Page 10

W hen we pull up to my house, I’m both sad and thankful. Sad that the ride is already over but thankful because the sun has set, and it was a little bit of a colder ride than when we left earlier.

Note to self: next time, bring a jacket, no matter how warm it is.

“Well, thanks for today,” I say awkwardly as I get off the bike.

“You don’t need to thank me, Bails. You know I’ll always come for you,” Hayes says as he sits on his bike. “Hey, random question. Is that old drive-in still open?”

I smile as I think about the place we used to go all the time when we were kids. “Sadly no. It shut down about four years ago. I think it’s for sale, though.”

“Really? I wonder how much they want for it…” he muses.

“No idea, more than I have,” I say, making us both laugh.

“Want me to walk you in?”

“I got it.” I smile as I turn away from him. “I’ll see you later?”

“You can count on it,” he says as I walk away.

I make my way up the front steps of my house and unlock the door. I look over my shoulder and laugh softly when I see that he’s still sitting on his bike, watching to make sure I make it in okay.

Pushing open the door, I step inside. Before I can even shut the door behind me, I feel it.

There’s a tension in the air that I can’t quite place. Almost as if something is off. My heart races as it clicks. Either someone was in my house or currently still is. Swallowing hard, I take a quiet step backward and back onto the porch. Without looking or turning away from the house, I make my way back down the steps.

“Bails, what is it?” Hayes asks, the concern in his voice clear.

“I think someone’s in there,” I say softly, still staring through the front door, willing someone to walk by to prove that I’m not crazy.

I hear Hayes get off his bike and feel him approach.

“Go stand by my bike and have your phone ready to call for help if I tell you to,” he demands as he brushes by me.

I watch as he pulls a gun out of his waistband and heads inside. Without questioning him, I head toward his bike and pull out my phone.

Then I wait. And wait. The time feels like it’s ticking by at a snail’s pace, my anxiety growing by the second.

What if someone attacked him and he never saw it coming because it’s dark? What if he needs help and I just don’t know it? I should go in and help. What I will do? I don’t know, but he needs someone watching his back, right?

Biting my lip, I take a step forward, ready to intervene when he steps out onto the porch. I watch him put his gun back in his holster as he scans the street.

I rub my hand over my heart, willing it to slow down. “Anything?”

Hayes shakes his head, frowning. “I didn’t find anyone. You need to come check it out and tell me if anything is off.”

I walk toward him, and when I’m within reach, he places his hand on my lower back, ushering me inside.

“I fucking hate that I have to let you in here to tell me that everything is where it should be. I should know this shit,” he grumbles.

“You’ll know soon enough,” I tell him softly as I begin to scan my place.

My living room is clear, the book I left on the couch is still in the place I left it last night. My bed is made, and my bathroom is picked up. Just how I left everything.

I begin to relax when I see that nothing is off. Everything looks as if it should.

Maybe it was just my imagination and there was nothing there.

Feeling like an idiot, I round the corner into the kitchen and stop dead in my tracks. Hayes bumps into my back.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” he demands.

Mouth dry, I do the only thing I can and point at the flowers that are on my counter.

“Bails…did someone you know die? Is that why you have lilies? You fucking hate that flower because they remind you of funerals,” Hayes says softly.

“I didn’t put them there,” I whisper.

Hayes pushes me gently to the side and walks forward, plucking the note out of the bouquet. His jaw clenches and his hand fists as he reads it.

“What does it say?” I ask as I rub my arms, suddenly cold.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Hayes, tell me,” I demand as he pulls out his phone.

Ignoring me, he places a call.

“Hey, I need you to get over to Bailey’s place. Someone was inside,” he says.

Stepping forward, I rip the note from his hand while he’s distracted.

“Shit, Bailey, don’t read that.”

Turning my back to him, I look down at the rumpled paper and instantly wish I didn’t.

Pretty girl all alone.

No one to save her now.

Mine until we die.

Covering my mouth, I sob. I don’t even hear Hayes hang up the phone. He ignores the way I flinch when he wraps his arms around me, trying desperately to hold me together.

“I don’t understand, Hayes. Who’s doing this?” I ask as I cry.

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.” He turns my face toward him and looks me in the eye. “I can promise you, though, Bailey, whoever this twisted fuck is, he won’t get you. I won’t let him come anywhere near you. You understand?”

“You can’t promise that.”

“I just did. Now be a good girl and let me hold you until the guys get here,” he says before tucking my head right under his chin.

And I do. I let him hold me as I break.

While we wait for the guys to show up, I hold her. The way her body racks against me as she sobs kills me, but at the same time, words can’t describe how it feels to have her body next to mine as we cling to each other. I fucking hate that it’s under these circumstances. That I’m only holding her because someone is terrorizing her.

Someone was in her home. They violated her privacy. She might have said that everything looked how it was supposed to, but that doesn’t mean that they didn’t do something and we just haven’t figured it out yet.

And what the fuck was up with that note?

Mine until we die?

I don’t know who this asshole thinks he is, but she’s never been his. She’s always been mine and mine alone, even when she was engaged to another man.

The sound of rumbling bikes fills the air.

Bailey pulls away and wipes off her cheeks. “Sorry about getting tears and snot all over you.”

“I’ll be your hanky anytime.” I wink, making her laugh.

“I’m going to go splash my face with water,” she says, pointing over her shoulder toward the hall where the bathroom is.

I know by the time she comes back it will be as if the tears never happened, and she will act like this isn’t a big deal. Like this didn’t terrify her.

“Sounds good. Come out when you’re ready.”

I watch her walk away. I hate to watch her go, but love to watch her leave.

Shaking my head, I head to the front door and open it. Loyal jerks back, clearly caught off guard when I open the door before he could knock.

“What’s up?” Loyal asks, recovering quickly.

I move to the side and they come inside.

“Everything okay?” Loyal asks.

“Honestly, no. Someone was in here when we were gone,” I say, making Fang’s eyes narrow.

“You think that asshole from earlier got in?”

“What asshole?” Loyal asks, looking between us.

Quickly, we fill Loyal in on what happened before Bailey came to the clubhouse and then what we found when we got back.

“Seriously? I would have never guessed with the way she was acting,” Loyal says quietly.

“That’s because she’s good at pushing shit down when she needs to,” I tell him.

“Hey, thank you two for coming out. I’m sure it was just one big misunderstanding,” Bailey says as she walks in, cutting off our discussion.

“Forgive me for saying this, but someone breaking into your place isn’t a misunderstanding,” Fang tells her.

She cringes. “Wishful thinking. So what happens next?”

“Now, they are going to go check around the house outside. See if anything stands out or if anyone’s seen anything,” I tell her.

The guys take their marching orders and head outside, and we fall silent.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “And then? What happens when they come back?”

“While they are out there making sure that everything is clear, you are going to go pack a bag.”

“Why would I pack a bag?”

“Because you’re coming to stay at the clubhouse with me.”

Bailey looks at me as if I’m crazy. “No, I’m not. I’m staying here.”

“Like hell you are. Someone was in your house, Bailey, and we don’t know how they got in.”

“I’m not letting some creep chase me out of my home, Hayes. I’m not leaving.”

“Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I snap, pinching the bridge of my nose. I don’t mean to yell, but it just slipped out.

This whole situation has me pissed off and feeling out of control. If there is one thing I hate, it’s not being in control.

“No, I’m not kidding you, and I hate to point it out, but this isn’t your choice, it’s mine. My house, my rules.”

“Bailey, be serious. You need to come stay at the clubhouse for at least the night and preferably until we find this sick fuck.”

“Sorry, not sorry, that’s not going to happen,” she says, shaking her head.

Before I can say anything else, someone clears their throat. I look over my shoulder and see Loyal and Fang standing on the porch, awkwardly watching us. Fang has his hand on Loyal’s shoulder, holding him in place, like the kid was on the verge of running away.

“Can we help you?” I hiss.

“Hayes Alexander…” Bailey warns.

I take a deep breath and close my eyes. How in the fuck did this get so out of control?

“What can we do for you?” I ask, feigning calmness.

“I hate to interrupt, but if Bailey doesn’t want to leave, Loyal and I can take shifts sleeping on her couch, that way she isn’t alone.”

“Yes, that’s a great idea!” Bailey says.

“Absolutely not,” I say at the same time.

I turn and glare at her, only to find her giving me the same look.

“Are Mom and Dad fighting?” Loyal whispers.

“Yeah, kid, it happens sometimes. We just got to ride it out,” Fang tells him.

Bailey tears her eyes away from me and frowns at the other two in the room. “I’m not old enough to be your mother. If anything, I’d be your sister,” she tells Loyal.

“But he’s basically Dad…” Loyal says, pointing at me.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fuckin-A. Can we get back on track, please?”

“There’s nothing left to say. They agreed to sleep on the couch and make sure no one steals me in the middle of the night,” Bailey says.

“Hey, can we not talk about you getting snatched? That makes me uncomfortable,” Loyal says.

I shoot him a dirty look before looking back at my woman. “Nothing was decided. They offered, and that’s it. If anyone is going to sleep on your couch, it’s going to be me.”

She raises a brow. “Oh really?”

“Really. So get ready for it, Bails. We’re about to have a sleepover just like the old days.”

“Come on, Loyal, I think it’s time for us to bounce,” Fang says.

The only sign of their departure is the sound of their boots walking away.

“Are we really doing this?” she asks after a moment of silence.

“Damn right, we are.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

“And you’re one in mine, baby. That’s just the way we roll.”