Page 13 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door (Never Just One #4)
Wolf
I ’m determined to catch the sick bastard who sent Harper those photos and make him pay.
Not only has he terrorized an innocent woman because of whatever imaginary claim he believes he has to her, but also because of the damage he’s wreaked in our relationship.
Since the note, Harper has withdrawn, and I swear it feels as if she’s avoiding me.
Whenever I see her, I try to assure her we’ll catch this bastard.
I’ve been careful not to push her further when it comes to ‘us’.
She was so embarrassed that someone was watching us and had caught us on camera.
I wonder if she’ll ever be able to be with me again without thinking of that.
I’m trying to give her space, but the thought of not touching her, not kissing those soft lips, not holding her in my arms, or hearing her moan my name as I make her cum is driving me wild.
Now that I’ve had her, all I want is more. But I have to respect her choice.
When I see her this morning in the kitchen, drinking coffee by the window, it takes every ounce of my self-control not to stalk over there and take her right there and then.
She’s barefoot and wearing the same pajamas as the first night we met, reminding me of the lioness that she was that night, making me want her even more.
I keep my distance to stop myself from doing anything stupid. I can barely stand to look at her. “Good morning,” I manage through gritted teeth as I barely breathe, worried that if I catch the scent of her, I’ll lose control.
“Morning,” she says softly, looking up at me with sad eyes. All I want to do is take her in my arms and tell her it will be okay, but I don’t move any closer.
“Bear, Hawk, and I need to go out today on important Shadow Pack business. Four of our men will come here to protect you and Jenny. Their names are Tiny, Trick, Jumper, and Fox; you probably met most of them at the cookout,” I explain.
Harper looks hurt and confused by the change, but she doesn’t fight it. Maybe she wants me out of the house. Seeing me is probably a constant reminder of the stalker.
To my surprise, she asks, “Why are only some of the Shadow Pack members’ nicknames animals and not all?”
“Sometimes the name is more related to an animal than you might think. Trick, for example, is called that instead of rabbit. It’s a long-winded story, but the guy’s super lucky, we called him our rabbit’s foot, then it became rabbit, and then one day he was eating Trick’s cereal, and it became Trick because he’s a tricky customer too. ”
“He’s also called Rabbit cos he fucks like one,” Bear interjects with a smile as he walks past us, heading to answer the front door, the bell having just rung.
Harper laughs, and the sound is music to my ears. I’ve not heard her laugh or even seen her smile since she got the note. “What about the others?”
“Tiny joined us from another club, so he already had the name. It’s for obvious reasons.”
“But I’ve met Tiny, he’s a giant, he’s got to be at least six foot eight,” Harper exclaims.
“Six nine, I believe. That’s why he’s nicknamed Tiny, it’s ironic,” I reply with a smile.
“Nah, it’s cos he’s got a tiny dick, isn’t that right, Tiny?” Bear says, teasing our friend as he walks into the room.
They play-wrestle for a moment, and Harper rolls her eyes, but in an indulgent, boys being boys kind of way. “What about Jumper?” she asks, turning to me.
“Jumper’s Australian and one heck of a boxer, so naturally a kangaroo came to mind.
That became Jumper after he hooked up with some rival club member’s old lady and jumped out of a two-story window to escape when he came home early.
When he told us the story, he said ‘Thank fuck kangaroos are good jumpers’ and the rest is history.
” I smile to myself at the memory. Thinking back to the kinds of things I used to get up to in my youth.
“I’m lucky that I’m the leader of the pack and therefore get called Wolf; god knows what my nickname would be otherwise. ”
Harper shakes her head. “Nah, you’re too much of a wolf not to be called it. Even I find it strange, the idea of calling you Logan. So what about Fox? Is there a story about how he got his nickname?”
“Nope. Unfortunately not. Fox is a distant cousin of mine. His red hair, and the fact that he’s a cunning bastard were enough to earn him the nickname.”
“So, do your family live nearby?” she asks, seeming surprised. I never talk about my family.
I shake my head. “Thankfully, no. I’m not close with my family.
They live in a trailer park in South Carolina.
They’re drunks, the pair of them, and mean with it.
Beat me until I was big enough to stand up to them.
I moved away as soon as I could, joined the Army at eighteen, and never went back.
I get the occasional email to the club’s account from them; they don’t have any other contact info for me, and they usually ask for money.
I ignore most of them. Fox ran away when he was sixteen and came straight to me.
He’s been a valued member of the pack ever since. ”
I’m surprised that I told Harper this. I don’t usually like to talk about my past. To admit that I’m trailer trash. I don’t like the pity or mild disdain that it usually evokes in people. But Harper doesn’t look at me like that. Instead, she looks at me with what I can only describe as admiration.
“You’re incredibly strong, do you know that?” she says. “Not many people ever have the bravery or self-belief to leave those kinds of situations, let alone to go on to become a success in their own right and then help another person to do the same.”
“I’d hardly call me a success.”
“You are,” she says firmly. “You run the Shadow Pack and all of its assets, which I know for sure includes a successful bar, restaurant, and real estate holdings, and that’s just the things I know about. I think that qualifies as being a successful businessman, and you’re a war hero to boot.”
“Some people might call me a criminal. The Shadow Pack can be known to break the rules and doesn’t always follow the law when it comes to protecting our own.”
Harper’s eyes flash with fire, and I wonder what I said to rile her so badly. “You are not criminals! You are nothing like that. You are good and kind, and you protect people. You don’t kill innocent people.”
Surprised by her outburst, but pleased that she thinks so highly of me, I try to soothe her. “Of course, I know I’m not. It’s just that there are people who think all motorcycle clubs are nothing more than gangs of thugs.”
“Then we prove them wrong. When all of this is over, when we’ve found my stalker and had him put in jail, and you guys sort out whatever issue you’re having with this other club, we show people the real Shadow Pack.”
I feel overwhelmed with relief to hear Harper talking about the future. Does that mean there is one for us? Her confidence in me, her unwavering belief that I can fix everything, is both warming and daunting.
“That sounds like a plan,” I tell her with a smile.
“Ready to go, Prez?” Hawk asks, and I realize that the others have arrived while we’ve been talking, waiting for me.
“Sure.”
We quickly introduce Harper to everyone and then leave.
Jenny is at school, we’ve got one of the prospects stationed nearby to keep an eye out for the stalker as usual.
The school is aware of who can pick Jenny up and who can’t.
She’s safe. Harper is safe. I trust these men with my life; I hope I can trust them with my woman.
I made it perfectly clear in advance to the men that Harper is off-limits.
I’d really hate to have to beat the crap out of any of them if they try anything funny.
“Remember what we talked about,” I say to them.
They nod, not even daring to look at Harper. They know she’s mine.
***
Bear, Hawk, and I arrive at the Rough Riders’ clubhouse a few hours later. My muscles are sore from the long ride, and I stretch as I climb off my bike, relieved to finally remove my helmet. The Rough Riders have been our allies for a long time. Whenever there’s trouble, we have each other’s backs.
“Wolf, Bear, Hawk, it’s good to see you,” Bruce, the president of the Rough Riders, says as we enter the dimly lit club.
Although it’s still early, they already have a few patrons in. A table of four sat eating breakfast, and one red-eyed drunk sat drinking at the bar. Bruce leads the way to a booth in the far corner, gesturing for us to sit.
A cute blonde waitress comes over to take our orders.
I’m relieved that she’s too young to be the type to come onto any of us, and she seems relieved that we don’t try anything either.
She takes our order, most of us opting for something hearty to eat after the long ride, and we also order a pitcher of beer to share.
By the time she returns with our food and a second pitcher, we’re already deep into discussions, having explained the situation to Bruce.
“So, this stalker, you think he could be connected to the recent skirmishes you’ve been having with Satan’s Sons?” Bruce asks.
“It doesn’t make sense if he is. Why target our new neighbor? She only became closer to us because of the notes,” Hawk points out.
“But you have to admit the timing of it is suspicious. Harper gets a stalker, and at the same time, Satan’s Sons start to cause trouble in our turf. Do you have any news about Satan’s Sons? Are they under the same president?” I ask.
“My intel tells me they still have the same prez. However, I’ve heard rumors that they’ve got a new business partner.
Someone with a lot of money. Rumor has it this guy’s some sort of drug kingpin, even involved with sex trafficking.
Is there any chance that your girl knows someone from Satan’s Sons, or has any criminal connection? ” Bruce asks, scratching his chin.
I think about how Harper reacted to the mention of criminality just today. Surely a woman who’s so opposed to the idea of me having any affinity with organized crime couldn’t be involved in it herself?
“I don’t think so. But we don’t know much about Harper’s past. It’s possible, but I doubt it. I don’t think she’s been around bikers before, so I’m pretty sure she hasn’t got ties with Satan’s Sons. If she had I think we’d know about it.”
I feel like the puzzle pieces are there, I just can’t quite put them together to see the bigger picture.
Perhaps they’re not related at all. Harper’s stalker is likely just some freak, obsessed with her beauty and jealous of seeing her with me.
The recent activity could be because of the new partnership Satan’s Sons have with some gangster.
With the backup of a powerful criminal family, they’d feel untouchable.
It makes sense, and yet I feel like there’s a missing piece.