“If she were Riley, you bet your ass—”
“Well, she’s not.” She turned her head to the side and pinned him with her eyes, her mouth set in a straight line. “Let. It. Go.”
Stone glanced from the strong-willed woman, to me, then back again. “Fine.”
Addy ignored the narrowing of his eyes and focused back on me. “Brick has a security system at his place, right?”
“Yeah. Top of the line, from what he told me.”
“Okay. We’ll take you back there. Just remember that if you go anywhere, you have to have one of the guys with you.”
“I don’t have anywhere to go. My boss gave me some time off when I told her my dad was seriously injured from an accident.”
Braylen walked into the room as we prepared to leave, rubbing her belly in small circles, her smile filled with love for me as she drew me into a hug. She always knew when to console me, even as a kid. And I didn’t know if it was her perfume or the shampoo she used, but she smelled like comfort.
“He’ll come around, honey. He’s just worried about you. We both are.”
She kissed my cheek before releasing me. She and I have had several conversations about my involvement with Brick, and while at first I played off our interactions as nothing more than attraction, she saw right through my façade.
I still didn’t know exactly where I stood with Brick, or if our involvement would last past his recovery at this point, but I refused to worry about a situation which could organically dissolve on its own.
“Love you.” I squeezed my stepmother tightly.
“Love you, too, sweetheart. Call me when you get back there so I know you’re safe.”
I pulled back and dropped my arms to my sides, giving her a simple nod as my response.
Shoving aside all thoughts of my angry father, knowing he was in good hands with Braylen, I looked forward to being with Brick once again, no matter how much Stone scowled at me.
3
“Will you take a seat, brother? You’re making me nervous?”
“I’m not sitting on the bed with you. Nice try.” Kaden laughed but continued to walk back and forth, wearing a hole in my carpet. He looked a little worse for wear, like he hadn’t been sleeping well. Then again, I supposed that was probably true for all the guys. We were waiting for something else to happen, and that kind of anxiety wore on a person.
“What’s up with you? If anyone should be on edge, it’s me.” I gestured up and down my large form. “I’m the one laid up, fightin’ an infection.”
“I know. It’s just… I’m waiting for Riley to call me back.” He chewed on his bottom lip, checking his phone every few seconds, as if willing it to ring would work. His hair looked like he’d been tugging on it and his beard needed a trim. Although, the same could be said of mine. “She’s at work,” he finished, answering a question I never asked.
“Is there anyone at the shop with her?”
This was the latest info I’d heard: someone was placed at the salon while the women were there, Marek told Sully she couldn’t volunteer at the shelter until all this blew over, the doctor Addy worked for was getting ready to move, so she’d be out of a job in the next week, which worked for Stone’s peace of mind because he didn’t have to worry about her not being at home, and someone was posted at Kena’s family restaurant while she and the boys worked. Zander and Luke, Stone’s youngest son and Tripp’s boy, were told to be careful, to be aware of their surroundings at all times. If they thought something was odd, they were to call their dads immediately.
They weren’t told anything other than things weren’t good right now, which I was sure was as clear as mud to them. Neither of them were a part of the club, nor did they want to be, but that didn’t mean they were out of harm’s way.
I was thankful Zoe’s boss gave her time off; otherwise I’d be goin’ crazy constantly worrying about her.
“Yeah. Jagger’s there right now. Braylen and Reece agreed to have limited hours until this is all settled. Less time away from me means less risk.” He mumbled the last part but because he stood close, I heard every word.
“That’s good.” I moved my hands behind my head to adjust my pillow but stopped before I could do it because the slight movement was gonna hurt. And because I wasn’t about to ask Kaden to fluff my damn pillow, I’d wait until Zoe got back, which hopefully was soon.
“Yeah.” He looked at his phone again. “Good. Yeah.”
“Yo.” Kaden’s only focus was on his cell. “Hey!” I shouted that time.
His head snapped up. “What?”
“Either stop watching your phone or call her. You’re annoying me with this shit.”
“Far be it from me to annoy the big guy,” he griped, smirking when I flipped him off. He checked one more time before tucking his phone into his back pocket, flopping into the chair in the corner of the bedroom. “Did Addy say how long it’ll be before you’re on your feet again?” He leaned forward in his seat, resting his forearms on the tops of his thighs, his attention fully on me since he’d first walked in here.
“It would’ve been sooner, but I got an infection, so I don’t know right now. If nothing else goes wrong, I’m hoping to be out of this bed in a few days, not that I’m gonna be much good to anyone if shit pops off while I’m still healin’ up. Speakin’ of, how are the other guys doin’?”
“Ace is still recovering from gettin’ shot the first time, but he’s lucky this bullet only grazed the back of his head. And Tag is on crutches. Seems to be doin’ okay physically. Mentally, I couldn’t tell ya. He doesn’t really say anything. Not yet anyway. And Ryder, he’s doin’ all right. It’ll be a while before you two are back on your feet for good. But we got you. No worries.”
“I know. I appreciate it.”
For the next half hour, we chatted about all things club related, from having to shut down the strip clubs, to everyone being on edge, to planning on a big blowout when everything was back to normal. Problem was, we didn’t have the faintest idea when that would be.
“I think someone just pulled in. I’ll go check.” Kaden rushed from the room and down the stairs. None of us could be too careful, and I appreciated his concern, especially considering I couldn’t do a damn thing right now if someone broke in. My gun rested on the table beside the bed, but that didn’t mean I had the strength to get to it in time. It did give me some solace, however, all things considered. Then there was my alarm, which would be a deterrent, but not a guarantee. Come to think of it, the only guarantee any of us had would come with the death of that club, once and for all.
A couple of minutes later, I heard voices, then the front door shut. Instead of Kaden’s heavy footsteps, there was only silence until Zoe appeared in the doorway. Her smile faltered when her eyes landed on mine, but she recovered so quickly I thought I’d imagined her wavered expression.
“How was your visit?” She moved into the room, readjusting her hair into a messy bun on top of her head, pushing her bangs to the side and out of her eyes. Her face was void of makeup, as it had been for the past couple days, and I thought she’d never looked more beautiful.