Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
Walker
“You idiot,” I scold, narrowing my eyes on him. “She’s a woman, not a thing, and we were. . .”
“Estranged,” Sky fills in for me. “I had some family issues and thought it was best I not drag Walker into them.”
“And now?” Ridge asks from where he’s perched on the kitchen counter, sipping his coffee.
Skylar and I share a glance. I’m not sure how much she wants me to divulge, but when she nods encouragingly, I dive into it. Giving my friends credit where credit is due, they don’t interject with their bullshit commentary. They allow me to tell them everything, from our Vegas trip where we got married to now, all with nearly blank expressions, even though I’m certain they have a lot to say. However, I do save the biggest bomb for the end because it’s the most likely to earn a reaction.
“And she’s pregnant,” I say, taking Skylar’s hand in a show of support.
Wilder’s the first to speak. “Whoa. That’s a lot.”
“I don’t even know what to say.” Rowan runs his palms down his jeans. “And I always know what to say.”
“Fucking hell. Are you serious with this shit, Walker?” Ridge pinches the bridge of his nose.
Skylar sniffles, and I whip my head around to see why. “Are you okay?”
She clears her throat. “I know Walker doesn’t deserve to have all this dropped in his lap, and I understand your anger. I guess I just want you all to know I love him. I never stopped loving him. And for as much as he’s in my corner, I’m in his.”
“You misunderstood, sweetheart,” Wilder says. “We’re pissed at what you’ve been through. No woman should ever be bullied, abused, and coerced the way you have.”
“Don’t use pet names for my wife,” I grit out before I soften my expression to break things down for Skylar. “I’d never put you in front of three men if I thought they’d give you shit. Not only that, but I’d never be friends with someone who’d be mad at a woman for being knocked around and raped.”
“He’s right, Sky.” Rowan pins me with a look. “Can I call her Sky? Is that okay with you?”
“Fuck off, but yes. That’s her name shortened, not an endearment.”
“Thank you. As I was saying, Walker’s right. If there’s one thing all four of us can agree on, it’s hating weak-ass pussies who pick on someone smaller than them. Pardon my French.”
“I don’t know what to say. I guess, thank you for understanding,” Skylar says.
“I know you guys were just being nosy by coming over, but I planned to bring you in and see if you’re up for helping me keep Skylar safe until this Klutch asshole isn’t a threat anymore.”
“Might I remind you that none of you work for me. Therefore, none of you have any kind of legal authority,” Wilder says.
“Semantics.” Rowan waves him off. “You know I’m in. I’ll take a look at your security this week and find any weak points I can vamp up.”
“That would be appreciated,” I say.
“I’ll bet you’re wishing you added that safe room to this place like I suggested.”
“That still seems a little extreme.”
“If you give me his legal name, I can run him through the system, see if he has any open warrants so we can arrest him the second he steps foot in Culver Springs,” Wilder says.
“Good idea.” I glance over my shoulder to Ridge, who has been quietly observing this whole exchange, and everyone else follows suit expectantly. He’s a moody bastard who doesn’t like to involve himself in much of anything, but he has been there for all of us at one time or another, the same way we’ve been there for him. I’m just not sure if that extends to my wife.
“Anything you need, Walk. You know that,” he says around the lip of his mug before he swallows a sip. “You too, Skylar. You’re one of us now.”
“Thanks, Ridge. I appreciate that, and I look forward to getting to know all of you more.”
“Glad we’re on the same page. I’ve thought a little about how we can keep her safe, and I think starting now, she should never be alone. If, for some reason, I can’t be with her, then I’ll coordinate with one of you guys.” The guys all nod their agreement. “Now, he doesn’t know why she’s here or where she’s at, but no one in this goddamn town can keep a secret, so there’s no way Presley hasn’t blabbed to everyone about why she’s here.”
“ She is right here, you know.” Skylar waves a hand in the air.
“You’re right. Sorry.” I shift to face her. “I don’t think anyone would tell him where I live, and even if he finds my address, Rowan has a GPS jammer at the bottom of the mountain that’ll keep him guessing for a while.”
“So that’s why my GPS was freaking out when I was trying to find your place?” Skylar asks.
“Yeah, it’s a good deterrent. Though if someone gives them directions like these pricks gave you when you came looking for me?—”
“You can’t get pissed we told her. If we hadn’t, then you wouldn’t be in wedded bliss right now,” Rowan says.
“We’ll know the second he steps foot on my property, thanks to the laser fencing, and we’ll have exit strategies. I’ll keep the ATV and snowmobile gassed and ready to go. But if it comes down to it, I’m allowed to protect my family and our property. I have no problem blowing that asshole’s head off.”
“Walker.” My name is barely a breath coming from Skylar.
“If it’s between you and him, he’ll lose every time.” I defend. “Hell, if it’s between one of my bitches and him, he’ll still lose.”
“I get it and agree. It’s just that I’ve seen the dead look in the eyes of a killer, and I don’t want that for you.”
I give her hand a squeeze. “I won’t lose a minute of sleep knowing he won’t be a threat to you anymore. Believe me.”
The ringing of a cell phone interrupts us. I immediately know it’s Skylar’s based on her panicked expression.
“What if it’s him?”
“Answer it and put it on speaker. Tell him the wedding is off and that you won’t be coming home.”
Her lips turn down, and her brows furrow. “In front of everyone?”
“They should know what we’re up against.”
“Okay,” she says.
“Mind if I dig?” Ridge asks, pointing to her purse where the ringing is coming from.
“Go ahead,” Skylar says from over the back of the sofa. She accepts the phone with all the care of a hand grenade before removing her feet from my lap and pivoting to sit upright.
“It’s him?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She sets it on the coffee table and taps the screen. “Hello?”
Klutch’s voice is deep and gravelly, as if he has been smoking since he was a kid. Which, knowing what kind of guys are in the club, there’s a good chance he has. “Where the fuck are you, Skylar?”
“Still up north,” she replies, and I hate how timid she sounds. That tone only comes out when this asshole is involved.
“Vacation’s over. It’s time to get your ass home.”
She tucks her hair behind her ears. “I won’t be coming home, Klutch. I’ve done a lot of thinking while I’ve been away, and I realized I don’t want to marry you. It’s over between us.”
All of us are expecting him to blow his lid, but instead, we’re met with silence. Skylar glances over at me, completely freaked out. I scoot closer to rub her back and mouth, “Keep going.”
“Klutch? Did I lose you?”
“No, I’m giving you the opportunity to take that shit back before you really piss me off.”
“I’m not taking it back. We’re done.”
He laughs, but it’s a sardonic and ugly sound. “We’re done, huh? Just like all the other times we were done? Do you remember what happened those times?”
“I mean it this time.”
“This time?” Does that mean she tried in the past and failed? What happened to make her go back? I’ll have to ask those questions later.
“I asked you a goddamned question. Do. You. Remember. What. Happened. Those. Times?”
Goosebumps climb up her neck to her hairline, and I know whatever he did to get her back was so bad, she’s traumatized by it.
“You can’t hurt me this time.” She chokes out the words, and it breaks my heart. It has an effect on my friends too, because they inch closer, as if they can reach him through the phone. Rage is rolling off them in waves, and not for the first time, I’m thankful we’ve forged friendships.
“You sure about that? All I have to do is make one phone call, and I’ll have an army willing to chase you to the ends of the Earth. You aren’t safe anywhere, you dumb bitch.”
Name-calling is where I draw the motherfucking line. I pick up the phone and stand, slipping out of Skylar’s hold on my arm as she tries to stop me. “Listen up, asshole. She made it clear she doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Are you so goddamn foul that you can’t trick some other woman into being with you?”
“Who is this?”
“None of your business, just like Skylar.”
“You sure about that? Has she told you I hold the deed to her mom’s house? It’d be a shame if there was, let’s say, an electrical fire? Or maybe someone accidentally leaves the gas on.”
“Unless you’re willing to sell it at market value, she’s willing to walk away from it. That’s how much she hates you.”
“We’ll just have to see about that,” he says under his breath before blowing out. Guess I was right about the smoking. “Skylar? You hearin’ me?”
She stands and takes back the phone. “What do you want?”
“Just wanted to say bye, and I’ll be seeing you soon.” The line goes dead, and Skylar tosses the phone onto the coffee table, her hands visibly shaking.
“Come here.” I pull her into my arms and kiss the top of her head. “You did great.”
“You need to toss the phone,” Rowan says. “He can track you.”
“Location services are disabled for him.”
“Honey, I could figure out where most anyone is in five minutes flat.”
“Quit with the pet names,” I growl out.
Rowan picks up the phone, removes the battery, then walks over to Ridge and drops the phone in his coffee with a plunk .
“What the hell?” Skylar says.
“Asshole,” Ridge grits out.
“You have the cloud, right?” Rowan asks.
“Yes, but?—”
“But nothing. If you want to stay safe, he can’t know where you’re at.”
Wilder steers the conversation into safer territory. “Can I ask what he did the last time you tried to leave?”
“It was right after my dad died, and I found out he left my childhood home to Klutch and not me. The club is very into traditional gender roles, and in my dad’s eyes, only men should be property owners. I knew Klutch would expect me to marry him so I could keep the house, and I knew it too, but god, I didn’t want to. My best friend, Dee, didn’t want me to either, so she rented a place for me in Vegas, since the club has connections all over California, and I left in the early hours of the morning when my car was less likely to be spotted.”
“What happened, sweetheart?” I encourage her to continue.
“He figured out Dee was responsible and”—her voice cracks—“sent me a picture from outside her kids’ school, telling me if I didn’t come back, he’d kill them.”
“Fuck,” Wilder curses.
“Oh, god. What if he does that again?” She scrambles for her phone and mashes at the screen. “I have to warn her.”
“Hold on a minute. I have an idea,” Rowan says, his attention on his own phone. After a minute of scrolling and tapping, he tucks it back in his pocket. “My family has a place in Park City, Utah that no one is currently using. I messaged my father’s secretary and told her to block it off the calendar for the next two weeks. I also texted the property manager—he and his wife live in a little house out back—and he’ll make sure the kitchen gets stocked and will be around if they need anything. I’ll text Walker the info, but call your friend and tell her to take her family on a vacation. They can ski, sled, or whatever they’re into. There’s also a heated pool. Kids like swimming, right? And since I have no connection to you, Klutch shouldn’t be able to find her.”
“Are you serious?” Skylar asks.
“It’s not a big deal. Trust me.” Rowan shrugs, but it is a big deal. He walked away from his family over a decade ago, tired of them trying to control him with their money. Each time he tries to let them back in, it ends the same way. There’s no doubt in my mind they’ll consider this a transaction and that he’ll owe him.
“It’s a huge deal. Thank you.” She turns to me and grins. “Can I use your phone, since mine was so rudely destroyed?”
“Sure.” I hand it to her before gripping the back of her head and bending down to kiss her forehead. “I have a couple burners lying around for emergencies. I’ll find one later.”
“Thanks. I’ll call her from the other room. Be right back.”
Once I hear the snick of the door to the spare room, I face my friends. “Tell me the truth. How fucked am I?”
Ridge huffs. “Pretty fucking fucked.”
“Thanks for that, asshole.” I glance over at Wilder, knowing he’ll be a little more eloquent.
“Can’t say I’m not nervous that you basically dared him to come to Culver Springs. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt.” He folds his arms, which pushes back the lapels of his jacket and reveals the badge and gun he’s never without. “But she’s your wife, which makes her one of us, and we protect our own. Plus, they’re big-city boys who play a whole different ball game than us small-town folks. They have no idea what they’re up against.”
“You’re gonna tell the Geezers, aren’t you?” I ask.
“Hell yeah. They’re better than any community watch program. They keep their hearing aids way up high, and the second any of them even hears the roar of a motorcycle, we’ll know and be prepared.”