by K. J. Dahlen
Raine nodded. “As safe as you are in your own mother’s arms.”
Cricket shivered slightly. Then she got up and walked quickly to the hall where she almost ran to the bedroom they shared.
Raine watched her flee with real concern in his eyes. Then he felt more than saw others join him.
“Is there something going on that we need to know about?” Deke asked.
Raine turned his head to stare at the three men standing behind him. Deke, Gator and Bones stood there watching him watching her run away.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Raine shrugged. “I’m not sure yet but we do have to talk about this.”
“Talk about what?” Deke asked.
“We might have a shit storm coming.”
CHAPTER TWO
Deke didn’t say anything for a moment then he asked, “What kind of shit storm?”
Raine shook his head. “I’m not sure. But I do know that Cricket got up this morning, like every morning, in a great mood. She likes to stand at the window staring outside and watch the dawn break. For some reason, she likes watching the light chase the shadows away.”
“Point?” Gator growled.
Raine glared at the other man. “The point is, when she left our room she was happy. Then something changed that happy to afraid. She’s been afraid of her own shadow all day and it’s getting worse.”
“Worse, what are we talking about here?” Deke stared hard at him.
“Right now, she’s so far from just afraid, she’s terrified,” he informed them.
“Did she say what happened?” Sam, better known as Bones asked.
Raine shook his head. “She said when she came into the main room this morning she felt she sensed evil was here. She said it was like someone had just left the room but she found nothing out of place and the room was empty. Although when she went to make coffee, she found a fresh half pot that was still hot to the touch. It kind of freaked her out.”
Deke glanced at his dad then at Gator finally back to Raine. “Does she sense evil often?”
“That’s just it, she hasn’t been afraid of anything since she got here. She told me once that after Cordy was gone and Bane was dealt with she finally felt free of the fear she lived with every day of her life.” Raine reasoned with them, “You have to understand something, her parents were running for their lives, and Cordy was a monster hiding behind the guise of being a sister. Cricket has lived with that shit all her life. She has the scars to prove it. The last four months have been wonderful for her. She’s blossomed into the beautiful person she was always meant to be.”
“Yeah,” Bones agreed. “She has been a little bit of sunshine around here and Redemption House.” He paused then asked, “So what happened today then? What scared the piss out of her?”
“I don’t know.” Raine growled in frustration. “She told me that she felt someone was watching her all day and it was starting to freak her out.” He looked over at Deke. “Why would someone be watching her? Why would she have found hot coffee in the kitchen before 6 am even? Who the fuck was here that we don’t know about? Could that be what this is all about?”
Deke shrugged. “I have no idea. Let me talk to the patrol from last night. No one reported anyone inside who didn’t belong. We haven’t had anyone try breaking in for a while now and I know the gate was locked last night as usual.”
“I’d appreciate that.” Raine nodded. “Something is freaking her out and she’s not the type to freak, not like this.”
“No she’s not,” Deke agreed. “She’s the type to face her fears head on. Hell, she brought my kids back because it was the right thing to do and faced down an angry MC to do it. She faced a tribunal with everything pointing toward her guilt with more courage than some men I’ve known. She even faced her uncle with nothing but hate in her heart when most would wilt under his glare. It didn’t matter to her that he was a killer by trade. ”
“That’s why this doesn’t make any sense to me,” Raine admitted. “She’s not prone to flights of fancy or looking for attention. Something is happening here.”
“Let me look into it,” Deke told him. “I’ll put more men on patrol tonight. If someone tries to get back in here, we’ll know it.”
“Thanks.” Raine sighed. “I’m going to her. I don’t want her to be alone tonight.”
* * * *
Deke and the others walked back over to the table after Raine left the room.
Cassie and Reva were sitting there talking when they all sat down.
Reva looked up and asked, “Is everything ok?”
Gator shrugged. “I don’t know.” Turning to his wife he asked, “Did you notice anything out of place this morning when we got here?”
“Like what?” she asked.
“No one is sure,” Deke answered. “Something freaked Cricket out and she thinks someone is watching her.”
“Well, she was already up when we got here,” Reva spoke. “She had coffee made and everything.”
“She does like to get up early,” Cassie agreed. “She was at the House helping Quinn with her classes all day.”
Reva sat there thinking for the longest time. Then she remembered something odd, well not really odd but not expected. “There was a coffee cup in the dishwasher when I opened it for breakfast dishes.”
Deke looked over at her. “She told Raine she found half a pot of hot coffee when she got to the kitchen this morning.”
Gator frowned. “What’s so odd about finding a cup? Isn’t the dishwasher where dirty dishes belong?”
Reva shook her head. “You don’t understand. I emptied the dishwasher before we left last night. I wanted it empty and ready to go for breakfast dishes this morning. It’s just less work for me if it’s empty in the morning, but this morning there was a single cup in there when I opened it.”
Deke gazed at his men then looked back at Reva. “Almost like someone had used the cup and put it where it was supposed to go after they were done with it.”
Reva agreed but didn’t say anything. She felt a shiver of something pass through her. Leaning toward Gator, she was happy when she felt his arm wrap around her shoulder, pulling her close to him for a moment.
“What’s going on here Deke?” Cassie finally asked.
“I don’t know but I aim to find out.” He growled. Getting to his feet, he stomped down the hall to his office where he had security cameras focused on the parking lot and fence line surrounding the compound.
Gator and Bones followed. They picked up Mountain and Iceman along the way.
Deke’s office got crowded fast when they all showed up. They watched as he skimmed the tapes from last night. He was concentrating so hard on the footage he didn’t realize they were even there. Finally, about four a.m. he slowed the tape down when he caught something out of the corner of his eye.
They all watched as a shadow became clear. It was in the form of a man, a man who hid his face on purpose but they clearly saw him standing there. He was dressed in a suit and tie which was unusual all by itself. This was a biker’s compound where dress was usually blue jeans and a t shirt, not a suit and tie. This guy was wearing a hat which again was unusual. If anyone in the MC wore a hat ,it was nothing more than a baseball cap, not the Fedora this man wore.
Then everyone watched as the man reached for the door handle and casually came inside the clubhouse. They didn’t have cameras inside the house so they lost the image but Deke panned forward to closer to six am. Then he swore.
Everyone turned back to the screen and watched as the man walked out of the clubhouse again. They saw him walk to the gate and casually punch in a code. The gate opened and the man walked through but they never saw his face. It was almost as if the man knew he was on camera and didn’t want anyone to see who he was. He didn’t mind them knowing he was there, he just didn’t want them to know who he was.
“Well, I be God damned,” Mountain swore viciously. “That fucker has guts I’ll give him that much.” Shaking his head
he added, “He don’t want to live long but he has guts.”
Bones nudged Deke’s shoulder. “Raine and Cricket need to know she wasn’t wrong. Someone was here last night and someone might very well be watching her.”
“And the fucker thinks he can just come and go as he pleases too.” Iceman growled. He turned to glare at Deke. “How the fuck does he know our gate code?”
“I don’t know but I will find out. As of right now, we’re on double watch and I want men in the woods around us too. Our families live here and they need to know we can keep them safe. I don’t want anyone getting through our defenses.”
Deke got to his feet but before he left, he looked at his men. “Get everyone together. This isn’t something we can hide and I want everyone’s eyes watching for this guy to return. Our women aren’t going to thank us for keeping them in the dark about this threat.” Then he walked out of the office. As much as he wanted to go to Cassie and hold her close right now, he had work to do. Before he could hold his wife in his arms and keep her and his babies safe, he had other people to keep safe as well.
Usually, he loved being the leader of this group of men and women but right now, it blew. He knew the others would look out for his family while he looked after everyone else. But it went against everything inside his soul to allow that to happen. It was his job to watch over Cassie and their kids. To keep her fears away, not someone else.
When he turned to go down the hall to Raine’s room, his footsteps echoed on the floor. To his mind, the sounds he was making sounded almost like a death toll. Shaking the fancy away, he knocked on Raine’s door and waited for him to answer.
When Raine wrenched the door open, he could see aggravation in the other man’s eyes. “What?”
“We need you and Cricket in the main room, now,” Deke told him.
Raine ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure Cricket is ready to face people yet. She’s still a little freaked out.”
“This wasn’t a request Raine.” Deke glared at him. “We need everyone in the main room right now. We have a situation.”
Raine studied the man for a moment then nodded slowly before turning away to collect Cricket.
Deke turned and went back to the main room where everyone else was gathering. He went to sit next to Cassie and hold her in his arms. He could feel her trembling but she didn’t say anything.
The women were all sitting at the table while Reva, Quinn and the older kids kept the smaller kids occupied in the kitchen area. The women of the group all looked a little worried while the men were all in protective mode but no one was talking about it. Everyone was waiting for Deke to say what he had to say.
As soon as Raine and Cricket joined them, Deke got to his feet and went to stand where everyone could see him. Holding up his hands, he addressed the group, “We have a problem people, and it might concern everyone here in this room. Cricket felt that someone had breached our security this morning. According to what she told Raine she just felt off when she came into the main room this morning. The very spot where we’re sitting right now. She also felt someone has been watching her all day, now I don’t know about that but I checked our security tapes from this morning and I found she was right. Someone was here, inside our compound. Reva also found a coffee cup in the dishwasher when she went to put morning dishes in it. Now the reason I’m telling you all about this is because I don’t want to spread the panic I know you’re feeling right now. I want you all to have faith that we can and will take care of you and this family.” Deke paused to look at everyone.
They all sat very still staring back at him.
“We didn’t see a face but this man dared to come here and leave without our permission and that will not do. We don’t know who he is but we’re gonna find him.”
Cricket shook her head. “This isn’t right.” Raine tried to hold her but she struggled to stand and address this group, “I won’t put you all in danger. I’ll leave and whoever is after me will follow me, instead of staying here bothering you all. I never meant to bring this here. I don’t know who this guy is or what he wants but I don’t want you or anyone to get hurt.”
Deke turned to face her. “You aren’t going anywhere. You belong here he doesn’t. You’re family, he isn’t and we don’t tolerate anybody threatening our family.”
“But I’m nobody!” Cricket cried out. “My only connection is that I’m sleeping with Raine. I don’t really belong here.”
“The hell you don’t!” Raine shouted as he got to his feet. “You’re my woman and if I belong, so do you.” He grabbed his vest and stomped up to her. “I wear these colors for a reason. These colors mean something to me and to them. The men that wear these colors do so with pride. These men are my brothers, their women are my sisters. I would live or die for them, the same as they would do for me. You are my woman and that means you belong here too.”
Everyone agreed long and loud with what he said to her.
Raine reached out and placed both his hands around her face. “Honey, no matter what you say, you belong to me and I belong to you. You know in our world that means something. We may not be married but we don’t need a piece of paper to tell us that we belong together. You grew up around bikers, you know how our world works.”
Cricket nodded. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. “These last few months have made me feel safe and loved. I never had that before. My parents were always running from Bane, always looking over their shoulders and even after they were both gone, living with Cordy was a nightmare. Living here has given me a taste of what life should be like. That’s why I can’t bring this kind of danger to you all. Don’t you see that? I love you and I love living here with everyone. This life has been my dream. I had my dream for at least a little while. If that’s all I can have, that’s enough for me.”
“Well, it sure as hell isn’t enough for me.” Raine growled. “Fifty years isn’t gonna be enough for me.”
“I won’t let you leave here,” Deke told her. “You don’t have to run, not anymore and never again.”
“Sweetheart,” Bones called out. “You’re as much a part of this family as the rest of us are. You belong here under our protection same as the other women.”
“We’ll find this piece of shit and make him sorry he ever came here,” Mountain swore.
“Is this your way of saying I’m your old lady?” Cricket whispered into Raine’s chest.
He rumbled with laughter. “Yeah sweetheart, you’re my old lady, you’ve been mine for a long time now. Just in case you didn’t know it before, you became my old lady the first time we slept together.”
She slapped his belly. “Well, thanks for letting me know that.” She turned to Deke and asked, “So what do you want us to do? How can we help?”
“I want the women and kids to stick together. Stay in large groups, watch over the kids, and stay alert. If you see something out of the ordinary, let one of us know. Until we know who we’re dealing with, we all have to stay sharp.” Running his hands over his head he added, “We don’t usually let the women know about this sort of thing but I wanted everyone to know about this. The more people we have watching out for trouble, the better chance we have of finding him. Once we find him, we’ll deal with him our own way.”
“Where do you want me to go?” Cricket asked.
“I want you to stay here with Raine.” He held up his hand to stop her argument. “I know, I know, you feel like I’m using you as bait and maybe I am. The difference is you won’t be alone. Until we get this guy, you won’t be alone. Someone will be with you every minute of the day and night.”
“Oh, goody,” Cricket mumbled under her breath.
Raine glared at her but didn’t say anything.
“Now, I want us to enjoy a meal and take our positions. It could be hours before he shows up again, if he dares to show up again, I want to be ready for him,” Deke concluded.
Raine nudged her. “Come on lets’ get something to eat.”
> Cricket took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I’ll try but I don’t know if I can eat anything.”
Raine stopped and stared at her for a moment. “Don’t you let this bastard win. Don’t you dare let him win. I’ve seen you stand up for what’s right when you brought back Deke’s kids and I’ve seen you stare down the meanest man I know and not flinch. You are my woman not his. My woman doesn’t let some bastard take away her appetite because she’s afraid. My woman has no fear. She trusts that me and my brothers will take care of her. My woman knows deep down in her heart that I would die for her. Are you my woman or not?”
Cricket didn’t even have to think about her answer. “I am your woman and I’ll let you watch over me, protect me and most of all, just love me.”
Raine’s mouth crashed down on hers and stole her breath away. His kiss was hot and when it was over, she wanted to go back to their room and finish what he started. Instead, he pulled her into the line for food.
The evening passed quickly with men coming and going all night. When everyone left for the night, Cricket began to feel her stomach roll again. She almost gave in to the feeling then remembered what Raine had said earlier.
She wasn’t going to let the bastard win. She’d beaten the fear in her life once and by god, she wouldn’t go back to letting it win again. She went over to where Raine was sitting with Deke. Wrapping her arms around his neck she leaned into him and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to bed now. You know just in case you were wondering…” Reaching over, she nibbled on his ear and then without looking back, she walked away, leaving him speechless and his mouth hanging open.
Deke looked over at the other men sitting at the table, they all wore similar expressions. With a grin on his face, he told Raine, “I think that’s your cue boy.”
“My cue?” Raine glanced over at the other man with a funny look on his face.
Deke laughed out loud. “Well, I did tell her she wouldn’t be alone, if you don’t want to stay with her I can get someone else who will watch her.”
