Page 33 of Loki’s Spellbinder (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #14)

The past day and a half had been a somber one.

Mom was crushed by what Hayes said and how he acted.

No matter what an asshole he was, he was her son.

However, we had to face the truth. He would never see our side of things and would continue to defend the man who made our lives hell.

I did fear that if he ever found a woman or had kids, he might repeat history with them.

Dinner that night had been a quiet affair.

When we were done eating, we insisted that she and Rage have private time.

They chose to spend it together in their room.

We cleaned up the mess and then returned to Wrath and Jalisa’s for a few hours.

It wasn’t until I yawned a few times that Loki said it was time to take me back and put me to bed.

The following day, while Daddy Rage was at the clubhouse doing something and Loki was there talking to Wrath, I got time alone to talk to Mom about the whole thing. We’d gotten some hurt out and had a good, long cry. We both agreed we felt cleansed afterward.

Later, even though it was a Saturday, I received a call from Eli. It was an interesting call.

“Alexander, it’s Eli,” I told him after I looked at my phone to see who was calling.

“Answer and put him on speaker.”

Doing as he wanted, I made sure to sound calm and professional. “Hello, Eli, what a surprise. I expected you to be enjoying your weekend. I hope there’s nothing wrong.”

“Hello, Braelyn. I’ve been enjoying several things, but I wanted to call and check to see how you’re doing. I heard you were discharged. I went by your place the other day, but you weren’t there. I wanted to see if you were somewhere you could recover.”

I wasn’t about to pretend I didn’t know he was the one who told my brother about the wreck. He was the only one who could’ve.

“Surely, my brother told you I was at the Pagan Souls’ compound in Lake Oconee. After all, that’s where he came last night. I know you were the one who told him about my wreck.”

“I, uhm, well, yes, I did. I know you don’t speak, but he and I met about a year ago. He informed me he was your brother and asked that if you were ever in trouble, I should let him know. He hated the rift, he said, between you, him, and your mom.”

“The rift he was responsible for. Anyway, you’ll be happy to know there will be no need to inform him of anything if he hasn’t already told you. We are no longer family. Is that all you called about?”

“Actually, I did want to know how you were. I didn’t speak to your brother after he visited you. I’m sorry it went badly. I’m concerned about you. You get hurt, we have a dangerous convict who most likely has put a hit out on you, and now you disappear with Loki to a motorcycle compound.”

“It’s for my protection that has us staying here with the Pagans. They’re my family.”

“Braelyn, do you hear yourself? You call that gang your family, yet you go after other clubs for doing the same things. How do you think that’ll look if others find out?

It’s a conflict of interest, and you should’ve told me of your deep connection to them,” he said.

The reprimand was in his tone. I held up my hand so Loki wouldn’t say anything.

“Let me be very clear on something, Eli. My family is none of your business. And yes, the Pagans are family. I never went into detail on that fact because there was no need. A conflict of interest doesn’t exist. The Pagan Souls are nothing like the Brutal Rebels MC.

My stepbrother is the president of the Pagans here in Lake Oconee.

His father is my mom’s man. This club doesn’t deal in the illegal stuff the Rebels do.

All of their businesses are legitimate and successful.

They don’t sell guns and drugs. They don’t kill people for hire, rape, or force people into human slavery and other things.

The simple fact they’re in an MC doesn’t make them evil. ”

“But you should’ve still told me. If someone were to bring this up, we might have a problem. Anything that makes us appear in a bad light has to be vetted.”

I refused to say more. All Eli was worried about was his chance for re-election. When I remained silent, he went to a different topic.

“I know you’ve had only a couple of days off. I wondered if the doctor had given you an idea of how long you would need to be out?”

I didn’t want to leave before a new job was lined up. So, however much time I could wiggle out of this job, the better.

“My doctor wants me to request a short-term leave due to my health and the fact that the wreck has caused me to have anxiety and flashbacks. However, I don’t want to leave you in the lurch with my cases, so I merely ask to work remotely for the next month.

I have no trials or anything of that nature in that time.

I’ll be able to handle everything via phone and computer.

If we need to have work meetings, those can be done via video conferencing.

At the end of that time, I can resume working full-time.

” I made sure my tone was full of conviction.

I’d do everything in my power to ensure I had a new job lined up by then.

“I don’t like the idea of you working that way. What if dates change for the hearings and trials?” he responded.

“If they change, we’ll deal with those as they arise. If this is too much of an issue, then I’ll submit the paperwork to HR on Monday to take short-term medical leave. My doctor has signed the paperwork for me to request it. That’s what she prefers.”

The thing was, I was Eli’s main prosecutor.

And not to brag, but no one paid attention to the details like I did.

I thoroughly vetted my facts and planned my strategies meticulously before a trial.

When it came to conviction rates, I had the highest one by far.

I made him and the office look good. If he chose to do a case himself, not even Eli could reach my level.

“No, no, that’s alright. We’ll make do. I don’t want you to harm your health. I’m just worried. Having you out of my sight with this threat out there worries me. At least if you’re in the office, I can see that you’re okay.”

“I’ll be fine. Loki is with me, after all. He’ll ensure that I’m safe and sound no matter where I am.”

Eli had tried to hem and haw around about his concerns, but I cut him off with the excuse that I needed to rest.

However, Eli and, hopefully, the danger were left behind in Georgia earlier today.

Loki and I had left the Pagans’ compound and journeyed to Hunters Creek.

I ran out of excuses for why I couldn’t go with him.

And Loki had a valid point. Ultimately, I’d be moving there anyway.

As his old lady, I would never try to make him patch over to another club.

And while I would miss Mom and the Pagans, we’d stay in touch.

Mom had asked me what I was waiting for.

She told me that she would never expect me to stay for her, just as Hayes had no right to try to force us to remain in his life by giving up those we loved.

And I did love Loki the way she loved Rage.

As soon as I told Loki yes, he had us ready to go in less than a day.

Mom had packed more than I’d asked for at my apartment when she and Rage went to get our stuff.

She explained it was in anticipation of my heading to Tennessee.

Once the danger was over, I’d pack and move the rest of my belongings to Hunters Creek and give up my place.

I was more concerned about finding a job than my apartment.

I had decent savings, but I hated the thought of using it when I was perfectly capable of working.

Sitting around doing nothing would quickly drive me mad.

In case the Pagans’ compound was being watched, we were smuggled out of the back gate and given an escort.

Predator, Stalker, and Bram, from Loki’s chapter, arrived early this morning and entered the compound through the rear entrance.

When we left, Loki left ahead of time with Stalker and waited a distance away for the rest of us.

Since my car was gone, Bram brought a Warriors’ SUV to drive me there.

When we met up with Loki and Stalker, I breathed a sigh of relief.

The further we got away from Lake Oconee, the easier I breathed.

Loki and Predator stuck with Bram and me, while Stalker would fall back randomly to backtrack to ensure we didn’t have a tail.

It might sound like overkill, but we preferred to be overly cautious rather than take a chance.

We didn’t want to bring danger to Hunters Creek.

The guys insisted we stop twice to allow me to move around and use the bathroom.

I didn’t complain because it meant Loki would, too.

And I was in a comfortable vehicle while he was riding his bike.

Seeing him wearing his cut made me smile.

I knew how much he disliked going without it for the past few weeks, although he never complained.

I was relieved when we entered the Warriors’ compound, and the gate closed behind us. I blew out a breath.

“Surely you didn’t doubt my ability to get you here safely? I mean, you could the other three, but I have mad driving skills,” Bram told me as he parked outside the clubhouse. He winked and grinned, then opened his door.

I was laughing when my door was opened, and my man held out his hand for me to take. I slowly got out. I was stiff and sore.

“What’re you laughing about, Spellbinder?” he asked. Loki was moving more slowly than usual.

“At Bram. Your prospect thinks he’s either a comedian or a master driver.”

“Hey, what’s said in the car stays in the car, Braelyn. Don’t make them feel worse than they already do,” Bram joked.

“Oh, I’ve got to hear this,” Stalker said. He and Predator had walked over to join us.