Command (Storm MC #7)

by Nina Levine

  Me: I have their cold now.

  Sharon: Are you working today at the café?

  Me: Yeah.

  Sharon: Sorry honey. I’ve got your Indigo shift covered tonight so at least you can rest then. I’ll check in on you before I leave for work.

  Me: Thank you xx

  I wanted to call in sick to my mum, but I knew we’d be having a busy day today and that she had no one else to call on, so I got dressed and headed into work.

  She took one look at me when I arrived and said, “Go home, baby, I can manage on my own.”

  “No, you need me today, Mum.” I grimaced as I spoke and she shook her head at me.

  “I’ll manage on my own.” She attempted to shoo me away, but I resisted.

  Standing my ground, I said, “I’ll get better as the day goes on; that’s what always happens when I have a cold.” The heaviness in my head led me to believe this might not be true today, but no way would I let her know that.

  She frowned at me until something caught her eye behind me. When the door bell sounded, I turned to find Madison entering the café with a smile on her face.

  “Morning, ladies,” she greeted us.

  Mum returned her smile. “Madison, will you tell Harlow she is too sick to work today?”

  Madison’s smile disappeared as her gaze zeroed in on me. “Oh, no! Are you sick, too? So many people are coming down with this cold. Apparently it’s a nasty one. You should definitely go home and sleep it off.”

  “I’ll be okay, and honestly, if it gets worse later, I promise I will go home.”

  Mum sighed; she knew how stubborn I could be. “Fine, but I’m holding you to that.” She eyed Madison. “Do you want your usual?”

  “I’ll make it, Mum. You go do your stuff out the back,” I said as I made my way behind the counter.

  She muttered something under her breath as she left us to go and get the kitchen ready for the day. I began making Madison’s coffee as I asked, “Did you hear from J?”

  After settling herself on the stool at the counter, she nodded. “Yeah. And you heard from Scott?”

  “I did, but I was at work at Indigo when he rang so I didn’t get to talk to him for long.” Every word I spoke sliced more pain through my throat and I wondered how I was going to make it through the day.

  “They’re going to be exhausted by the time they get to Adelaide,” she said. “I hate it when they do these long rides.”

  “This is the first really long one Scott has done since we’ve been together so it’s all new to me. I’ve gotta agree with you – I’m not liking it so far. And especially now that I’m sick, I’m hating it more.”

  “Do you want me to come and stay with you while you’re sick?”

  I looked up from what I was doing and gave her a smile. “Your mum is looking out for me, so I’m good, but thank you.”

  Her eyes widened. “Mum? How? Tell me more!” It was as if she couldn’t get her words out fast enough, and I would have laughed if it didn’t hurt so much.

  “Long story that I will tell you when my throat is better, but she and I are getting to know each other and she’s helping me out while Scott’s away.” I finished making her coffee and passed it to her.

  “Thanks,” she said as she took her drink. “This is great, Harlow. I’m so happy for you two. And God, this might finally pull Scott into line where Mum’s concerned.”

  A laugh escaped before I could stifle it, and I almost choked when I began coughing. Oh, God, make the pain go away.

  Mum rushed out from the kitchen with a glass of water for me. As she passed it to me, she said in her firm tone that told me she wouldn’t be backing down, “You are going home to bed, Harlow Anne. Don’t even try to argue with me.”

  I held up my hand in surrender and nodded. “I’m going,” I promised.

  Madison finished her coffee and after I’d assured Mum that I would call her if I needed her, Madison walked me out to my car. The sight of a Storm member sitting on his bike a little way down the road reminded me of Scott, and I missed him a little more. I just wanted to go home and have him wrap me in his arms.

  “What are you thinking?”

  I found Madison watching me thoughtfully. “Just that I miss Scott. I know it’s silly because he’ll be home soon, but we’ve never been apart; I think that’s why I’m missing him so much.”

  “And probably because you’re sick, too. When I’m sick, all I want is J.”

  “Yeah…” I squeezed my eyes shut as I coughed. The pain was almost unbearable now so I said my goodbyes and drove home as fast as I could. Sleep and medicine were the only two things on my mind. The sooner I got them, the sooner I could start getting better. And I needed to get better fast because I wanted to take care of things while Scott was away.

  * * *

  What is that noise?

  Make it stop.

  I fumbled in the dark at the place I thought the noise was coming from. It needed to stop. The pounding in my head was only getting worse the longer the noise continued.

  The more I fumbled, the more frustrated I grew until eventually my brain shifted into gear and I realised it was my phone ringing. Shifting onto my side, I opened my eyes to locate it.

  “Hello?” I croaked into the phone.

  God, it’s so dark.

  How long have I been asleep for?

  “You sound awful, baby.”

  Scott.

  My heart soared even as my pain kicked up another notch.

  “I feel awful,” I whinged. “Can you just do all the talking, ‘cause it hurts to speak?”

  He didn’t say anything for a moment and then – “Fuck, Harlow, I’m sorry I’m not there for you.” His regret rang loud in his tone.

  “No, don’t be sorry, I’m okay. It’s just a cold and I’m a whinger.” I rallied every ounce of positivity I could muster in the hope he would worry less over me. “And besides, your mum is looking out for me. How’s your trip?”

  “If there’s one thing I’m sure of it’s that you’re not a whinger, so don’t try and give me that bullshit that you’re fine when I know you’re not. I’m gonna send one of the boys over to look out for you.”

  Shit.

  No.

  I sat up straight in the bed to gather myself for this conversation now. If he intended to send Rogue over, this could get messy, and messy was the last thing I wanted for Scott now. Not when he needed to concentrate on what he was doing in Adelaide.

  “No, Scott, please don’t send anyone over. Your mum and Madison are all I need, and they’re here for me. I’ll be very upset if you pull one of the boys off Storm work when I know you need all hands on deck.” God, it hurt my throat to say all those words. I just prayed he would listen to me.

  Silence.

  I waited.

  He blew out a breath. “If you get worse, I’m sending someone. And you won’t argue,” he stated forcefully and I knew to let it go. I wouldn’t get worse and if I did, I wouldn’t let on.

  Time to change the subject. “So you guys are doing okay on the road?”

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing there, Harlow,” he said in his bossy voice, “And yes, we’re making good time. We’ll be in Adelaide sometime tomorrow morning.”

  I ignored his bossy ways. “Good. I’m happy to hear that.” And relieved.

  A knock on my front door distracted me so I missed what he said next. When he said – “Harlow?” – I shifted my attention back to him.

  “Sorry, there’s someone at the front door. It’s probably your mum.” I moved off the bed to pad out to the door.

  “I’ll let you go, sweetheart. You ring me if you need anything and I’ll make sure you have it.”

  I smiled at the love I heard in his voice. “I will. And ring me when you get to Adelaide so I know you’re safe.”

  We ended the call just as I pulled the door open.

  I frowned.

  I hadn’t been expecting to open the door to that. />
  “Hello, officers.”

  “Good evening, Miss. We’re looking for Scott Cole. Is he home?” Out of the two officers standing in front of me, the one who spoke looked like the nice one. The other dude looked to be the asshole.

  “No, he’s away this week. Can I help at all?”

  The asshole spoke next and ignored my question completely. “When is he back?”

  “I’m not sure exactly. If you leave me your card, I’ll pass it on when he returns.” He had to be dreaming if he thought I’d give up any information about Scott.

  His jaw clenched. “I wouldn’t advise you to withhold information from us, Harlow. This is a serious matter we’re investigating.”

  He knows my name.

  I shouldn’t have been surprised. Scott had told me that Storm was often visited by the cops; I’d just never witnessed it. And I figured my ties to the club President would warrant them looking into me.

  Holding my chin up, I said, “I’m not withholding information. I honestly do not know when he will be back because it depends on how his business goes. I will, however, be sure to mention to him that you stopped by. Now, gentlemen, I am sick and want to go back to bed, so if there’s nothing further, I’m going to say goodnight.”

  Asshole raised his brows, but remained silent. The other one nodded once. “Be sure to tell Scott we’re looking for him.”

  I watched as they walked down the stairs and saw Sharon walking up them at the same time. She scowled at the cops as she passed them.

  After I’d closed the door behind her, she turned and asked, “What did those pricks want?”

  I shrugged. “They were after Scott, but I’m not sure why.”

  She drew a long breath and as she blew it out, her shoulders slumped while her face turned white. “Fuck,” she muttered, and made her way to the kitchen table.

  Following her, I asked, “Why do you look like you’re about to vomit?” Her stress fed mine, and I needed to know what was going on.

  We sat at the table, and she fidgeted while avoiding eye contact so I pushed her. “Sharon, what the hell is going on?”

  Her eyes snapped to mine and my heart fell into my stomach at the fear I saw there. Something bad had happened.

  “Have you ever questioned absolutely everything in your life, Harlow?” Her voice was almost a whisper and I could sense the demons she was wrestling with. I didn’t know exactly which demons she was referring to, but the air between us sat heavy with introspection, and with that always came demons.

  “Yes, I have. Recently, in fact.”

  She nodded slowly, taking that in. Turning it over in her mind. And then she continued. “I’ve made a lot of bad choices in my life, but the one right thing I did will be the thing that comes back to haunt me forever.” She stared at me and I stilled. The ghost of her past had her in its grips and I knew she was about to bare her soul to me, and I wasn’t sure I wanted her to. We hardly knew each other, and I had no comprehension of the life she’d led because the Storm she knew and the Storm I knew were almost completely different. She’d lived through the years where they dealt in crime and filth, whereas that had all been cleaned up by the time I came along. I wouldn’t know how to help her in her hour of confession.

  I waited silently for her to speak.

  And when she did, she stunned me completely.

  “I was involved in my husband’s death and I think the police have worked it out. They came to my house today, too. Asked me a lot of questions before I refused to answer any more.”

  I stared at her while my heart rate picked up speed.

  “I thought Scott killed him,” I eventually blurted while still trying to wrap my mind around what she’d just said.

  Her eyes widened. “No. It was me - ” She stopped suddenly and I wondered what else she had been about to say, but I didn’t ask because I really didn’t want to know.

  Unsure of what else to say to her, I went with – “I wouldn’t blame you for killing Marcus.” When she just sat staring at me in silence, I added, “I mean, he was an awful man.” Oh God, was I putting my foot in it now? She’d been married to the man for years and I’d just labelled him as awful.

  “You must wonder why I stayed married to him for all those years.” She spoke quietly again. I was sure I could sense shame woven through her words.

  I shook my head. “It’s not my place to wonder things like that, Sharon. That was your business…your life. No one else’s.”

  “God, Scott is right about you.”

  My brows pulled together in a frown. “In what way?”

  “He told me he loves you because you have this amazing capacity to see the good in people even when there is no good to be seen.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “I thought I was a strong woman by staying with him. I convinced myself that staying was the right thing to do for the kids; I didn’t want them to have a broken family. And I convinced myself I loved him. In the end, I broke all of us.” Her shoulders drooped and the mask she always wore slipped. In its place sat a cracked veneer of regret and self-loathing.

  Oh my goodness.

  My heart broke for her.

  I reached for her hand and held it. “Sharon, everyone’s definition of strong is different depending on the life experiences we’ve each had. You were strong in the only way you knew how, and you protected your children through it all. You have to give yourself credit for that. As far as me wondering about your marriage, I never judge another woman’s choice in a man because I’m not the one walking in their shoes. I can never know what has happened to them in their life that they feel compelled to make that choice. Someone with family support and self belief possibly wouldn’t stand for domestic violence or cheating, but a lot of women don’t have that, or don’t feel they have that. The rest of the world needs to stop judging women for the resources they don’t have. It would be a nicer world if instead of judging, we helped. And I sure as hell will never know the intricacies of any relationship because the only people who will ever understand that are the two people involved.” It hurt my throat so much to say all this, but it was important to me for her to hear what I wanted to say so I pushed through it.

  She squeezed my hand as tears fell down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I passed the tissue box sitting on the table to her. “You don’t need to thank me for something that should be a given in life. But I want you to know that I am here for you. I’m not sure if I have much to offer you, but I’ve always got a shoulder and a listening ear.”

  She smiled through her tears. “I’m sorry to dump all this on you when you’re so sick. I ran out of friends over the years; they all deserted me when they couldn’t stand Marcus.”

  I swallowed back the tears her words induced. “They weren’t your real friends, then.”

  Her gaze zeroed in on the way my face contorted as pain stabbed at my throat. Standing, she announced, “I’m going to go so that you can go back to bed and sleep off that pain. Do you need me to do anything for you before I go?”

  I shook my head as I stood next to her. “No, I’ve got painkillers and tissues; that’s all I need. I’m going to dose up and go back to sleep.” I wanted to ask her more about the police, but my pain was so extreme and tiredness had washed over me again so I left it for now.

  Tomorrow. I’d be better tomorrow and I’d follow it up then.

  Surely she was wrong.

  Surely the police were looking into something else.

  7

  Scott

  I splashed water on my face and stared in the mirror of the clubhouse bathroom. We’d arrived in Adelaide a couple of hours ago and at the clubhouse about fifteen minutes ago. Tired eyes stared back at me. The trip had been exhausting and my body craved rest, but we had shit to take care of. There would be no rest. Not now, and not until we’d taken care of Julio once and for all. Patience and I were developing a relationship, but it wasn’t one I wanted to pursue. With each passing day, my restlessness
grew. I needed Julio dealt with, and yet, we had to make sure we did it right. His connections ran deep and the last thing Storm needed was a pissed off connection.

  “Scott, you ready, brother?”

  I turned to face J and nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  He returned my nod and we headed out to the main area of the clubhouse where Bourne waited for us.

  Bourne’s eyes met mine as we entered and I struggled to figure out what lay behind them. In his forty years, he’d clearly perfected the art of hiding his thoughts and emotions.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of Scott Cole visiting me?” he asked as we approached.

  I didn’t have the time to beat around the bush, nor the inclination. “Can we speak in private?”

  His eyes narrowed at me before he nodded. I left Nash and J with the Adelaide members and followed Bourne into his office. After he’d shut the door behind him, he crossed his arms over his chest and said, “Spit it out.”

  Not much ever changed with this man – he wore grumpy like a second skin and always had. At least he was predictable in that respect. In other ways, he had to be one of the most unpredictable men I knew. “Julio Rivera. You know him?” I watched carefully for any level of recognition in his eyes.

  He nodded once. “Yep. He owns the drugs in this state. I’m not a fan of the man.”

  “You’ve got an agreement with him?”

  “I do. But I don’t like it.”

  “Why?”

  “Why the fuck do you think?” He unfolded his arms and pulled out his phone. After scrolling through it and finding what he was after, he said, “I want the asshole gone so Storm can have his territories.”

  “You’re looking to expand?” It wouldn’t surprise me – he’d always had a God complex.

  “I want the entire State.”

  Of course he fucking did. I raked my fingers through my hair. “How the hell are you planning to do that? From what I know, Julio has a strong hold on it and everyone in it.”