5. Lightning
The driveto Bozeman is only five hours, but I wanted to get on the road early and get out of Mustang Mountain before the sun was up with the hopes we could sneak out under Savage Bones’s noses. A few of the guys followed us as far as Bigfork, but there wasn”t a sign of another soul up and on the road this early.
The farther we get from Mustang Mountain, the more at peace I feel. Piper got in the truck, rested her head on the side of the door, and fell right back asleep, so it”s been a quiet ride. Part of me wants her to wake up and talk to me, but the other part is glad she is sleeping. I won”t have to stop before we get to Bozeman.
I”m relieved that she will be out of town and out of danger. But I worry danger might be following us as well.
As we hit Bozeman city limits, I reach over and slowly rub Piper”s arm, waking her up.
“We are just getting into Bozeman, Doll. It”s time to wake up,” I tell her as she sits up. “I’m going to need directions to your place.”
After another twenty minutes, we pull into a beautiful neighborhood and into the driveway of a nice townhouse. The neighborhood looks pretty safe. I will give her that, but I”m not taking any chances. I stay aware of my surroundings.
I grab her bag and head toward the townhouse. Nothing seems out of place as she unlocks the front door. The moment she opens the door, I can tell this is a home, not just her house. It smells like her, and it feels cozy and lived in.
“Show me to my room, Doll,” I say when she pauses in the living room.
‘Well, uh,”—she hesitates and doesn’t answer me—“see, this is a one-bedroom.”
Ok. No guest room. I look at the couch, but it”s not a normal couch. It”s a baby couch that was taken from its mom way too soon. There is no way I”m going to fit on it. When I look over at her, she is looking at the couch too, no doubt having the same thought as me.
“Just stay on your side of the bed,” she says as she walks toward the stairs, and I follow her up them.
There is a loft area at the top of the stairs that she has turned into a little office with a reading nook. There are also large windows that overlook the front of the house. I follow her through the door at the opposite end of the loft and into her bedroom.
The room is larger than I expected for a one-bedroom townhouse. She has a king bed and two dressers and still has room for an oversized chair. I can tell she uses it often from the comfy blanket and book placed on the seat.
I set her bag down by the closet and mine on top of a dresser.
“I will drive you to work tomorrow. I want to know where you work and make sure they have ample security to keep you safe as well,” I tell her, and she nods.
While she makes simple grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner, I walk through her house and make sure it”s secure while noting where I can improve the security.
The whole evening routine feels like this is where I was always meant to be. It proves that this right here is what I want, and I”m not letting her push me away too easily. I can sense the push and pull from her. She thinks she hides it, and I’ll keep letting her think so.
It will be time to stop running soon enough.
* * *
I enjoy watching her get ready for work far more than I expected. I also enjoy taking care of her in little ways, like zipping up her dress, making her coffee, and making sure she eats.
Even driving her to work, I find I enjoy it more than I thought I would. We pull into a gated parking lot, and she shows her ID to the guards. They match it to her parking pass on her car before letting us in.
“I”m glad this place has strict security.” I park the car, leaving it for her, and head back out of the parking lot to hail a ride-sharing service. I want her to have the car.
I stop by a hardware store and grab a few things I need to tighten up security at her townhouse. Right now, I am more worried about securing her doors and windows. Several other areas need attention, but this hardware store doesn’t have what I need. I’ll stop and get those supplies another day. I head back to Piper’s place and get to work switching out the screws on her deadbolts from the standard short ones to large three-inch-long ones. This will make it harder for anyone to kick in her door.
I also add an additional deadbolt that locks from the inside, some extra window locks, and some curtains she can close at night.
Before I know it, she is home and smiling.
“Good day?” I ask.
“Yes, but now I”m starving.” She heads toward the kitchen.
“Nope, I”m taking you out. The Savage Bones’s Vice President, also known as Snake Eyes, has a mom who works at a diner here in town. I figure we can go see if she knows anything.”
For a moment, her eyes light up before I mention Savage Bones. Am I imagining it, or does she want this to be a date because that”s what I want? I thought I’d have to ease her into it a bit more.
We travel to the old, out-of-the-way diner—the one that tourists don”t find but the locals know all about. Once inside, I spot the woman Atlas has attached a picture of to the file, and we sit in her section. A few minutes later, she walks up and places menus down in front of us.
“Welcome, you two. What can I get you to drink?” she asks in a sugary sweet voice.
“Just water for me,” I reply.
“Lemonade for me, please,” Piper says, and Snake Eyes’s mom walks off.
“Is that her?” Piper whispers once she is gone, and I nod my head and look out the window.
We order dinner, and I can sense Piper is on edge, wondering when I”m going to talk to our server, but it isn”t until she comes over to ask about dessert that I bring it up.
“I know this might sound weird, but are you Snake Eyes”s mom?” I ask, not knowing his real name and hoping she will recognize his club name. Judging by her expression, she does.
“Are you in that club of his?” she asks, making “club” sound like a dirty word.
“No ma”am. I’m in the club that he is trying to take down. We run within the law, unlike his club,” I say, taking a risk. Based on her reaction, I”m willing to bet she doesn”t approve of him being with the Savage Bones.
“What are you looking to know?” she asks with a sigh.
“Anything you can tell us. His legal name, any reason he or his club is targeting us so hard. Anything big or small, we”d be so grateful for.”
“His legal name is Brent Gallagher, and he was born March 3rd, 1987,” she says without missing a beat. “I don”t approve of what he does, and we don”t talk, so I don”t know why he”s targeting you or your friend. But run him through a police database. I”m willing to bet he”s got a few warrants out for his arrest if that helps any.”
“Thank you,” I say, paying the tab and leaving a nice big tip.
On the way home, Piper turns to me and asks, “Is this a dead end, or will you run his name?”
“We will run his name and see what comes up. It”s not a dead end. I can talk to some of the MC clubs here and see if they’ve heard about anything. It would be a good idea to get them on our side and willing to help if needed,” I tell her.
Once home, she allows me to open the car for her and take her hand as we walk up to her front door. I”m on full alert of our surroundings, but totally wrapped up in the woman next to me. This feels so much like a date. I can”t deny it.
She pulls her keys from her pocket, and I pay attention to our surroundings as she unlocks the door. Nothing is out of place, and nothing catches my attention. Still, as we walk inside, I make sure to lock the door behind us.
“Did you install a new deadbolt?” she asks as she watches me.
“Yes, it can only be locked from the inside. I also changed out the screws to make it harder for the door to be kicked in. I added some extra locks to the windows as well,” I say.
“Thank you,” she says with a soft smile, and I take a step closer and lean into her with the intent of kissing her cheek. But she turns her head, and our lips meet.
The softness of her lips is a shock to my system. Before I know it, I”m pulling her in closer to me and deepening the kiss. She moans and melts against me, wrapping her arms around my neck, and fuck does she feel good. I want to take her upstairs to her bedroom and do anything but sleep tonight, but I made her a promise, and I intend to keep it.
When I pull away from her, we are both trying to catch our breath, but I won”t let go of her.
“I”m really glad you”re here. I feel safe with you,” she whispers, and fuck if my heart doesn”t grow ten sizes.
“I”m not going anywhere,” I whisper into her hair, and I mean it more than she realizes right now.