Dangerous (Nomad Outlaws Trilogy Book 2)

by Tory Richards

  "I had to make nice with one of the nurses who works with him. Took her out for drinks one night and got her to talk. Seems he had a family emergency somewhere over there, and needed to leave town to deal with it."

  Probably a made-up story.

  "Fuck, brother, that was a while ago. He's had plenty of time to get there." Thank fuck we'd been on lockdown, but what the fuck had he been doing all this time?

  "I hear ya, but like I said, it took a while to get someone to talk. Just be glad the woman was happy with only drinks and a little flirtation, because I wasn't going to fuck the information out of her. Once you've had the best, there's no going back."

  He was talking about Ginger. Rebel was crazy in love with her. I heard the smile in his voice, and for the first time I began to understand what all the brothers with old ladies had been talking about. Hell, I'd known Luna was it for me, I'd just been too damned stubborn to admit it. Now it could be too late, if her ex was after her. Fuck, I needed to get a call in to Reaper.

  "Need to get off the phone‒"

  "Look, something else you should know--" Rebel cut me off. "A couple days ago he put in his resignation, said once his family drama was over he was taking a break and relocating to Canada."

  "Shit!"

  "Yeah, sounds like he has plans of starting over somewhere else."

  Or disappearing completely. With Luna.

  "Thanks, brother. No need to hang around down there. Go home." We didn't talk money, Rebel knew he'd get a check for the surveillance that he'd done for me. I disconnected the call and hit Reaper's number, meeting Moody's eyes.

  "Trouble?"

  I nodded, waiting for Reaper to pick up at the other end, hoping that Luna was still staying at the clubhouse.

  If she'd gone back to camp, she'd be an easier target for her ex. What the fuck was he planning? And how had he tracked her down?

  "Yeah?"

  "Hey, brother, where are you?"

  "The lake." I could hear the frown in his voice. "Why?"

  "Just heard from Rebel, seems Luna's ex is there in New York, and I'm way the hell here in New Mexico. Can't get back until tomorrow."

  "She's been hanging with Jim and Casey back at the compound so she should be good. She comes back here we'll look out for her."

  The relief I felt at his words was short lived. Luna was safe at the moment, but anything could happen in the next twenty-four hours. I didn't know enough about her ex to know what he was capable of. Shit, I wanted to be back there five minutes ago. I ended the call, eager to be on my way.

  "You want me to come?"

  I shook my head. "No, brother. The Wreckers will look out for Luna until I get back." I started my bike. "I'll be in touch." He gave me a chin lift, and then I turned my bike around and headed out to the main road.

  The thirty hours that it would take me to get back to Lake George were going to be the longest fucking hours of my life.

  ****

  Luna

  When I entered my trailer, it felt different. I hesitated right inside the door and looked around, trying to determine what it was. Nothing looked out of place, though. It was just a feeling I got that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I dropped my bag of clothes on the table top and shook the feeling off, convinced that I was imagining it. I had nothing of value, and my trailer was small enough that I could see the whole inside from one spot.

  I'd returned to the camp the day before with Jim and Casey, after we'd ridden to the village for breakfast. Then, when we’d made it to the camp, Casey had convinced me to spend the day and night with her at her place. Jim was going to move her into his cabin, but he'd been assigned a job for most of that day and night, and would be away. Apparently the MC owned businesses that required the members to take turns providing muscle and protection.

  So Casey and I had spent the day together, talking mostly, and packing up the few things she'd wanted to take with her. Since Jim had left her a key we took her things to his cabin and put them away.

  "You know, you should move into my trailer," Casey said while arranging her toiletries in the tiny bathroom. "That way you'll have your own shower."

  "I kind of like my little home." I was taking her clothes out of the bag and arranging them into the drawers of the dresser. Jim's things only occupied one drawer.

  "It is cute," she agreed from the bathroom, "but if you're planning on staying here, you'll be more comfortable in a larger place, don't you think? There's no rent involved, and I give you full reign to decorate it any way that you want." She walked out of the bathroom and stopped to look at me.

  The offer of staying in a larger place with my own shower was appealing, but I wasn't sure how long I would be there. I'd done a lot of work on my place, and I hated the thought of it being abandoned again. And then a thought occurred to me. "Maybe I can rent mine out."

  "That's a good idea!" Casey agreed with a big smile.

  "I'll think about it," I finally said, tucking the last pair of shorts into a drawer and closing it. "All done."

  "Isn't that sad? Everything I own stuffed into two bags."

  "Is there anything from the trailer you want to bring here?"

  She shook her head. "Nope. Just Samson. Let's go back to my place. I have the ingredients to make sangria and tacos later. We can just chill and talk."

  That sounded good, and I knew that it was her attempt to keep me busy and my mind off of Jace. So we'd spent the rest of the day doing just that, drinking sangria well into the night, until we were giggling and tipsy and stumbling all over the place. We’d talked about men and what assholes they were. Well, mostly I did that. Although I hadn't mentioned any names, we both knew that I was talking about Jace.

  Casey, on the other hand, had listed off all of Jim's perfect attributes. Apparently he was hung like a horse and could fuck for hours upon hours. We'd laughed and cried, and when it grew quiet, we eventually drifted off, Casey on the floor with her legs and feet up on the couch, me in the recliner.

  At some point during the night Samson had wakened us to go outside long enough to do his business, and then we all went right back to sleep.

  Jim had shown up around ten that morning to find Casey and me sitting at her table, coffee cups in front of us and holding our heads in our hands. He’d taken one look at us and realized that we were hungover and miserable, apparently the result of Casey using too much brandy in the sangria. His laughter had been our first indication that we weren't alone. We had both raised our heads to glare at him. Casey had given him the finger. I had moaned and dropped my head back into my hands.

  Jim had been smart enough to back out and come back later.

  That had been hours ago. After Jim and Casey had left I'd decided to get a quick shower before going home. I'd slipped into clean jeans and a tee, and braided my hair. Two minutes later I was climbing the short steps to my little home and opening the door, and there I was, standing there and still trying to figure out what it was that was bothering me.

  I spied my phone on the counter next to the tiny sink and retrieved it to call my Mom. It wasn’t Wednesday, but I was eager to hear her voice and know that she and Dad were okay. Disappointment washed over me, though, when I looked down at the phone. Of course the battery was dead.

  "Damn!" I said sharply. I should have charged it as soon as I'd returned.

  "You sound disappointed, sugar."

  I froze, certain that I was hearing things, or, more specifically, hearing Seth's voice. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end again, and this time I couldn't ignore it. I felt a presence behind me, felt the heat of another body move closer to mine. My instinct was to run. He'd come from the bathroom, and I had a clear path to the door. From there I could run to the restaurant for help. There was always someone there.

  "Think of how I felt when I arrived home to find you gone," he continued. His comparison didn't make sense. I flinched when I felt his hand curl around the thick part of my braid at my neck before placing his c
ool lips against my flesh. "Surprised, sugar?"

  The time for running had passed. Seth would stop me before I took a step. His hand loosened, allowing me to turn slowly and face him. The coldness in his eyes and his calm demeanor didn't fool me into trusting that he was in control. I'd had years of experience in recognizing the calm before the storm. "How did you find me?"

  He laughed softly. "I arranged for someone to convince your parents that an animal had been chewing on the phone lines and that it would need to be repaired. The repair man put a tracer on it."

  I vaguely remembered Mom saying something about the phone company working on the repairs. Seth's smile revealed that he was pleased with himself, as if he were the first one to ever think of doing something like that.

  "Next time you and your mother talked, my associate was able to get a fix on your location."

  "Your associate? You mean some criminal you paid?"

  At first I thought that Seth would hit me, I could tell that he hadn't liked what I'd said. But then he smiled and shrugged. "It's your fault that I had to go to such extremes."

  "Most men would get the hint that if a woman runs, she doesn't want to be found."

  His smile faded. "And why would that be, Luna? I gave you everything," he said coldly. "Ten years of my life, and you lived like a fucking queen. My queen. And look at you now--slumming it in your little hovel. Look how you're dressed." His gaze moved over my jeans and tee, which weren't the designer clothes that he was used to seeing me wear. "Have you been sleeping around, too? I've seen the riffraff that hang out around here, the biker gang. Have any of them put their filthy hands on you?"

  I thought about Jace, my heart constricting painfully, wishing that he was there now. "Only one," I said foolishly.

  Seth slapped me then. So hard that my head snapped sideways.

  "Slut," he said, still in the same calm tone.

  I turned back to him, refusing to show him any pain. Being slapped by Seth was nothing compared to what I could expect once he lost control, and I could tell that it was just a matter of time. To the casual observer he looked like the poised, well-dressed professional that he was. What he wanted the world to see. A successful man in his thousand dollar suits and Rolex watches, although today he was wearing casual slacks and a Givenchy tee. His blond hair was styled as immaculately as ever. There was nothing about his outward appearance to reveal the unstable man that lay beneath the surface.

  "I love him."

  His eyes turned hard, matching the sneer that was spreading across his boyish face. "You love him?" He grabbed me by the upper arms and jerked me close. "You choose biker trash over me?" There was disbelief in his tone. "Over someone who gave you a penthouse apartment? Designer clothes and jewelry? A fucking Mercedes?"

  It all came down to material things with Seth. "Everything that mattered to you, Seth." I'd sold the Mercedes to purchase a cheaper car. What had been left of the money I was using to live off until I decided where to go and what to do with my life. But he didn't need to know that. He was out of my life now, and would remain out.

  He shook his head with disgust, his color deepening, a clear sign that his anger was escalating. "You were never satisfied!" He shoved me away from him, my back slamming into the edge of the table. "You've caused me a lot of trouble."

  What did he mean by that? "Seth, it's over between us. You came here for nothing, because I'm not going back to you." I hated the shaking of my voice, but I was proud of myself for standing up to him.

  He stared at me as if I'd lost my mind, and I could tell that he was processing what I'd said to him. Seth wasn't used to me--or anyone, for that matter--not bending to his will. He'd grown arrogant and rigid over the years, letting his success go to his head. He'd become power hungry, and wasn't afraid to yield it, all while fooling everyone around him.

  Slowly he shook his head, making a sound of disappointment. "You're delusional if you think I'm letting you walk away after all the time I've invested in cultivating you."

  Cultivating me? My jaw dropped.

  He made a tisk tisk sound. "I can see that my work isn't done."

  I felt a chill go down my spine as I leaned further into the corner of the table in an effort to get away from him. "I'll never be what you want, Seth. No one is perfect." My gaze shot nervously to the door. Could I make it?

  His sinister-sounding laugh and the knowing smirk on his face told me to try, but I decided that the best thing I could do was keep him talking, and maybe, just maybe, I could make him see reason. My heart was racing. He was a brilliant man, but when it had to do with anything regarding me and him, his decisions came from his desire to control me. Seth didn't fail in anything he did, and he couldn't accept my running away from him.

  I knew that there would be consequences.

  "You look nervous, sugar." God, I hated his nickname for me, because it sounded so false falling off his tongue. "I've made plans for us. Decided to take a hiatus so I could devote my time to the woman I love. I have a private estate in Canada. You didn't know that, did you?"

  I shook my head.

  "I've already informed the hospital that I won't be back. ‘Course, when I'm ready to return, any hospital would jump at the chance to have me." I was starting to feel sick inside. Seth sounded as if he was having a conversation with himself. "You'll like Canada."

  I shook my head. "No, Seth."

  He wasn't even listening to me. "I've arranged for a private plane to fly us there." He looked around. "I doubt that there's anything from here that you'll want to bring."

  I couldn't take anymore. He sounded so calm and normal, but I knew the signs. It wouldn't take much to set him off. I knew that if I didn't at least make an attempt to get outside that my window of opportunity to escape him would be slim to none. I could hear the sound of vehicles passing by my trailer. Once in a while a bike would go by and I thought about the Wreckers who were just down the road. Somewhere in the distance I heard a dog barking. I bolted toward the door, but before I pushed it open Seth was on me, pulling me back by my hair. I cried out and reached back to where his hand was wrapped around my braid.

  "Going somewhere, sugar?" he gritted against my ear. "I've just been waiting for you to do something stupid. I'm keeping a list of all the punishments you'll receive once we're at my estate."

  "You can't make me go with you!" I yelled, trying to pull away. I could see outside. If I screamed, maybe someone would come. Seth wouldn't cause a scene in front of anyone. That wasn't his style, he was always worried about his reputation. I was confident that when confronted by an outside force he would pretend that everything was okay, leaving me an out. I screamed as loudly as I could.

  "You bitch!" He yanked me away from the door and back toward the bathroom. He pushed me up against the wall and got in my face. "I'll kill anyone who walks through that door."

  My eyes widened with disbelief. He couldn't be serious! Holding me against the wall with a hand at my throat, he reached for something in his pants. I began to tremble when he brought a small gun up to show me, the smug look on his face saying that he'd thought of everything. I was seeing a side of Seth I'd never seen before, a frightening, more demented side. Yet his eyes appeared normal. There was none of the wildness or mad gleam reflected there you that I would have expected to see when in the eyes of someone who had gone insane.

  "Now this is what we're going to do," he began calmly, almost as if he were talking to one of his patients before operating. "You're going to come with me willingly and like a good girl, sugar. My rental is parked across the street at the restaurant. We'll drive to the airport. The first thing we'll do when we arrive at my estate is erase that other man off of you with a hot shower and some disinfectant. I hope you had the sense to use a condom. The thought of his filth inside of you makes me sick. You'll probably need to douche just to make sure. If there's any sign of pregnancy, we'll take care of that, too."

  I stared at Seth as if he'd grown another head, unable to comprehend t
he words coming out of his mouth. I knew that he meant everything he said, but still no madness gleamed in his eyes, just a cool calmness as he stated what was to come. Obviously the gun in his hand made him feel as if he were in complete control. No reason to go all bat shit crazy when he yielded all the power.

  "So quiet, sugar."

  "I'm thinking that you've lost your mind," I responded cautiously.

  He laughed. "Perhaps. It's been documented that there's a connection between the brilliant mind and the slightly touched."

  Touched? That was an odd, outdated term for him to use. "Don't you mean mental illness?" I heard the sound of a distant motorcycle coming down the road from the direction of the Wreckers' clubhouse. God, if I could just make it to the door so someone could see me…

  "Don't even think about it," Seth warned, leaning his body against mine so that I couldn't move.

  The motorcycle got closer, and just when I expected it to move past my trailer and keep on going I realized that whoever it was had pulled up between my place and Casey's and cut the engine. There was no one at Casey's, so they had to be there for me. I'd been wishing for someone to help me, but fear that they would be walking into a trap caused me to let out a panicked, "He has a gun!"

  Seth grunted and slapped his hand across my mouth, holding my squirming body against the table with his while pointing his gun toward the door. I moaned loudly against his hand, twisting my head sharply and screaming out again. He backhanded me viciously. I stumbled to the floor and glanced up just as my screen door was opening.

  "Hey, honey, we thought you were still back at the compound. Jim should have mentioned something sooner‒"

  "Careful, he has a gun!" I cried out.

  Fury walked inside, his sharp gaze moving between me and Seth and assessing the situation in an instant. He reached for his gun. A loud bang went off over my head and with a sickening dread in my belly I knew that Fury hadn't stood a chance. With a cry of denial I watched a tiny dot of red appear dead center of his chest and then rapidly spread out against the t-shirt beneath his cut. Fury dropped to his knees, our eyes clinging to each other. Tears filled my eyes, and I watched in shock as Seth walked over to him and aimed his gun at Fury's head. I rushed to Seth in time to grab his hand, causing his shot to go wild and miss.