by A. M. Myers
“Oh, baby,” he whispers, his voice cracking. “I’m so sorry.”
“Oliver told me that you didn’t want me anymore… that you’d given me to him.”
His muscles tense as he holds me.
“I didn’t believe him at first but then… the longer I was there, the more believable it became.”
“Listen to me, Kady,” he growls, grabbing my arms and pushing me back so he can look in my eyes. “I will never abandon you. Never.”
I suck in a breath and nod before he pulls me back into his arms. Knowing that Noah and me is a bad idea doesn’t stop me from wishing I could just spend the rest of forever in his arms like this. Nothing feels better, safer than when he wraps me up but the consequences of us getting back together are too real to ignore. The thought makes me cry again and Noah presses a kiss to the top of my head as he holds me tighter - almost like he’s holding all my broken pieces together.
“About last night,” I whisper, pulling back to look at him when I’ve calmed down a little bit. “I still don’t know if it’s a good idea for us to be together, if it’s safe.”
He nods and presses his lips to my forehead. “You listen to me, Kady. That prick is not taking another minute from us and I’m not letting him anywhere near you. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you safe.”
“Noah…” I start to protest but he silences me with a quick kiss.
“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me anymore.”
I startle, pulling away from him, but he doesn’t allow me to get far. “What?”
“If you can honestly tell me that you don’t love me anymore, I’ll go and I won’t come back but if the only reason you’re fighting this is because of him, you can just stop.”
“It’s not that simple…” I interject and he shakes his head.
“It really is, babe. Maybe you’re not ready or you’re still carrying around too much pain to admit that you love me. Either way, I don’t care. You and I are destined, remember? They’ll have to put me in the ground before I walk away from you.”
That’s exactly what I’m afraid of.
* * * *
“Hey,” Hannah says as she walks into the back room with a bag of food in her hand. I turn my attention from the puppy greedily slurping on his bottle in my lap to the smell of Mexican food radiating from the bag. My stomach growls.
“Is that for me?”
She nods, setting it on the table in front of me before holding her hands out for the puppy. We trade off and as soon as he’s safely in her grasp, I yank the bag of food into my lap with a moan.
“It smells so damn good.”
“I figured you had to be pretty hungry. Dr. Hebert said that you and Lauren have been trading off twelve hour shifts so someone is with them at all times.”
I nod as I pull the quesadilla out of the bag. “Yeah. I swear, by the time I get done feeding all of them and helping them go to the bathroom, it’s time to start all over again.”
“I think I found a foster home for them today so hopefully you won’t have to do it too much longer.”
“That’s good,” I answer before biting into my food. “I think they will really thrive in a home setting.”
She nods, glancing down at the puppy in her lap. “So… how long do I have to wait before I ask you about the sex?”
“What?” I start choking on my food and she reaches over, patting me on the back and when I can breathe again, I shoot her a look. “What makes you think I had sex?”
Scoffing, she shakes her head. “Please. You’re glowing, babe. The only thing I don’t know is who the lucky guy is…”
“Well, considering I broke up with Mason.”
“I knew it!” she exclaims, startling the little baby on her lap and she soothes him before turning to me with a wide grin. “You and Noah had fireworks going off when I left you two the other day so I’m not surprised.”
“Yeah, yeah… I just feel bad for Mason.”
She winces. “How did he take it?”
“Like a gentleman,” I answer, shaking my head. “He didn’t even yell at me or get upset.”
“Wait, he wasn’t upset?”
The memory of the look on his face pops into my mind and I sigh as I shake my head. “I mean, he was upset but he didn’t get upset, if that makes sense. He said that he knew it was inevitable once Noah came back to town.”
“Poor guy.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, nodding. The puppy in her lap finishes his bottle and she sets it on the table before picking him up and holding him against her chest.
“I mean, don’t feel too bad for him. Mason Barrow is still one of the most eligible bachelors in town. He won’t be lonely long, babe.”
I nod. “Good.”
“You’re not jealous?” she asks with a raised brow and I shake my head as I scowl at her.
“Why would I be?”
She shrugs, a hint of a smile on her face. “No reason. Just making sure that there are no regrets.”
I roll my eyes and go back to my food.
“Are you going to leave me hanging? How did it go with Noah?”
I glance around the back room before scowling at her. “I’m not giving you details.”
“Um, yes you are, bitch, but those can wait till later. Just tell me that it was everything you remember and so much more.”
Remembering last night, I shift in my seat and smile. “Yeah.”
“Oh my God, you little hussy,” she hisses, glaring at me. “I got all the information I need from that look on your face. Makes me want to rush home and fantasize about a man that will come sweep me off my feet.”
“In what world does that describe Noah?” I ask with a laugh. Sweep me off my feet… no. Steal me away in the dark of night and hold me hostage until I agree to be his… yeah, maybe. My mind flashes back to our conversation this morning and I suck in a breath as the smile falls from my face. “I told him about Oliver, too.”
She turns to me with a raised brow. “Everything?”
“Well, no… not everything but enough for now.”
“And how did he take it?”
“Not well,” I admit, remembering our lengthy shower this morning where he held me and promised to exact his revenge on Oliver. It was the safest I’ve felt since the last moment he held me in his arms seven years ago and it has me considering the options for our future when only forty-eight hours ago, I was dead against it.
“Does that mean the two of you are official again?”
I shake my head. “No… I don’t know… Maybe…”
“Well, that’s helpful. Thanks.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Han. Do I love him? Yes, but being with him terrifies me. Oliver is a fucking lunatic and I can’t go back to the apartment. I can’t go back to being a prisoner.”
She stares at me for a second before wrapping her arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. “Noah’s not going anywhere this time. Have faith, babe.”
Easier said than done.
Chapter Twelve
Noah
“Have a good day at work, baby,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms and kissing her. I swear each time I kiss her now, it’s like the first time all over again. My body gets all tingly and my fingers itch to find a bare piece of skin I can touch, which is probably how we ended staying up half the night lost in each other. Not that I’m complaining. She pulls back and I release her so she can climb into her car. “Love you.”
Annoyance flashes across her face as she rolls her eyes and I can’t help but laugh.
“You’re a pain in the ass.”
I shrug. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”
“No, I don’t.”
Nodding, I close the car door once she’s behind the wheel and lean in through the open window. “Sure, keep telling yourself that, darlin’.”
“I could murder you and bury you in the backyard. No one would ever find you.”
“Yeah, you could…but you won’t ‘
cause, you know you love me.”
She narrows her eyes as she starts the car. “Keep pushing me, LeBlanc. See what happens.”
“Text me when you get there so I know you made it safe,” I instruct through my laughter and she nods, relief cracking through her tough exterior. My girl is so damn strong but if her breakdown in the shower earlier is any indication, she’s been holding onto too much for too damn long.
I tell her good-bye and give her one last kiss before walking to the porch as she backs out of the driveway. As her car crosses the threshold of the driveway, an alarm sounds from inside the cabin and I glance over my shoulder.
Huh.
So that’s how she knew each time I showed up here.
I cross my arms over my chest as I look around, wondering what other security measures she has here - other than the shotgun she pointed in my face on that first day. Whatever it is, it probably wouldn’t hurt to add a few cameras around the property and I definitely need to install a stronger deadbolt on the front door. Actually, what I really need to do is talk to Smith. He’s the Sergeant at Arms for the club and he was just telling me about the security he put around someone else’s place the other day.
Plus, I should inform Blaze and Streak about everything I learned this morning. My mind drifts to Kady’s confession and my blood boils as I think about her locked in that apartment for a year at the hands of that motherfucker. Clenching my fists, I grit my teeth and start off down the driveway toward my truck. As much as I would love to hunt him down and flay him alive, I need a plan of action if I’m going to go up against Biche. When I knew him, he was a low-level dealer who had a powerful father but now, he’s running the show and getting to him won’t be an easy task.
He will pay for what he did to my girl, though.
I’ll make damn sure of that.
As I pull away from the cabin and head in the direction of the clubhouse, I imagine what else Kady hasn’t told me yet and wonder how much worse it can get. Truly, all she’s told me so far is that he held her captive for a year but I know there’s more - based on the way she clammed up when I pressed for more information and just the fact that he had her for a whole year. Biche was fucking unhinged when I knew him and there’s no telling what putting me away and kidnapping my girl gave him the confidence to do. What she went through during that time is eating away at me and I can’t help but hate myself for all the stupid, selfish decisions I made back then.
When she confronted me with the truth that I’d hurt her so much all those years ago, I was shocked and pretty damn pissed off. Everything I did, I did to for her. My main drive was making enough money to give her everything she deserved, so how could she not see that? But knowing what I know now - it all makes sense and it’s so clear to me how my actions led her directly into Biche’s grasp. Who knows, maybe he still would have held a grudge against me and taken her if I hadn’t been outshining him in his father’s eyes but, either way, I would have been there to keep her safe. In that way, I failed the only woman I’ve ever loved and it kills me.
Pulling into the clubhouse parking lot, I spot Storm crouched down by his bike and I nod to him as I pass by. After I park the truck, I hop out and he walks over to me, holding his hand out to me.
“Hey, brother. How’s the search going?”
“Uh…” I start. “Complicated. Blaze and Streak around?”
He nods with a laugh. “Blaze is in his office and I’m pretty sure Streak never leaves his cave.”
“Cool, thanks. Actually, you should probably join us.”
“Everything okay?” he asks, studying me. I shake my head as we reach the door of the clubhouse and pull it open.
“No, not really.”
“What’s up?”
I glance around the room, spotting Smith by the bar, talking to Streak. “Actually, we should probably round up everyone that’s here right now.”
“On it,” he says before whistling to get everyone’s attention. Smith and Streak turn to us with brows raised.
“Yeah?’ Smith asks.
“Church, two minutes.”
Streak scowls. “It’s gonna take longer than that to call everyone else in.”
“Naw,” I say, shaking my head. “We can fill them in later.”
They both shrug and as they finish off their beers, Storm turns to me. “I’ll grab Blaze and meet y’all in there.”
He walks off to the office while Streak and Smith join me with a look of concern on their faces. “Everything okay?”
“No, not really,” I answer, shaking my head as we reach the back room. We all file around the table and sit in our usual seats despite the fact that everyone else isn’t here and a second later, Blaze walks into the room with Storm on his heels. Meeting my gaze, he nods a greeting and sits at the head of the table.
“All right, Henn. This is your show today. What’s going on?”
Sucking in a breath, I rub my hand over my face. “On the night I was arrested, Kady was kidnapped.”
All four of them suck in a breath.
“What?” Blaze breathes and I can see the regret shining in his eyes. “Does she know who he is?”
I nod. “Biche.”
Silence descends on the room for a moment as they all stare at me with shocked expressions and the anger slowly builds until it’s like another person in the room.
“That fucking bastard,” Storm seethes.
“Shit,” Smith mutters. “Henn, if we’d known…”
I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter now. All that matters is keeping Kady safe from this monster and making sure he can never hurt her again.”
“Henn,” Blaze cuts in, holding his hand up. “I know you’re pissed and believe me, brother, we understand because we’re right there with you but don’t go doing something that will get you locked up again. Now more than ever, Kady needs you here.”
“I know that,” I growl, clenching my fists on the table. Yeah, I know he’s telling the truth but that doesn’t weaken the rage I feel flowing through my body every time I think about the things he did to her for a whole damn year.
“How long?” Streak asks and everyone turns to him. “How long did he have her?”
“A year,” I answer, my stomach rolling at the thought.
“Jesus.” Smith shakes his head in disbelief as he rubs his hand over his face. “Is she okay?”
I scoff. “No.”
“I realize she’s not okay but did he hurt her?”
“I don’t know,” I whisper through gritted teeth as I picture her reaction when I asked her the same thing this morning. “She wouldn’t tell me.”
Blaze scowls and I meet his gaze. “How did she get away?”
“It was Bobby. He noticed she was missing a week or two after she was taken and he started working on his own to find her. When he realized Biche had her, he started working for him and got into his inner circle where he was finally allowed access to Kady.”
“Bobby…” Blaze whispers, shaking his head as he stares down at the table in front of him. “I always thought he left because he didn’t like the new rules.”
“I think he had to distance himself for Biche to believe that he was on the up and up. And you know how much he loved Kady. She was probably the only thing that could make him turn his back on the club.”
Streak shakes his head, a look of confusion etched on his face. “Why, though? Why would he go to all the trouble of kidnapping your girlfriend after he sent you to prison?”
“Kady said that we went to school with him and he apparently thought he was in love with her when I came along and stole her from him. When we were running drugs for his father, I outsold him and he blamed me for stealing his dad from him.”
“That’s fucking insane,” Smith growls and I nod.
“Yeah, but no one ever said Biche is sane.”
Storm nods. “That will make it harder to deal with him.”
“I don’t give a shit,” I snap, slamming my fists on the table. �
�He’s going to pay for this. No one and I mean, fucking no one, hurts my girl and lives to talk about it.”
“Henn,” Blaze sighs. “I get it and believe me, I’m feeling all kinds of guilty and pissed off but I need to caution you again to take a breath. We have to be smart about this.”
“Let’s see if you’d be saying the same thing if it was your woman he came after,” I snap and Storm glares at me, shaking his head. It’s then I remember the shit Blaze just went through. “Shit. Sorry, Boss.”
He shakes his head. “I get it, Henn. I really fucking do but you cannot go back to jail so we find a smart way to handle this.”
“Which is where I come in,” Streak adds, raising his hand. “I’ll start digging into every aspect of Biche’s life and I’ll find you the ammo you need. I promise you that.”
“Good,” I answer with a nod. “And thank you.”
“What else do you need from us?” Blaze asks and I turn to Smith.
“Kady already has motion sensors in, at least, one place on her property but she needs more security out there. I’m going to be with her as much as humanly possible but she still needs protection when I can’t be there.”
“Are we even sure that he’s going to come after her at this point?” Storm asks and I nod.
“The reason Streak couldn’t find anything on her is because she’s been hiding ever since Bobby saved her. The house and all of Bobby’s money was left to her friend, Hannah, when he died but that is Kady’s home. When I got out and went searching for her, I led him right to her front door and I’m pretty sure he’s already sent one guy to let her know that he knows where she is.”
Streak arches a brow. “You’re pretty sure?”
“Yeah. I was sitting outside the animal clinic the other day and this guy was waiting in the parking lot. When Kady saw him, she turned white and Hannah had to practically carry her to the car.”
“And this is a “he’s not going to let her go” type of thing?”
I nod. “That’s what she’s afraid of most. I guess he always told her that he’d never let us be together again.”
