2. Piper
“Piper?What the hell are you doing in my bed?” was not what I expected to be woken up to.
“What do you mean this is your bed? This is Stone”s bed,” I say as my brain slowly comes awake from being jarred out of almost a dead sleep that I really was looking forward to.
“No, doll, this is my bed. Stone’s is across the hall,” Lightning says with a smirk as he looks me over in my tank top and shorts that I wear to bed. I pull the blanket up over me, trying to cover myself, not that it”s much use since he”s already seen almost everything.
“Shit, I could have sworn he said this was his room. I”ll pack up and move over there. I am so sorry,” I say, attempting to climb out of bed.
“Not so fast. Because his room was empty, someone else has already claimed it. There are no more empty rooms, so it looks like you”re stuck with me. It”s safer this way anyway,” he says almost under his breath.
“What do you mean by that?” I ask, making it clear that I heard him.
He sighs and sits back down in bed.
“The clubhouse is packed with a bunch of people, and with everything going on with Savage Bones, it”s best that you”re not left alone. I”ll stay on my side of the bed,” he says as he smirks and climbs in on the opposite side of the large king bed.
“What is going on with Savage Bones? I heard my cousin mention them a couple of times.” I turn over to face him, still keeping plenty of space between us.
He turns and faces me, his eyes running over me for just a moment.
“They’re a nasty club that”s moving in on Mustang Mountain. Where we abide by the law, they don”t, and they have their hand in everything from drugs to sex trafficking, and we do not want them here. That hasn”t stopped them from threatening, kidnapping, and hurting people, especially people that we care about.”
“That”s why she told me to stay away?” I ask, talking about Addy, and he nods. “Then why are they getting married now? Why not wait until all this is taken care of?”
“Because they”re in love. We don”t know how long this is going to go on or why they are so focused on Mustang Mountain. They could easily go and take over Whitefish with no issues, and that”s a much bigger town with more resources. Plus, I don”t know what Addy told you about her dad, but he’s now working with the Savage Bones. So, it”s safer to have her married to Stone and have our protection than for her to be on her own.”
My eyes go wide as what he says sinks in.
“Wait, Uncle John is working with the other club? Why would he do that? He grew up here, and he”s always protected Mustang Mountain, and he believes in abiding by the law. This doesn”t make sense,” I say as my mind races.
Lightning scoots into the middle of the bed and hesitantly reaches out, putting his hand on mine.
“In his mind, he thinks he is protecting Mustang Mountain. The big thing is they made a lot of threats on his daughter, so he”s protecting his daughter. I can”t fault him for that. So, talk to Addy and get the full story from her before you pass too much judgment. I”m not saying that what he”s doing is right, but I do understand it.”
Neither of us says anything, so Lightning reaches behind him and turns the lamp off, and the room goes into darkness. Only the light of the moon hints at the shadows across the room.
In the dark, my mind races, thinking of everything Lightning just told me. Chills race down my spine at the thought of Savage Bones moving in, Addy being in danger, and Uncle John working with the enemy.
“Are you cold? I can feel you shivering from over here,” Lightning says.
“Just thinking about everything we just talked about. It kind of just messes with the sense of security I felt I had here.” I say turning to face him, which pushes me closer to him.
“Nothing is going to happen to you here. They don”t dare try anything with all of us at the clubhouse. And I promise to protect you.” He says the words with so much conviction that I know he means every word.
He reaches out for my hand, and I let him take it.
“Will you talk to me about something else? Take my mind off of all this?”
“Of course. Tell me about Bozeman. How did you end up there? Your family”s back east, right?” he asks.
“Yeah, my dad died when I was young, and my mom met my stepdad. He”s a great guy, but he got a job and moved us out to Virginia. So, when I applied for college, I applied to Montana State University in Bozeman since it”s where my dad went. I got in, and after college, I got a job and just never left.”
“Is any of your dad”s family out here?” he asks.
“No. Not anymore. I wish they were around to tell me what he liked to do and places he would hang out. I have one photo of him at Old Faithful in Yellowstone, and I want to visit it. Stand where he stood.” I don”t know why I”m telling him all of this.
“You never went during spring break or summer break from school?”
“No, I was always working. I paid my way. I had a scholarship that covered tuition, and my parents covered my dorm, but they couldn”t help with books and extras. I had to work to pay for all that, my car, my phone, all of it. If I wasn”t studying, I was working.”
“What about after you graduated?”
I don”t answer because I don”t want to voice it, but Lightning squeezes my hand, urging me on.
“Honestly, I”m scared. It”s not something I want to do alone, but I don”t have anyone to go with me. So, I just keep saying someday.”
We sit in silence for a moment before I feel the need to break it.
“What about you? Did you grow up here?”
“No, my brother Thunder and I were both pro football players, though he”s older than me. He retired and came out here, joined the Mustang Mountain Riders, and I continued to play for a few more years before I followed him.”
“How did you earn the name Lightning?”
“I was lightning fast on the field, and it just stuck when I came here. Now you should get some sleep, Doll. I”m not going anywhere. You are safe; I promise,” he says, and I believe him.
The way he opened up to me and listened when I talked, really listened, has my heart doing some funny things.
I close my eyes, and images of Lightning on the football field fill my head as I drift off to sleep.