by A. M. Myers
“Okay,” she breathes, staring down at the table again for a moment before she looks up. “The only other thing that stands out to me is that he said he’s been watching from the shadows for a while and that he would step in when he felt it was necessary to maximize the pain and agony he was trying to inflict on y’all… but I don’t know details.”
“Christ,” Moose whispers, scrubbing his hand down his face as we all look around the room, trying to wrap our minds around all this new information.
How long has he been watching us?
How many times has he intervened and fucked with us?
“What about the day you showed up here?” Fuzz asks. “What happened then?”
She sucks in a breath and her lip wobbles, tears filling her eyes as the memories play out in her head, but she manages to rein it in. “He showed up that day and took the shackles off before leading me to the front door. He was standing behind me and he had his hand clamped down on my shoulders then he lifted them off and told me to run. At first, I was shocked, frozen in place, so he nudged me forward and I took off. I didn’t have any shoes on and my feet were getting all cut up but I didn’t care. I was determined to get away.”
“Obviously that didn’t happen,” Chance says and she nods.
“As I was running, I realized that he was following me, hunting me, and I thought it was the end for me. I thought he was going to kill me.” A sob bubbles out of her throat and I shake my head, fighting back the growing anger in the pit of my stomach. “When he caught up to me, he threw a bag over my head and carried me back the way we came. The next thing I knew we were in a car and my hands were tied behind my back.”
Blaze blows out a breath and runs a hand through his hair. “What happened when you got to the clubhouse?”
“He took me out of the car and we walked for a while… I’m not sure how far… and then when he took the blindfold off, we were standing in front of the clubhouse.”
“And he instructed you to come inside?” I ask and she nods, her eyes full of pain as she glances over at me.
“Yeah. I had no idea what was going on and I thought maybe it was just another game, that y’all were in on it with him and he was just going to endlessly torment me before killing me.”
Blaze shakes his head, pain filling his face as he leans forward and meets her gaze. “I’m so sorry that this happened to you, Veronica… I can’t help but feel like this is our fault and if there is ever anything that you need, all you have to do is ask. This club is here for you, now and always.”
“I…” she whispers, gaping at me. “I don’t blame you guys. Since he released me, I’ve been researching the club and I know the good work you do. The only person to blame here is him but regardless, I’m thankful for your support.”
“It’s a really shitty induction but you’re part of the family now,” Storm tells her and she nods, glancing over her shoulder at the closed door.
“Based on what I saw out there, it seems like a good family to be a part of.”
Chance smiles. “We appreciate you saying that.”
Silence descends over the room as we all look at each other, unsure of where to go from here, and Blaze clears his throat as he stands up and motions to the door. “Okay, well, if nobody has anything else, I’ll walk you out, Veronica.”
“Okay,” she answers, sounding more secure as she stands up and looks around the room. “If there is anything else I can help with, please let me know.”
“We will, darlin’,” Blaze assures her. She waves good-bye and Blaze walks her out of the room shutting the door behind him. Nobody says anything, each of us trying to process everything we’ve just learned. The lengths this guy has gone to in order to get back at us is extreme and I can’t shake this damn feeling that I’m missing something that is staring me right in the face but I can’t seem to figure out what the hell it is. It just continues to eat away at me, at all of us, but maybe that’s all just part of his game and this really will end with the ruins of my club and the family we’ve built littered around us.
Chapter Three
Rowan
“Thank fuck,” I whisper, turning down the classic rock I’ve been jamming to in an effort to stay awake, as the lights of Lubbock, Texas, come into view. I rub at my tired eyes and merge over into the right lane, exiting at the first exit I find with a lodging sign. I’m in desperate need of something to eat and somewhere to sleep. Hell, at this point, I don’t even care if it’s an actual bed or a couch or a floor somewhere as long as I get to close my eyes and drift off to dreamland. It’s almost eight in the evening and I am on day five of my cross-country road trip which means I’ll be in Baton Rouge tomorrow but as far as I’m concerned, it can’t get here soon enough. I’ve been driving ten plus hours a day and I still have another ten to do tomorrow.
Yawning, I scan the buildings on the side of the road, looking for the first semi-decent looking motel I can find. Lincoln would have an absolute fit if he knew I was looking for somewhere cheap, especially after he insisted on sending me money for my trip. When I checked my bank account and saw the one thousand dollars he had deposited, I almost had a heart attack and I have been trying to avoid using it. It’s too much and I fully intend on giving it back to him as soon as I get to Baton Rouge. Besides, I see no reason that I need to spend more than sixty dollars a night on somewhere to sleep. I finally spot a motel that fits the bill, sporting a sign that advertises forty-five dollar rooms and pull my car into the lot, parking in front of the small office at the front of the building before jumping out. A man with long, greasy hair looks up from behind the desk as I walk in and I smile but he doesn’t return the gesture. His gaze rakes down my body before dragging back up to my face with suspicion in his eyes.
“Can I help you?”
I nod, keeping my smile in place. “Yeah. I need a room, please.”
“King or two queens?” he asks, looking bored as he glances down at a notebook on the desk in front of him and I arch a brow. What the hell kind of motel doesn’t have a computer? I glance down and notice a map of the entire hotel laid out in front of him with a giant “X” over some of the rooms.
“King, please.”
“Smoking or non-smoking?”
“Non, please.” I pull some cash out of my pocket and wait for him to tell me the price but he takes his time looking through the available rooms before picking up a pencil and puts an “X” over a room near the front of the building. He glances up at me before his gaze drops to the money in my hand.
“Sixty.”
I scowl. “Your sign says forty-five.”
“And I’m sayin’ sixty,” he answers with a shrug and I study him for a moment before nodding and turning toward the door. As much as I want to go to sleep as soon as possible, I’m not willing to let this ass take advantage of me.
“Never mind, then.”
“I guess I could do fifty,” he replies as I grip the door handle and I roll my eyes as I turn back to him. Sure, I could push the issue but this way we both win and I’m not willing to argue over five dollars. Nodding, I walk back to the desk and slap fifty dollars down in front of him. Sighing, he scoops it up and grabs a key off of a hook behind him before sliding it across the desk to me. “Room ten, it’s the first door on the right.”
“Thank you.”
He nods, turning back to the magazine he was flipping through when I walked in and I shake my head as I walk back out to my car and climb behind the wheel. Maneuvering around the office, I drive to the other side of the motel and park in front of a green door with a giant ten in the middle. The parking lot is fairly empty so hopefully it will be a quiet, uneventful night and I can get enough rest to make it the rest of the way tomorrow. I am so ready to be done driving and it’s highly likely that I refuse to get in a car all together for the next month, at least. As I climb out of the car, I throw my arms over my head and stretch before grabbing my bag out of the back seat before walking up to the door and unlocking it. Everythi
ng else I took from the apartment fit in the trunk so I don’t have to worry about hiding it from would-be thieves. The air of the room is stale and it has a generally drab look to it but it’s absolutely perfect for crashing in for the night.
As I toss my bag on the floor my stomach growls and I sigh as I glance over my shoulder at the door. I passed a couple of fast food places on my way here and there is no way in hell I’m getting back in the car so I guess I’m going to walk. Grabbing my wallet and the key to the room, I step outside again and lock the door before turning toward the little burger place I saw about a block back as my phone starts ringing. Lincoln has been obsessively checking up on me since I left Alaska and as sweet as it is, I need the man to realize I’m a grown woman and can take care of myself.
“I’m still alive,” I answer.
“You’d fucking better be,” he growls, annoyed, and I grin. “Where are you?”
“Lubbock, Texas. I’m stopping for the night.”
He sighs. “Okay, good. I was worried about you driving in the dark.”
“Lincoln…”
“Don’t you even start with me, Rowan. You are the only family I have left and it’s my goddamn right to worry about you.”
I roll my eyes as I kick a rock across the parking lot. “I’m not your only family. What about Tate and the babies?”
“You know what I meant,” he shoots back before sighing and I swear, I can feel the stress that has been weighing on him for most of his life.
“Yeah, yeah. I know but try to chill, will you? The last thing I need is you to have a stroke because you can’t calm your ass down. You actually are the only family I have left.”
He scoffs. “Bullshit. If I’ve got Tate and the babies, so do you.”
“I know,” I say even though I don’t quite feel it. I’ve met Tate once and spoken to her on the phone a handful of times but the truth is, I don’t really know her all that well. I can see that she makes my brother happy but also puts him in his place when he needs it so I know that she is good for him.
“So, listen, when you get here tomorrow, you will be coming to the clubhouse instead of our house,” he says, interrupting my thoughts and I scowl.
“Oh… well, if you guys don’t have room for me, I can just get a hotel room or stay out at your cabin.”
“Absolutely not.” There is no room for argument in his voice and a spike of irritation races through me. “Everyone is at the clubhouse and you need to be here, too… for your own safety.”
My eyes widen as I stop outside of the restaurant and plop down on a bench next to the front door. “My safety? What the hell is going on, Lincoln?”
“Look,” he sighs. “I didn’t want to say anything before because I didn’t want to scare you but… someone has been targeting the club and the clubhouse is the safest place for all of us right now.”
“You and Tate are staying at the clubhouse right now?”
“Yes,” he answers and my mind races as I watch cars race past me. What the hell is going on with all of them that they are staying at the clubhouse to keep everyone safe? “Look, Row… I’ll explain everything once you’re down here.”
“Why didn’t you tell me any of this before I left Alaska? I mean, maybe I was safer up there.” Not that I have a burning desire to be back in Ketchikan but now I’m worried that I left one shitty situation for one that is even worse.
“I’m not going to let anything happen to you and with you in Baton Rouge, I can make sure of that. Besides, not to be a dick, but what did you have up there now that Mom’s gone?”
He’s right but there is no way in hell I’m going to admit that. “Fuck you, Linc.”
“You can be pissed at me all you want, about that comment and the fact that I kept this from you, as long as you’re safe. Plus, I think this will be good for you. I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Shut up. I’m already almost there so you don’t need to keep campaigning. I’ll be in Baton Rouge tomorrow and that will be that.”
He sighs again and I roll my eyes. Goddamn it, I hate how smug he gets when he knows he’s right. “Good. I’ll text you the address for the clubhouse and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
I give in and after conceding to his demands to keep him updated during my drive tomorrow, I hang up and head into the restaurant to get something to eat. They are fairly busy so while I wait for my food, I tuck myself into a quiet corner and just people watch. My phone buzzes and my stomach flips when a text from Ash pops up on the screen.
Ash:
Hey. Where you at?
I haven’t spoken to him since the night I found him in bed with Holly and I guess I had naively hoped he already knew it was over but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I dismiss the notification as the man behind the counter calls out my number so I shove my phone in my pocket and grab my food before slipping back outside. There is a decent looking park with a cute little pond across the street from the motel so I walk over there before sitting down at a picnic table on the water’s edge. Millions of stars dot the sky above me, shining in the surface of the pond as a duck glides across the surface and I shake my head. Back in Alaska, it’s probably so damn cold that even walking to your car is miserable but here in Texas, it’s perfectly cool as I pull my food out of the bag and dig in. I’m halfway through my burger when another text comes in from Ash and I ignore it without even looking at it as I continue eating. He has to have noticed that all my clothes are gone, right? Then again, maybe he hasn’t. I really didn’t take much else. All the furniture in the apartment is stuff we picked out together and I had no interest in taking it with me so he might still be oblivious. The only things I took, the only things I truly cared about, were mementos and photos that were already packed away in a closet.
When I finish the burger, I throw the wrapper back in the bag and munch on fries as I look out over the park. Even though it’s essentially surrounded by the city of Lubbock, there is a peacefulness to it, almost like an oasis, that makes you forget for a second that you’re surrounded by buildings and traffic. It’s one of the things I was most worried about with this move. My favorite part about living in Alaska was being outside in nature and it is one of the things I am going to miss the most in Baton Rouge. I just hope I can find little places like this to keep me sane.
My phone vibrates again and I roll my eyes as I toss the rest of my fries in the bag and wipe my fingers on my jeans. Scooping up my phone, I open the text from Ash and roll my eyes.
Ash:
Please come home so we can talk, baby.
I stare at the message for a moment before deciding that I just need to be brutally honest with him. I hoped that after finding him in bed with my co-worker, he would realize that this isn’t working but that doesn’t seem to be the case. He’s clearly not catching on that this is over and I don’t want to drag this out anymore.
Me:
There is nothing to talk about, Ash.
I found you in bed with someone else and
I’m done. We’re done.
I press send and as soon as I go to set my phone down, it starts ringing. Ash’s photo pops up on the screen and I roll my eyes as I accept the call.
“Where are you?” he demands as soon as I answer. “I’ll come to you and we’ll work this out.”
I shake my head. “No, we won’t, Ash.”
“Rowan,” he pleads, desperation lacing his voice. “You can’t just throw the last three years away, baby.”
“Do you remember hearing that crash the moment you stuck your dick inside Holly? That was you throwing it all away, not me.”
He makes a noise that sounds suspiciously like a whimper and I fight back a flash of disgust. “I made a mistake, baby. That’s all it was, a stupid mistake and I want to make it up to you.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Please, Rowan,” he pleads and I can picture him pacing back and forth in the apartment, raking a hand through his blond hair. “Just tell me where y
ou are, okay? I’ll come meet you and we can really talk. I will do whatever it takes to fix this.”
I shake my head and sigh. “Let me ask you something, Ash… was that day the first time you fucked Holly?”
His silence is answer enough and I nod to myself, feeling strangely proud that I was right. Ever since finding him with Holly, I’ve been looking at our relationship with a magnifying glass because there were other times that I caught him in a lie and gave him the benefit of the doubt instead of searching for more answers. Like an idiot.
“And was Holly the first girl you ever cheated on me with?”
“Rowan…”
I shake my head. “No, I’ve heard enough. We’re done, Ash, and there is nothing else to say. Don’t call me again.”
I hang up as he protests loudly on the other end of the line but I don’t care what he has to say. My phone starts ringing again almost immediately but I reject the call before turning back to look out at the water, feeling confident in my decision. He may have gotten away with lying to me for a long time but now that I know, there is no way in hell I would ever take him back.
My phone rings again and I roll my eyes. Part of me just wants to chuck the thing in the pond and be done with it but Lincoln would lose his shit if he couldn’t contact me during the final leg of my journey tomorrow so instead, I turn my phone off and stand up to head back to my motel for the night. Knowing that our whole relationship was just one big lie, that I wasted three years of my life on a man who didn’t deserve me, hurts but I also have this feeling that I’m moving on to bigger and better things without him.
Chapter Four
Rowan
The last little bit of daylight streaks across the sky as I pull into the clubhouse parking lot and I breathe a sigh of relief, happy to finally be done driving. I swear, I need some food and then I need to just be a vegetable for a while after the day that I’ve had. The drive was actually pretty nice and traffic was tolerable but I spent my entire day dodging call after call from Ash and I am quickly approaching my breaking point. The first call came in around eight this morning, right as I was leaving the hotel and they’ve been nonstop since then. Honestly, at this point, I am tempted to answer the next one to tell him to go fuck himself. When I left Alaska, I told myself that if he ever reached out, I would be civil with him but he’s crossing the line into harassment now and I’m fed up.
