Chapter 9 – Daphne
9
DAPHNE
I ran down the street as fast as I could, but it felt like it took forever to reach Byte’s house. Banging on the front door, I shouted for both of them, causing Shadow to bark. “Byte! Gabby!”
Gabby flung the door open and gasped. “Daphne! What’s wrong? Where’s Dice?”
“At my house. Chasing after someone. Told me to come back here. Send Byte,” I said between breaths.
I heard the distinct sound of a gun being chambered. “You two stay here. Lock the door and set the alarm,” Byte said before he disappeared through the front door.
Gabby immediately locked the door and turned on the alarm. “Come sit down. Can I get you a drink or something?”
“Thanks, but I don’t think I can sit,” I admitted and started to pace.
“That’s okay. You do what you need to do,” she said sincerely. “You said Dice was chasing after someone?”
I nodded, still trying to catch my breath. “Yes. We were walking home, and I guess he saw someone, or Diablo did. They both stopped at the same time. Diablo growled, then they took off running. He sent me back here to get Byte. I only glanced back once, but I’m almost positive I saw someone running through my back yard. I shouldn’t have left him. What if something happened?”
“No, you did the right thing coming back here. If something happened, Byte will be there to help him, but I’m here to tell you, those boys can handle themselves. I know it’s hard to wait, but I’m sure we’ll hear something soon.”
“What if he gets hurt?”
“I’m not going to lie, sometimes they get hurt,” she said gently. “But then they get better. Dice is a strong man, but he’s smart, too. He won’t jump in blindly. His moves are calculated.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying he wouldn’t chase after someone if he didn’t think he could catch them. And he wouldn’t risk his own safety to keep chasing them just for the sake of catching them.”
Before I could respond, my phone rang, and Dice’s name was on the screen.
“Is everything okay?”
“Not really. Your dock is on fire.”
“What?”
“I don’t know what happened. The person we were chasing took off in a boat, and then your dock went up in flames.”
“Is Diablo okay?”
“He’s fine. He’s right here beside me.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Stay at Byte’s house for now. Byte’s calling the fire department. I’m sure the police will show up and want to talk to you, but I’d rather you wait there until some of the club arrives.”
“Should I—” My question was interrupted by a loud explosion in the background. “What the hell was that?”
“I think it was your dad’s boat. We moved around to the front in case that happened. What were you about to ask?”
“I was going to ask if I should call my dad, but obviously I should.”
“Yes, do that. And stay there until me or one of the guys come get you.”
“I will,” I promised. “Please be careful, and please keep Diablo with you. I’ve heard too many stories about police shooting the family dog because they didn’t like the way it barked at them.”
“I won’t let anything happen to Diablo,” he promised. “Do you have a command that will make him stay with me?”
“Heel. Tell him to heel, and he will stick to you like Velcro.”
“Got it. Call your dad while I deal with this.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
“What was that noise?” Gabby asked as soon as I ended the call.
“Whoever was at my house set the dock on fire. They think that noise was the boat exploding.”
Gabby jumped up and hurried to the kitchen to look out the window, and I was right behind her.
“I can’t see anything,” she grumbled.
“Me, either.”
We were both still peering out her kitchen windows trying to catch a glimpse of anything when someone rang the doorbell, causing both of us to scream and the dog to bark.
“It’s Ink and Diablo,” Ink called from the front.
Gabby quickly disarmed the alarm and opened the door to let them in.
“Are they okay?” I asked and reached down to pet Diablo’s head.
“Yeah, they’re fine,” he said hesitantly.
“But?” Gabby asked as she reset the alarm.
“I’m sorry, Daphne. Whoever was at your house set your dock on fire, and your dad’s boat exploded.”
“Oh,” I exhaled in relief. “We knew about that. I thought something else happened.”
“If it did, I don’t know about it,” Ink said. “I was only there long enough for Dice to tell me to take Diablo and stay with you two. Ranger should be here soon, too.”
Gabby laughed. “You didn’t have to tell me that.”
I sighed and reached for my phone. “Will you two excuse me for a moment? I need to call my dad.”
“Of course,” Gabby said.
Walking back into the kitchen, I selected my dad’s name on the screen.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he answered.
“Hey, Dad.”
“What’s wrong?”
There was no point in beating around the bush, so I gave it to him straight. “Someone set the dock and your boat on fire tonight. Dice and Byte are at the house, and I’m down the street at Byte’s house.”
“Are you alone?”
“No, I’m here with Byte’s fiancée and Ink. Gabby’s grandfather is on his way here, too.”
“Okay. Stay put. Buck and I are at Irene’s, so we’ll be there soon.”
“Be careful.”
“We will. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
After the call, I rejoined Ink and Gabby in the living room. Shadow and Diablo were playing tug-of-war with a rope toy, as if they hadn’t just spent a couple of hours playing together.
“Dad and Uncle Buck are on their way over,” I told them, and didn’t bother to hide the exasperation in my voice.
“Are you okay?” Gabby asked.
“Yes, and no. I’m getting really tired of this bullshit. Every day, I wake up and wonder what, if anything, this crazy person has in store for me. It’s exhausting. After a week of peace, I was starting to think it might be over, but clearly, I was wrong.”
“I know how you feel,” Gabby said. “I recently went through something similar.”
“How did that turn out?”
“Oh,” Gabby said uncomfortably. “It took some time, but the person behind it was finally caught and arrested.”
Before I could ask for more details, her doorbell rang again. “It’s Papa,” a man said from the other side of the door.
When she opened the door to let him in, he wrapped her up in a hug. “Is everything okay here?”
“We’re fine, Papa,” she said. “Come on in.”
“Daphne,” he said as he walked over to the couch. “You doing okay, sweetheart?”
“I’m a little rattled,” I admitted. “But I’m okay otherwise.”
“Good. You keep your chin up, and don’t let this little fucker get to you. We’ll catch them and put a stop to all this nonsense.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said and smiled. Ranger’s presence was comforting and encouraging. It was hard to be solemn with someone like him in your corner.
“That’s all any of us can do,” he said and turned his attention to Gabby. “I heard there was pie.”
She laughed. “Yes, there’s pie. Ink, do you want a slice?”
“What kind is it?”
“Apple.”
“Yes, please.”
With that, we moved to the kitchen. “Does anyone want decaf coffee?” Gabby asked.
“Yes,” the three of us answered in unison.
“No pie for you?” Ink asked.
“I already had some when Dice and I were over here for dinner earlier,” I explained.
“That doesn’t mean you can’t have another slice,” Ranger pointed out.
“I’m not sure I can eat anything right now.”
“Well, don’t hesitate if you change your mind,” he said gently.
“I won’t.”
Ranger, Ink, and Gabby did a good job of trying to distract me and keep me engaged in the conversation, but my mind continuously strayed to what was going on at my house.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the doorbell rang once again.
Ranger got up and strolled to the door with Ink on his heels. “Why in the hell are you knocking on your own door?”
“You know exactly why,” Byte said.
Ranger moved to the side, and Byte stepped through the door, followed by Dice, Dad, Uncle Buck, and several other bikers.
Dad came right over to where I was standing and pulled me in for a hug.
“I’m sorry about your boat,” I said.
“Don’t you dare apologize for something you didn’t do,” Uncle Buck said.
“He’s right,” my dad said. “This wasn’t your fault in any way, and I have insurance. I can get another boat, but I can’t get another Daphne.”
“I don’t know what to do, Dad.”
“That’s okay, because I do.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Come sit down,” he said and ushered me to the couch. “We need to move you somewhere that doesn’t have ties to me or you. Somewhere that whoever is doing this can’t get to.”
“I can’t just up and move again. Plus, I have a job here.”
“That’s not what I meant. The Blackwings have a large property with numerous businesses and houses,” he said.
“You mean the compound with the dairy farm?” I asked.
“You know of it?” Phoenix asked.
“I don’t think there’s a realtor in this area who doesn’t know about it. It’s an impressive piece of property.”
“It is,” Phoenix agreed. “It’s also gated and guarded. The entire perimeter is covered by security cameras. If someone did manage to get in, we’d know within seconds.”
“That’s impressive,” I said, unsure of how that pertained to me.
“We have several houses on the property that are currently vacant. You and Diablo can stay in whichever one you want until your situation is sorted.”
“This will be in addition to the precautions we were already taking,” my dad said. “Someone will escort you to and from work, someone will escort you to appointments, and Dice will stay with you at night.”
“Okay,” I agreed. I didn’t like having to leave my home, but I liked being scared even less. The sooner things went back to normal, the better. And if moving somewhere else for a period of time would make that happen, then so be it.
“Well, that was easier than I thought it would be,” my dad said.
“Give our girl some credit,” Uncle Buck said. “She knows what’s in her best interest.”
“I’ll need to pack. Am I allowed to go to the house?”
“Yes,” Dice answered. “It’s been cleared by the police and the fire department. Are you ready to go now?”
I sighed. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be.”
“We’ll go with you,” Phoenix said.
After everyone said their goodbyes, Diablo and I walked back to our house surrounded by two retired professional boxers and a pack of bikers.
When we reached my house, I went upstairs to pack my clothes and toiletries while my entourage congregated downstairs. Since I didn’t know how long I would be gone, I shoved the majority of my clothes into two suitcases. I had a feeling my problems wouldn’t be resolved within a few days, and I didn’t want to have to come back to get more stuff.
While I was packing my belongings, my mood changed. I had taken everything in stride and kept moving forward, but I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. If I had done something to deserve the things happening to me, I might have felt different, but I hadn’t. I was a good person. I tried very hard to be kind, even to people who didn’t deserve it. I just couldn’t understand why someone was out to get me. And I hated that I was having to turn my life upside down because of them. Part of me wanted to raise my hands in the air and surrender, but I knew that wasn’t the answer.
“Do you need any help?” Dice asked from my bedroom door.
“You can take those suitcases downstairs,” I said without turning to look at him.
“Hey,” he said softly, suddenly much closer than he was seconds before. “Are you okay?”
I sniffed and cleared my throat. I hadn’t been crying, but tears were definitely on the horizon. “Yeah, I’m just tired of this shit.”
He placed his hand on my shoulder and gently turned me so he could wrap his arms around me and hold me against his chest. “This is a lot to deal with. You don’t have to be strong all the time. It’s okay to break if you need to.”
The permission to break down was exactly what I needed. “I don’t know what I did to deserve this,” I cried against his chest.
“You didn’t do anything, and you certainly don’t deserve this,” he assured me and kissed the top of my head. “We will find whoever is doing this and put a stop to it. It’s just a matter of time.”
“I feel like such a burden. You guys shouldn’t have to babysit me or deal with my problems.”
“You do realize that you never asked us to deal with your problems. We volunteered to help.”
I leaned back and looked at him in confusion. “What?”
He grinned. “You never asked us to help you. We sort of stepped in.”
It took me a moment to process what he’d said. “That actually makes me feel a little bit better.”
“Good. Now, let’s get out of here before Ranger convinces your dad and Buck to set up a sniper’s nest in your attic.”
“A what?”
“I’ll explain it on the way to the farm. Trust me, it’s not something you want.”
“I’ll take your word for it. I think I’m finished up here. Unless … do I need to bring bedding?”
“No, the houses have everything you’ll need, except for your personal belongings.”
“Okay,” I said slowly. “So, I’ll just pick one when we get there.”
“Well, since it’s getting late, I was thinking we could stay at my place tonight, and you can go house-picking tomorrow.”
“Is that okay? I mean, is your house secure?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if it wasn’t, but yes, it is. I live on the farm.”
“You do?” I asked in surprise. He’d mentioned his house a few times, but I’d never asked where it was.
“Yeah. A lot of club members live out there. Ink lives next door, and Edge and Evie are a few houses down from me. Irene is also on our street. Ember, Reese, Harper, and their families are in a different section, but they’re not far from my house. I’m sure I’m forgetting some people.”
“Y’all don’t get sick of each other.”
He laughed. “Sometimes, but that’s pretty normal for families.”
“You guys really are a family, aren’t you?”
“Yes, we are,” he confirmed. “But seriously, unless you want your house turned into a defensive military fort, we should get going.”
“Let’s roll.”