Page 22

E verything’s been quiet. Almost too quiet, and I don’t know how I feel about it. I’m happy that things have calmed down, but this nagging in the back of my mind tells me that shit is still bound to pop off. It’s only a matter of time.

Even though I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, I couldn’t say no to Donna and Viv when they invited me to go shopping with them. It feels nice to be out in public, doing something so normal.

My phone dings in my purse, and I dig it out. An email flashes across the screen and I open it.

Hi Bailey,

My name is Logan, and you came recommended to me by one of my coworkers. She said you helped her when she needed proof that her husband was cheating. I would like to hire you to look into my ex. She’s claiming that she’s pregnant with my child, but the timeline doesn’t match up. I would like it if you could find out if she really is pregnant, and if she is, find out if there is a chance the child is mine. Cost isn’t an issue.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Logan Sanders

“Hey, put your phone away,” Donna says as she comes up next to me.

“Sorry, I got a message from a guy who wants to hire me to look into his ex.”

“Oh anything juicy?” Viv asks as she joins us.

“Just the classic she says she’s pregnant and he’s questioning it.”

Viv hums. “Sounds spicy. Are you going to take it?”

I shrug. “I don’t know yet. I mean, the money would be nice, and it sounds pretty cut and dry, but I need to talk to Hayes before I decide.”

Donna turns toward the rack in front of us and starts shuffling through the clothes. “Have you taken on another job since your friends?”

I shake my head. “No, I haven’t worked on anything since everything went down with Phillip.”

“How’s your friend doing?” Viv asks as she holds up a blouse before sticking it back on the rack.

“I don’t know, honestly. She’s at some health spa that doesn’t allow cell phones. Fang was going to have a friend who lives nearby make sure that she’s actually there and it’s not a decoy,” I tell them.

Donna shakes her head. “I hate that you have to question if something sinister has happened to her or if she just went off the grid for her mental health.”

“Me too, but I’d rather be safe than sorry,” I tell them before turning to Viv. “That’s a cute top, you should try it on.”

“I think I will,” she murmurs before looking over at me. “Are you not trying anything on?”

“I’m sure I will. I haven’t found anything yet, though.” I move to a rack on the other side of them and start shuffling through.

“I can’t wait for Laura to come home, though. I think you two would really like her,” I tell them as I pause on a black shirt.

It’s cute, but I’m pretty sure I have one similar, so I pass by it.

“I remember her from when I was younger, and she was always nice. I can’t wait to meet her now, though,” Donna says as she shoves a skirt toward me. “Try this on.”

Taking it from her, I hold it up. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m not really a skirt person.”

It’s black with a little cut on one side that is held together by a buckle. It’s cute, but not really me.

“Dude, it’s not really a skirt, but one with built-in shorts so you can still ride on the back of Savage’s bike, and he won’t worry about you flashing the world when you get on and off,” Donna tells me.

“First off, it’s called a skort. Second, you and I both know that he wouldn’t let me on the back of his bike in anything other than pants for safety reasons. I’ll try it on, though, because it is cute.”

“That’s so dumb they won’t let you on the back of a bike because of what you’re wearing. Like, hello, it’s the twenty-first century, you can’t tell me what to do,” Viv huffs.

“I mean, I don’t like it either, but I get it. They just want us to be safe. It’s almost like riding without a helmet.” Donna shrugs.

“Yeah, I’d rather not have my skin shredded off down to the bone if we lay down the bike,” I tell her.

Viv cringes. “Okay, that was graphic, but message received. I hadn’t really thought about that. Then again, I didn’t grow up around bikes.”

“Have you ever ridden?” I ask as I add a sweater to my pile.

Viv shakes her head. “No, but I want to. I’ve asked a couple of the guys, and they’ve looked at me like I was crazy before they explained that just giving rides isn’t a thing.”

“Yeah, it’s something special. Hell, the only reason I have is because of my dad. He says the back of his bike is only meant for me and my mom,” Donna says.

I open my mouth to say something sarcastic, but pounding footsteps have me looking over my shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” I ask when I see a frantic-looking Loyal.

He grabs me by the shoulder and starts pushing me toward the back. “Go. I need you three to hide, right fucking now.”

At the end of the racks, I grab Donna, who’s already holding Viv’s hand, and pull them into the personnel-only area of the shop.

“What about you?” I ask as I let them pass me.

Loyal shakes his head and pulls out his gun. “Don’t come out until I tell you to. Call Savage, now.”

“Okay, stay safe.”

Loyal looks back into the store. “I will, now go so I won’t worry about you.”

Reluctantly, I move. I find the girls hiding between heavy metal racks with thick wooden shelves on them.

“What do we do?” Donna whispers.

“Up. Go up,” I tell them.

“What? You want me to climb?” Viv hisses.

“To the very fucking top. Now go,” I demand.

Donna starts climbing, not questioning me. I move to the rack before theirs and climb toward the top. On my side, I lie next to a row of boxes. Very carefully, I part two of them, giving myself a little gap to eye the door. I might not have a way to defend myself, but I’ll sure as hell put up a fight if anyone makes it past Loyal.

With my eyes on the door, I pull my phone back out of my bag and press his number.

“Hey, Bails. Shouldn’t you be shopping with the girls?”

“H-hayes…” I whisper.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?”

I open my mouth to tell him that we need him and that Loyal has us hiding, but before I can say anything, the sound of shots ring through the air, taking my ability to speak with it.

I hear one of the girls choke back a muffled sob, but I don’t move.

I can’t.

Oh god, please let Loyal be okay. I can’t lose anyone else.

“Bailey…” Loyal says breathlessly.

I sit up when he comes into view. “Up here.”

Relief fills his eyes when he sees me. “I got him. You’re safe now.”

“Did you hear that?” I ask Hayes. When he doesn’t respond, I look at the screen and see that he hung up.

Shit, he’s probably on his way.

Very carefully, I get down from the shelf, and the girls do too.

“Did you kill someone?” Donna asks, breathlessly.

Loyal’s jaw clenches as he nods.

“Who is it?” I demand.

Loyal tries to stop me from pushing past him but fails. Leaving the restricted area, I see the body instantly. Avoiding the blood spreading across the floor, I approach the dead man. When I see his face, I gasp.

What? How? Why? I don’t understand…

“Bailey!” I yell as soon as I step into the store.

“Back here!”

I follow her voice, and when she sees me, she starts running. I catch her as she jumps into my arms.

“Baby, are you okay?” I demand as her tears hit the crease between my neck and shoulder, and her body shakes.

“I’m okay. I’m okay.”

Loyal comes into view with a grim face.

“Are you okay?” I ask him.

Loyal nods. “The threat is taken care of.”

Closing my eyes, I blow out a breath. Thank fuck.

Shaking my head, I look back at him. “Where are the girls?”

“Donna and Viv are still in the back room. I didn’t want them to see anything.” His eyes flicker toward Bailey before coming back to me. “I tried to keep her from coming out, but…”

“But she got by you,” I say as I hold her a little tighter.

He nods.

With her still in my arms, I step forward and squeeze his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, Savage,” he says.

I cut him off. “No, I do. I know how shitty it can be to take a life. I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

His eyes glaze over for a second as he looks away. He clears his throat. “It wasn’t the first, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

I nod in understanding. I get it. No one likes talking about the hard shit. We would rather dig our head in the sand and pretend that everything is fine. I won’t let him, though. I’ll keep an eye on him, and if I notice it starting to take a toll, I’ll figure something out to help him.

“Who was it?” I ask.

Loyal shakes his head. “I have no idea, but he came in waving a gun like a lunatic and asking where Bailey was.”

My girl pulls her face from my neck. “You won’t believe it, Hayes.”

“I won’t believe what?”

“It was right in front of us all along. We just never put it together.”

“Baby, what are you talking about?”

Bailey jumps out of my arms, and it takes everything in me not to pull her back.

Fuck. I just want to hold her and have her close. The thought of her not being right next to me right now makes my skin feel tight.

She grabs my hand and pulls me toward the back where a dead man lies.

“Look,” she says, pointing at the body.

“Baby, you shouldn’t be looking at this…”

“Hayes, fucking look!”

Taking my eyes off her, I look at the dead guy and frown. Something about him is familiar, I just don’t know what.

“Am I supposed to know who this is?”

“It’s Clitus Waters,” she tells me.

“What the fuck kind of name is that?” Loyal mutters as he comes to stand next to me.

The name finally clicks in my head.

“That’s the name of the guy who was in a frat with Phillip.

“I didn’t know that, but he grew up on our street. He lived like three houses down from us.”

Son of a bitch. It was right under my nose the entire time.

“Shit, that’s why the name was familiar. Wasn’t he like four years younger than us?” I ask, frowning.

“Yes! He asked me out shortly after you left. I told him it was sweet that he asked but I wasn’t interested in dating. I forgot all about it because shortly after that I met Lance,” Bailey tells me.

“He knew about the teddy bear and everything else,” I mutter.

Shit, the kid had a front-row seat to our lives when we were kids. He sat on the sidewalk and watched when I taught Bailey how to ride a bike. He waved from his porch when she rode on the back of my bike for the first time. He was always just there in the background and apparently coveting what’s mine.

She nods. “Exactly.”

“And you had no idea that this guy was stalking you?” Loyal asks.

“None. I mean, I ran into him maybe once a year, but that’s it, and even then it wasn’t like I would talk to him. It was more like I would spot him at the grocery store or at a stoplight. Nothing else. We never interacted or had a conversation,” she tells us.

“Uh, guys…sorry to interrupt, but do you think we could leave? I really want to see my dad,” Donna says from somewhere in the back.

“Shit, I forgot about them,” Loyal mutters.

My phone dings, and I pull it out of my pocket. “Perfect timing. The clean-up crew is here. You take the girls out the back and head back to the clubhouse.”

“Are you sure?” Loyal asks.

“Yeah, we will be right behind you,” I say as the door opens again.

Loyal bounces, and I get to work, telling the cleaners what I want done. Once they are taken care of, I grab Bailey by the hand and lead her out the front door. She waits for her friends to get into their car. Wordlessly, she gets onto the back of my bike, and we take off back to the clubhouse.

The entire ride I drive with one hand because I can’t stop holding hers where they rest on my stomach. The feeling of her heart beating against my back soothes me in a way I didn’t know was possible. Today could have gone differently if Loyal hadn’t been with her. I easily could have lost her.

But I didn’t. She’s still here.

When we pull up to the clubhouse and shut off the bike, the sound of music fills the air.

Shit.

“What’s going on?” Bailey asks as she gets off.

“Well, it was supposed to be a surprise. We’re having a little party, but I can send everyone home,” I tell her.

“What are we celebrating?”

I grab her hand and pull her body into mine. “Tonight I was going to ask you to officially become my old lady in front of everyone and give you a cut, but if it’s too soon after the shit day you’ve had, I’ll send everyone home and we can do it another time.”

Bailey cups my jaw between her little hands. “You threw me a surprise old lady party?”

“I did.”

“And the girls were in on it?”

“Yeah. Like I said, though, we can reschedule it. It’s not a big deal. Everyone will understand.”

Bailey shakes her head. “No, I don’t want to reschedule.”

I raise my eyebrows. “You don’t?”

“Not at all. I want to go in there and hang out with our friends. I want to celebrate the fact I’m still alive, and that I’m with you. I want you to put that vest on me so everyone knows once and for all who I belong to.”

I grab her by the back of the neck and pull her into me, kissing her deeply. When I’m done, I rest my forehead against hers.

“I fuckin’ love you, Bailey.”

“I love you too. Now let’s get in there before the guys eat everything.”

How she can be thinking about food at a time like this, I don’t know, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.