“Sure.” After I set my beer down, I grabbed two of the folding chairs leaning up on the porch. Settling into one, I held my hands out the building heat. Quietly, I stared unseeing at the flames and contemplated what I wanted to say.
“What’s up?”
To put off answering, I pulled a beanie out and tugged it over my ears. Then I cleared my throat.
“Do you ever regret settling down and bringing Raiven and your kids into this life?” That wasn’t exactly what I was going to talk to him about, but it was what came out first.
“No. I love them, and without them in my life I’d be lost. Why? Things getting that serious with your teacher?” He studied me, and I hated to admit, I squirmed a little inside.
“I don’t know. Well, I… hell, I really don’t know.”
The fire crackled, and he sat there quietly, giving me the opportunity to talk or enjoy the silence.
Finally, I said, “I had a flat tire before I came over here.”
“That sucks. You got a warranty on them?” His beer tipped up as he waited for me to answer.
“Yeah, but I don’t think knife punctures to the wall are covered.”
Lock’s eyebrows rose, and his mouth dropped open. “You sure?”
He wasn’t asking if I was sure it wasn’t covered.
“Pretty sure. I’d only been home long enough to shower and change. It was fine on the way home.” Sighing, I turned my head to meet his gaze.
“Shit. You tell Smoke?”
“No. I don’t think it’s club related. I think it may have been Grace.”
“What? Why would you think it was Grace? Have you seen her lately?”
“I saw her the first night I had dinner with Gwen. Then she texted me yesterday. I told her to fuck off and blocked her number.”
“Shit. I still think you should tell Smoke. What if it was the Vagabonds? You don’t know.”
“Well, I’m installing a security system with cameras. Check is going to hook me up.”
“Good. Now what about Gwen? I kind of figured you’d bring her with tonight.” He tipped back his beer.
“Her family is in town.” I dejectedly looked into the fire.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry, I forgot. Did you ever get a chance to talk to her?”
“Not really. Something tells me she changed her mind.”
“Then you make her talk to you. Don’t guess or assume. Get an answer from her one way or another. You need to know. Hell, you deserve to know.”
The problem was, I wasn’t sure I was ready to hear it if she said our brief affair was over.
“The Mountain”—Three Days Grace
“Oh my God.” Standing in stunned disbelief, I stared at my car.
“What the hell?” my dad exclaimed as he joined me by my vehicle. “I’m calling the police, Gwen. Don’t touch it.”
While he spoke into his phone, I stumbled around my car. My tires were slashed, my windshield was broken, and painted across the hood in huge white letters was WHORE. They’d evidently had extra paint because it was poured over the roof and the trunk.
First there was the note on my windshield. Then pushing Styx away. My family had only been there a day, and it had been like walking on eggshells the entire time. My sister hadn’t shut up about trying to get me to invite Maddox back over. Then my car.
“My poor car,” I whispered as tears filled my eyes.
“I’ll get you a rental, sweetheart. Then we’ll look at getting you a new car.”
“Dad, I can’t afford a new car!” I moaned.
“I’ll help you,” he said. Meaning, he’d buy me one.
“No. I’m not letting you do that.”
“Don’t be stubborn, Gwen. That car was on its last leg anyway.” My mom sniffed as she stared at my little car with wide eyes.
“Maybe so, but it was paid for, and it was mine.”
“How did no one see this and report it?” my dad asked in disgust. Most of my neighbors minded their own business. Well, except for when Maddox and I had disturbed their peace. My cheeks flushed at the thought.
The police showed up, took our statements, took pictures and whatever else they did.
The officer I was speaking to asked me, “Do you have any idea who might have done this? Any enemies? Jilted lovers? Pissed off neighbor?”
He was kind and trying to help me, but I was so upset. I also hadn’t wanted to make a big deal about the note I’d gotten. It didn’t seem I had much of a choice.
“I don’t know, but I had a note on my car when I left school the other day. I figured it was a prank. My ex is a cop, so I doubt he would do this.” My arms wrapped tightly around my middle.
“Do you still have the note?” he asked.
“It’s in the car.” I sighed. “In the center console.”
Wearing gloves, he took it out and placed it in a plastic bag before closing the door.
“Who are they referring to as ‘he,’ and is he available for questioning?” the cop asked me.
I shook my head. “We’re not talking right now.”
“Well, we’re going to need to talk to him too.” He handed me his card after he got Maddox’s information from me. I didn’t even want to have to explain all this to him, but I knew he deserved a heads up. Closing my eyes briefly, I centered myself, then opened them and shot off a brief text to him explaining he may get a call.
One last forlorn look at my car, and I turned my back. I couldn’t look at it anymore. Then my dad had it towed away.
“We’ll be in touch,” the officer told me as he shook my dad’s hand and then mine. Silently, I watched him drive away.
“Gwen, don’t you think it’s time you moved to Florida?” my dad asked me as he and I picked up the rental. We’d taken an Uber to pick it up since we had no other transportation and I didn’t want to call Styx.
“Dad. I’m not moving just because someone left me some note and vandalized my car!” Even though my instinct was to run and hide.
“It’s not just your car, Gwen. There are too many memories here for you. Even though I think that’s why you stayed.”
“What do you mean, that’s why I stayed? I stayed because I got a job here. My friends are here.” Exasperation colored my words as we pulled out in a car that was obviously a new rental with only seventy-odd miles. It still had that new car smell, and a little part of me wished I could afford a new car.
“Gwen, you had a full-ride scholarship to Stanford after graduating top in your class in high school. You gave that up to stay here and go to UT for teaching.” My dad sounded as frustrated as I was.
“UT is a great school, Dad.”
“I’m not saying it isn’t, sweetheart. What I’m saying is that’s where Billy was going to go. That’s what he was going to go to school for. I highly doubt that was all a coincidence.” He ran a hand through his hair, then turned in the seat to face me. I continued to stare at the road ahead.
“You didn’t owe him anything, Gwen. What happened wasn’t your fault.”
“Stop.” Tremors ran through me from head to toe. I didn’t want to talk about any of that. I’d nearly forgotten it.
Sort of.
“At least consider it,” my father conceded.
“I don’t want to move to Florida, Dad.” On that I was adamant.
“Is it because of that guy?” He tried to come off as casual, but warning bells rang in my head. Dad was never casual about guy talk.
“What guy?” My voice came out high and shaky.
He stared at me with an impassive expression. “Really, Gwen? We’re going to play it like that? You know what guy. The one who came by and brought you a gift that you haven’t opened. The rough-looking guy I seriously wanted to run a background check on the second I stepped in your door and saw him sitting on your couch.”
“Oh. That guy.” I swallowed with difficulty.
“Yeah, that guy.” He was droll as he watched me like a hawk.
“He’s actually a nurse. S
o I’m sure he had a background check at some point. They don’t let criminals be nurses. Besides we were only friends,” I hedged.
“Were? People who are no longer friends don’t bring gifts to one another’s homes.”
Ignoring his observation, I turned the corner. The sound of the blinker filled the car until I straightened the wheel. What my dad was doing was part of the reason I didn’t want Styx to meet them. Especially now that it was likely that whoever had gotten to my car was the one who’d left the note.
The last thing I wanted was anything to happen to Styx because of me. I wasn’t sure if I’d survive it again. Nor did I want anything to happen to me.
“What we had is over. He just hasn’t gotten the memo yet.” Tears threatened as I pulled into the spot that was miraculously open in front of my building. With the car in park, I left it running for the heat.
“Did he not get the memo because you never sent it? Or is he persistent?” Leave it to Dad to call me out.
“I didn’t exactly tell him. Yet. I’m going to. I… well, I needed some time.” I chewed on my bottom lip as I plucked at the fringe of my scarf.
“Gwen,” my dad said with a sigh. “I’m not saying I like the guy, because I don’t know him, but you can’t lead him on. If you don’t want anything to do with him, you have to tell him.”
A tear escaped, rolling over the curve of my cheek to drop into my lap.
“Hmm. I have a feeling you haven’t said anything because you don’t really want to end things. So my question is, should we invite him to dinner?”
The hint of a smile on his face when I flickered my gaze his way had me letting out a laughing sob. “Seriously, Dad? You want me to intentionally expose him to Mom’s level of intensity? And Darla? God, she practically drools when she tries to get me to invite him over!”
“Mom’s intensity. I like that.” He chuckled as he spoke.
A sniffling inhale preceded my wiping away the few escaped tears.
“Look, I promise to help run interference with your mother. Invite him over. I want to meet him. Well, get to know him,” he insisted.
“Dad….” I hesitated because I didn’t know if I he had overheard me telling the officer about Styx’s possible connection to my car incident.
“No. I’m going to be straightforward with you. I’ve never held my punches with you. I’m not going to start now. Do you have feelings for this Maddox guy?”
“Geez, Dad.” My face heated. I’d yet to say how I was feeling out loud.
“I asked you a question.”
“I know that, but I’m not ten years old anymore, Dad.”
“Oh, I’m fully aware of that. If you were, you’d be in Florida with us.”
“Ugh! Stop with Florida!”
He handed me my phone from the cup holder. “Call him. I’ll grill the steaks on your tiny thing you call a grill.”
Snapping the phone from him, I looked heavenward.
“Fine. But he might be working.” I half prayed he was working.
Trying to hide his smile, my dad got out of the car as the call was ringing through.
“Gwen.” The sound of his voice saying my name caused my insides to flip.
“Hey.” God, I missed him, and it’d only been a few days since he’d walked angrily out of my apartment.
“I’m so glad you called. I wanted to give you time like you asked, but fuck, it was killing me. Are you okay? I just had a call from the Leander cops, but from your text I’m assuming you knew that.” Crap. I was hoping they wouldn’t be able to get ahold of him.
“I’m fine.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about the note?” Ugh, just like my father, he cut right to the chase.
No mercy.
“Because I was afraid for you.”
“You think I can’t take care of myself?” Disbelief carried over the phone line.
“It’s not that. Just sometimes we can’t control other people’s actions, and I didn’t want to take that chance with you.” The thought of something happening to him made me ill.
“How about if you have a little faith in me, and we take things one day at a time.” The deep timbre of his voice sent a little chill skating across my skin.
“Okay,” I breathed. I prayed I wasn’t making a dreadful mistake.
“Was that why you were upset and giving me the brush off the other day?”
“Yes,” I softly admitted.
“Can I see you?”
“Wanna come for dinner tonight?”
“With your family?” A hint of disbelief tinged his question.
My eyes dropped shut, and my head fell back to the headrest. The thought of him with my mother and sister all night had me on the verge of hives. It was going to be a disaster, but I steeled myself to make the best of it.
“Yeah.”
He laughed. “Don’t sound so excited.”
“You were there with my mother and sister the other day. You didn’t even get a small taste of them then. Just you wait.” I sighed.
He continued to laugh.
“Can I come over right now?”
Shock had my eyes popping open. The clock glowed two in the afternoon. There was no way I was going to survive him in the house with my family for that long. “Lordy, I don’t know that you want to subject yourself to that.”
“Let me pick you up to talk, then we’ll go back to your place before supper. Or would your family be pissed?” he asked.
“Let me go up and talk to them. Text me when you get here.”
“Deal. See you soon.” He ended the call, and I wondered if I’d lost my damn mind.
“Fallen”—Seether
There was no way I was giving her time to change her mind. I’d been lazing on my couch in my sleeping pants when she called. As soon as I ended the call, I jumped up, hopped in the shower, dressed, and was out the door within about twenty minutes.
The minute I hit the parking area by her building, I was texting her. I’d caged it over there in case she wanted to find somewhere to sit and talk where we had privacy.
Me: I’m here
Gwen: Be right out
True to her word, she rushed from her building. The quick scan she made of the area didn’t go unnoticed. Worry furrowed her brow, and I hated that.
Before I could even think about opening her door for her, she was hopping in and buckling her belt.
“Let’s go.”
“Well, it’s good to see you too.” I grinned.
A hesitant tip of her lips was what I got in return. “Can we go? Please?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I put the truck in drive and got us moving. “Where are we going?”
“Take a right up here,” she said as she pointed at the next intersection.
I followed her instructions to Devine Lake Park. We parked and sat there for a moment without speaking.
“Do you want to get out and walk?”
“Sure.”
We walked along the path without touching. Because she had her hands in her jacket pockets, I assumed she didn’t want to hold my hand or any mushy shit like that. First, I tugged my beanie down over my brow for warmth, then I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans.
Thanks to the chill in the air, we’d been the only vehicle in the lot. So far we hadn’t encountered any walkers either. Spotting a bench by the playground, I directed us that way.
“Sit by me.”
Worry clouded her face as she looked around, then to me. I read the indecision on her face like a book. “Gwen. No one is here. No one followed us. Sit.”
“Fine.” She sat, leaving about two feet between us. Not having it, I slid her close and wrapped my arm around her and placed my chin on top of her head.
“I’ve missed the fuck out of you.”
Though she didn’t return my sentiment, she did burrow into my side.
“Shit!” I jumped when she tucked her hands under my layers. The cold of her hands had nearly sent me out of my skin. “Damn, your
hands are cold, babe.”
“Sorry,” she mumbled as she pressed her face into my chest.
I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I tugged her until I could get her straddling my lap. Once she had settled, we buried our faces in each other’s necks. I closed my eyes and inhaled, savoring her sweet scent as I held her close.
“I’m scared,” she finally admitted.
Opening my eyes, I leaned back to frame her small face with my hands. “Hey. I’m here. I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe if you let me.”
Those pixie eyes, so big and bright I wanted to drown in them, stared at me. They made me want to wrap her up and save her from all the bad shit in the world.
“What if we’re making a mistake?”
“Does it feel like a mistake?”
“Maddox, it feels like everything good and right.”
Her words sucked my breath away. Incapable of speech, I caught her lips with mine in a possessive assault.
Each second that passed had her small body pressing closer to mine. The heat between her legs rubbed on the hard-as-fuck ridge of my cock until I was in danger of embarrassing myself. Before that happened, I broke away from her sweet lips.
“Gwen.” The gasping exhale of her name was all I could manage.
She whimpered and tried to come back for another kiss, but her hair was wrapped tight in my fingers. Working on my self-control, I held her back.
“Do we have time to run to my place before dinner with your folks?” I finally managed.
“What time is it?” she breathed.
We both looked at my watch when I raised my arm.
“Yes,” she answered. “Let’s go.”
I set her on her feet and hadn’t even fully stood when she was tugging on my hand. “Hurry,” she pleaded.
Amazed, I could only laugh. “I am, babe.”
We damn near ran back to my truck. When she was having a hard time keeping up with my stride, I hefted her onto my back.
Giggling, she clung to me like a little spider monkey as I ran the rest of the way.
I damn near tossed her into the seat, and we both fumbled to buckle her in.
Styx and Stones: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel Page 12
