“Okay, you should have it here shortly,” he advises before he goes on to explain further. “Lilli started getting sick, and with the weather the way it was, there was no way for us to leave, so Trident ended up coming to us. While we didn’t have an X-ray machine or anything, he was pretty sure she had pneumonia by that point and treated her accordingly. Because of her suspicions concerning the soup, he took blood samples as well as hair samples and delivered them to the lab for further testing. You have those results in that folder already. We went today to the clinic for her to get checked again because she still has a cough, and they advised her that she had thallium poisoning. She got the treatment for that, then had dialysis as well which is apparently one of the protocols. We had just stopped to get something to eat when we were approached by Anson and Kassidy and the only way I can figure that they knew where we were at is because Lilli just turned her phone back on today. I think there’s a tracker app on it or something. Are y’all able to check for that?” he inquires. The funny thing is, while he’s not the cop, his manner and tone are just as authoritative as the detective’s, who has been continuously writing and nodding his head.
“We can, yes. Alright, let me see if I have this straight. You were already going to get one inheritance from your grandparents, correct?” I nod my agreement. “Okay, and when your parents died, which I’m sorry to hear, by the way, Anson tried to push the wedding forward, only then you got sick and whatever they were giving you was laced with thallium?”
“Pretty much, yes. Although, on the way in here to talk to you, I did give him back his ring. No way in hell will I marry someone who is cheating on me and is trying to kill me,” I emphatically avow.
“Where did they give you this soup?” he asks.
I think for a few seconds, then reply, “There was a pot at both my apartment and also at Anson’s. I didn’t stay there very often, but those first few days, I was there.”
“So they possibly got rid of the pot of soup that was at his place. What about yours?”
“No one has a key to my apartment except me, so unless they broke in, it’s probably still in my refrigerator. Do you need a key?”
“I need to go see if it is and get it sent to our lab for testing. I’ll also get a search warrant for his place to see if possibly they still have that pot in his refrigerator, or anything that contains thallium. We should put you into protective custody,” he advises.
“We’ve got that handled, Detective Ames,” Jesse states. “She’s under the protection of Poseidon’s Warriors MC and is staying with me at our clubhouse for the time being, at least until we find out what the fuck is going on. She’s already contacted her family lawyer as well to let him know what’s been happening. He told Lilli that he was checking to see if a life insurance policy or anything had been taken out on Lilli with Anson as the beneficiary.”
“Well, this is definitely an intriguing puzzle to solve. It sounds like you were in the right place at the right time, young lady, and as far as who is protecting you, you’re in more than capable hands with Poseidon and his brothers. Let me get the ball rolling as far as the search warrant for Anson’s place and if you have your key, I’ll get you to sign this right here stating we have permission to enter your dwelling and remove anything that may assist us in our investigation.”
I open my purse and pull out my keys before removing the apartment key. “You’ll need the code for my alarm, too,” I say. “It’s seven, five, six, seven. Do you need anything else from me today? I had planned to do this tomorrow because quite honestly, I’m wiped out from the dialysis and was supposed to rest.”
“I’ll keep you apprised of the investigation and if I need anything else, I’ll call and come out to the clubhouse so you can do what your doctor has advised,” Detective Ames replies. “I need you to leave your phone with me so I can send it to our tech department.” I pull my phone out of my purse and slide it across the table to him. He takes it and puts it inside an envelope then seals it to ensure that the proper procedures are being followed.
“Thank you. I know it sounds crazy and honestly, I don’t understand why either of them would want to kill me. I would’ve gladly shared what I have with both of them.”
“Sweetheart, if you weren’t in the picture, they wouldn’t have to hide their relationship any longer, and could get all your money,” Jesse sympathetically says. I feel the tears welling up because I so misjudged the two of them; granted, I knew I was probably settling for Anson, but I thought we had a decent relationship. And Kassidy? She was my best friend, for fuck’s sake!
“Unfortunately, he’s right, Miss Rose. People do crazy things when money is involved and from the sound of it, you have quite a bit now.” Detective Ames has a solemn tone, but I can feel his words deep inside of me. He must see this type of thing in his work often, which is a sad fact of life. People don’t care about the quality of life anymore and are willing to kill someone off to line their pockets.
We stand, and after we both shake the detective’s hand, he leads us back out to the front. I’m glad that the two fuckers are no longer sitting there, and I hope after hearing what all they’ve done that they get arrested immediately. However, I’m sure they have to check into what I’ve told them, so I’m glad that I’m not alone. I suspect that Jesse and his brothers would lay their lives down for me. I just hope it doesn’t come down to that, because I’ve grown rather fond of him. And the brothers I’ve met are good men. I can’t wait for the day to come where I’m comfortable calling them family.
Poseidon
I can see she’s practically dead on her feet and am so fucking livid that those two assholes showed up like they did. It’s a good thing they’re not still sitting where we can see them because I would love to plant my fist in that fucker’s face. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s get you back to the clubhouse so you can rest.”
“Good plan,” she tiredly replies with a yawn. When she stumbles a bit, I decide enough is enough and scoop her up into my arms so I can carry her out to the truck. “Jesse! People are looking!”
“It’s a good thing I don’t give a flying fuck what anyone else thinks, pretty girl. You’d do well to remember that fact,” I announce leaning down to kiss her nose. “You’re what matters, not these nosy fuckers.” She smiles up at me and cuddles even closer. Since Winnie, I haven’t been one who particularly cares one way or another about being that close to someone unless I was fucking them. But the day that Lillianna barged into my life then slept in the bed at the cabin, I find that I’m drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
She falls asleep on the short drive back to the clubhouse and doesn’t wake up even after I park the truck. I carefully carry her inside then to my room, thankful that Trident saw us coming and got my door unlocked and open for me so I didn’t have to fumble for my keys. “You need anything, brother?” he requests, keeping his voice low.
“Naw, I’m good, brother. Let the others know we’ll have church later. I’ll send a text when I’m ready to come back down. Did you get the shit on the car sent to the detective?”
“Yeah, had Atlas do it. I gave my statement too, brother, for what it’s worth, since I came and got her car, then saw her when she was so sick. Figured it couldn’t hurt and I’m an ‘objective party’ so to speak, y’know?”
“Appreciate the fuck out of that, brother. I think the detective believed her though, especially since we had the doctor report. He’s going to her place because they made two pots of that soup and she’s been gone the whole time and doesn’t remember tossing it. Since no one else has a key, there’s a good chance it’s still there. He’s also getting a search warrant for that fucker’s place.”
“They were still there waiting for someone to talk to them when we all left,” Trident informs me. “Okay, gonna let you get Sleeping Beauty down for a nap. She sure has gone through the fucking wringer, hasn’t she?”
“She has and she’s in trouble, Trident,” I worriedly report.
“What could that little slip of a thing do to get into trouble, Poseidon?” he queries back to me.
“She didn’t tell me that we missed her birthday. She’s twenty-five, brother. Shit, that seems like a fucking lifetime ago, for me, at least,” I break down and admit to him.
“You’re the oldest one here, Poseidon. We’re all youngins compared to you,” he jests.
“Fucker, I’m not that much older. Just because I’ve gone prematurely gray doesn’t mean shit. I’ve got a decade on her, though, and probably a lifetime of experience as well.” I know age is only a number, but in this case it’s her lack of experience in life and love that has me ultimately worried. I don’t want her to settle with me out of some sense of obligation and gratitude.
“Doesn’t matter what came before, only what y’all do from here on out.” His words give me pause to ponder. She hasn’t acted as if she’s only with me for saving her, she looks at me as if I light her world up.
“Get the fuck out of here with your unasked-for wisdom,” I tell him. He smirks at me before heading back out of my room. Despite our conversation, I never let her go, not wanting to lose her softness pressed against me. Laying her down, I carefully remove her shoes, then cover her up with the throw blanket that encompasses the end of the bed. She curls onto her side and pulls my pillow toward her. She curls her arms around it and mumbles something unintelligible. She’s so damn fucking perfect that it steals my breath.
“Fuck it,” I eventually croak out, slipping off my cut and hanging it over the chair before I kick off my boots. I climb into the bed and pull her into my arms. “They can wait a bit; my woman needs me right now.”
Lilli
I wake up disoriented, hungry and thirsty. My throat feels as if I’ve been in the desert for weeks, with no water in sight. I'm so damn parched. I can tell that at one point, Jesse was next to me, but he’s not here now based on the fact that the pillow is chilled. Looking over at the clock on the desk, I see it’s late in the evening, but I know from experience that if I don’t eat something, I’ll pay for it dearly. First, though, I need a shower since I feel icky and a bit grimy after the police department interrogation. I find some comfy night clothes that will be appropriate for me to go down to the kitchen and head to the bathroom. Since I don’t want the hassle of doing my hair, I clip it up then turn on the shower. As the heat pounds on my shoulders, I feel the tension I’ve been holding release and the tears that I wouldn’t let go of earlier cascade down my face. Even though I don’t know how it’s all going to pan out with the whole Anson and Kassidy situation, I’m free from him now and can explore what has been steadily growing between me and Jesse.
Finally calm, I get out, dry off and quickly dress, then brush my hair out. Despite the ‘trauma’ from today, I actually feel pretty good physically and hope that means that the medicine as well as the dialysis did the trick with regard to the thallium poisoning. My stomach growls again, reminding me that I need to rummage up some food. I head out of Jesse’s suite and maneuver downstairs into the kitchen, where I spy one of the prospects putting food away.
“Hey,” I say when he glances over his shoulder. “I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met yet.”
“You’re Poseidon’s old lady,” he replies. “I’m Asa. He said you might come down if you woke up. Let me fix you a plate.”
“I can do it if you have something else to do.” I’m definitely not used to anyone waiting on me and don’t want him to think otherwise.
“Part of my job, ma’am,” he speaks.
“Um, Asa, I’m not old enough to be a ‘ma’am’ just yet. You can call me Lilli.” I always hated it before when anyone else did it, but since that’s one of the things that Jesse calls me, I find I prefer it now.
He doesn’t respond, just pulls a plate from the cabinet and starts piling food on it. I think he’s forgetting I’m a mere female because the plate is practically overflowing, but the gesture is so sweet, I keep quiet and don’t speak what’s on my mind. He brings it over to the table, along with silverware then asks me, “What would you like to drink?”
Remembering the time again, I sigh before I reluctantly reply, “A water. It’s too late for caffeine; I’ll never get back to sleep otherwise. Is Jesse around?” At his blank look, I amend myself and say, “Poseidon. I mean Poseidon.”
“They’re in church,” he hastily articulates.
“Oh, okay.” Guess I’m eating alone but that’s okay. Before he came along, I was used to doing my own thing whenever Anson wasn’t available. As I work my way through the piled-up plate, my mind drifts back to my so-called relationship with Anson. I don’t want to look at it too closely, but surely there were signs that all wasn’t as it appeared.
Let’s see—after the first few times of sleeping together, suddenly he wanted us to wait until we got married. Guess that’s red flag number one. Then, Kassidy started coming around even more than normal, especially when he was at my apartment. Red flag number two? Yeah, I think so. Red flag number three was when he started bringing her with him, like she was suddenly incapable of driving, for fuck’s sake! And the pièce de résistance would be the conversation I overheard. Never mind what I visually saw through the cracked door. I realize that with him screwing around on me I probably should get tested before I get involved with Jesse. He means too much to me already for me to bring anything into our lives.
“What has that look marring your face, pretty girl?” Jesse inquires as he walks into the kitchen, followed by most of his brothers. They all start rummaging for food and I laugh when I think about how much the groceries probably cost around here based on the plate I was given.
I don’t want to say anything in front of the other men so I just give him a look. “Can we discuss it privately?” I inquire.
“If that’s what you want, absolutely. Are you going to finish all of that?” he questions, pointing to my half-full plate.
“No, I’m full. Help yourself.” I’ve never been one to share my food, but with Jesse, it feels so natural that I don’t even question it anymore. I slide my plate over, and he grabs my fork, shocking the hell out of me.
He leans in and whispers, “Sweetheart, I’ve had my tongue in your mouth. Using your fork is about the same damn thing.” Alrighty then, go for it, Mr. Badass.
Trident sits down and hands Jesse a beer. I look at him and ask, “What bloodwork was run at the clinic?”
He looks at me then at Jesse before replying, “They ran everything, darling. Why?”
I glance around and see that no one’s paying us any attention but I still whisper, “Because if Anson was cheating, I need to make sure I’m okay, you know?” I mean, I know we stopped having sex a few months before I left, but if he was cheating on me with Kassidy, he could have done it with someone else too and I owe it to myself and Jesse to make sure that I’m clean.
“They didn’t run those tests, but we can take you to the clinic in the morning and have them run that panel if that’s a concern for you,” Jesse replies.
I can feel my face heating up as I nod. “I’d feel better, yes.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do,” Jesse emphatically states.
“Thank you.” Right now, I feel tainted and unclean, so I pull away from Jesse slightly. He frowns at me and I shake my head because I can’t talk about any of this right now. “I’m uh, I’m going to go grab another shower.” Never mind that I just took one, right now I have to scrub myself raw.
“I’ll be up shortly, pretty girl,” Jesse says. I just nod, too afraid that my emotions are going to burst free.
Poseidon
I don’t like the look settled on her face right now; she looks as though she thinks she’s less than dog shit on someone’s boot.
“She okay?” Trident asks once Lilli has left the kitchen.
“I don’t think so.” I’ll get to the bottom of it once we’re alone.
“You really think that Detective Ames believed her today?” Loki inquires.
I think about the meeting at the police department and how receptive the detective was to everything that we told him. Nodding my head, I respond, “I think those two aren’t going to know what hit them if they find the evidence I think they will. I just want her breathing easy; she’s had a rough few months.”
“We’ve all got her back, brother. She may not have been around us all very long, but she has a calming influence around here. Not just on you, but on all of us. I really like her, brother,” Trident states. I watch as my brothers who have met her nod their agreement with his assessment.
“I need to get upstairs and check on her. Asa, you’re on kitchen duty,” I order as I stand up from my chair.
“Got it, Pres,” he promptly reciprocates. Standing up fully, I send a general wave in the direction of my brothers and head to join my woman.
Once I’m back in my room, I hang up my cut and kick off my boots. I hear the shower running so I head into the bedroom to get into my ‘night wear’. Until she came into my life, I preferred sleeping nude, but she’s not ready for that so lounge pants and a T-shirt it is. I grin when I see that she’s got a hamper in the corner. I noticed when we were at the cabin that she tends to be neat and organized, which works for me since my years in the Navy caused me to develop the same habits.
I grab the remote and cue up a television series we’ve been watching and soon get lost in the latest episode. When it ends and the next one comes on, I realize that the water is still running, and Lilli hasn’t come out from the bathroom yet. Getting up, I go to the bathroom door and knock. She doesn’t answer so I open the door and my heart breaks into a million pieces. She’s curled up in the bottom of the shower, her arms wrapped around her legs that are drawn up to her chest and her skin is so raw, I know she must have scrubbed mercilessly at herself. “Lilli?” I call out softly. “Sweetheart, let’s get you out of there, okay?” I turn off the water and grab a towel before gently lifting her up to dry her off.
Poseidon's Lady (Poseidon's Warriors MC) Page 10
