down my spine and tears gather in my eyes but I can’t look away.
Another gunshot rings out and my gaze snaps to the side. Tate is holding her pistol in her shaking hand, her phone pressed to her ear as she glares daggers at Warren but when I turn back, the visor is down again and he turns with his partner, racing out of the parking lot as the roar of their bikes fill the air. My stomach rolls and I turn back to the others, hoping one of them saw what just happened but Emma is frantically pressing her sweater to Blaze’s stomach, blood all over her and Tate is relaying his condition to the nine-one-one operator, her gun at her side again. Travis is staring down at the whole scene with wide, blank eyes, his hand gripping mine so tightly that I don’t know how it hasn’t broken.
Ow.
“Rowan!” Emma screams and my head snaps to her. “Help me, please!”
I nod, yanking my hand from Travis’s and it seems to snap him out of his daze as he looks around the lot, noticing that our friends are gone for the first time as I rush to Blaze’s side, opposite of Emma and place my hands on the sweater, applying pressure to his wound.
“Blaze,” Emma whispers, tears streaming down her face as she grits her teeth. “Don’t you dare leave us, you hear? You do not get to die today.”
He nods weakly.
Blood pools on the ground around him and I glance up at his pale face, trying to make sure he’s still breathing as I press my shaking hands harder against his stomach. He groans and winces as he tries to move but Emma shoves his shoulders back to the ground, instructing him to stay down. When he’s still again, I lift up part of the sweater, gasping at the sight below. There is a gash all the way across his stomach and blood pours from the wound. It’s too much. The cut is too deep and he’s losing too much blood. My stomach drops and tears fill my eyes.
