by A. M. Myers
“All good,” Smith says, walking back into the living room and Lincoln nods, glancing back at me.
“Stand back.”
I roll my eyes as he unlocks the door and pulls it open. Just like Smith said, the porch is empty and something falls into the house as Lincoln pulls the door open further. He scoops it up before slamming the door shut again and locking both deadbolts.
“It’s got Tate’s name on it,” Smith says, ripping it out of Lincoln’s grip and I inspect it as he hands it to me. I suck in a breath as I peel it open. Inside is a photo of my mother and a blonde woman I don’t recognize. Frowning, I glance in the folder and spot a little piece of paper folded up at the bottom. I pull it out and unfold it.
You owe me a life.
My hands tremble and I suck in a breath as I meet Lincoln’s eyes before glancing back down at the photo in my hand. The photo is from years ago, my mother’s face bright and worry free in a way that I had never seen her and I turn to the blonde, searching my mind for a connection but I come up empty.
Lincoln steps forward, gently taking the note and photo from my hand before he glances down at them.
“Fuck,” he hisses after reading the note. As he hands them off to Smith, he wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close, giving me the comfort I need right now.
“Hey,” he whispers, getting my attention and I peek up at him. “It’s going to be okay. I’m not going to let him anywhere near you.”
I nod, cuddling closer to him as I try to steady my breathing. After what Lincoln showed me and the research I did afterward, I can honestly say that my father terrifies me. There is no length he won’t go to, no boundary he won’t cross, and I understand all the things my mother made Theo and me do. I understand the drills and the training and I’m so thankful for them now but I can’t help but feel like I carry around the same evil he does – like somewhere deep down inside me is a person who’s capable of the terrible things he’s done.
“I need to call Blaze,” Lincoln says, pulling back to look at me. “I’ll put it on speakerphone so you can give your input, too.”
I nod, grateful that he’s really listening to me and we all congregate around the table as he dials Blaze’s number, puts the phone on speakerphone, and sets it in the middle of the table.
“What’s going on, Kodiak?” Blaze answers and I sink into the chair as the guys follow suit.
“Someone just dropped a folder off at Tate’s house.”
“What’s in it?” he asks, apprehension filling his voice.
Lincoln glances over at me and grabs my hand as calm washes through me. “A photo of Tate’s mom with someone else and a note that says, “you owe me a life”.”
“Shit. Did you see who dropped it off?”
Smith shakes his head, looking annoyed. “No, they were gone by the time we checked the cameras, boss, but I’ll go back and look at the feed beforehand.”
“Good. In the meantime, I think we need to get Tate out of there.”
Lincoln nods. “I agree.”
“Well, I don’t,” I cut in. My house was designed to keep me safe from Dominic King and I tell him that.
“I understand that, Tate, but he knows you’re there and it’s only a matter of time until he gets in. It’s just a house. I want you to come down to the clubhouse.”
The thought of being under the same roof as Blaze right now is not appealing and I shake my head. “I don’t think so.”
He sighs. “Look, I get that I’m not your favorite person but this is the safest option.”
“How is it safe? That will be the next place he looks for me and how the hell are we going to stop him? I’m not running from this man for the rest of my life.”
“No one is suggesting that you do, baby, but the clubhouse is safe,” Lincoln says.
I shake my head. “Nowhere is safe. He’s been following me for who knows how long and I’m sure he knows all the moves I can make before I even make them.”
“Wait, what do you mean he’s been following you?” Blaze asks, an edge in his voice and I sigh before telling him about the note, phone calls, and text messages.
“Goddamn it,” he growls. “Kodiak, this is the kind of shit I needed you to watch out for.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t find out until last night,” he fires back, giving me some major side-eye and I shrug. Mom always taught me to only depend on myself and that’s not going to change now.
“She’s right,” Smith says, watching me. “If he’s been following her, he knows everywhere she could go hide.”
“We could go to my place,” Lincoln suggests.
I scowl at him. “How is that any better?”
“No, wait, that could work,” Blaze says, ignoring my question as Lincoln turns to me.
“When I bought that property, we used it to house girls we were moving so I have the entire perimeter covered with motion detectors. It’s not much but it will give us a little bit of a head start if he does show up there.”
The squeal of brakes pierces through the silence and I flinch as both men jump up and rush to the windows, guns drawn.
“It’s just a mail truck,” Smith calls and I release a breath as Lincoln turns back to me and we lock eyes. The plea in his gaze wins me over and I sigh as I nod.
“Okay, I’ll go to your house.”
* * * *
Morning sunlight streaks across the room, warming my skin as I stretch and curl up with Lincoln’s pillow. Mist hovers over the lake and I would love to just sit out there for a few hours if I could bring myself to leave this bed. Two big arms wrap around me and pull me into his naked heat. I take a moment to savor the comfort of his touch and his manly scent surrounding me before I jerk away. He growls, pulling me back to him.
“Don’t.”
I roll my eyes. “You, don’t.”
Silence greets me and I scowl as I grab his hand and try to pry him off my body but it’s no use. He’s got an iron lock on me and the only way I’ll get free is to hurt him and I’ve promised to no longer do that. Last night when we arrived at Lincoln’s house, Smith took one of the bedrooms, leaving the other for Lincoln and me. I was ready to just sleep on the couch but he refused – saying it was safer if I slept in a bedroom. After a little arguing, he assured me that he would stay on his side of the king-size bed but clearly, that didn’t happen.
“Let me go, Lincoln,” I order and feel him shake his head against my back as his arms tighten around me again. I smack his forearm. “Can’t…breathe.”
“Just let me pretend for a few more minutes, baby,” he whispers and I sigh as I flop back down on my pillow.
I flick an annoyed glance over my shoulder. “Thought you were going to stay on your side of the bed.”
“I think we both know I was lying when I said that,” he mumbles and I wiggle in his arms again.
“Let me go.”
With a huff, he releases me and I roll over in bed to face him. He cracks an eye open and smiles, reaching out, brushing his thumb over my cheek. It feels so damn good even though I know it shouldn’t. God, this wouldn’t be so hard if I didn’t miss him.
“Morning, baby.”
I shake my head. “Don’t call me that.”
“Tate,” he breathes, frustration lacing his tone and I sigh right along with him.
“How many times do I have to tell you that this is over before you’ll believe me?” I ask, motioning between the two of us.
“Ten times…” he says and I arch a brow. “Every day for the rest of our lives.”
“Lincoln,” I growl, flopping to my back and throwing my arm over my eyes. Because of all my years of avoiding relationships, I really am inexperienced and I think that’s part of the reason that, before I learned of his deception, I trusted Lincoln so completely. In my mind he was the one man who would never hurt me but then he did and I don’t know how to move forward from that.
“How many times do I have to apologize for this?”
“Ten time
s everyday for the rest of our lives,” I snarl in annoyance and he nods.
“Done.”
I shake my head, pointing a finger in his face. “No. I wasn’t serious.”
“You know what,” he prompts before rolling on top of me. I buck my hips, trying to get him off but he’s too damn heavy. “Listen to me. Yeah, I lied to you and I kept things from you but that doesn’t change the fact that the moment you walked into my life, I fell head over heels in love with you.”
“It changed everything.”
He shakes his head, reaching across to the bedside table and pulling something out before slamming the drawer shut again. Sunlight glints off the diamond ring in his hand as he holds it out in front of me. I suck in a breath.
“I bought this one week after I met you because right from the jump, I knew you were it for me. I played it cool with anyone who asked but I was already planning a life with you and I know I screwed up by lying to you, Tate, but I never meant to hurt you. If anything, all I ever wanted was to keep you safe.”
“You didn’t mean to hurt me and yet, I’m still hurt. Am I just supposed to be okay with that?”
He nods, grabbing my hand. He sets the ring in my palm before wrapping his hand around mine and forcing it closed. “I know you’re hurt, baby, and you have to admit that it’s not all my fault. Yeah, I hid things from you and I lied to you but this mess was coming for you whether I was here or not. This is on you now and you have a choice to make.”
“What?”
“You can either forgive me and put this ring on your finger. I can’t promise to never screw up again or unintentionally hurt you but I do promise that I’ll be right there by your side, fighting for you and fighting for us until my very last breath. We’ll face any challenge together and I’ll spend every second of my life loving you with every piece of me.”
I swallow as a lump builds in my throat. “What’s the second option?”
“You can become your mother. You can toss this ring in the trash and spend the rest of your life loving a man that you can never be with. The choice is yours.”
“What happened to you never walking away from me?” I ask, my voice wobbling as I think about losing him forever. White-hot pain pierces my chest.
“I’ll always love you, Tate, and if you choose to toss this ring away, I’ll never be with anyone else because I’ve found everything that I’ve ever wanted in you but you were also right when you said that this is a little sick. I’m not your punching bag but I’ll be everything else to you for the rest of time if you let me.”
Without another word, he climbs off me and walks into the bathroom. I watch him until the door closes and a soft sob bubbles out of me as I think over what he just said. When faced with those two choices, I don’t know how I could ever possibly choose living my life without Lincoln in it. Yeah, he lied to me but I’m not ready to walk away from him either so I need to find a way to put this behind me.
The bathroom door opens and I glance over as he walks out in a pair of jeans hanging loose on his hips. “You want some breakfast?”
“Um… yeah,” I whisper, blinking at him. How does he look so unaffected, like that entire conversation never happened? “Are we going to talk about this?”
He shakes his head. “I’ve said everything I need to say. You can put the ring on when you’re ready or give it back to me. Like I said, the choice is yours. Now, get dressed and come eat.”
Swiping his shirt off the end of the bed, he walks out of the bedroom and I suck in a breath as I watch him before glancing down at the ring in my palm. It’s gorgeous and my fingers itch to put it on but I need to wait. I need to be sure that I can forgive him before I decide. Sighing, I set it down on the bedside table and lay my hand over it as I climb out of bed and slip my jeans on before wandering out into the living room.
Lincoln is at the counter, stirring something in a large mixing bowl as steam rises from the pan on the stove.
“Please tell me you know how to cook,” I say, sliding onto one of the barstools and he grins over his shoulder.
“Guess you’re just going to have to wait and see.”
I shake my head, grabbing the newspaper and opening it. “I don’t think I like this game.”
“And what game would that be?”
“Is it edible or not?” I quip and he laughs as his phone goes off next to me. He peeks over his shoulder again.
“Shit. Can you see what that is for me?”
I nod and grab the phone before unlocking it. An image of my kitchen fills the screen and in the top corner, I spot movement and gasp. He whirls around, leaving his bowl and spoon abandoned as he moves behind me. A figure dressed in black creeps into my kitchen from the back door and my hand shakes as I watch him move through the house.
“Fuck,” Lincoln hisses, checking his watch. “Maybe if I drive fast, I can get there before he leaves.”
He takes off for the bedroom and I watch the man pull a pistol out of an ankle holster and the glint of metal at his back tells me he’s got at least one more. The thought of Lincoln alone in my house with him shakes me to my core and I jump down off the stool. As I march past Smith’s door, I pound on it and grab my boots from the living room floor where I left them last night.
Lincoln comes barreling out of the bedroom as I’m digging a few guns out of the couch that I stashed there last night and he stops when he sees me.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I scowl at him as I grab my ankle holster and start putting it on. “I’m going with you.”
“Like hell you are.”
“Don’t you dare try to stop me, Lincoln. I am fucking going with you.”
He shakes his head, storming past Smith’s door and pounding on it. “It’s not happening, Tate. Get it out of your gorgeous little head right now.”
The bedroom door flies open and Smith steps out, rubbing his eyes. “What the fuck is with all the yellin’? It’s early as hell, y’all.”
I glance at the clock and smirk. It’s actually almost eight but I’ve learned that Smith is a bit of a night owl since he’s been staying with us and he doesn’t like to be woken up before ten.
“Someone’s in her house. I’m gonna go check it out,” Lincoln barks and Smith snaps to attention. “You stay here with her.”
“Fuck no!” I scream, pointing at Lincoln from across the living room. “Smith, don’t let him go there alone. It’s not safe and I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not, baby. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
Smith drops his arm as Lincoln steps in front of me and presses his lips to mine. I melt at his touch and my heart pounds in my ears as he kisses me like he’s saying good-bye. When he pulls away, he mouths, “I love you” and I reach for him only to be stopped by Smith again.
Lincoln walks out the door and I stare after him, my chest aching and my hands shaking. Images of him lying in a pool of his own blood with a bullet hole in his chest fill my mind and the pain in my chest intensifies. No, I have to go with him. He needs me there.
“Please, Luke. Let me go with him.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t do that, Darlin’.”
Panic claws at me, thinking of all the ways my father’s thug could hurt the man I love and I spin, stomping back toward the bedroom. I spot my bag on the floor and I reach inside, pulling my Taser out and turning it on before slipping the strap of the bag over my shoulder. Just as I turn to leave the room, the ring catches my eye and I stare at it for a second before walking over to the nightstand and picking it up. Lincoln’s right. If I don’t let this go and move forward with him, I’ll spend the rest of my life regretting it. With a smile teasing my lips, I slip it on my left hand and turn toward the door, trudging out of the bedroom.
“Sorry, Tate. I can’t let you go,” Smith says as I walk back out into the living room. He offers me a sympathetic look and I nod, hiding the Taser behind my back.
“I understand, Smith. And I hope you’ll underst
and why I have to do this.”
He scowls as I press the Taser to his skin and he drops to the floor, his muscles locked as he jerks from the force of the volt. Leaning down, I press a kiss to his cheek.
“Please don’t hate me.”
I stand back up and step over him, grabbing the Camaro’s keys off the counter before I race outside, eager to get back to my man.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lincoln
Fuck!
I skid to a stop in the driveway and pull my phone out of my pocket, scrolling through my contacts once before dialing Rodriguez’s number. I would call one of the guys but Rodriguez may come in useful if I manage to get to Tate’s house before this asshole takes off. I’m being overly optimistic in hoping that it’s Dominic when I’m sure, in reality, he probably just sent one of his goons to do his dirty work. I’m sick and tired of this prick coming for my girl and I want to get him out of her life as soon as possible.
“Yeah,” Rodriguez answers in a clipped tone.
“Hey. It’s Kodiak. Someone is breaking into Tate’s house right now and I need you to meet me there,” I say as I swing my leg over my bike and slip the key into the ignition.
“On my way.”
He hangs up without another word and I fire the bike up, checking the cameras again on my phone. The guy is taking his damn time, looking through each drawer in the kitchen and I have to wonder just what he’s looking for. It’s clear that Tate’s not there so why doesn’t he just bail out? I shove the phone back in my pocket. Gravel flies behind me as I peel away from the house, flying down the driveway way faster than I should be but I can’t help it. Not when all I can think about is the fact that if I hadn’t convinced Tate to come stay at my house, she’d be there with this prick right now. She’d be in danger and the thought makes my stomach turn as I tighten my grip on the handlebars. I speed up, my anger propelling me to move faster. I need to get there before he leaves. I need to end this.
