by A. M. Myers
I nod and look back down at the baby in my arms, my chest tightening again. I imagined this moment so many times. Not with someone else’s kid but with my own. I had a whole life planned out before it was ripped away from me.
“You ever think about having one of your own?” Emma asks softly, and I clear my throat, struggling to hold it together.
“Naw, not really in the cards for me.”
I glance up at her, and she’s staring at me, her head cocked to the side as she studies me. It makes me uncomfortable.
“I think you’d be an amazing dad.”
“Yeah, am I just gonna conjure one out of thin air? I’m only one part of this equation,” I say, trying to joke with her even though I’m right on the verge of losing my shit. Images of her flash through my head – my girl – but she’s gone, and it’s my fault. Because of my endless arrogance, I lost her forever.
“You’ll find someone, Storm. You’re too good of a guy to spend your life alone.”
“Whatever you say, Em,” I choke out. Thankfully, she doesn’t say anything else, and I close my eyes, desperately grasping at my self-control. The pain in my chest intensifies, and I know I’ve got to get out of here. Just as I stand from my chair to hand Grady back to Emma, Nix walks in with a tray of food in his hand.
“You’re in luck, Sweetheart,” he says, setting the food down on the table, and Emma sniffs the air, her stomach growling.
“Is that bacon?”
“Bacon mac and cheese. The nurse was just bringing food for us, and I ran into her in the hall.”
“Gimmie,” she demands, and we both laugh as Nix takes Grady from my arms and transfers him to his little bed next to Emma’s before doing the same with Corbin. I start to back away toward the door.
“I’ve got to get going but ya’ll just let me know if you need anything, ya hear?”
Emma smiles softly, almost like she can see that I’m losing it but I know that’s impossible. “We will. Tell everyone else we said hi?”
“You got it, little mama.”
They say good-bye, and I duck out of the room, my breathing harsh as I stomp down the halls, needing to get out of this place before I suffocate. The last time I was here…
Shaking my head, I push that thought down and burst out of the double doors into the Louisiana sunshine. I walk to my bike and jump on, firing it up. The rumble of the engine drowns out some of my thoughts, and I’m able to breathe for the first time since I looked down at that little baby’s face.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I let the road take away everything – all the pain, all the memories, and everything that pulls me down into the darkness where I now reside. It’s not going to do me any fucking good to dwell on that shit so I just need to rebury it and move on. By the time I reach my house in Baton Rouge, I’m back to normal. Or as normal as I get, anyway.
Stomping up my front steps, I head for the door, and stop short when I see the plain white envelope leaning up against it. I glance around the neighborhood, my instincts telling me that something is up, but I don’t see anything out of the ordinary. I reach down and grab it, ripping it open, and pulling out the contents. There is a three-inch thick stack of photos of me, doing everyday shit – washing my bike, hanging out at a bar with Kodiak, and driving one of the women we rescued to safety.
I flip through some more photos, getting angrier with each new photo. Someone has been following me for a while, and it pisses me the fuck off that I don’t know why. This is so fucking bad. If any of the husbands or boyfriends we rescue these girls from ever found out where they are, they would be in grave danger.
Stuffing the photos back into the envelope, I run to my bike, and shove the photos in my back pocket before starting it up and backing out of the driveway. As I race over to the clubhouse, I try to figure out who the fuck would be following me. It could be totally random. Just one of those guys trying to find his girl and he just happened to pick me. Either way, we’ve got to put an end to it. We won’t let any of these bastards get close to their girls again.
Images of the last girl we saved flash through my mind, and I shudder when I think about the fact that we almost didn’t get there in time. He came home early and caught her packing up. We usually always come early, just in case, but there was a huge accident and we got stuck in traffic. By the time we reached her, her whole body was covered in bruises, and he had left her for dead. We drove her two counties over to an emergency room, and we’ve got guards on her at all times until we can get her out of the state, but she’s got a helluva long road to recovery.
I’d love to just end any man that puts his hand on a woman but we mostly stay on the right side of the law now. I met Blaze when I was working at the motorcycle shop that the club owns and for a while, I never really thought about joining. But after the night that I lost everything, Blaze came to me and explained that he wanted to take things in a new direction, become more legitimate. At the time, I had nothing else to live for. In the years since, I’ve gotten a sense of purpose from the work we do and the women we save, and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Til they lay me in the ground, I’ll do whatever I can to make sure these bastards never touch a woman again. There’s a special place in hell for men like them.
Pulling into the compound, I clear my head of all the shit that I’ve seen in the five years that I’ve been a member of this club and pull into a parking spot. Kodiak is sitting on one of the picnic tables, smoking, and I nod to him as I turn my bike off and swing my leg over. As I walk over to him, I pull the envelope out of my pocket.
“You seen Blaze?” I ask, and he nods.
“In his office,” he says, motioning to the clubhouse behind me. His gaze drops to the envelope in my hand before looking back up at me and blowing out a stream of smoke. “What ya got there?”
I look down at the envelope and shake my head. “Nothing good, man.”
Without another word, he tosses his cigarette on the ground and stomps on it before following me into the clubhouse. Kodiak and I usually work together when we transport a victim, and he’s a solid dude, always down for whatever needs to be done, and I know he’s got my back. We walk inside and music is blaring over the speakers. Chance and Smith are sitting at the bar bullshitting, and Moose and Fuzz are playing pool off in the corner. I nod a hello to Chance, and he nods his head at me. I met Chance when we were kids, and after I joined up, he wanted to join, too. I’m not sure that he really had any idea what he was getting into but we both found our place here in the club. I make my way through the club and reach Blaze’s office door, knocking.
“Yeah?” he calls out, and I shove it open, striding into the room as Kodiak pushes it closed behind him.
“We got a problem, boss,” I say, and he looks up from the papers in front of him and pulls his glasses off, setting them on the desk. He studies me for just a second, his gaze lingering on the envelope in my hand.
“What kind of problem?”
I toss the envelope in front of him, and it lands on his desk with a thump. His brow shoots up in question as he grabs it and pulls out the photos. He starts flipping through them faster and faster until he tosses them back on the desk.
“Shit. Where did you get these?”
“My front porch.”
Kodiak grabs the photos and starts flipping through them before tossing them back down and shaking his head. “Dude,” he says, drawing the word out. We all know just how bad this could be.
“You got any ideas?” Blaze asks, and I wish I could give him a good answer.
“Not a goddamn clue. And whoever it is, is fucking good because I haven’t noticed anyone hanging around.”
“Boyfriend or husband?” Kodiak asks, echoing my thoughts from earlier.
Blaze looks down at the photos again as he scrubs his hand across his face. “Naw, I don’t think so. If it was, why the fuck would they let you know they were watching you? If this was just about finding their girl, they would have stayed in the shadows.�
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I nod, agreeing with him. “You got any idea who it is?”
“Not off the top of my fucking head,” he growls, and I know this is bothering him. He takes the safety of these women seriously - even more so since Emma was in danger.
“We got some enemies from the old days that might be coming for blood,” Kodiak says, and Blaze nods.
“Yeah, I know.”
“What do you want me to do?” I ask.
“Let me have Streak look into it. Just watch your back and maybe you should cool it on the rescues. We can’t risk the girls,” he says, and even though I hate it, I have to agree with him.
“Yeah, I hear ya, boss.”
“Good,” he shoots back, standing, and walking over to me. He shakes my hand and slaps me on the back as we head for the door. “I gotta get going but I’ll let everyone know what’s goin’ on at church later. It’s time for me to meet my grandkids.”
I smirk at the proud smile on his face and hope that we figure out who the hell this is and fast. As I head back out to my bike, I stop and look toward the stairs, wondering if I should just crash here for a little bit. If I’m not going to be going on runs, I’ll be cooped up at the house and that’ll drive me fucking crazy. Sighing, I run a hand through my hair and shake my head before jumping on my bike and heading back to the house that’s more like a jail cell.
Chapter Five
Alison
“Hey, you heard anything yet?” Roy, my co-worker, asks, peeking over the half wall that divides our desks. I sigh and shake my head, tossing my pen down on the desk. I haven’t been able to focus all morning as I wait to hear if the job is mine.
“No, not yet.”
He lets out a heavy sigh, rolling his hazel eyes as he shakes his head. “Listen, everyone here knows that you should get that job, and we’re all pulling for you. I have no idea what Klein is thinking with Chelsea.”
“Oh, I think you know what he’s thinking,” I reply, shooting him a look, and he laughs.
“They really should be more discreet, shouldn’t they?”
Chelsea started off in the mailroom a little over a year ago but she caught Mr. Klein’s eye, and it wasn’t long before she was moving up. Every single person in this office knows exactly what’s going on when she goes in to “get her article approved.” Not to mention that just last month, they weren’t all that quiet in their activities.
I shrug. “He is the boss. What are any of us going to do about it?”
“I miss Mr. Carlyle. He never would have let this shit fly.”
I nod in agreement. Mr. Carlyle was the one that originally hired me but he never had kids so when it came time to retire, he had no one to leave the paper to, and he had to sell. Since Mr. Klein took over two years ago, things have been steadily going downhill. Sadly, this paper is starting to resemble a sinking ship, and it may be time to jump.
“Honestly, I have a feeling that today might be my last.”
“Honey, Carly showed me your article, and I don’t blame you. Being pit against Chelsea, who doesn’t know the difference between their, they’re, and there, would have been enough but then to have to go on those dates? I’m surprised you’re still sitting here.”
Just as I’m about to agree with him, Mr. Klein pokes his head around the corner and motions me over. Sucking in a nervous breath, I stand and smooth my hands down my skirt. “Well, looks like it’s time,” I say to Roy, and he looks over at our boss before turning back to me and giving me a thumbs up.
“Good luck.”
I scoff because he and I both know luck has nothing to do with it. Hell, every person in this office right now knows that I’m probably not getting this job. It feels a bit like I’m walking to the gallows as I make my way over to Mr. Klein and follow him to his office. People whisper or flash me encouraging smiles as I walk down the hallway, and something clicks into place inside me. No matter what happens with the job, I won’t be working here anymore. One part of me is terrified but the other can’t figure out what took me so long to do this. I haven’t been happy here, and I’m so tired of not being happy.
Mr. Klein goes into his office first with me trailing behind him, and when he sits down behind his giant desk, he motions for me to sit in the one empty chair across from him. Chelsea looks up at me from the other chair, a smug smile on her face as she crosses her legs demurely and places her hands in her lap. It’s hard to hold in my laughter at the sight of her trying to look proper when she’s probably spent more time on her knees in this office than in a chair. I sink down in my chair and look to Mr. Klein, eager to get this over with.
“Well,” Mr. Klein says, smiling widely as he runs a small comb through his salt and pepper hair, brushing it off to the side, “I first want to thank the both of you for all your hard work.”
I bite my lip, dropping my gaze to my lap as I try to remain professional, but in my head, I’m like a teenage boy, twisting everything he says into sexual innuendos aimed at Chelsea. It’s freeing, in a way, knowing that I’m done with this place.
“Both of your articles were excellent, and you certainly made the decision difficult for me,” he continues, and I mentally shake off my inappropriateness. I’m only going to be employed here for a few more moments, the least I could do is act like a twenty-seven year old college-educated woman.
“Thank you, sir,” Chelsea practically purrs, and I force a smile to my face as I nod in agreement. He leans back in his chair, folding his hands across his large stomach, the buttons of his vest straining and I worry that one’s going to burst and take my eye out.
“With that said, I must say congratulations to Chelsea! Your article was exactly what I was looking for.”
I can’t hold back the laughter anymore, and both of them turn to look at me with puzzled expressions.
“Oh, I bet it was. Tell me, Chelsea, how do you read an article to someone with a dick in your mouth? You’ve really got to teach me that so I can snag the next promotion.”
She gasps in shock, which only makes me laugh harder, and I look to Mr. Klein, whose face is bright red with anger.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” he seethes, glaring at me from behind his desk, his fat cheeks resembling tomatoes. I stand and cross my arms over my chest, and his gaze falls to my tits, his tongue poking out, and I consider ramming my heel into his eye.
“Me? Absolutely nothing. I’m just done with this bullshit. I’ll go pack up my things.”
He stands, arrogance rolling off him as he places his hands on the desk and leans forward, looking at me in disdain. “Miss James, that’s enough. This is quite dramatic for just losing out on a promotion.”
“You’re absolutely right. If it was any other situation, this would be dramatic, but you and every other person in this office knows that I should have never been up against her. I’m the more talented writer, and the only reason I’m not a columnist right now is because she’s the one sucking your cock.”
He just stares at me in shock for a moment before pointing to the door and shouting, “Out.”
“Oh, gladly,” I shoot back, adrenaline racing through my veins as I spin to stomp out the door.
“You’re fired, Alison, and you’ll never work in this town again.”
Stopping, I slowly turn back to him, hatred in my gaze as I glare at him. Anger is replacing the humor I found in this situation just moments ago, and all the frustration I’ve been feeling for the past year is about to come pouring out of me. “First off, you can’t fire someone who just quit, and secondly, you’re giving yourself far too much credit if you think that you have anywhere near that kind of influence. Mr. Carlyle did but you’ve taken what he spent his life building and run it into the ground because you’re thinking with the wrong head.”
I let my gaze fall to his crotch to make my point, and without another word, I turn and march out of his office with my head held high. Goddamn, it felt good to finally say all that to him. When I walk into the bullpen, Roy stands up and ru
shes over to me.
“That. Was. Epic,” he says, grabbing my shoulders, and I laugh at his excitement, glancing around at the smiles in the room.
“You guys heard all that?”
“Well, his secretary may have ‘accidentally’ turned the intercom on, and we may have ‘accidentally’ heard every single word. And can I just say…” He trails off as he drops to his knees and fans the floor like I’m the Queen of England, and I laugh.
“Miss James,” Mr. Klein barks out, and everyone turns to look at him, “you have five minutes to gather your things before security escorts you out.”
I roll my eyes as I turn back to Roy and shrug. “Party’s over.”
I go to my desk and find a box already waiting for me. When I look up, Roy flashes me a smile, and I mouth a thank you to him. I peek around the room looking for Carly but don’t see her anywhere. She had to do some research for her next article today, and she must not be back yet. Quickly packing up all my stuff, I start to feel a little sad that I won’t get to work with these people anymore but when Mr. Klein huffs from the entrance to the bullpen, checking his watch in annoyance, that feeling goes away.
When my stuff is all packed, I grab my box and toss my purse inside before walking over to Roy, who kisses my cheek and wishes me luck. Just as I reach Mr. Klein, Kevin, the officer who runs the front desk, comes up behind him. He glances over his shoulder and snaps his fingers at him before pointing to me.
What a dick.
“Hey, Kevin. How’s your little girl doing? She still in a cast?” I ask, ignoring Mr. Klein and his lack of manners. Kevin has always been so nice to me, and I like to stop and chat with him whenever I get a chance. His daughter is in dance class and broke her leg about a month ago so I’ve been asking about her periodically.
Kevin smiles and nods. “Yeah, for a couple more weeks. She’s already running all over the place though.”
“I bet,” I laugh.
“This is not a social visit. Escort Miss James out of the building now,” Mr. Klein snaps, and Kevin starts to shoot a glare in his direction but I shake my head before I take off for the entrance. Kevin follows behind me, and I’m glad. There’s no reason that he needs to lose his job today, too.
