Page 11

Rex

As soon as I woke up this morning, I called Reeves. I let the phone ring until it went to voicemail, disconnected, and called again. On the third try, Reeves’ sleepy and irritated voice answers.

“Good morning, Sunshine. Need you to pick up Trigger at the shop and come get Aria’s car from my place.”

“Chubs is the wrecker driver. Call him, asshole,” Reeves responds.

“Not happening. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him about Aria yet, and he’s busy with club stuff today. Be here in an hour,” I order, then disconnect.

I chuckle at his shouted curse words before my finger hits the disconnect button, but I know he’ll do as I asked. Ordering Higgins to brew coffee, I walk across the hall and use the guest bathroom since Aria’s using mine. Leaving there, I retrieve two cups of coffee and make my way back to my bedroom. I hand Aria hers when she emerges from the bathroom and smile at her sigh of appreciation.

“Busy day for you?” I ask.

“Yeah. You?”

“Yep. Reeves will be here shortly to get your car to the shop, then I’m heading to the office to view more video footage. I have club stuff to get done today too, but you’re my first priority. Do you want me to come to your place after work?”

She hesitates for a moment, then shakes her head.

“Can I come here instead?” she asks in an almost timid voice.

I sit my cup down and walk to stand in front of her. Cupping both sides of her face, I nod before leaning in for a kiss. When I pull my mouth away, I place it close to her ear and whisper, “The answer to that will always be yes.”

My hands feel her cheeks move into a smile, and I lean back to view it. I give her another kiss, brief but sweet, and release her.

“I better get moving, or I won’t be ready for my first appointment,” she says, and I follow her to my garage and hand her the keys.

“If you’re done before I am, my house key is on that ring. Make sure no one is hanging around before pulling into the garage. The code is 21142 for the security system. Make yourself at home, and let me know when you arrive and are inside.”

Sending Aria off to work in my car, I grinned at the excitement I saw in her eyes about driving it. Straddling my bike, now that she’s safely on her way, I strap on my helmet and make a mental note to pick up one for Aria. She may not like the idea of riding with me, but I want to have one in case she changes her mind. I won’t push her about it, though. I would love to have her tight against my back, arms around my waist, her thighs cradling my hips, but only if she feels comfortable being there.

Arriving at the office, I’m surprised to see that Marti is already here and has it open for business. When I enter, I find her cleaning around the coffee area, straightening, and restocking the k-cups.

“Hey, Rex. Good morning. Anything special you need me to do today?” she asks brightly.

“Morning, Marti. Nothing that I know of offhand. Just the regular stuff that we talked about, but if anything comes up, I’ll let you know. I’ll be in my office if you need anything,” I answer and grin at her.

“Okay, cool. Um, Rex? This is probably a dumb question, but am I dressed appropriately for this job?” Marti hesitantly asks while holding her arms out from her sides.

I look over her nice blouse and dress slacks and am a little confused why she’d ask. She looks fine and is dressed very appropriately. In fact, I would be fine with it if she wore jeans and a t-shirt. We’re bikers, and we’re not formal. When I tell her that, she smiles a little sheepishly.

“I’ve never had a job that required nice clothes before, so I was kind of excited about getting to look professional, you know,” she says softly.

“You look very professional, and you’re going to make the rest of us look like slobs. I’m glad you’re here, Marti. The place can use a little upgrade in the professional department, and you’ll give it that. I know a new job can be scary, but I’m only a few steps away if you have any questions. I want you to like it here, to be a part of our team, so let me know if I can help with that,” I say with a smile to my newest employee.

Marti beams at me, and I walk down the hall feeling better about my choice. She may need this job as much as I need her here. Marti has not had an easy life, not any better than Candy has, and she deserves some good in hers now too.

Horse is sitting in my office on the couch fiddling with his phone when I walk in. That explains how Marti got in the building before I arrived and also reminds me to get her access codes and a key today. Another thing to add to my long list of shit to do.

“Why are you here so early?” I ask Horse as I take a moment to view the pristine appearance of my office.

Reeves might have an injured cock, but it didn’t stop him from doing a great job at cleaning.

“Wanted to talk with you before the guys get here.”

“About?” I question.

“Why do those two fucktards have their own office, but I don’t?” Horse asks.

“Basically, because you haven’t been here that long and don’t really need one yet,” I answer honestly.

“Figured as much. Still, I’d like to have my own space. I live with Reeves and now have to share a van and an office with him, too.”

“You should have thought twice about taking him in as a roommate. Boot his ass back to the clubhouse, and you’ll have hours of your own space each night,” I state with a laugh.

“What’s the donkey man whining about now?” Pigeon asks as he walks into the room.

“Horse, not donkey, asshat,” Horse sputters.

“Wants his own office.”

“Tired of Reeves already?” Pigeon asks with a clear taunt in his voice and a smirk on his face.

“I don’t feel like I’m a valued member of this unit when I’m the only one without an office,” Horse insists.

“You’re not a valued member. You’re a pity hire Gunner forced on us,” Pigeon states with a loud laugh.

Horse bales off the couch and tackles Pigeon before he can make an escape. They hit the floor hard, and the wrestling commences. Well, that escalated fast. I step to the side to avoid getting tangled up with them as Reeves walks in. Jumping over the two supposedly grown men on my floor, he stops next to me, watching the action. After a moment, he speaks, and his words make me cringe, knowing I’ll never feel clean again.

“They wouldn’t be rolling around down there if they knew how much of my DNA they’re wrestling in.”

I have Marti call the customers we have installs for today and reschedule. I get the guys in front of their computers and get them going through videos from all the camera systems I acquired access to. I give them a description of the man that we’re looking for and then return to my office.

After ordering new flooring, not carpet this time, and a new desk chair, I rummage around in the storeroom until I find a large tarp. I wrap it over my chair before sitting down.

Opening the video that Aria took on her phone of the guy, I study it closely. She’s right. There is something familiar about him, but I can’t place what it is exactly. I go back through every video from her system over and over again, looking for something I missed. I then move to the videos from my system. The only thing I know for sure is it’s the same guy. Same clothes, same walk.

I have to switch gears for a while when Chubs texts me information about the guys the club has been watching. It’s frustrating but necessary, so I shove my feelings aside and get busy. I lose track of time as I move through the information and try to piece it all together. When Marti appears at my side, takeout container in hand, I tell her thanks without looking up. The food grows cold, and the pile of Monster drink cans pile up as I continue trying to connect the dots. I’m so into what I’m doing I don’t realize Pigeon is shouting my name until an ink pen bounces off my head.

“What?” I shout, irritated at being interrupted.

“Found something you need to do your magic with, dickwad,” he says before dropping a sheet of paper on my desk.

“What’s this?”

“A license plate number. Stalker boy climbed into a car three blocks away from Aria’s place, and that’s the plate number. You’re welcome,” Pigeon says before flipping me off and leaving my office.

All thoughts of club business leave my mind as I snatch up the sheet and turn back to my keyboard. After a brief time, I have the name associated with the plate number and their address. Hitting Chubs’ contact on my phone, I wait impatiently for him to answer.

“What up, brother?” he answers.

“I have a name and address from a plate number of the car the guy drove off in,” I state.

“Which guy?” he asks in a confused voice.

“Aria’s stalker,” I nearly shout.

“Oh, shit! I thought you were talking about the—it doesn’t matter. Give me the info, and I’ll do a drive-by. See what I can find.”

“The name is Gwen Cartier. No idea who she is, but her plates were on the car he was using,” I say before giving him the address and disconnecting.

I jump up and rush to Pigeon’s office. I want to view the footage myself and see if he’s found anything else. He hasn’t yet, but the guy in the video is definitely the same guy who was at Aria’s place. Pigeon moves out of the way, and I take over his laptop. I send the footage to my laptop and return to my office. I pull up the footage, find what I’m looking for, and then put my skills to work.

Minutes, probably more like hours later, I realize that every business or home with cameras along the way the dirtbag traveled didn’t record anything more than Aria did. Head down, hoodie pulled up, face hidden. I scan each one again to be sure, but the result is the same. In frustration, I pick up and throw my half-drunk Monster can across the room. Not that it helped in the least. I’m still frustrated and now have Monster energy drink dripping down my wall.

“Fuck!” I shout.

“Is this what a techie looks like when he’s having a temper tantrum?” Gunner asks from the doorway.

“Yeah, exactly like this,” Pigeon answers as he pushes past Gunner and enters my office.

“Sometimes he stomps his little feet too,” Reeves adds as he follows the path Pigeon made.

“We keep a box of Kleenex close to mop up his tears,” Horse states as he starts to follow his two stupid coworkers but gets jammed to a stop by our club President’s large body.

I almost smile when I see the irritated look on Gunner’s face that’s aimed at Horse. Horse’s eyebrows draw down in confusion, and I smile when I see Gunner give a little extra push, squeezing Horse against the door jam.

“Why is every single employee of this business in the building and not out on jobs?” Gunner asks while still eyeing Horse.

“Needed them to go through video, Prez,” I answer.

I’m more than a little surprised that Gunner is asking a question like that. He never interferes with how the businesses are run unless there’s a major problem. He leaves the day-to-day stuff up to the manager, and in this case, that’s me.

“Every single one?” he continues to question.

“Yes. I have dozens of security feeds that need to be viewed. Is there a problem?” I ask.

Gunner finally steps aside and lets Horse enter the office. Horse gives me a look that seems to be asking what our Prez’s problem is, but I have no answer for him. Looking back at Gunner, I wait for him to answer my question.

“Chubs said he gave you some information, and you were working on it. Got anything yet?” Gunner asks instead of answering.

“Not much yet. I started on it but haven’t finished,” I answer honestly but not fully.

“It’s top priority, Rex. Work on only that until it’s finished. Need whatever you can find, and I need it yesterday,” Gunner states. “You have extra people, all right here, to help now, so I’ll be expecting it soon.”

I feel my temperature rising at what sounds like criticism. Nobody puts in more hours than I do, but also, nobody knows what my job completely entails. When Axel leaves the gym, his job is done for the day. Same with Petey and the auto shop. Not the same for me. My phone never stops with texts or calls, people needing or wanting something. I keep that to myself and draw in a deep breath instead.

“I’ll get it to you as soon as I have it, Prez,” I reply in an even tone. “But I’m also trying to track down the identity of Aria’s stalker, so I have a full plate even with the additional help.”

“Has he stepped things up with her?” Gunner asks.

“Yes, he has, so I’ve made her a priority too,” I respond, and I’m completely prepared to argue and ignore an order from my president if he disagrees.

Gunner stares at me for a long moment, and I’m waiting for his next comment when he turns and leaves. Looking around the room, I see I’m not the only one who’s confused about his attitude.

“What’s his problem?” Horse finally puts into words what we’re all thinking.

“No idea,” I mutter. “Anyone find anything else?”

All three shake their heads in the negative, and I sigh.

“See ya’s tomorrow,” Horse says before walking toward the door.

“Wait. Where are you going?” I ask.

“Home. It’s after five o’clock, boss,” Pigeon states as he and Reeves follow Horse.

Glancing at my laptop, I see that it is indeed past closing time. For them, anyway. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I see I missed a few texts from Aria.

Me: I got tied up and won’t be home for a while. You at my place yet?

Aria: No. Drew said you were probably going to be busy so I’m having dinner with mom and Les. I’ll text when I leave here and see if you’re going to be home or not. If not, I’ll go to my place. I have to get used to being there.

Me: I’m sorry. I’d rather spend the evening with you than be here.

Aria: Me too but it’s ok. I understand.

Me: Thanks

Walking to the front of the business, I double-check on things and am glad to see that Marti did everything correctly. She’s going to work out great, and it’s nice having an employee that doesn’t argue about everything. Returning to my office, I pull up the file I need to find Gunner his answers.

I spend the next couple of days tethered to my computer. Aria and I text, and I fit in a couple of phone calls, but I don’t get to see her. Every time I gather everything Gunner needs, additional information comes in, and I’m back to the computer. To make things worse, I’ve found nothing new about the stalker either.

Being Saturday, Pigeon is off, but I asked Reeves and Horse to come in today, and they agreed. They’ve been helpful with minimum bullshit, and I’m secretly impressed by it. Even more impressive is that Marti showed and asked how she could help too. My phone alerts me to a new text, and I grin when I see who it is from.

Aria: I know you’re busy but is it okay if I stop by with food for you?

Me: Always!

Aria: I’ll be there in an hour.

Me: Can’t wait

My mood is greatly improved knowing Aria will be here soon. I head to the bathroom to clean up the best I can, knowing I look like hell. I pop into the other offices and check in on everyone’s progress, then return to my own work. Finally, the hour passes, and I hear the door up front open and close. Rising, I step out of my office in time to watch Aria walk through the lobby and then down the hallway toward me. I’m so engrossed in just watching her I forget my manners until she speaks.

“A little help would be appreciated,” Aria says with a small laugh.

Feeling like an ass, I rush forward and take the stack of pizza boxes and a grocery bag. Aria follows me back to my office with a few smaller bags. I clear a spot on a conference table and spread the pizza boxes out.

“I wasn’t sure what everyone liked, so I got a variety of things. I may have brought enough to feed you guys for a week,” Aria states while setting out paper plates, napkins, and plastic silverware.

“I smell pizza,” Reeves says as he makes a beeline for the boxes.

“Hi, Aria. All of this for just us? How kind of you,” Horse says as he starts rifling through the bags we haven’t emptied out yet.

“You guys are like vultures,” I mutter. “Did you tell Marti that food is here?”

“Probably didn’t. You might want to holler down the hall and let her know,” Reeves says as he’s filling a plate high with pizza.

I leave the room long enough to let Marti know, and when I return, Horse is wolfing down a large sub sandwich. Looking at the table I realize Aria did bring a variety of things. Giving her a smile, I snatch up the takeout container with nachos piled high in it, a Coke, and take a seat. Aria sits next to me with a slice of pizza, but her eyes are on Marti entering the room.

“Hi, Aria! I wondered who brought the food,” Marti says with a wide grin.

“Hi, Marti. Nice to see you again. I didn’t know you worked here. I hope I brought something you like,” Aria answers.

“I just started working here instead of the strip club. So much nicer,” Marti explains. “Pizza! My favorite! Thanks, Aria.”

The room quiets while everyone eats their meal. The only sounds are that of wrappers or pop cans being opened and the occasional moan of appreciation from Horse. I hear the front door open again, and before I can go see who’s arrived, Chubs enters the room. Eyes wide at all the food on the table, he’s visibly happy to be here.

“No! Stop where you are, Drew!” Aria shouts while standing quickly. “You can have some, but not all. I didn’t bring it for you. Sit down, and I’ll make you a plate.”

“Nope, not happening. I’m a big boy now and can make my own plate,” Chubs responds while moving in like a cheetah getting ready to pounce.

Aria moves fast and puts herself between her brother and the table. I have a moment of doubt about her intelligence level but shake it off and place my shoulder next to hers. Instead of helping us out, Reeves and Horse quickly refill their plates and move a fair distance away. Rat bastards!

Marti looks stunned when she finds herself facing Chubs down, and she’s the closest to the food. She slowly holds one hand up, uses the other to slide a second piece of pizza onto her plate, and then slowly backs away. Smart lady. She’s probably been bitten before and learned her lesson.

Hearing an oink, I’m momentarily distracted by Gee’s appearance in the doorway along with his best friend, Snots. Both enter, noses in the air, sniffing the scent of food. Probably exactly how Chubs entered the building.

“Are the nachos going to be enough to fill you up?” Aria asks quietly.

“Yeah. Want me to grab you another slice before he dives onto the table?”

“Please. Don’t care what kind. Whatever is easiest to get to,” she replies, hand still in the air aimed at her brother’s face.

I whirl, grab the first slice I see, and toss it onto her plate. Grabbing the plate and my container of nachos, with my back to the wall, I slide away from the table.

“Got it. Run,” I say, and Aria bolts out of her brother’s way as he lunges for the table of food.

“That was a close call,” Aria breathes out.

“Why do you keep putting yourself in these food situations with him? You know better,” I chastise as we move quickly to my desk area.

“She’s been away from him for too long. Forgot the injuries caused by being trampled,” Horse states.

Things quickly settle down now that Chubs has free range of the food. Marti sits on the floor in the corner, sharing her food with the dog and the pig. Gee’s wearing a t-shirt today that reads: “Every Butt Needs A Rub.” Obviously, Pooh got to him before Chubs today. Horse and Reeves continue hiding behind my desk to finish their meals while Aria sits on the edge of it, grinning at her brother’s enthusiasm. I realize now is the perfect time to speak with Chubs about his sister and me.

“Chubs, can I have a moment?” I ask as I approach the table where he’s sitting.

“Can I eat first?”

“I have work to get back to, and you’re not going to be done for a while, as we all know. It’ll only take a moment, I promise,” I state.

“But it’ll get cold,” he responds.

“Has that ever stopped you before?” I ask skeptically.

“No. But I—oh, hi, Lucy! What are you doing here?” Chubs asks as I turn to see Lucy walking through the doorway.

“I was on my way to the shop with your lunch and saw your bike,” Lucy answers as she sets two very large bags on the table. “Glad to see you got a snack in the meantime. There’s another bag in the car for Snots and Gee.”

“I’ll grab it,” Horse says while tossing away his plate and leaving the room, pig and dog on his heels.

“Hey, Lucy. What did you bring him?” Aria asks with a grin.

“Don’t tell her anything, my love. She wasn’t even going to let me have a snack. Mom would be disappointed in how selfish she was being,” Chubs states while tossing Aria a smirk.

“You poor thing,” Lucy murmurs while dropping a quick kiss to Chubs’ temple.

“Poor thing, my ass. Poor us is more like it. Every time he shows up and there’s food nearby, it’s like the start of the gladiator games. Might win, might lose a limb or two,” mutters Reeves.

“I dare you to get even, Reeves. Grab a bag and run. Bet you fifty bucks he’ll cry,” Aria says in a goading tone. “Or are you scared?”

“Scared and too smart for that. Tried it once, and he tracked me down like a bloodhound. Still have the scars to prove it. Ohhh, but wait! Horse isn’t that bright! Let’s bait him into it!” Reeves suggests.

I roll my eyes at Reeves and try again to get Chubs alone for a moment, but Lucy has all of his attention. Well, Lucy and the food. I ignore Horse when he returns and continue trying to get a second with Chubs. Not listening to the other people in the room, I’m not prepared when Horse falls for the bet.

“Thanks for dinner, Lucy!” Horse shouts as he grabs one of the bags she came in with and bolts out the door.

“Be right back, my love,” Chubs says before vaulting over the table, slamming full body into me as he goes in pursuit of Horse.

Landing on my ass, I’m too stunned to move for a few seconds. That, unfortunately, gives both the pig and the dog a chance to trample over me on their way out the door. Today is not going the way I thought it would go. I toss a glare at Reeves and ignore the laughter as I draw gulps of air into my oxygen-deprived lungs.

“Any reason why one of your employees is being chased around the parking lot by a biker, a dog, and a pig?” Gunner asks from above me. “And why I wasn’t invited to the office party?”

The man has impeccable timing. Drawing in another deep breath, I stand and face my irritated club president. Standing behind him are Axel, Pooh, and Vex. All are smiling huge, and all can kiss my ass. I notice in my peripheral vision, Marti quietly picking up discarded plates, quickly straightening up the mess.

“Thank you, Marti,” I say.

“Pooh. Go outside and end the chase. Tell both to get their asses in here,” Gunner states while staring at me.

“The chase is my fault, Gunner. Reeves—” Aria starts, but Gunner holds up a hand, and she stops speaking immediately.

“Even if Pooh saves Horse, you owe me fifty bucks, Aria. At least one of them will be crying,” Reeves mutters and instantly gains Gunner’s full attention.

“Are you here for a reason, Reeves?” he snaps.

“Yep. Working overtime. Stopped for lunch. That’s still allowed, right?” Reeves answers while crossing his arms over his chest and staring back at our President.

Maybe Horse isn’t the dumb one in our club, but I do admire Reeves’ bravery.

“I asked this the last time you were here, but I’ll ask again. There a problem, Prez?” I ask as Pooh, Chubs, and Horse re-enter the office.

I note that all three are out of breath, even the pig and dog, who both collapse on the floor without a sound. I also note that Chubs has possession of the bag Horse ran out with. Not surprised by that, though.

“The problem is I still don’t have the intel you’ve been working on for-fucking-ever, and yet every time I show up here, it’s a fucking circus,” Gunner states in a low growl. “Anyone who’s not a club member, now would be a good time to leave.”

I feel my temper rise at his implication and the way he just spoke to Aria, Marti, and Lucy. Turning my head, I catch the surprise on Aria’s face. She slides off the desk, picks up her purse, and walks to the door, where she turns back to face me.

“Please don’t bother looking for anything more on my stalker. My brother Les and I will get it figured out, but thank you for what you have done so far. It gives us a good start. Much appreciated, Rex,” she says softly before literally pushing her way between Axel and Vex to leave.

“Aria! Wait!” Chubs shouts, but she doesn’t listen. His frowning face turns to stare at Gunner.

“Bye,” Marti murmurs before following Aria out.

“I’ll see you tonight, Chubs,” Lucy says before giving him a quick kiss and walking to the door.

“Take the fucking pig and dog with you, Lucy,” Gunner orders.

“You take the fucking pig and dog with you, Gunner. Club business and you can tell me to leave. But I’m not a member, so take your orders and put them sideways up—” Lucy replies heatedly while Gunner’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline, and Chubs interrupts Lucy’s rant.

“See you tonight, my love.”

Lucy stares up at Gunner for several beats before elbowing Vex and Axel out her way as she exits.

“She was going to say ‘your ass,’ Gunner. In case you’re confused about it. You have to be a major dick fucker to piss Lucy off. Well done, Prez,” Axel says with judgment clear in his tone.

“I know what she was going to say, Axel. I’m just surprised she was going to say it,” Gunner states.

“I’m not,” Reeves mutters.

“So now that you’ve cleared the room, what’s so fucking important that you’ve pissed off three women and half your members?” I ask, too angry to care if it makes Gunner mad.

“Since when do we care if the women get mad? They’re not members of The Devil’s Angels,” Gunner asks.

“Since you took Ava as your old lady,” Axel replies. “And your whole personality changed, and we were forced to adapt to having women around that had opinions or end up in the ring with you. Club girls were never allowed that privilege, so it was never a problem until you and Ava. Since Petey and Trudy got together. Since me and Bailey. Since—”

“I get it, asshole!” Gunner barks.

“You didn’t even get to me and Pippa, or Vex and Taja. Or—” Pooh says in his most reasonable voice before Gunner slashes a hand through the air, stopping his sentence.

“Why does everything have to be so difficult with you fuckers?” Gunner asks exasperatedly while running a hand over his face.

“Why are you here?” I ask, refusing to get sidetracked and determined to get an answer. “Because if you’re only here to criticize how I get my job done, then I have better shit to be doing. At any point, if you want to take over running point on the intel gathering, be my guest. I’d fucking love to work a normal eight-to-five job like most of you do.”

“You’re in a pissy mood,” Gunner states.

“Yeah, I am. I’ve clocked well over a hundred hours so far this week, Gunner. Have you had the pleasure of tucking your kids into bed each night? I hope so because I haven’t even seen my home in three days. Have you gotten to spend time with Ava? Yeah? Great, because while you’re doing that, I’m here looking for intel to keep you off my fucking back. Have you gotten to ride your bike or watch a television show? I’m guessing you’ve gotten to do both. I haven’t because I’m here working, and yet you’re here again to bark at me about how it gets done, and yet you have no fucking clue what all goes into it. So, I’ll ask again before I give up and walk the fuck out the door—why are you here?” I reply in a near shout.

I watch and don’t give a single flying fuck as Gunner’s eyebrows raise in surprise. Without looking, I know every other guy’s face is showing surprise or shock, too. Planting my hands on my hips, I wait impatiently for an answer.

“I’ve been waiting days for that intel, and you know I have to get it to the Morales family,” Gunner replies, but his tone has cooled considerably.

“I’ve sent you everything we’ve found so far. I told you I would send it as I find it, and I have,” I respond instantly, irritation clear in my voice.

“Being honest, I don’t feel like you’ve made this your top priority. You’ve been distracted lately,” Gunner states.

“I told you the other day it was a priority, but so was finding Aria’s stalker. That’s why the guys and Marti came in to help today,” I say. “So more than one task could be completed.”

“My sister’s safety matters. I haven’t stepped in on it much because I trust Rex. You have a problem with Aria’s safety, Prez?” Chubs asks while walking to stand shoulder to shoulder with me, watching Gunner closely.

“No, you know I don’t. But it seems the club is spending a lot of time on it when there are other things that need to be done too,” Gunner replies, stubbornly standing his ground.

“I’ll tell you what, Prez. I’ll take a leave of absence from the club, effective immediately, and I’ll take over my sister’s issue, and that’ll leave Rex taking care of yours,” Chubs says in a low tone before turning to me. “Show me what you have, and then stand down, Rex. I’ll handle Aria, and you handle him.”

Looking at Chubs, without thinking, I blurt, “I’m going to be dating your sister, and I hope you’re okay with that. If not, we can hit the ring.”

“Thank fuck. I was beginning to think you were never going to tell me. Yes, I’m fine with that. Shit, Rex! There’s no one I’d rather see her with than you, brother!” Chubs states loudly before giving me a one armed manly type hug.

“So that’s why you’ve been so distracted? Really?” Gunner asks in a surprised tone.

“First, I haven’t been distracted. I’ve been working my ass off like I always do for you and for the club. Second, you have the nerve to stand here and say really to me? After all the shit the entire club went through for Ava? Really, asshole?” I bark.

“Well, fuck, Rex, you never told me you were into her,” Gunner mutters.

“Well, fuck, Gunner, it’s none of your business. I don’t remember you coming to me and saying, ‘I’m really into Ava,’ either. Club rules—I have to speak with Chubs about it, not you.”

“Meant what I said, Rex. I couldn’t be happier than you and Aria together. My whole family will love it, in fact. You got a file on her stalker?” Chubs asks, and I nod before moving to my desk.

“Jesus, Prez. It’s usually me that fucks up this big, not you,” Axel says.

“I didn’t fuck up,” Gunner insists.

“Yeah, you have. Basically, you’ve been riding Rex’s ass when we all know he works hard for the club, and none of us can do his job. You were fine with Aria, a club member’s sister, being a lower priority. Even though if that were Ava, she would have been the only priority. You’ve managed to piss off Aria and Lucy, terrify Marti, get a club member to take a leave of absence, and nearly push our tech guy into quitting in less than half an hour. What’s your next move? Roast Gee for dinner?” Axel says with a smirk.

“Fuck you, Axel!” Gunner says in a low growl.

“Everything Axel just said is true, and you know it. Maybe instead of treating everyone like shit, you should just go home and talk with your wife. It’s her you’re mad at, but it’s us you’re taking it out on. Well, not me because I’m out for a while,” Chubs states in a hard voice before calling for the pets and leaving the office.

“Pissing off Chubs is an even bigger crime,” Pooh mutters.

Reeves gives Gunner one more look before leaving the room.

“Anything you need, or can I get back to work?” I ask sarcastically.

“No, he doesn’t need anything else. Come on, Prez. You’ve done enough damage for one day,” Axel states.

After they leave my office, I slump in my chair, rubbing my face with both hands.

“Hey! What’s Ava mad at him about?” Axel whispers from the door.

Looking up at my VP, I grin.

“I have no clue, but I hope she puts his ass through it. I’m all for Team Ava!”

“For sure! I’ll let you know if I find out. By the way, I’m happy to hear about you and Aria. You’ll make a great team, and she’s going to be a lucky woman,” Axel responds.

“Thanks, brother.”

It’s after 3am when I look at the clock again. Leaning back in my chair, I stretch my arms over my head and ignore the yawn that takes over my face. I stand, use the restroom, and leave the building. I straddle my bike, start it, and ride home on the deserted streets. When I get inside, I walk directly to the shower and wash away a few days of stench. I walk into my bedroom and collapse sideways across my bed, and I’m out within seconds.

Luckily, I had set an alarm on my phone, and it wakes me up with enough time to get dressed and make it to the clubhouse for Church. Leaving my bike parked next to the others, I walk inside and look around. It looks like everyone is here except for Lucy, Lisa, Chubs, and his family. Fuck, no Aria.

I take the stool next to Reeves and point at the coffee pot when Horse looks my way. He pours a cup and sits it in front of me just as Mac lands on the end of the bar. Waddling in my direction, he stops in front of me, head at a slight tilt.

“What’s up, Mac?” I ask.

“Where’s Lucy?” he asks.

“Not sure, buddy.”

“I need Lucy,” he states, then slaps a foot on the bar.

“Sorry, she’s not here. Maybe she’ll come later,” I answer.

“Fuck my life,” he screeches, then quickly looks around the room, probably worried Ava might have heard him.

“Yeah, I get that, Mac. I feel the same about mine,” I mutter.

In a flurry of feathers, Prissy lands next to Mac. Mac eyes her and slowly takes one large step away. Trouble in paradise, it appears. Prissy does the same as Mac, putting her close to him again. They repeat this maneuver one more time.

“If shit turns ugly, you grab Mac, and I’ll grab Prissy,” Reeves says with a grin.

“Make her move, Rex!” Mac states while ruffling his feathers to look larger.

“Yes, sir. Make me,” Prissy says while raising her crest feathers and eyeing Mac down. Prissy’s “sir” comes out more like “suh-r” with the “r” emphasized, and I grin at her accent.

While I’m grinning, Prissy strikes. When she comes away with a red feather, Mac’s screech could be heard two states over. I grab Mac and pull him against my chest, but Reeves doesn’t do his part, and Prissy’s in a mood. Striking again, I jerk my face out of her way, and Mac loses a second feather. Shooting a look at Reeves, he just shrugs and doesn’t lend a hand. Neither does Horse, who’s watching the action with a grin.

“Prissy! Stop!” I order while tucking Mac under one arm and using my other hand to hold her back.

“Save me! Save me!” Mac screams.

“I got Prissy. Calm down, Mac. You’re such a drama queen,” Axel states as Prissy steps onto his hand then onto his shoulder.

“She’s trying to end me!” Mac hollers back.

“Wonder how many pecans that would cost me?” Axel asks, and I think he’s truly considering it.

I set Mac back on the bar and watch as he does the moonwalk to be further away from Prissy. When he thinks he’s at a safe distance, he responds to Axel.

“Assman sucks ass!”

Prissy immediately flies off Axel’s shoulder and lands on Mac. She gets her beak around one of his legs and starts dragging him down the bar. Mac lets out a howl before screaming, “I’m doomed!”

Axel and I each grab a bird again, and Prissy goes back to his shoulder. To piss Mac off even more, she starts making kissing sounds against Axel’s temple as he beams in delight. This cannot be my life, I think, as I set Mac back on the bar and give him a shooing motion.

“Take it somewhere else, Mac. Go hide in the kitchen with your mommy,” Axel says in a taunting voice.

“No!” Mac shouts.

“It would be safer in there,” I say.

“Mommy and Daddy are fighting,” Mac replies before laughing his Petey laugh.

“Oh, what about?” Axel asks while leaning in for some gossip.

“Babies,” Mac replies while preening a little because he loves to be the center of attention.

“Ava wants more babies?” Axel questions.

“Told Dad to get snipped. What’s that mean?” Mac asks with a head tilt.

“Means our Prez has been a raging dick because he’s afraid of a little vasectomy,” Axel replies, then laughs loudly.

“How about you and I go out back, and I’ll give you one!” Gunner states in a cold, deadly tone. “Do the entire world a favor with one cut! Let’s go, VP!”

Axel gives me a disappointed look before saying, “You could have told me the large ape-like man was behind me.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Reeves asks while laughing his ass off.

“Back off, ape-man,” Prissy spits while eyeballing Gunner.

“Back off, little birdie. We have an air fryer you’d fit nicely into,” Gunner barks back.

“Leave my girl alone. She’s only defending her man. I notice Mac’s not defending you, though,” Axel taunts.

“Gots to go,” Mac states before lifting into the air and flying away.

“Wow, Gunner. You’ve even pissed off your wife’s pets. How can my dear sister even live with you?” Axel continues.

Gunner stares hard at Axel before stating, “Church. Now.”

Our Prez must not have chosen violence today when he woke up, and Axel will survive another day because of it. Taking my cup of coffee with me, I follow Gunner to Church.

Once everyone is seated, Gunner opens the meeting with the normal rundown of club business. After, he asks me to explain where we’re at on the sex traffickers and their operation. I answer a few questions from different members and then fall silent.

“Where the fuck is Chubs?” Trigger suddenly asks.

“He’s busy,” Gunner responds while shooting a look at Axel.

“He’s working on Aria’s stalker issue. Rex had some leads, and Chubs took it from there,” Axel answers while staring Gunner down.

“You turned it over to Chubs?” Petey asks in a skeptical voice.

“I did,” I answer.

“Have you washed your hands of it?” Trigger questions in the same tone Petey used.

“No, I haven’t. I have spoken with Chubs about Aria, and he’s cool with it. For those of you who don’t know, Aria and I are dating. Well, we will be anyway,” I state and feel all eyes land on me.

“And yet you’re letting Chubs take lead on her stalker?” Freddy asks with raised brows.

“I have him working on the traffickers instead. It’s important, and we need his skills,” Gunner answers while glowering.

“Have known Rex a fuck of a long time now, and I have never known him to only be able to do one thing at a time,” Pigeon says while aiming a dark look at Gunner.

“Fine, fuck it! I ordered him to work on the traffickers because I felt he was too distracted with the Aria situation! Yes, I was being a dick! Yes, it was wrong of me to imply he couldn’t handle both! Now that all of you princesses are up to date on everything, can we get back to the trafficking situation?” Gunner asks sarcastically while tossing his hands in the air.

Laughter erupts around the room except from me and Gunner. He glares at the guys while I sit quietly, still fuming over the way he’s acted toward me lately. I know some of my attitude is from simple exhaustion, and knowing that, I hold my tongue.

“I heard from a little birdie that our big, bad president is afraid of getting his boy parts snipped,” Axel interjects. “And that’s why he’s been an ass to be around lately.”

Gunner throws the gavel at Axel’s head but misses, and it only makes Axel laugh harder. Dropping his head and staring at his feet, Gunner admits defeat and lets the comments come at him. Everyone has something to say, poking fun at him, and I have to admit to being petty enough that I enjoy it. After a few minutes, the men start to quiet down again, except for an occasional laugh.

“Are we done discussing my dick yet?” Gunner asks.

“For now,” Trigger states before laughing out loud again.

“We’re done, period,” Gunner says.

“Speaking of periods, does getting snipped make one’s periods more painful?” Pooh asks the room and causes another round of laughter.

Turning to look at me, Gunner asks, “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Yes, very much,” I answer honestly.

“I deserve that from you. I’ve been a dick, Rex. Sorry,” Gunner says, and I can tell he means those words.

I nod, acknowledging them. We’re square, but he’ll have to fix things with Chubs on his own.

Me: You didn’t come to the clubhouse today. I missed you.

Aria: My brother’s a little angry with the club so we decided to have a family day at moms instead. I miss seeing you, though. Are you at home?

Me: Sorry he’s mad but I get it. Did he tell you we spoke?

Aria: Yes, he did. He’s very happy about it. So is everyone else.

Me: I’m not at home. I’m at the office. I made it home for a few hours last night though. Not the same without you there. Chubs find anything yet?

Aria: No but he will. I meant what I said, Rex. Don’t do anything more on my behalf. I have brothers and we’ll get it sorted. I don’t want to piss off the big guy any more than I apparently already have. I certainly don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.

Me: Gunner was being an ass because of an issue with Ava but we’re cool now. He won’t say anything more about it.

Aria: That’s good but I still don’t want you working on my crap.

Me: It’s not crap, Aria. It’s about your safety and it matters to me.

Aria: Please just let it go. I’ve struggled from the beginning of moving here with the club and how things are done. I don’t understand all things biker club, I know, but sometimes it seems the differences between the club and other people seem like too much.

Me: Are you saying it’s too much for us to be together?

Aria: No, but it’s making me wonder about it. Sorry, but the rules and the repercussions from them are a lot for an outsider to understand. I didn’t even realize I’m scared of riding until the other day. How do I date a biker and not ride? Is that even done?

Me: It takes time to get used to the rules and stuff. Maybe riding with me isn’t that important or maybe you’ll get over the fear? Just don’t give up on us yet. We deserve a shot, don’t we?

Aria: Yes, I think we do. I just don’t know if I am cut out to be a biker’s woman.

Me: Talk with Lucy. Maybe she can explain things better than me. Or Ava, Bailey even. Give us a chance, Aria.

Aria: I will but please know ahead of time, I’m not cool with your president. I think he’s an oversized cock face and I’m not a fan of being talked to like that. Barking orders at me like he has the right. I’m not a member so he can go fuck himself because I didn’t sign up for his attitude. I didn’t say anything because I knew he’d take it out on you or my brother, but I can’t promise to bite my tongue the next time. He’s clueless about how hard you work and it irritates me.

I laugh out loud at her cock face comment because it was true in that moment.

Me: I don’t expect you to stand silent if you have something to say. I can handle Gunner’s attitude so don’t feel like you have to put up with something on my behalf. We’ll be okay, Aria. You be you and I’ll just stand behind supporting you. Yeah?

Aria: Yeah, okay. Will I see you sometime this week?

Me: I will do everything in my power to make it happen. Are you going home tonight? Miss you.

Aria: Yeah, I’m home now. All systems up and running. Get back to work, slacker boy. Miss you too!

I nearly jump out of my skin at the noise that vibrates between my ears. Jerking my head up, I see Pigeon holding two trash can lids, and he’s getting ready to bang them together again.

“If you do, I’ll disassemble you until Ivy can’t identify your body without dental records,” I croak out.

“You were sleeping so pretty, but it’s time to wakey the fuck up,” Pigeon says with a grin, but he sets the lids on the couch instead of assaulting my ears again.

Sitting upright, I rub my hands hard against my eyes and then glance at the clock. Fuck, I fell asleep sometime after 5am, and it’s now eight thirty. I stand, stretch, and head for the bathroom. When I return, Pigeon is gone. Walking to the front, I head straight for the coffee maker, nodding at Marti on my way past her desk.

I stand with my filled cup and sip from it while staring out the front window. It takes a moment, but my eyes finally realize Aria’s car is parked in the lot, minus the spray paint. Turning to Marti, I ask when it showed up.

“Trigger just dropped it off, and Reeves is giving him a ride back to the shop. Reeves said he and Horse would run it to Aria’s office when he gets back here.”

“She’ll be happy to have it back,” I mutter, but I’m not sure I believe it with how excited she was to drive my car.

“I’m getting ready to order supplies. Is there anything you need to add to the order form?” Marti asks, and I shake my head in the negative.

Walking down the hall, I stop in Reeves’ office doorway and watch Horse. He’s sitting on the couch, laptop balanced on his legs. He’s busy with something, and I don’t want to interfere. I start to walk off but turn back and speak.

“You can move the office supplies into the equipment room and take the supply room as your office, Horse. There’s a desk and chair in there already. I’ll have Marti order everything else you’ll need.”

“Thanks, Rex! Appreciate it,” Horse says as he closes his laptop and gets to his feet. “Going to go do that right now. Unless you need me for something else?”

“No, go get settled in,” I answer, then walk to Pigeon’s doorway.

Glancing around, I see a half-finished bottle of water. Picking it up, I sling it at Pigeon, hitting him square in the chest. I smile when I hear his gasp and smile wider when he looks in my direction.

“Was that nice? My wife will not be happy knowing that I’m being abused at work,” Pigeon says before his face turns serious. “I would have helped out this weekend, Rex.”

“I know that, Pigeon, but you have the ranch and Ivy, and she works harder than any of us. She needs you.”

“Why don’t you and Aria come out to the ranch for a day? We can grill meat and drink beer,” Pigeon asks.

“I’ll ask her, but I’m sure she’ll love that. Thanks.”

“I gotta ask. What the hell was Reeves doing in your room that morning if you’re into Aria?” Pigeon questions, eyebrows raised.

“I still don’t have an answer for that. We were apparently drugged, and shit got real, but he wasn’t there with me. I guess he spent the night, or at least some of it, sleeping it off in my tub,” I answer with a wide smile. “He thought he was in his own tub, and before you laugh, while he was still out of it, he thought he had been with you.”

“Not sure I can ever look him in the eye again because what the hell? If he had been with me, he’d never have forgot that shit,” Pigeon states while I laugh loudly at him while pointing at his face.

“You’re upset just thinking you could be forgettable!”

“Go back to work before I tell the Prez you stand around sexually harassing one of your employees,” Pigeon orders in a disgruntled voice.

I laugh all the way back to my office, where I promptly add items to Marti’s supply order. Maybe there will be less wrestling if they all have their own office. I doubt it, but it’s worth a try.

Hours later, I sit back and survey all the info I have gathered for Gunner. I’ve found some very interesting things that should keep him off my back and give the Morales family a place to start. This doesn’t mean I’m done with the traffickers, but I can take a breather.

I have also decided to send out the video we have of Aria’s stalker to see if anyone can recognize the man. Aria and I both felt there was something familiar about him, but neither of us can place what it is exactly. I should have done this immediately but with everything going on, it skipped my mind. I’m an idiot.

First, I compile everything I have for Gunner into a file and email it to him. I call and explain what he’s about to receive and how everything connects. The big guy is in a much better mood today, so I’m hoping he and Ava have ironed out their issues. Being on the receiving end of his ire is not a fun place to find oneself. When my club president apologizes in a more thorough way for his prior behavior, I’m not surprised. Gunner is a hard man, but he has to be to run an MC club. He’s never been an unfair man, though, and that’s why the apology doesn’t come as a surprise. I assure him we’re good, and we disconnect.

I suddenly realize that I should be able to make it home this evening, and I call Aria to see if she wants to spend time together.

“Hi, Rex.”

“Hey, Aria. I’m going to get out of here at a decent time tonight. Are you going to be busy?”

“Only if spending time with you is being busy,” she replies with a laugh.

“You’re definitely going to be busy, then. Do you want to go out or meet at one of our places? We haven’t had that actual date yet.”

“I’d rather stay in and just be alone, together. I can come to your place if that’s okay. Around six?”

“Perfect. Bring a bag and spend the night,” I suggest.

“I will. Can’t wait to see you again.”

“Did you get your car from Reeves?” I ask, suddenly remembering that Reeves was going to return it to her.

“Yep, I did. You can’t even tell anything happened to it. Trigger is good,” Aria answers with another laugh.

“I think it was Tessie that did most of it. Trigger’s been training her, and she’s become pretty damn amazing at all things cars and bikes.”

“Oh wow! I’ll make sure to thank her because it’s perfect. Speaking of my car, would you go car shopping with me when things settle down for you?” Aria asks in a soft voice.

“Definitely would, but why are you selling your car if it came back perfect?” I ask, confused.

“I kind of fell in love with yours and now want something similar,” Aria admits, and I grin.

“Ahhh, I see. Yep, we’ll do that as soon as we get a chance to, but it might be smart to take Trigger or Tessie with us since they know way more about cars than me. Tessie helped me pick out my car last year,” I explain.

“Really? That’s so cool! We’ll do that then. Thanks, Rex.”

We chat for a few more minutes and then disconnect when her next patient arrives. Before sending out the video of her stalker, I pull it up again and watch it several more times. While doing this, Pigeon walks in and leans over my shoulder, watching it too.

“I don’t know why, but there’s something that tells me I should know who this is,” Pigeon mutters before taking a seat on the couch.

“Me too, and it’s been driving me nuts,” I reply.

“Hey, guys,” Candy greets as she walks into the room.

“Hey, Candy. How’ve you been?” Pigeon asks while I offer my own greeting.

“Good. Ready to get started on this prospecting thing,” she answers in her gruff voice. “Are you busy, Rex?”

“Things are less hectic today. Just getting ready to send out a group text of the guy Aria caught on video. Then, my day is fairly open. What can I help you with?”

“I haven’t seen that video. Actually, that’s why I came here to see if I could. Aria kept saying she thinks she knows the guy but can’t place him. I realized I know pretty much everyone she does, so thought it couldn’t hurt to see the video,” Candy states.

I reach for my mouse and hit play again on the video. Candy walks to my side and watches it intently. When it ends, she orders me to play it again. This happens a few times before she jerks upright, shoulders going back, eyes moving quickly like she’s chasing a thought. When they stop their jerking, they drop to meet mine.

“I think I know who that is!” she shouts and then emits a low growl like Loki does when he’s pissed.

I sit upright and wait impatiently for her to sift through her thoughts again. Pigeon bolts off the couch and joins us at the desk.

“Talk, Candy,” Pigeon urges. “Talk through whatever you’re thinking.”

“His way of walking. He has a sideways movement that isn’t normal. Like a horse loping on one lead when it should be the other. It’s like it’s counterbalanced. Fuck, I know that walk!” Candy says in frustration.

“Holy shit, she’s right! That’s what’s been familiar to me, too, but I couldn’t place what it was until now!” Pigeon shouts even louder than Candy.

Reeves, Horse, and Marti all appear in the doorway being alerted to the loud voices. I hit play again on the video and wait for one of us to figure it out. Now that Candy’s mentioned it, this guy’s walk is all I can see. It’s definitely distinctive and has an odd movement to it.

“Hi. What are you watching?” a voice says before a body appears between Horse and Reeves.

“Hi, Pigeon’s wife. How are you doing today?” Horse says as Ivy pushes into the office.

“I do have a name,” she says with a laugh.

“Have you told your husband what it is? Because we only know you as ‘my wife,’” Reeves states, even using air quotes.

Ivy laughs but continues across the room until her body collides with Pigeon’s. Leaning down, he gives her a sweet kiss and pulls her tight to his side. I greet her and get a soft smile in return.

“Hey, Candy. Are you still coming out to the ranch this weekend?” Ivy asks before glancing at the video playing on repeat on my monitor screen.

“Yeah, I will be, and the kids want to come with,” Candy answers but in a distracted voice because her eyes are glued to the video.

“Um, okay, that’s great. Love to see ya’s there. Can I ask why you’re all watching a weird-ass video of Dale? Like, where was this even taken?” Ivy asks innocently, and all eyes shoot to her.

“Who’s Dale?” Pigeon asks at the same time I do.

“That’s it! That’s who that fucker is!” Candy shouts at an alarming level, but it doesn’t clear up my and Pigeon’s question.

“Who’s Dale?” I ask again.

“He works at the animal sanctuary. Worked with me for several years. Creepy-ass Dale is how I’ve always thought of him. Last name is Henry, I think. Weird, odd, always-staring Dale,” Ivy answers. “Why the video of him?”

“The video is one Aria caught of the guy stalking her,” Pigeon explains to his wife.

“I knew that walk! It’s him, Ivy’s right. Let’s go rip his dick off,” Candy says before stalking toward the door.

Reeves risks life and limb, but he blocks the doorway so Candy can’t leave. She steps back, lowers her head slightly, and orders him to move his ass.

“Give us a minute, Candy. We need to be sure first,” Reeves says, but his voice has a pleading tone to it.

I’m guessing he doesn’t want to end up like Axel and get dumped on his head.

“How would he even know Aria?” I ask while looking around the room at each person.

“She and Lisa have come there several times in the last few months. They bring me food and like to hang out with the puppies. Lisa’s been thinking of getting one for herself since Lucy moved and took Greer with her,” Candy explains in an impatient tone. “It’s Dale. Dick ripping coming up!”

This time, Reeves doesn’t get a chance to stand his ground. Candy wraps her arms around his waist, lifts him, and turns, setting him back on his feet just inside the doorway. When I hear the front door slam shut, I jump into action.

“We have to get there before Candy catches a charge,” I shout, and know the guys will follow me out.

“Be there as soon as possible! I’m killing the camera feed at the sanctuary so it doesn’t catch Candy committing murder!” Pigeon shouts, and I realize that was good thinking.

We arrive at the sanctuary and rush inside to find nothing going on. Candy is in the hallway speaking with the manager, who looks shell-shocked.

“He’s off today,” Candy spits out the words, and the disappointment in her voice speaks volumes about how much she was looking forward to dick ripping.

“Can we get an address for him?” I ask in the politest voice I have, striving for normalcy.

“I’m so sorry! I can’t give out that information about an employee! I’m sure you understand why I can’t,” Margie explains while nervously wringing her hands.

“Ivy, do you know where this rat lives?” Candy asks.

“No, I don’t. Sorry,” Ivy says apologetically.

“Thanks, Margie. Please don’t tell Dale we were here looking for him,” I say before making my way outside.

Me: Ivy recognized the man in your video. She said it’s Dale from the animal sanctuary.

Aria: OMG! Yes! That’s where I’ve seen him before! Now what?

Me: We’re tracking him down. If you don’t hear back from me before six, maybe go to Les or Lucy’s place until I contact you?

Aria: Yeah, I can do that. I’ll get mom to go with me. Be careful!

Me: You too

I then shoot off a group text to Chubs and the rest of the members telling them what we know. It’s a long shot, but maybe someone knows where he lives. We do have the address that came back with the plate on the car he was driving, but Chubs didn’t find anything of value there. Maybe it’s time to go sit on that house for an extended period. Turning to the group of people waiting on me, I explain what I’m thinking.

We all return to the office, and Reeves quickly gathers up drinks and snacks for the van. I tell Pigeon he can head home, but Ivy insists on helping, so they leave in her truck. Candy and I take her car because it’s more nondescript than mine, and Reeves and Horse take the van. We all find places to park near the home but not close enough to look suspicious. The van has surveillance abilities, including cameras, along with computers and anything else needed to sit here long-term.

Candy and I are the furthest away, but the backyard of the home and detached garage are in sight. We settle in and just watch for anything to indicate someone is inside. I answer several texts from other members asking what we need or how they can help. As for now, there isn’t much they can do. When it comes time to switch out vehicles so we don’t become obvious, I’ll ask then.

“I can’t fucking believe I didn’t know who it was as soon as I saw that video,” Candy mutters irritably.

“You knew more than the rest of us. I couldn’t place what made him familiar. You helped a lot, Candy,” I assure her.

“I pay attention to those little things, and yet he got past me this time. He always stares at the women that come in. Uncomfortably so. I’ve gotten in his face a time or two, and he’d back off. I saw him staring at Lisa and Aria but assumed it was his normal, weird behavior. I should have dug his eyeballs out when he did it the second time,” Candy says. “I want to hurt him in bad ways, Rex.”

I nearly bark out a laugh at the way she said that, but I bite it back. Candy is a lot like Loki, Ava’s large ass dog. She’s not mean, but she takes protectiveness to a whole new level. A smart person doesn’t cross Loki or give him a reason to attack. Same with Candy. Don’t give her a reason if you like breathing.

“Me too, Candy. He’s put Aria through a lot, and it makes me wonder who else he’s victimized. She can’t be the first one he’s stalked to this level. I’m not sure the police could even do anything with him since the video isn’t good enough to convince a jury.”

“This needs to be handled club style. No cops. The justice system doesn’t work on most of these cases, but the club’s style of justice definitely stops recidivism,” Candy states.

I do laugh briefly at that because she’s not wrong. I watch the house silently while Candy reaches into the backseat and pulls a bag up front. Rifling through it, she opens a package of licorice and holds it out to me. I take a couple of sticks and mindlessly munch on them.

“Thanks,” I say.

“You’re welcome. I always keep some snacks in here. Never know when you’ll cross paths with Chubs. He’s a great guy, but he can be a bit much if he’s hangry,” she says so matter of fact, I laugh again.

“Hangry? Never thought about that word applying to Chubs, but it’s true. Best guy ever, but when he’s hungry, he gets angry too. You’re fucking smart as hell, Candy. I’m really glad you’ve decided to prospect for the club. We need someone like you,” I reply.

“Appreciate that, Rex. I’m still a little in shock over the club asking. Can’t believe even Axel voted for it.”

“Axel’s who brought it to the table. He made the motion to ask you and announced he wanted to sponsor you, too. It makes me think maybe he likes getting his ass kicked occasionally,” I respond.

“Maybe he does,” Candy says, then snort-laughs once.

We sit in silence for a few hours, and yet nothing moves within the house. The others have reported the same from their views too. I alert everyone that I’m going to see if I can tell if the car is in the garage. I exit Candy’s car and casually walk up the small alleyway behind the house, hoodie pulled over my head. Eyes alert and searching for cameras, I see none anywhere.

As I walk past, I look for a window on the side of the garage that’s not viewable from where we were sitting. There is one, and I dart my eyes around, and seeing no one, step quickly to it. Looking in, I see it’s empty. I make my way back to Candy’s vehicle and slide into the passenger seat. I send out another text letting everyone know the car’s not here.

Another fifteen minutes and I get a text from Ivy saying a car that meets the description just slowly drove past her and Pigeon. I straighten my shoulders and tell Candy, while watching my mirror.

The car slowly cruises past us, and the brake lights come on when it’s nearing the garage. It stops and my whole body tenses, getting ready to jump out. After about twenty seconds, the brakes go off, and the car continues down the alleyway.

“Right car and right plates,” I say. “Let’s follow at a distance.”

While Candy does that, I text the others, letting them know what we’re doing. It’s decided that Pigeon will follow us while Reeves and Horse will stay put in the van. After a few blocks, we turn down a side street, and Pigeon moves closer to the car. We do this maneuver several times so the driver doesn’t see the same vehicle tailing him. Candy is very good at this, and I have to admit I’m impressed.

“Fuck! Look where he’s heading,” Candy barks out.

Looking around at the street signs and businesses, I realize we’re only three blocks from Aria’s office. I quickly hit Aria’s number on my phone and wait for her to answer.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“We’re following the car that Dale was seen using before, and it appears he’s headed to your office. Lock everything until you hear back, okay?”

“Will do it now. Let me know when you can,” Aria answers and disconnects immediately after she speaks.

I send out a group text asking if anyone is in the area and if they could come this way in case we need more bodies. Knowing bikes might alert him, I ask that no one rides theirs.

Cash: In my truck. About four blocks away.

Vex: Truck too. Five minutes out.

James: In the patrol car but can do a drive by.

Me: Yes James. Do that.

Chubs: Rex, if you can, go park in Aria’s lot at the back. I’m behind you and will take over the tail.

Looking over my shoulder and seeing Chubs in Lucy’s car, I tell Candy what to do, and she turns her car at the next intersection. She immediately stomps on the gas, and we fly down the street. We get to Aria’s office before Dale, and she slides us into a parking spot that’s slightly hidden from the patient’s lot. She kills the engine, and we wait. Less than a minute later, we watch Dale’s car slow down but drive past Aria’s office. I breathe out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“He’s looking for her car or yours. He’s casing the place. Probably looking for cameras too,” Candy says.

I nod because it’s exactly what I thought too.

Dale’s car turns left at the next intersection, and he comes back past, but from the other side of the business. This time, I clearly see it’s him driving. Chubs texts that Cash is now following Dale, and he’s backing off for the time being. I watch as his car comes back in our direction, with Cash’s truck two vehicles behind it, and he slows down again but doesn’t turn into the lot.

Cash: He’s not stopping there. He’s checking it out. Vex is here and taking over for me. I’ll drop back.

I’m frustrated and want this to end now. I’m with Candy on the whole let’s do some dick-ripping stuff at this point.

Me: Let’s end this and corner him.

Cash: I agree.

As we’re discussing this, James and Livi cruise past us in their patrol car. Dale’s car was coming toward them, but he turned quickly down a side street, most likely because he saw them. They have no legal reason to stop him, and we don’t want the police involved with his punishment, so they continue to drive straight past where he turned.

Vex, who’s behind Dale, texts the street name they’re traveling on, and everyone turns for that area. Candy stops in front of Aria’s office door, and I get out. I text her to let me in, and I wait. When the door opens, it’s Aria’s sweet face I see first. Without thought, I pull her in for a kiss. It may have lasted longer than appropriate, but I certainly didn’t mind.

“Wow. I need me a biker too,” I hear and lift my head to see Georgeanne and the rest of the staff staring at us from behind the front desk.

“Hi,” I say with a small grin and almost laugh at the small waves that several send my way.

“Sorry,” Aria mutters, but I notice her cheeks are not red, and she’s not embarrassed in the least. “This is Rex. Rex, you know Georgeanne and the rest are our wonderful team members. Is everything okay now?”

“Yeah, for now. Do you have patients here?”

“No, the last one was walking out when you called. We were closing up for the night,” Aria answers. “Not knowing what he might do, we all thought it was best to stay put and stay safe until we heard back from you.”

“It’s safe to go now if you’re all ready to leave. I’ll wait until you’re in your cars. Then, I have to get somewhere,” I explain and hold the door as the employees start filing out.

Georgeanne secures the door, and I wait beside Aria until every employee has pulled out of the parking lot. I guide Aria to Candy’s car, and she slides into the rear seat while I return to mine.

“Should I leave my car here? Undefended?” Aria asks as we leave the lot.

“We’ll come back and get it. The guys are following Dale now and looking for a place to corner him. That’s where we’re going, but if that happens, I need you to stay in the car until he’s secured.”

Texts start pouring in, and my phone goes crazy with beeps and alerts. Looking down at it, I realize that Dale must have figured out he’s being followed because he just took off at a high rate of speed. I tell Candy, and she floors her own car.

“Seatbelt on, Aria?” I ask.

“Yes!” she responds instantly.

By the sounds of it, Dale knows the backstreets and alleys well because he’s creating a distance between him and Vex. Cash tries to intercept at an intersection, but Dale maneuvers his car around Cash and hauls ass. I alert Reeves and Horse that he might be coming back to the house, but his direction of travel isn’t in that direction yet. To make things easier, I pull everyone involved into a single phone call and put the phone on speaker.

“Vex! Where you at now?” I ask.

“Crossing Hayworth, turning north. The fucker has no regard for human life because he was just sliding sideways, nearly hitting a woman on the sidewalk. 911 calls are going to get made and soon.”

“I’m running parallel to you, Vex. Next street over. If he hits a large parking lot, we can pit maneuver him if we can get close enough,” Chubs states.

“We have to be safe, guys. We can’t be the ones taking out civilians. Back off if you need to. We know who we’re looking for now, so he can’t hide forever,” I advise, even though I hate saying the words.

“Dispatch is reporting a high-speed chase or street racing in your area. Cops will be coming that way and soon,” Livi says.

“We need to back off. He’s going to kill someone,” Vex says in a disgusted voice.

“We have Reeves and Horse at the house we think he’s staying at. Maybe he’ll show there,” I reply. “We’ll head back to the house just in case.”

“What’s the address? I’m coming too,” Cash asks.

I say the address and know without asking that more than Cash will be following us there.

While sitting on the house, I called Ivy and got all the information she knew about Dale. I left Candy’s car and jogged to where Reeves and Horse were in the van. Climbing in the back, I used the computer to find information on Dale Henry. I got a home address and also found out the house we are sitting on belongs to an older lady named Gwen Cartier. I’m not sure if the license plate he’s using is stolen or if he knows this lady, but I’ll dig until I do know.

Candy agrees to take Aria to Les’s house, even though Aria argued about staying. I also told Pigeon to take Ivy home and that we have things covered. Ivy gets up before the ass crack of dawn every day to take care of the ranch and doesn’t need to be chasing stalkers all over the city this late at night. Pigeon agrees and says that he and Marti would open the business in the morning and not to rush in if we’re out much later.

Cash and Chubs leave to check out Dale’s home address but report back that there’s no sign of the car or anyone being home. They stay to keep an eye on it, though. I continue my search of all things Dale and come up with his mother’s address. Vex and Freddy, who’s shown up to help, go to that address. Again, no car or movement within the house. That’s not surprising, considering that it’s getting pretty late at night, but they decide to stay for a while.

It's not long, and I discover that Dale’s mother’s maiden name is Cartier so Gwen must be an aunt or some other close relative. It takes some time, but I hack into one of the neighbor’s security cameras and only find Dale coming and going from the house. Going back to a few weeks before today, I finally see a video of a middle-aged lady leaving the house, walking to the garage, and leaving in the car Dale is now driving. Uneasily, I realize this woman hasn’t been caught on video since that day. I decide I need to creep up to the house and see if I can spot anyone inside.

Knowing where the cameras are helps guide me to the side of her house without setting off any motion lights. Raising up on my toes, I peek through what is most likely a bedroom window. The house is dark inside with no lights anywhere that I can see. That’s unusual because most everyone has a nightlight somewhere, usually a bathroom. Especially older people. I move to the next window and have the same result. Nothing. I continue around the corner of the house, now on the backside, and can tell the window I’m looking into this time is the bathroom. I can only see this because of a streetlight that shines on it. I move around to the other side and strain my eyes to see something through the window.

While it’s dark, I can see something light pressed against the glass. Studying it, I realize it’s a light-colored curtain, and I almost dismiss it as nothing. Something tickles the back of my mind, and I keep looking at it. The curtain on the right side of the window isn’t pushed up tight to it like the one on the left. Something is holding it against the glass. Curious, I test the window by pushing up on the bottom half, and it moves. Not enough to open it, but it has some give. Probably an old window, and it doesn’t close as tight as it once did. I push up again, and whatever is against the window shifts slightly. I step back and text Horse.

Me: I need something to open an older style window quietly. I’m on the far side of the house.

Horse: Be right there.

As big as he is, Horse knows how to move silently because I don’t hear him until he taps me on the shoulder. I jerk in surprise and see his white smile gleaming at me when I turn to him. Taking the slim jim out of his hand, I slide it between the window frames, top and bottom, and try to unlatch the lock. I tried several times without success. Horse has the same result as me after several attempts too.

“Might be easier to just shove up until that old lock breaks,” Horse suggests.

“I agree, but we have to be quiet about it,” I answer. “Hopefully, nobody is home, and we don’t get shot.”

Standing side by side, we both grip the lower window and start pushing upward. The thing against the window shifts again, but we continue until the lock stops our progress.

“Harder,” I whisper, and we both push with all we have.

The lock breaks, and the window slides open with barely a sound. We don’t have time to celebrate because the item that had been leaning against the window flops onto the windowsill, yanking the curtain down with it. It takes my brain a couple of long seconds to realize what is now within inches of mine and Horse’s faces, right between ours. When it does, I bolt backwards so fast I land on my ass. Horse steps on me in his haste to back away, and it sends him down too. Sitting side by side, we look at each other in shock.

“Holy fucking no,” Horse whispers in a horrified voice.

“What the fuck!” I say at the same time.

The item now flopped onto the windowsill is a woman, eyes and mouth open, facial skin distorted from slippage, death mask in place. I slowly stand up and look again and then back away fast. The smell coming from the open window is the foulest thing ever. Horse gets to his feet and covers his nose and mouth with his hoodie. I quickly follow his lead and cover mine too.

“What the fuck do we do now?” I ask, more to myself than Horse.

“Leave! I suggest leaving immediately. In fact, that’s what I’m going to do. You decide for yourself,” Horse says before he disappears around the corner of the house.

I start to follow him, then backtrack and use my sleeve to wipe our prints off everything we touched. This included me having to lean over the lady to pull the window down far enough to achieve my task. Gagging from the smell of decomp, I decide I’ve eliminated our presence, and it’s time to get the fuck gone.

I make my way back to the van and climb in the back. I’m not even seated yet, and Reeves drives away. Horse is sitting up front, silent as I’ve ever seen him, except for the occasional gagging sounds that erupt from him.

“If you fucking puke in here, you’re cleaning it up, asshat,” Reeves mutters.

“She almost hit me in the face,” Horse moans before gagging again.

“Rex! Get on your computer and do your magic. Make sure neither of you appear on any cameras in the area. Scrub it if you find any. Also, scrub any video showing the van, Candy’s car, or the others in the neighborhood. Do it now, brother,” Reeves orders.

“The smell! Oh my God! I’ll never get that smell off me!” Horse whines in the highest voice I’ve ever heard from him.

I feel a sudden rush of cool air and realize Reeves rolled Horse’s window down.

“Get your head out that fucking window if you’re going to toss the contents of your stomach, you fucking twat!” Reeves hollers while driving with one hand and forcibly trying to shove Horse’s head out said window with the other.

“Fuck me! I had pizza and beer! I don’t want to throw that up and have them ruined for me for life,” Horse moans, but he does shove his head out the window.

I bite back my own bile and try to concentrate on doing as Reeves ordered. Glancing at Horse, though, I start laughing uncontrollably. Head out the window, long hair blowing around his face, he reminds me of every golden retriever I’ve ever seen in the backseat of a car.

“What’s funny?” Reeves hollers.

“Horse! Golden Retriever!” I sputter between laughs.

“What the fuck you going on about? He’s not blond. More like an Irish Setter,” Reeves mutters, and it only makes me laugh harder. “Or a brown labrador.”

“Quit enjoying my pain, you dicks! It was a corpse! Eyes open, staring right at me from about five inches away! That shit was spooky as fuck! We disturbed the dead, and that’s never good! Oh God. I’m going to be sick,” Horse moans before doing exactly that.

I cringe at the sound but mostly from knowing his hair is going to get puked on. No way am I going to hold it back for him. Reeves certainly isn’t, and Horse isn’t thinking clearly enough to do it himself.

Reaching up, I pull the curtain closed that separates the front from the back of the van. Pulling my phone out, I debate with myself about who I should contact first. I decide on Cash. I hit his contact and wait while also hoping Horse is finished soon.

“What’s up?” Cash asks.

“We have a situation,” I state.

“What’s that sound?” Cash asks.

“Horse, puking his pizza and beer up. Never mind about his problems. We need to meet up,” I say.

“Chubs is here sitting on the mom’s house, so I can meet you somewhere in between,” Cash answers, and we decide where.

Pulling into the empty parking lot, Reeves stops next to Cash’s truck. I quickly explain everything, and he makes the decision to call James and Livi. Talking with them, Cash sends more than a few odd, more like disgusted, looks at Horse. When Cash disconnects from the call, he hands a bottle of water to Reeves.

“Thanks, but I’m not thirsty,” Reeves says.

“Give it to Horse,” Cash mutters.

“Thanks, Cash, but not sure I should put anything into my stomach yet,” Horse says in a scratchy tone.

“Not to drink, you simpleton. To rinse that shit out of your hair,” Cash replies while shaking his head in a “you’re too stupid to live” gesture.

“What did Livi and James say?” I ask.

“Said to stay out of that area, and they’ll deal with it,” Cash answers. “Makes me worried about his mother, though. Neither Chubs nor I have seen any sign of movement at her place.”

“I’m not going near his mom’s house! If it ain’t mine, I’m never opening another fucking window either!” Horse says while getting back in the van.

Ignoring Horse, I say, “No one has seen anything at his address either. I don’t know where he’s holed up, but I’m concerned about his mom, too. I’m guessing he killed the lady at that house, so his mom might not have fared any better.”

“I told Livi that. She said they’ll do a welfare check on her. They know that she’s disabled, too,” Cash explains. “We should probably all head home now and see if he’s stupid enough to show up at work tomorrow. Stay close to Aria and let me know if you need coverage for her.”

It’s nearly the middle of the night, but I drive my car to Les’s home. Seeing a light on, I text Aria and find out they’re both still up. I park, and Aria meets me in the doorway. Taking a seat in the living room, I explain to them what we found out tonight.

“Holy shit,” Les mutters.

Aria stays silent, so I look at her just to see her face is pale and her eyes wide.

“It’s going to be fine, Aria,” I say while taking her hand into mine. “We’ll get this figured out.”

“It’s not that so much as that poor woman. I don’t think I really took this as seriously as I should have. I figured he was a garden variety type stalker who would mail love letters or steal a pair of undies, not kill people. I never thought of it as a lead-up to murder. I was skeeved out, knowing he was in my home, but murder is a whole other ball game.”

“Any stalking is serious, Aria. It shows mental issues when people can’t separate real life from the world they’ve invented for themselves. They create a relationship that doesn’t exist anywhere but in their head and react negatively when something threatens their made-up reality,” Les says in a quiet tone.

“Yeah, I know you’re right. My brain just didn’t jump from peeping in my window to murder. That’s a big leap,” Aria responds.

“Do you have a gun, Les?” I ask while giving Aria’s hand a squeeze.

“Yes, a couple, in fact. So does Aria. Our dad taught us to shoot at an early age and made sure we were familiar with weapons,” Les answers.

“Good. I hope things don’t go sideways, but it’s better to be prepared just in case,” I say.

“I agree. If you want to spend the night, I’m fine with that,” Les states. “But I have a big meeting in the morning that I can’t miss, so I’m going to bed.”

Looking toward Aria, I see she’s still pale, so I decide I’m staying.

“Thanks, Les. I will take you up on that offer.”

Aria leads me to the guest bedroom, and we climb into bed. I pull her back to my front and keep my arms wrapped around her. She snuggles into me, and within minutes, I’m out.

Waking for no reason, I’m confused where I am for a few seconds. When I realize that I’m at Les’s, I turn my head to find Aria still asleep and cuddled into my side, arm thrown over my abs. She’s so fucking beautiful, I can’t believe she’s mine. I watch her for a couple of minutes before carefully getting out of bed. Glancing at my watch, I realize it’s not quite 6am. I use the bathroom and then make my way to the kitchen. Running my hands over my face and then through my hair, I’m thinking about how bad I need a shower, and I don’t realize I’m not alone at first. The gasp was my first clue.

Dropping my hands, I find myself facing Aria’s mother, Giana. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but I’m only wearing boxer briefs. I was only planning to get a drink of water and then return to the warmth of cuddling Aria. I didn’t think I’d run into anyone this early. Nobody told me Giana was spending the night, either.

“Oh, hi. How are you doing, Rex?” Giana asks in a polite but surprised tone.

I’m guessing her being raised the way she was, being polite and using manners is her default setting. It dawns on me that I’m staring at her without speaking while she’s looking everywhere but at me. I also notice the redness creeping up her neck and face.

“Oh, hey, Mom. I told Rex he could spend the night since he stopped by so late,” Les says, then laughs. “Oh, and Rex? Our mother is here too, so you might want to cover your junk if you get up early.”

“Thanks, Les. Glad you had my back on that. Good looking out. Good morning, Mrs. Zanetti,” I mutter before turning and walking out of the room with all the dignity I can muster.

Entering the bedroom, I shut the door behind me, lean back against it, and take a breath. What the fuck? Not a good way to start the day or get on my woman’s mother’s good side.

Aria rolls over and slowly opens her eyes. It takes a few seconds, but eventually, they focus on me, and then she lifts her head. Staring at each other, neither of us moves or speaks. After several long seconds, Aria does both.

Sitting up, eyes still on me, Aria asks warily, “What’s happened now?”

“I think I just flashed your mother my morning wood,” I reply in an even tone, suddenly having a lot more respect for Axel and all the stupid things he’s done and owned up to.

Aria’s face freezes, still staring at me. Then, she flops face down on the bed and starts howling. Loudly. Hands balling the sheets up, legs kicking, the she-devil laughs her ass off. After listening to it for a minute, I cross the room, grab her by her hips, and flip her onto her back. She has actual tears running down her face, and being flipped only makes her laugh louder.

“Stop! She’s going to hear you!” I whisper-shout.

“My poor mother!” Aria shouts.

“It’s not funny!”

“It really is,” she howls.

“Wait. What do you mean ‘my poor mother’?” I ask, stepping back and planting my hands on my hips.

“Her husband’s in prison! She’s probably forgot what morning wood is!” Aria states while struggling to control her laughter.

“Have not, thank you very much,” Giana states from the other side of the door. “Do you two plan on coming out for breakfast, or should I just feed Les?”

I cringe hearing her voice and know it’s my face that’s turning red now. Hearing her mother’s words sends Aria back into fits of laughter. I toss my hands in the air, grab my jeans and pull them on, then do the same with my t-shirt.

“Breakfast sounds perfect,” I holler at the door and listen to the receding footsteps. Turning back to Aria, I mutter, “I sincerely hope it’s eggs and bacon and not sausage.”

I leave the room with Aria still rolling around the bed, laughing.

I drop Aria off at her office and chat with Chubs for a while before leaving them both there. I know she’s safe even if the office refrigerator isn’t. I’m sure it’ll only be minutes before he has the staff all fawning over him and contacting Uber Eats.

I drive to my office and walk in to find Marti and Pigeon have everything under control. I fill Pigeon in on the events of last night, and then I get busy trying to get a lock on Dale’s location.

Hours later, I find a lead. His mom’s a widow, his dad having died when Dale was just a toddler, so it’s just been the two of them. Gwen, the dead lady, is his mom’s sister and has never been married. Gwen owned her house, the one we found her at, but she also owns some property out in the country. Google Earth shows a small cabin on the property with a creek nearby. The cabin is on the way to Ivy’s ranch and not far from it as the crow flies.

My phone rings, and I answer without looking to see who’s calling. It’s Gunner.

“Hey. I heard about last night. Is Aria covered today?”

“Yeah, Chubs is at her office for now.”

“If you need people to help with that, let me know. Axel needs to stay close to Bailey, but the rest of us are available to assist. Candy, too,” Gunner states.

“Thanks, appreciate it.”

“The intel you gave me on the traffickers has been sent to the Morales family. They will be showing up here by next week, and we’ll be backing their play. Is this situation with Aria going to be done by then?” Gunner asks.

“I hope so. We know who it is. It’s just finding his ass now,” I answer. “I just found a property his aunt owned, and I’m thinking he might be there. It’s out by the ranch, so I’m going to get Pigeon to take a ride with me.”

“Have you talked to Cash yet today?” Gunner questions.

“No, not yet. Why?”

“Someone made an anonymous call to the P.D. asking for a well-being check on this guy’s mom. Someone most likely being Livi. Since she and James were in the area of his mom’s house, they got the call. James kicked in the door, following department protocol, and found her dead. Beaten to death, for fuck’s sake. A disabled woman, beaten to death by her own damn son. After the crime scene techs arrived, they left to inform the next of kin. Her son. No one’s at his place, and they said it doesn’t look like he’s been there in weeks.”

“Holy shit,” I breathe out the words, stunned. “I knew after seeing his aunt that he was capable, but his own mother?”

“Yeah, I know. Problem is, the detective on the case of his mother is now looking for him too. If we don’t find him fast, they will. They’re sitting on his house and watching the animal sanctuary. It won’t be long, and they’ll know about the aunt’s cabin too.”

“We’ll leave immediately. I’ll keep you posted,” I say and disconnect. “Pigeon! Let’s take a ride!”

While on the road the cabin’s on, Pigeon suddenly slams on the brakes of his truck. I see the locked gate across the almost hidden driveway and understand the hard braking.

“We’re really close to the ranch’s border, Rex. At this end of it, it’s rough terrain. I’m not sure if we can get close to the cabin without being seen. Hang on. Let me call my wife. She knows this land better than anyone.”

While Pigeon’s making the call, I get out and approach the gate. There are definitely fresh tire tracks past the gate. The driveway is mostly overgrown, and the grass is knocked down, showing two clear sets of tire tracks traveling up the driveway.

“My wife said we might be walking into a blind canyon type situation. She said the house sits on a small ledge near the creek, but it’s wide open all around it. She doesn’t think we’d be able to see the cabin from the safety of the brush and woods. She said fishermen use the creek all the time, floating down it, and maybe we should try that.”

“How far in is the cabin?” I ask, not wanting to stop heading straight for Dale.

“Not sure. If you want to walk in, we’ll do it. My wife thinks we’ll get a better view of everything from the creek, though.”

I instinctively duck a little when I hear a vehicle approaching. Looking toward the road, I see Horse’s truck with Reeves riding shotgun. Behind that is Trigger’s truck with Petey in it too. Waiting until they join us, I explain what we know.

“I think I know what cabin you’re talking about. I’ve spent a lot of time fishing at the ranch, and I’ve used Ivy’s aluminum boat to float by here. She’s right. The best view would be from the water,” Trigger states.

“Might be best to have someone on the water then,” Petey adds. “Someone here too, so he has no easy escape if he’s still here.”

I nod in agreement.

Horse, Petey, and Trigger are going to the ranch to get the boat and a canoe. Reeves, me, and Pigeon will move in from this direction. Everyone checks their weapons and gets moving to their assignments.

We make our way up the driveway and stick to the shadows of the trees and brush that border it. I keep an eye out for any technology that he may have put into place but find nothing. The rat thinks he’s safe here.

We come to the end of the woods and stop, crouching down in the tall grass. The car is nowhere to be seen, but there’s an old shed off to the side, and it could be in that. From this angle, I can’t tell. Ivy was right about the view, unfortunately. We can only see a small part of the backside and roof of the cabin.

“Oh fuck. I hope there are no snakes in this grass,” Reeves says in a quiet but suddenly nervous voice.

“Suck it up, bitch boy,” Pigeon orders.

“Easy for you to say, asshole. It’s not very fucking likely a clown is going to pop up out of nowhere and bite you in the balls,” Reeves shoots back.

I ignore both of them and lean up enough to look around. In the distance, I can see the creek everyone was talking about. It’s not so much a creek as it is a river. It’s much wider than I expected and probably deeper too.

“I want to get closer,” I say.

“You’ll be exposed if he’s watching,” Pigeon advises.

“I don’t see any windows on this side of the cabin, though,” I respond.

“True, but if he’s inside and comes outside, you’re caught,” Reeves states.

“If that happens, I’m relying on you two fucktards to cover me then,” I say before standing and moving forward.

“This risk is what women do to us. Makes us make bad choices,” Reeves states in a disgruntled tone.

I ignore him and continue moving slowly, as quietly as possible, toward the cabin. When I get close, I realize the cabin really is sitting on a small ledge of dirt and rock, not far above the water. I place my back against the cabin and stay still, listening for sounds within. My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out.

Petey: We’re about ten minutes from the cabin. Me and Trigger in the boat, Horse in a canoe. He’s ahead of us and should be there in about five.

Me: I’m against the back of the cabin. Just got here. Don’t know if he’s inside or not.

I inch my way along the wall, trying not to disturb anything that might tumble and make a sound. When I’m nearly to the end of the wall, I look toward the old shed, but the door is shut, and I can’t see inside. I turn the corner and freeze when a squirrel sits up and starts chirping its displeasure at having company. His noise sets off a few birds, and they take flight. When my phone vibrates again, I look down at it in my hand.

Chubs: I got the address from Pigeon. On my way. Save some of him for me.

Me: Who’s with Aria?

Chubs: Gunner

I slide the phone into my pocket and take another few steps before it vibrates again. What the ever-loving fuck!

Pigeon: We’re right behind you

Turning my head, I see Reeves and Pigeon moving in my direction. I wait until they join me, all our backs against the wall. The addition of humans sets the squirrel off again, and when his chirping doesn’t make us leave, he charges Reeves’ foot. Reeves lifts his boot out of the reach of the pissed-off squirrel, but it simply attacks the other one.

I shoot Reeves a dirty look, but he just shrugs at me. Pigeon has a hand over his mouth, holding back a laugh when the squirrel takes things up a notch. Racing up Reeves’ body, it circles his neck with his tail across Reeves’ eyes. I swat at it, wanting the damn thing to leave us alone, but that only makes it angrier.

Reeves starts thrashing around, grabbing for the squirrel, but it finds an opening and dives down the back of his shirt. Now Reeves is nearly coming out of his skin while Pigeon is trying to pull his shirt up to let the squirrel escape. I start slapping at both of them, trying to get them to quiet the fuck down when Reeves shouts and throws himself to the ground. I quickly peek around the corner to see if Dale’s going to come charging out of the cabin, but the door stays closed.

Glancing up the creek, I see a canoe coming our way. I wave, trying to get Horse’s attention and let him know our location. During this, Reeves is still rolling around on the ground and trying to strip himself of clothing. When Pigeon’s eyes meet mine, I stab a finger at him, then at Reeves, and then draw my finger across my throat. The threat raises Pigeon’s eyebrows, but it does get him moving to shut up Reeves.

Turning back to the river, I see Horse standing in the canoe, fishing pole in hand. He’s very slowly floating past the front of the cabin. I see him give a negative shake of his head and sigh. Fuck, he can’t see anything helpful either. Hearing a new sound, I look again and spot Petey slowly rowing while Trigger tosses a line. They stop just a bit upriver from the cabin and Horse.

“I’m bit! The fucker bit me! Fuuucckkkk!” Reeves suddenly and loudly shouts.

Ignoring his pain, I pull my gun from my waistband and step around to the front of the cabin. I lean back and kick in the door, gun aimed at the interior. Moving inside quickly, I look in every corner for a threat. Not seeing any, I move down the hallway, clearing the bathroom and single bedroom. Nothing. He’s not here.

Turning around, I nearly plow over Pigeon, who’s right behind me, gun in hand.

I walk into the living room/kitchen and stop. Looking around, it’s obvious someone’s been here recently. Stalking to the small fridge, I open it and pull out the milk container. Its expiration date isn’t for a few days yet, so it’s fresh. Pissed off about missing him again, I heave the container against the wall and watch it explode milk everywhere.

I step outside and wave to Petey. He immediately starts rowing toward the shore. Horse starts to sit down, probably to do the same as Petey, but instead, his canoe starts rocking wildly. I watch, completely disinterested, as the canoe loses the fight and tosses Horse out as it capsizes. I don’t even have it in me to laugh, but that doesn’t hold Pigeon back. He starts howling, bending over, hands on his knees.

I look toward Reeves, who’s now sitting in the dirt without a shirt and jeans bunched up at his ankles, stuck on his boots. He’s trying to see over his shoulder, hands reaching back while the same damn squirrel sits off to the side, still chattering angrily.

“I can’t swim!” Horse shouts while thrashing around in the water.

I continue watching him thrash about as Petey and Trigger’s laughter carries up to join with Pigeon’s.

“For fuck’s sake! Can one of you grab his dumb ass and drag him out?” I finally shout out angrily.

Petey and Trigger step out of their boat and pull it out of the water while laughing at Horse’s distress. Pigeon is now on his knees, gasping for breath. I start walking down the short slope, realizing it’s up to me to save his ass. I’m going to hurt him when I get to him, but I will get him out of the water first.

“Calm down, brother. It’s only waist deep on someone his size,” Trigger says to me when I reach the edge of the water.

“Seriously?” I ask while I watch Horse try to leverage his large ass onto the bottom side of the canoe. He has no success.

“Yeah. He’ll figure it out when he finally sinks to the bottom of its depths,” Petey adds, still laughing hard.

“Horse! Put your feet down and walk the fuck out of there!” I shout as his head disappears beneath the water.

When it pops back up, I repeat my order. Horse coughs up about a quart of water, wheezing as he does it. When his head jerks up and his eyes meet mine, I know he’s finally realized he’s not drowning. Shaking my head in disgust, I walk back up the slope to the cabin. Going inside, I start searching for anything that might be helpful. I find nothing.

When I step outside, it’s to find all of them standing next to the cabin. Angry squirrel is now sitting on a low limb, and Reeves is eyeing him for signs of another attack. I’m so discouraged and pissed I want to smash things with my bare hands. Petey must read that thought on my face because he speaks up first.

“We’ll find him, Rex. Pigeon said he’s obviously staying here, so he’ll return as long as he doesn’t know we know about this place.”

“Can’t disguise the busted door,” I mutter. “I’ll stay behind and wait for him.”

“Not alone, you won’t. Horse can stay with you. We’ll move his truck so it’s not spotted. Reeves has to take a trip to the E.R. to start a series of rabies shots,” Trigger says, then pauses to laugh before finishing. “Gunner is with Aria, so she’s covered, and her mother is at the governor’s mansion with Lucy’s mom. We’ll take Reeves back with us.”

“And Chubs just arrived,” Pigeon says while pointing behind me.

I turn and see Chubs hustling toward us. His face looks like thunder, and it’s a very rare occasion that I’ve seen him this angry. When he stops next to me, his words explain his face.

“You took him out without waiting for me, didn’t you?”

“No, he’s not here,” I answer in a defeated voice.

“Oh. Okay, well, then, I’m here to help. Where do we look next?” Chubs asks.

Petey explains our plans, and Chubs nods in agreement.

“You might as well head home, Pigeon. No sense in you going back to town,” I state.

“Makes sense. Horse, you can either take the canoe back the way you came, or you can carry it up here and load it on my truck,” Pigeon says.

“Why are you soaking wet, and why is Reeves only partially dressed?” Chubs asks in a curious voice.

“Squirrel attack,” Trigger says while pointing at Reeves, and then pointing at Horse, he says, “Can’t swim in knee-deep water.”

“Fuck you, Trigger! It was deeper than that out in the middle where I was,” Horse mutters irritably. “I’m not risking it again, so fuck that canoe. It’ll find its way to shore eventually.”

“It attacked out of nowhere. Just came at me,” Reeves murmurs, seemingly in shock.

“I thank fucking God every day that Gunner saw fit to put you two at the security shop and not the auto body. I’d have retired immediately,” Petey says, then starts laughing all over again.

“We’ll tow the canoe back with us,” Trigger volunteers, then slaps me on the shoulder as he walks past.

Everyone heads out, and Horse and I walk back into the cabin. Looking around, I see a case of bottled water and grab three from it. Tossing one to Horse, I open mine and take a deep swallow. Horse disappears down the hall and emerges holding up a pair of battered sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“Not sure I want to put these on, but at least they’re dry.”

I shrug, not caring either way. Horse hesitates, then starts stripping out of his clothes. I step back outside and watch Petey and Trigger gliding through the water headed toward the ranch. Chubs is sitting on a rickety chair watching them too when I hand him a water bottle.

“She’ll be safe with Gunner. He might have been acting a dick lately, but he’ll not let her get hurt,” Chubs says in a quiet voice. “I texted Les so he’s aware of what’s happening. He’s going to Aria’s office too as soon as he gets clear of a meeting.”

“I know. I trust him. I’m just so fucking frustrated at not having our hands on this Dale guy yet.”

“I called Margie this morning just to be sure he didn’t show up to work, but he didn’t. Guess he isn’t as stupid as I was hoping he was,” Chubs states.

“These clothes suck, but they’re dry,” Horse says as he joins us.

When Chubs starts chuckling, I turn to look at Horse. Dale is much shorter and much wider than Horse, apparently. Old, nasty gray sweatpants don’t reach all the way to Horse’s biker boots, so there’s a swatch of pale, white, hairy skin showing between the boots and cloth. Horse has a hand holding the waist cinched in so they don’t fall. Guess the tie string is missing. The pants are wide as hell and resemble those old army uniform pants that bagged out at the thighs. The t-shirt is a few sizes too big and baggy, but at the same time, short on Horse’s longer torso. Another swatch of skin, this time tanned, shows below the hem. The shirt looks like those cutoff, short shirts women wear that bare their midriff. I can’t help my snort of laughter, and it only earns me a glare from Horse.

“That’s quite the outfit, Horse,” Chubs states.

“It’s dry! At least I didn’t challenge a squirrel to a death match today!” Horse shouts.

“Did you give Petey your keys?” I ask.

“Fuck. No, I forgot. We’ll have to walk out and move my truck and whatever Chubs arrived in. Might as well go now.”

I nod, and the three of us start the journey, Horse holding his wet clothes in one hand while the other keeps his ass covered. We’re silent as we walk, each deep in their own thoughts. When we’re almost to the truck, my phone vibrates. Pulling it out, I see a text from Pooh.

Pooh: Come to the clubhouse asap.

Me: On our way. Anything new?

Pooh: Yeah. We have a visitor. Make it fast.

Me: Where’s Aria?

Pooh: With James on her way here. Prez is in a better mood. Got to work off some of his anger.

I read the text to the guys, and we break into a jog. It’s got to be good news, right? Jumping into Horse’s truck, I slam the door and put on my seatbelt. Horse pulls out, gunning his truck into a sliding half-circle until we’re pointed in the right direction. We wait for Chubs and tear off when he pulls in behind us. The trip to town takes half the time it normally would, and I’m suddenly appreciating Horse more than I can say.

Stopping the truck in a cloud of dust, I bail out and jog to the door of the clubhouse, Horse on my heels. Stepping inside, I wait a second to let my eyes adjust to the dimness of the room. Tessie is walking toward me, and I watch as her eyes go wide before she frowns at something behind me. Realizing it’s Horse she’s looking at, I move toward the bar where Freddy is sitting.

“I have to rethink my whole life,” I hear Tessie mutter before the door opens and bangs shut behind her.

“Freddy! Where’s Gunner?” I ask.

“Take a seat. He’ll be here in a couple of minutes. Have a beer.”

“Where’s Aria?” I ask impatiently.

“At Pooh’s with Pippa and Tammy. Prez had James take her there for the time being. Calm down, Rex. Gunner has your guy,” Freddy answers in a calm, soothing tone as he sets a beer in front of me and Horse. “The stalker guy is hanging out downstairs, and Gunner’s home changing clothes and getting repairs. The moron puked on the Prez then started crying. It was sad and ugly.”

I heard his words but somehow skipped past the “getting repairs” part.

Chubs comes charging into the room, and I explain what I know as I stalk across the room, headed for the basement staircase.

“Don’t kill him,” Freddy orders. “Prez said he’s not done with him yet.”

Chubs, Horse, and I make our way to the cement cell in the basement. Yanking open the door, I realize Freddy wasn’t joking. Dale is actually hanging from a hook in the ceiling by his wrists, which are tied together. His toes touch the floor, but not by much. His clothes have vomit and blood splatters, and he’s still crying.

I reach forward and give his hip a push, and it turns him to face us. Eyes puffy from punches and tears, he’s a mess. Looking down, I see he’s even pissed himself.

“Don’t hurt me! Please! I didn’t do anything!” Dale begs before sniffling.

“Didn’t do anything? You fucking stalked and terrorized my woman! You killed your mom and aunt and say you’ve done nothing? What the fuck?” I shout while he twitches and flinches in fear.

“No! I didn’t! I’d never hurt Aria! I love her!” he screams.

Chubs pushes past me and plants his fist in Dale’s stomach. Jumping back, we all avoid the vomit spewing from his mouth.

“She’s my sister! You are in for a world of pain, buddy,” Chubs advises before delivering another punch, then dodging more vomit.

Dale cries in large, gulping sobs before focusing on something behind me.

“Are you wearing my clothes?” he asks in a suddenly calm voice. “You stole my stuff?”

“Fucker is delusional. He kills his mom and aunt, stalks Aria, and yet is offended that I’m forced to wear his worn-out, ragged-ass clothes. I need to punch him myself just because he has no fashion sense,” Horse mutters.

“Wait, guys. It gets better,” Pooh says with a snicker.

Stepping past me, Pooh turns Dale around then jerks his sweatpants down to his knees, and Dale starts crying again. When I see what Pooh’s exposed, I see red. Emerald green, satin, and lace panties are stretched to their limits on Dale’s fat ass. They’re tearing at the seams and are only holding on by a prayer. One of Aria’s items that Dale took from her home.

Jumping forward, I start swinging at any part of him I can hit. Pooh quickly exits the tiny room but shouts a warning about Dale’s tendency to spew bodily fluids. I’m at the point I don’t even care. I land punches until my arms are too heavy to lift again. Stepping back, I wipe the sweat off my face with my shirt and take deep breaths.

“Didn’t even hit him in the head, and he’s out cold. The fucker has no tolerance for pain of any sort,” Horse muses.

“He fainted. What a Nancy-assed bitch,” Chubs says in disgust.

“When you’re done, come upstairs, and I’ll fill you in on what happened,” Gunner says from the stairway.

“I’m not hitting him again until he’s awake and can feel it. On my way, Prez,” Chubs says in a cheery tone, and I agree, so I follow him upstairs.

“Chubs wanted to be at the cabin with you guys, and Cash was tied up. I volunteered and took his place at her office,” Gunner starts explaining but stops when his eyes meet mine.

I’m guessing the surprise on my face must have showed because he dropped his head, staring at his feet for several seconds before meeting my eyes again.

“I get why you’re surprised I’d volunteer, Rex. I’ve been an ass to you and about Aria’s protection. I never—and I mean never—thought her safety wasn’t important. I didn’t take the situation as seriously as I should have, though, and that’s on me. I had an issue within my marriage, and I let it color my behavior toward everyone else. I can’t tell you how sorry I am about that. Same to you, Chubs. Your family is an extension of our club family and should have been treated that way. I fucked—” Gunner explains, but I cut him off prematurely.

“We can discuss this in private,” I offer while pointing at Chubs to include him too.

“No, we can’t. I bitched at you, negated all the work you do for the club in front of others, so the least I can do is apologize in public too. I fucked up and took my shit out on you, and it was wrong. Aria’s an important part of our club family. She’s already stepped up and helped the club out and earned more than I gave back. It won’t happen again, and I hope we can put this behind us.”

“Done,” Chubs says immediately, and I repeat the word a second after him.

“Good. Let’s move on then. I was sitting in the waiting room, just like a regular patient, when that simple fuck walked in and demanded to see Aria. Said he was her fiancé. When the woman working the front asked for his name, he said he was Rex Caddel and then brandished a knife. The woman started screaming, and I tackled him. I got him down and then Aria and her partner tied his hands and feet for me. Put him in my truck, called James to pick up Aria, and I came here. After stringing him up downstairs, I went home to change clothes and have Aria sew up a small knife wound I got in my thigh when I tackled him,” Gunner explains with a grin.

“Best part of the story, though, is when Aria was helping to tie him up. He kept telling her how they were meant to be together and babbling about his love for her. Apparently, your woman can be short on patience because about thirty seconds into it, she raised up and came down with an elbow between his eyes. Shocked him so much he started crying. Her partner, Georgeanne, was very impressed and asked where she learned that move,” Gunner says, then stops for a minute to laugh.

“Aria says, ‘Pooh taught me that move. Said the elbow is the hardest thing in the human body, and I remembered that shit. Damn! That felt good! Can I do it again?’” Gunner laughs again then finishes with, “I told her she could practice on this jackoff for as long as she wants. Dale got a few more elbows to the face, and I think Pooh’s gained a whole new customer base.”

We all laugh, and I breathe easy for the first time in what feels like years. Standing, I walk to Gunner and hold my hand out, thanking him for what he did today. He grips my hand then pulls me in for a one-armed hug. Stepping back, I know we’re good again.

“Did you tell him what I did?” Aria shouts excitedly as she comes into the room with James following.

She moves with speed until her body collides with mine, and I wrap my arms around her. Holding her, knowing she’s safe, feels perfect. I continue keeping her close to me until Chubs forces an arm between us and pulls her to him instead. I shoot an angry glare at him, but he just grins as he hugs his sister.

When she finally pulls free of her brother, I capture a hand and pull her against my side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

“I did what you told me to do, Pooh! Elbow! Right between his eyes! Bam!” she states with a wide smile.

Pooh grins back and gives her a thumbs-up.

“I wish I’d seen it happen,” he tells her. “Oh wait! Maybe Rex can pull up the video for us?”

“I heard about it on the way here. I’d rethink arguing with her, Rex. She’s hoping to get to use the move again someday,” James says with a chuckle.

“Oh, God, no! Not on Rex! But I do have two brothers that get out of hand sometimes,” Aria states with an evil smile sent toward Chubs. “Especially with one who thinks all food belongs to him.”

Chubs grins and holds both hands up in a sign of surrender while everyone laughs.

“Actually, it was Gunner who did the work. I haven’t had a chance to thank you for that yet, so thank you so much. The staff will never stop talking about the way you pile-drove him into the floor, headfirst. Amazing and so appreciated,” Aria says in a soft but sincere voice while facing Gunner. “That move is the one I want to learn next.”

Gunner gives her a slight nod and a small grin, accepting her gratitude.

“What’d I miss now?” Axel says from the kitchen doorway.

His face is already starting to pout. We all know he hates being left out, and it’s happened often lately with Bailey so close to the end of her pregnancy. Axel’s not been taking it well, either. I notice the can of ginger ale he’s holding, and I laugh.

“There’s no way you’re still having morning sickness this late into Bailey’s pregnancy,” I state while pointing at the can.

“How would you know? You’ve never been pregnant!” Axel states with an angry look on his face.

“Neither have you, dumbass,” Gunner mutters but is clearly heard by all.

Ignoring Gunner, Axel asks again about what he missed, so Pooh quickly fills him in on what’s taken place. As Pooh’s talking, Axel’s face gets more scrunched up into his full-on Axel pout mode until I think it’ll never straighten out again.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” James asks with a look of dismay on his face.

“Oh my,” Aria mutters, then laughs as James continues to stare aghast at Horse.

“Not a good look for you, Horse,” Pooh taunts.

Petey and Trigger walk through the door and instantly start laughing again at Horse. This time, I’m assuming it’s over his clothing choices. Reeves walks in behind them but quietly moves to the bar, grabs a full bottle of Jack Daniels. Opening it, he takes a long swallow. Plopping down on a stool, Reeves doesn’t let go of the bottle, and I know he’s just getting started.

“What took you guys so long to get back?” Gunner asks.

“We had to make a stop at the E.R. so Reeves could get a rabies shot. It bit him on the ass four times and once on his back. Petey and I are convinced it was a female squirrel getting revenge for females everywhere,” Trigger answers, and it starts another round of laughter.

Petey quickly explains about the squirrel fight that Reeves lost but then points to Horse and says, “I’m not sure I can explain whatever the fuck that’s about, though.”

“I can! I nearly drowned, and not a single one of these dumb fucks helped! I was wet, so I swapped my clothes with some I found at the cabin!” Horse shouts, clearly still traumatized about his swimming lesson today. “Every time I leave town and go near that ranch, bad things happen!”

“Heard you freaked the fuck out over a dead lady, too,” Pooh says with a sad shake of his head.

“It’s bad juju to disturb the dead, Pooh! Karma’s already biting me in the ass with that cursed canoe today!” Horse hollers before throwing his hands in the air and stomping his way toward his room.

When the laughter dies down, Aria pulls away from me and approaches Gunner. Holding her hand out, Gunner does the same with her that he did with me. He pulls her in for a hug and whispers something in her ear that makes her smile widen. When she returns to my side, she wraps her arms around me and lays her head against my shoulder.

“We have decisions to be made about Dale. I think it’s only fair for Aria to have a say in them,” Gunner states to the room, and heads nod in agreement.

“I don’t know the club’s procedures on these types of things, so I’ll defer to you, my brother, and Rex on those decisions,” Aria says while looking at Gunner. “I know you guys will make the right ones.”

“Thank you, Aria, but I’d also like your opinion,” Gunner states.

“He needs to pay for killing his own family. They deserve justice more than I do. How he gets that justice should be a club decision since you all took risks to keep me safe. No matter what that decision is, I’ll support it and the club.”

“Appreciate that, Aria,” Gunner says simply.

Aria nods, then turns to me.

“Can I leave now? I think I want to go home and reclaim it as mine. Stop by later?”

“Absolutely. I’ll get someone to give you a ride home,” I answer before giving her a quick kiss.

“I’ll take her,” Candy says from the kitchen doorway.

Aria opens the door and lets me inside. As soon as the door closes and the security system engaged, I pull her tight to me. Burying my face in her neck, I breathe in the citrus scent of her shampoo. We stand like this for several minutes, unwilling to move away from each other. Finally, I lean back and run my eyes over her beautiful face.

“You okay?” I ask.

“Yeah, surprisingly, I am. Glad it’s over, and being here doesn’t feel like crap anymore. I even took a long shower and didn’t feel like I was being watched,” she answers.

“That’s great. I don’t want you to ever feel like he made you feel again,” I murmur.

We take seats on the couch and relax for a few minutes, chatting about unimportant things. Then, Aria surprises me with a small laugh.

“When Gunner lifted Dale and drove his head into the floor, everyone gasped. I think Gunner might have thought we did that because of the violence, but it wasn’t. We all got an eyeful of the sexy panties on Dale’s white ass. That piece of shit stole my newest and sexiest pair, and the first time I get to see them on a body, it’s his!” Aria says, then snickers again.

“Georgeanne said that Dale wearing them has made her rethink wearing lingerie before she loses a few pounds. It was hysterical! That’s what she’s thinking while Gunner’s fighting a guy with a knife. I don’t think any of us had any doubt about who was going to win. Gunner was ferocious and unmerciful. Even the patient sitting in the waiting room was rooting Gunner on. She’s the one who gave us the belt from her coat to tie his feet. Our only male employee, Cory, our hygienist, gave us his shoelaces for Dale’s hands. It was a full team effort, but Gunner was by far the star.”

“How bad was his stab wound?” I ask, smiling at her description of the events.

“He got stabbed in the thigh, and luckily, it didn’t hit bone. It took eleven stitches to close it, though. It was a large kitchen knife with a wicked blade. He didn’t even say he’d been stabbed until he showed up at Pooh’s house. Badass!”

“You and Gunner are good now?” I ask, already knowing but wanting to hear it in her words.

“I wasn’t thrilled when he relieved my brother, to be honest. But he pulled me aside and apologized for how he’d acted the other day and then told me that no matter what happened, he’d keep me and my coworkers safe. It was clear he meant every word, and then he did just that. Everyone has days where we don’t ‘human’ very well, and I get that. We’re good, I promise,” Aria explains.

“What did he say to you before you left?” I question.

“He said he’d tag team with me any day,” Aria says with a wide grin.

I laugh because that sounds exactly like something Gunner would say.

When Aria’s phone rings, I leave her on the couch, reassuring her family of her safety. Stepping into the kitchen area, I use my phone to order us dinner. I check a few emails and texts and return to her side when she disconnects.

“I ordered food. After we eat, I need a shower,” I say.

“I’m starved, so thank you.”

We eat, conversation flowing easily, and drink a couple of glasses of wine. When I start to clean up the mess, Aria waves me off, so I head to her room. Stripping, I step into the shower under the hot water. I sigh at how good it feels before I start to spread soap over my body. Hearing the shower door click, I look over my shoulder in time to see Aria’s hair, tied up in a messy bun, moving behind me.

“Let me do that. Place your hands on the wall, please and thank you,” Aria says in a quiet but husky voice.

I do exactly as instructed and drop my head down, closing my eyes in anticipation. Aria does not disappoint. A shiver runs up my spine when her soapy hands circle my waist then move upward, spreading soap over my pecs. She stops moving them long enough to pinch each of my nipples, and I smile when I hear her small giggle. I quit smiling when she presses her breasts, nipples hardened, against my back and drops her hands to my hips. I catch myself guessing where they will move next, but Aria isn’t as predictable as I thought.

Her hands disappear, but before I can protest, they land on my hips again. She must have soaped them up again because when I open my eyes, they are full of suds. While she rubs small circles over my hipbones and across my lower stomach, I notice her feet and how delicate they look beside mine. Dainty coral-colored toenails curl slightly when her hands come close to my cock and uncurl when they move away. Unconsciously, she’s anticipating the same pleasure I am.

Her hands disappear again, and I blow out a breath. I breathe in slowly and fully again when her sudsy hands start making swirls over my shoulders, down across my back, and landing on my ass. Gently kneading, it’s oddly erotic as hell. Her nails scrape lightly before one hand dips low, and a finger brushes across the skin right behind my balls. I raise my head and drop it backward in pleasure.

“Aria,” I say, and even I can hear the want in my voice.

“Shhh. Feel it. Enjoy it,” she huskily whispers.

Her breasts push into my back again, and her hard nipples are obviously as aroused as I am. They disappear, but her fingernail scrapes against the same spot as before, and my body jerks involuntarily. It makes the same movement when both hands encircle my thigh, and she slides them up and down, soaping my leg up. When her hands move upward, the back of one brushes against my balls, and I feel them tighten in response.

Moving to the other leg, she repeats every move the same as the first time. I’m now gritting my teeth, wanting so much more but not wanting to take this away from her. When she stands upright, her hands slide around and finally, fucking finally, grasp my cock and give it a slow, long stroke.

“Fuck, Aria,” I say in a low tone.

One hand continues the stroking while the other drops down and grips my ball sack. Tugging on it lightly, I groan, slightly spreading my legs more to give her all the access she wants. Her movements remain smooth and provocative, and I’m fighting myself to not start thrusting wildly in her hands.

“Harder?” she asks.

“Fuck, yeah. Harder, Aria,” I mutter.

She does so much better than I expected. She grips my cock tight, at the level I would, stroking with purpose while tugging on my balls. It doesn’t take long, and I know she’s going to get me off way faster than I want it to happen.

“I don’t want to come so soon. I want to come while deep inside of you,” I moan out before gripping her hands to stop the movements.

“I want that too. Turn around,” she states while releasing me.

I turn around, prepared to push her against the wall and plant myself deep inside of her. Aria has other ideas because she’s already on her knees and her lips seal around my cock as soon as her hand grabs it. Shocked but not unhappily, I plant my hands on the back wall of the shower and look down at her.

“I was going to bury myself in you,” I admit.

Pulling her mouth off me, she looks up and meets my eyes.

“I know what you thought, but this is what I meant. Later, I’ll expect you to follow through with your plan, though.”

As soon as she’s done speaking, her soft, warm mouth sucks my cock deep into it, and her tongue strokes it. A hand finds my balls again, and she cups them while the other hand encircles the base of my cock. After a few minutes of moving her mouth up and down the length of my cock, she hums. It nearly pushes me over the edge, and I drop a hand to the side of her face.

“Fuck, Aria. Jesus,” I say in a low growl.

“Fuck my mouth, Rex. Fuck it hard,” she orders before swallowing my cock down again.

I do as she asked, but I thrust gently, not wanting to hurt her. She either moans or hums each time my cock gets close to going down her throat. She tugs, almost painfully, on my balls, and I know I’m done for.

“I’m going to come. Stand up and let me in you,” I say while holding on by a thread.

She shakes her head in the negative, grasps my hips, and pulls me in deeper. Wrapping her tongue around my cock, she pulls me in deep again, and I lose it. Planting both hands on the wall to stay upright, I come hard while pressed in deep. Aria continues using her tongue to stroke me until my body quits quivering. Pulling back, she gives one more light tug on my balls before standing. I’m too wrecked to move, so I stay braced against the walls and breathe deeply. Aria moves to the side and rinses her mouth with the shower water that I’ve forgotten is still running.

“Finish up. I’ll be waiting in bed for you. Don’t think we’re done either,” Aria says before giving my ass a pat and stepping out of the shower.

I stand up straight and grin at the little minx. Turning, I quickly finish up my shower. Stepping out, I dry off and wrap the towel around my waist. I stop at the sink, brush my teeth then walk into the bedroom. My eyebrows shoot up in surprise when I see five condoms lined up neatly on the nightstand.

“I aim high,” Aria says with an impish grin.

“I see that. Hope I can meet your standards,” I state before dropping the towel and pulling back the sheets on the bed.

“You don’t have to. I just thought I’d save time and lay them out. If we only use three tonight and two in the morning, that’ll be good enough,” she replies.

When I slide into the bed, she curls her naked body against mine, and I think about how perfect she feels there. Moving an arm under her head, she rests it on my shoulder while my hand finds the soft skin of her hip. Stroking her lightly, I marvel at how silky her skin is compared to mine.

“You’re so soft,” I murmur.

She runs a hand across my abs, and I feel them contract at the contact.

“You’re not and I love that,” she says while lightly tapping on each of my ab muscles.

“I’m so glad we have that stalker shit behind us,” I say. “The club took a quick vote today, on the phone with the missing members, about Dale’s fate.”

I look down when she shifts her head, and our eyes meet. Hers are peaceful, and I’m glad to see that.

“The decision was made to turn Dale over to the authorities instead of the club handing out his punishment. We decided that because there were too many witnesses at your office for it to stay quiet. We also felt that there may be other victims who were too afraid to speak up. If they see he can’t hurt them anymore, maybe they can find some peace or their own justice. You may be asked to testify if it goes to court. You okay with that?”

“Yeah, I am. I like the decision you guys agreed upon. I hadn’t even thought about other victims needing to find peace. Maybe it will help solve other crimes if there are any more,” Aria says in a soft voice.

“Gunner called the police and explained everything they needed to know, and he turned Dale over to them. I’m sure there were a few uncomfortable questions to answer, but Governor Douglas will smooth out anything if something arises. The man did show up and threaten a woman at your office with a knife, so he doesn’t have a leg to stand on,” I explain. “And he stabbed an MC President. I’m sure the police department is shocked that a beatdown is all he received for that.”

Aria laughs, and I slide down until we’re lying on our sides, face to face.

“You’re stuck with me, you know,” I say quietly while watching her face closely.

“I’m hoping you really mean that,” Aria replies.

“I don’t have your pedigree, your education, your family wealth. I’m just a biker who installs security systems. I’m a simple guy. I hope I can be enough for you,” I admit.

“You’re so much more than that, Rex. I grew up with money but also with the mob as our so-called uncles and cousins. I grew up with the best brothers but also isolated from the real world because of external threats to our safety that we didn’t know about until we were older. My dad is in prison for life. I have a mom that I love dearly, but she won’t move on from my dad and is wasting her life away, hoping he'll get out somehow. I don’t want him to, but I’m afraid if I admit that to my mom, it’ll crush her. You’re so much more than I ever thought I’d get and more than I probably deserve. My dad killed people and took them from their wives, their children. Not all were bad people. I’ve felt the guilt over that for years, even though it should be his guilt to carry. Someone, some power, put you in my life because I think they knew how much I needed someone just like you,” Aria says quietly but with a passionate tone.

We stare at each other for a few beats before I lean over and kiss her lightly. When I start to pull back, she cups the side of my face with a palm and pulls me back for another kiss. Kissing her is no hardship, so I gladly capture her mouth again and spend time letting her feel how much I enjoy it.

The next day at work, I spend the entire shift, except for lunch, following more leads on intel Chubs has gathered on the traffickers. The man must know every single person in the Denver area because he always knows who to talk with about whatever he’s looking for. He found great information, and Gunner was as impressed as I was. Gunner was also relieved that Chubs decided he’s back to work and not on a leave anymore.

I also took a few minutes to pull Marti into my office and give her a work evaluation I filled out concerning her first week of working here. I felt bad at first when I asked her to follow me to my office because she got a nervous deer in the headlight look in her eyes, but that quickly changed when she realized the eval was all good and no negative.

I made a point of praising her for how hard she worked and for helping out on a Saturday when she’s not required to do that. She beamed under the praise and sat a little straighter. I made a mental note to not forget to acknowledge her extra efforts in the future too. After she left my office, standing a little taller, I ordered a small bouquet of flowers and some chocolate-covered strawberries to be delivered here for her today. The card will read: Welcome to the Team!

For lunch, I left the office for a change and picked up a huge order of food from a local Mexican restaurant. Walking into Aria’s office, I spoke briefly with the woman at the front desk, and she directed me to the employee break room. Setting the food on the table, I barely had time to open the bags before employees started filing in. When Georgeanne entered, her eyes lit up, and I found myself wrapped in a tight hug.

“It’s so good to see you again, Rex!” she says after releasing me. “Let me formally introduce everyone since we’re going to see a lot of you, I’m sure.”

Aria walks in and stops by my side while Georgeanne is pointing out who’s who, and I’m trying to memorize all the names.

“What’s all of this?” Aria asks after giving me a quick kiss.

“Thought I’d buy lunch as a thank you to your coworkers for helping to keep you safe,” I answer and shoot a smile at Georgeanne, then the others. “And as an apology for not stopping him before he caused a scene here.”

“Oh, the apology is not necessary!” Georgeanne exclaims. “I think we all secretly enjoyed the ass-whooping Gunner gave him! Better yet, Aria’s elbow move was inspiring! But food is always appreciated!”

At that, everyone starts chatting and selecting food containers while Aria and I stand to the side, smiling at their enthusiasm. When everyone moved to take seats with their food, Aria and I followed their example. Sitting at the same table as Georgeanne and Lynette, we ate, quietly smiling at each other.

As I’m leaving, Aria walks me to my bike before pulling me in for a hot kiss. Pulling back, almost breathless, she grins.

“That was awesome of you. They’re going to love you forever, so if you ever need dental work, I know where you can get it done on the cheap,” she says.

“Good to know,” I respond.

“I’ll be expecting you to use the rest of those condoms tonight,” Aria states as she’s walking toward the door.

“The whole box?” I shout.

“The one you didn’t use that’s still on the nightstand. We can start on the box after that,” she replies before opening the door and disappearing inside.

I grin, straddle my bike, and return to my office. Walking in, I find Marti with a huge grin, what looks suspiciously like tears in her eyes, and a florist card in hand.

“Thank you,” she says simply and then sniffs a little.

“You’re welcome,” I answer and smile as I walk past her desk and notice the strawberries package opened and missing a couple.

Getting back to work, I catch myself smiling from time to time. What a difference a day can make.

“Harder, Rex! Please,” Aria begs as I thrust inside from behind her.

I have her standing, forearms resting on the bed, ass in the air. My hands are squeezing her ass before I slide one to her clit and finger it while thrusting in and out of her tight wetness. She feels so fucking good.

“I’m so close,” she whimpers.

I pull out, ignoring her protest, stand her up, and turn her around. When she looks up at me, confusion and possibly anger in her eyes, I smile wickedly at her.

“Lay on the edge of the bed,” I order and help her comply.

I grasp her hips, pull them to the edge of the bed and push my cock back inside her. Putting my hands on her shins, I push her knees closer to her chest, opening her up.

“Oh, fuck yeah. Just like that,” she murmurs, dropping her hands to the bed.

Looking down, I can watch my cock slide in and out of her tight body, and it kicks things up a notch for me to watch. I reach down and, using two fingers, spread her open even more until I can see her clit. I lick my thumb then place it on her clit. I exert pressure on it before moving it in a small circle. Aria moans and her body twitches.

I take my other hand off her leg and push lightly down on the lower part of her abdomen. Aria’s body stiffens, and she arches her back while using her hands to pull her knees even closer to her body. I watch her breasts bounce with each of my thrusts, and I wish I could reach them with my teeth.

“Come for me, baby,” I order as I feel my own release become imminent.

I pinch her clit, push down on her abdomen, and thrust hard, grinding against her body. Aria gasps, her body arches again, and she tips her head back. I let go and allow myself to come with her. I thrust hard several times before planting deep and staying there. My breaths come hard as I feel my release and Aria’s tremors deep inside her body.

I use my hands to balance myself as I lean down and kiss her, hard and claiming. She gasps for air as soon as my mouth releases hers, and her hands find my neck. I’m still deep inside, and I move my hips in a small half-circle in one direction and then the other, and Aria pushes up against my cock. I drop my head to her stomach and plant a kiss above her navel. I rest my forehead there until I have the energy to stand upright, pulling out of her arms and her body.

“No,” Aria protests.

I reach down and scoop her into my arms, ignoring her gasp of surprise, and carry her to the bathroom. I set her naked ass on the vanity before strolling to the large tub and turning the water on. I adjust the temperature, add some bath oil that’s sitting on the edge of the tub, and turn back to see Aria watching me.

“You take baths?” she asks with a soft smile.

“With you, yes.”

I pick her up, carry her into the tub, and set her down in front of me. I pull her until her back settles against my chest, and I wrap my arms around her chest, dropping my chin to her shoulder. We sit quietly until the tub is full, and Aria reaches forward to shut it off. Turning slightly, she lays her head on my shoulder and settles in.

I cup water in my hand and let it slowly pour out on Aria’s shoulder and arm. I turn her a little more and do the same with her back, earning a moan. I again adjust her, back to chest and do the same to her breasts and stomach. Reaching for the scented bodywash, I drizzle some on her breasts and grin at her giggle.

“So, this is why you always smell so good,” I say while taking a sniff from the bottle. “I love this scent on you.”

“I love where you’re going with this,” she replies.

I run my palms over the bodywash on her breasts and then cup them. Rotating them in small circles, I watch as the bodywash gets sudsy. Kissing the side of her temple, I keep my eyes on my hands and her breasts.

“That feels amazing,” she admits while arching her back and pushing her breasts tighter to my hands.

“To me too. I love watching my body touching yours. My cock sliding in and out of you. My hands on your breasts. All of it.”

“Please don’t stop,” she begs.

“Not planning to. But when we get out of the tub, I’m going to drive my tongue into your sweet pussy while I thumb your clit. Then I’m going to bite your clit while I finger your sweet pussy. I have plans, woman. Lay back and enjoy them.”

She does, and I spend ages simply cupping her breasts and pinching her nipples, watching silently. My cock responded a while ago, but I’m ignoring him. I like this slow buildup, and I’m convinced Aria does too.

When the water starts to cool, I rinse her off, stand us up, and leave the tub. I dry her off, then myself, then follow her back to her bed. Pulling the sheet over us, I pull her close and kiss her softly. We don’t rush things and simply enjoy the moments with our mouths connected, bodies touching.

“I need you to slide to the edge of the bed again, baby. I need to put my mouth on you,” I ask quietly, and she complies instantly.

I drop off the bed onto my knees and pull her right to the edge. Gently pushing her knees outward, I stare down at her most private parts and nearly groan out loud. So soft, pink, and wet. Taking one fingertip, I trace the outline of her pussy. Using another finger, I pull her outer lips apart and place a small kiss on each. Using the tip of my tongue, I trace her inner lips and refuse to get distracted by her moans.

I move my tongue down to her vaginal opening and slide it around the hole. I pull my head back and do the same move with my finger. I then carefully push my finger just inside the opening and pull it back out. Watching my finger enter and pull back out is causing my cock to nearly ache. Aria’s body twitches slightly, and her breathing changes the more I do this. Each time, I push my finger inside a little deeper. Leaving it planted there, I lean forward and use my lips to stimulate her clit.

“Rex, please,” Aria moans while grasping the sheets next to my head.

I pull my finger out and swipe my tongue from opening to clit. I circle the clit a few times before lightly biting it with my teeth. Aria gasps, body jerking. I again lean back and watch my finger penetrate her. Thumb pressing on her clit, I pump my finger a few times before adding a second one. I watch as her body stretches and accommodates the additional digit. I continue tormenting Aria’s body until my own feels like it’s going to explode.

With my tongue swirling her clit, I use one hand to reach for a condom. I manage to get it on my weeping cock, but I don’t stop pleasuring her clit. Once it’s in place, I slide two fingers back inside her, upping the pressure on her clit.

“Rex! Please! I need you in me. I’m going to come,” Aria begs.

“Do it. I’m going to slam my cock inside you while you’re coming,” I say before removing my fingers and replacing them with my tongue.

I push as deep as I can while I use one hand to torment her clit. When her body suddenly tightens, I know she’s ready.

“Please,” she moans while moving her hips toward my face.

I stand up, lift her hips off the bed, and push inside in one movement. I’m so hard and ready for this. I have to remind myself not to be too harsh. I thrust inside, grind against her, and repeat the move. I watch her breasts bounce with each movement I make, and the sight nearly ends me too soon.

“Touch yourself. Touch us,” I order.

Aria’s eyes meet mine as her hands cup her breasts. Pushing them up and together, nipples hard and standing upright, she never takes her eyes off of mine. Fuck me. This woman is perfect for me.

“You close?” she asks softly.

I nod and jerk involuntarily when one of her hands moves to where our bodies are connected. A fingernail scrapes lightly along my cock as I withdraw, and I close my eyes in pure pleasure.

“Pinch your clit. I want you to come again,” I say as I pound harder inside of her.

She immediately complies, and the sounds she’s making tell me she’s close again too. I change angle by lifting one of her knees and sink in a little deeper. It’s not too long, and I can feel the small changes her body makes when she’s on the edge. Those changes are burned into my memory, so again, I change angle slightly. A few thrusts and I feel her coming apart. I let go of all control and follow her over the edge.

After my brain starts functioning normally again, I gently pull out of her. Leaning down, I kiss her lightly, then go to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. I stop at the sink, wet a washcloth with warm water, and return to the bedroom. Aria’s pulled her body back to her place on the bed but hasn’t retrieved the sheet yet. I sit next to her hip and lay my hand on her thigh. When her eyes meet mine, I hold the washcloth up so she can see it then I gently clean her with a few swipes. Returning to the bathroom, I clean myself up and rejoin Aria. Pulling her tightly to my body, I relax into the softness of her bed.

“You’re amazing,” Aria says.

“Um, thanks,” I respond with a laugh. “You okay?”

“Yeah. Aria is too exhausted from Rex’s sexual gymnastics to talk much, though. She just wants you to know you’re amazing.”

“Rex thinks Aria’s amazing too. Tell her to get some sleep because Rex has plans for tomorrow,” I state and smile when I hear a small laugh.