Page 45 of Loki’s Spellbinder (Hunters Creek Archangel’s Warriors MC #14)

The ache in my heart hadn’t eased. It had grown worse.

It was all I could do to get out of bed every morning.

I would look at the empty side of the bed before I went to sleep and again when I woke.

I missed Loki so much that it made me sick.

I knew I should be thinking and worrying about the fast-approaching hearing for Cedric Alves’s case, but I couldn’t make myself care.

I’d contacted Eli and told him that I couldn’t come into the office to work.

However, if he was willing to do it all remotely, I could do it.

He hadn’t been thrilled about it, but he accepted.

I knew he wanted me to stay on the cases I was assigned.

Eli had asked if I was back at my apartment.

I informed him that I wasn’t. Mom and Rage convinced me to remain with the Pagans.

It was far safer than living in Marietta and didn’t require the poor club to provide constant bodyguards to watch me.

I spent most of my time in my room at Daddy Rage and Mom’s house.

They insisted I come out and have dinner every night with them.

Most nights, they invited Jalisa and Wrath over.

I’d forced myself to help prepare it a few times, but I was sick the entire time and didn’t eat.

Mom was pushing me to see a doctor. I was losing weight without trying.

I had no desire for food. My sleep was filled with dreams of Loki, and I was exhausted no matter how long I slept.

It had been the worst two weeks of my life.

I’d thought about what Loki said and did repeatedly.

And while I felt some things about us were becoming clearer, I couldn’t deal with that while I had Cedric and his possible hit list and a potential enemy behind the car wreck out there.

I refused to suck him further into my drama when he had Xander to care for.

Wrath, Rage, and Mom kept me apprised of news from the Warriors. Loki maintained contact with Wrath as he promised. The paternity test came back proving that Xander was Loki’s son. I was happy for him. I knew Loki would do great once he found his footing as a dad. Xander would be a lucky kid.

Wrath told me that Outlaw’s check into Hendrix’s background came up empty.

His work and personal history showed nothing to indicate he’d do something like try to kill someone.

Hendrix had been a professional bodyguard since discharging from the Marine Corps four years ago.

He’d worked for another agency before coming to the current one a year ago.

It was confirmed that a hit had been put out on me, and someone had accepted it.

Who offered the hundred thousand dollars to do it, and who accepted, remained a mystery.

It was driving us all crazy. The questions of when they would make a move and how were constantly on our minds.

Wrath had asked for extra men, but he requested them from Cherokee.

Agony sent Nitro, Pyro, Spartan, and Guardian.

I didn’t know them as well as others, but I was getting the chance.

Chaos was around as much as he could. He’d hang out and give me companionship, but as much as I loved him, I couldn’t shake the dark, moody cloud I lived under.

Today, I had to go to the office. There was no way around it.

Eli insisted that if I wanted to continue to work remotely, he had to see me in the flesh.

I’d given in to meeting him at noon. While there, I had an appointment to depose someone on another case I was working on.

If all went as planned, I’d be out by four o’clock at the latest. I took extra care with my appearance, but I knew no matter how much makeup I wore, my gauntness and tiredness couldn’t be disguised.

I’d blame it on stress over Cedric. What I wasn’t looking forward to was questions about where Loki was.

Chaos and all four of the Cherokee guys came with me.

Chaos was the one who came inside as my personal bodyguard while the others were scattered outside the building, with Guardian inside as a roaming guard.

We timed my arrival so that I had enough time for them to verify that it was clear and that I could make it through security before I needed to be at Eli’s office.

I made it and was speaking to his assistant with less than ten minutes to spare.

“If you’ll have a seat, I’ll let him know you’re here, Braelyn. We’ve missed seeing you around here. I heard about your accident. I’m so sorry. Are you fully recovered?” Michele asked with concern.

“I’ve recovered. Thanks for asking. It’s been hard not to be here, but it was necessary,” I replied.

“I see you have a different bodyguard. What happened to the last one? I thought the two of you were, you know, together.” Michele whispered the last part.

Chaos was standing a distance away, so she tried not to say it where he could hear her. Damn, the Loki question already. I pasted on the fakest smile I could as I lied.

“We are, but he was needed on another assignment, so Chaos stepped in to take over his duties. It’s alright, I know Chaos, and we’ve been friends for almost four years now.”

“Well, I must say, I’m jealous that you have such hot friends and others willing to protect you. Would they throw themselves in front of you to stop a bullet, I wonder?” Michele mused.

“Yes, I would, and so would everyone else protecting her,” Chaos said out of the blue, confirming he could hear what she said. Michele turned red, hurriedly lowered her head, and tapped away on her keyboard. I had no doubt she was notifying Eli that I was there.

I chose to remain standing. It was maybe three minutes before the door opened to Eli’s office. There stood Hendrix. He was scowling and scanning for Loki. No doubt he was recalling the last time we were near him. When he didn’t see Loki, he focused on me.

“Where’s your bodyguard?” His voice was terse.

“He’s right here,” I said, pointing to Chaos. I knew what Hendrix meant, but he irritated me.

He scowled more. “I meant the one called Loki. Is he lurking somewhere else, too scared to show his face?” he taunted.

“I’m Chaos. Loki was needed on another assignment, but believe me, he would be here if he could. I’ve known Loki for a few years. Nothing scares that man or makes him back down. Anyone messing with Braelyn is guaranteed to earn a world of hurt. Only a fool baits or messes with him.”

Hendrix eyed Chaos up and down. Chaos wasn’t wearing his Pagan Souls’ cut, but he gave the same dangerous biker vibe as Loki. Just thinking of Loki made me want to see him. I missed him so much. My stomach felt hollow. Before Hendrix had time to respond, Eli called from inside his office.

“Hendrix, let her in. You can stay outside with the new guy. Don’t go far,” Eli ordered.

“Yes, sir,” Hendrix said before he moved aside and allowed me to pass him. Before I did, Chaos caught me by the wrist. He gave me a firm look. “If you feel in any way uneasy or off, you yell. I’ll be right here.”

“Chaos, I should be fine, but thank you.” I smiled.

Chaos let go, and I entered the office. I firmly closed the door behind me.

I planned to be the one in control of this meeting, whatever it entailed.

Eli hadn’t told me what the big deal was about insisting I come into the office.

Did we have a new case, and he didn’t want to risk us discussing it over open lines?

He’d done that a few times in the past. I confidently made my way to the chair I typically used and sank into it. He was seated behind his desk.

“Good afternoon, Eli.”

“Good afternoon, Braelyn. It’s been a while. I’ve got to say, it’s good to see you, though you look tired and you’ve lost weight.”

“I’ve been staying up at night, and yes, I’ve lost weight. You look well. Now that the pleasantries are over, what brought me into the office?”

“I told you. I needed to see you and ensure you were alright.”

“That might be a secondary benefit, but it’s not what brought me here. Do we have a new case?”

Eli sighed. “I can never fool you. I asked you here to see how you were holding up with the entire Attila case. We’re almost there. Three more weeks, and hopefully we’ll keep the bastard behind bars. Have you spoken to Ms. Ivy Martin again?”

“I have. I called her yesterday. She’s wavering, Eli. She was less firm about what she saw or didn’t. She’s been reconsidering her stance. I explained in detail who would most likely be hurt by Cedric getting out. She’s not stupid. I’m to call her tomorrow.”

“Good, good. She’s our key witness. If she recants, we’re dead in the water. Despite all the fantastic work you did, it was her testimony that tipped it in our favor. I shudder to think what’ll happen if he’s loose again.”

“We’re not letting that happen, Eli. I can’t say how I know it, but I do. I feel it in my gut.”

“I hope it’s right, though I know your gut usually is.”

“Okay, so tell me what the new case is,” I prodded, making him smirk then chuckle.

“Goddamn, I can’t ever fool you. As a matter of fact, your ability to determine who is guilty and how to prove it is key to this new case.

We’ve been asked to look into another motorcycle club.

I hope that they’re no one you know. It’s a club called the Black Outlaws MC.

Have you heard of them? They have chapters all over, I’ve heard. ”

I fought not to react to the name. Did I know them?

Hell yeah, and they were more or less friends with the Pagan Souls.

Or at least the national president and his national team were in the frenemy position.

They had Jalisa’s dad working with them to help them identify which of their chapters were selling people.

It seemed the national officers wanted nothing to do with it.

They were asking the Pagans and their friends to help stamp it out and to teach them to be less one-percenters in some ways, though they’d never be accused of being angels.