Chapter Twelve Rey
When Brigitte heads upstairs with Celo and Desdemona, I realize I need to get home.
I’m surprised I haven’t heard from my brother.
It feels like it has been days, but it’s been only twelve hours since I last spoke to him.
A lot has happened in that time. I check my pocket for my phone and grimace when I realize I don’t have it.
Erickson must still have it. That’s another reason I haven’t heard from my brother.
If he called and I didn’t answer, he’s likely going to go ballistic.
I’m sure he’s called my other brothers. Damn it. I need to replace my phone.
I glance over to where Abra, Hex, and Lake are having an intense discussion. Not wanting to interrupt, I turn to Desdemona, who is also watching the men.
“Do you think you could give me a ride to my apartment?” I ask her.
Desdemona frowns at me. “Are you sure it’s safe? Erickson may look for you there.”
“I was thinking of packing a bag so I can stay with my brother, Max, for a few days. I was going to call him and ask, but I realized Erickson still has my phone. So, that’s something else I need to take care of.”
“Let’s wait and talk to the guys when they’re finished,” Olivia suggests. “I don’t know what’s going on, but they look angry. That can only mean something else has happened.”
“Something else?”
Desdemona smiles at me. “It’s been a rough few weeks for these guys.
My ex-husband kidnapped me along with my daughters.
Levi helped us escape. Then there was the whole thing with those doctors kidnapping women, and Lake dealing with attacks on his tribe.
The guys are wound tight right now. Let’s give them a minute to deal with whatever Lake just learned.
I’m certain Abra will want you to stay here so he can keep you safe.
However, he’ll probably be okay with taking you to your apartment to pack a bag. ”
“I should probably pick up my car, too. It’s probably still at Erickson’s, but I don’t remember seeing it when Abra rescued me.” I rub the back of my neck. The guys aren’t the only ones stressing out.
“Here they come,” Desdemona says, straightening as she watches the men walk back to the table. “What’s wrong?”
Dixie slides around to her side and runs his hand down her dark hair.
He leans over and kisses her forehead. “There’s a woman asking questions and making a nuisance of herself.
We think she may have connections to the individuals who kidnapped Olivia and Annette.
She visited the Oxbridges and the Biliots before spending time in the abandoned building from which they had escaped.
We think she’s tied to the Brotherhood of the Third Reich. Hex is calling Puma to verify.”
I look up at Abra and see him watching me. “What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. I was just thinking. The guys who grabbed you were the same guys who kidnapped Annette and Olivia. They actually tried for Olivia twice. We assumed they wanted Olivia and Annette because they were medical professionals. They kidnapped those other women because they were pregnant. Why were they after you?”
It took all my self-control to stop myself from placing my hand on my stomach. I hadn’t come to grips with being pregnant yet; I wasn’t ready to talk about it with anyone else, especially Abra and his brothers.
“She was touring obstetrics when I spotted the men,” Olivia says, joining us. “Maybe they thought she was pregnant.”
Abra nods slowly as he studies me. “Maybe.”
“I need to return to my apartment,” I say quickly to distract Abra from asking the logical question about why I was touring obstetrics in the hospital.
“Erickson has my phone, and I don’t know what happened to my car.
My brother is probably trying to get in touch with me.
He’ll be frantic if he doesn’t hear from me soon. ”
Abra takes out his phone and hands it to me. “Call him and let him know you’re safe. I’d rather you didn’t mention that Erickson held you hostage in his home. But that’s your call. You were the one inconvenienced.”
“You changed your mind,” I say with a smile. “Earlier, you were adamant about my not telling Max. What changed?”
“I realized that I was more worried about myself than you, and that’s not fair to you.
Go ahead and tell your brother what you need to tell him.
You can even mention that I was the reason he targeted you.
However, I’d prefer you not tell your brother what you’ve learned about me since we rescued you.
I don’t want to go to prison.” He reaches over to brush one of my braids behind my ear.
“Don’t worry about Max or me. I won’t share anything with him that would get you into trouble.
I will have to tell him something about Erickson, because Max likely tracked my phone to his house, unless Erickson disposes of it.
Don’t worry, I’ll make up a story that Max will buy.
I have to tell him something because he’ll want to know why I’ve decided to quit working for Erickson. ”
Taking the phone from Abra, I dial Max’s number.
“Look, Abra, I can’t talk right now. I’m looking for my sister, Rey. You haven’t seen her by any chance?” Max asks, breathlessly. He sounds as if he’s been running.
“It’s me,” I tell him.
“Rey! Thank God. Where have you been? I was just at Erickson’s house. He had your phone and your car. Why did he have them? He said you spent the night, but disappeared. He didn’t know where you had gone. What’s going on?”
Well, that was interesting. What was going on? “You have my phone and my car?”
“Yes, one of my officers is driving the car back to your apartment. I have your phone. Where are you?”
“I’m with the Demon Dawgs. Look, I don’t want to get into it over the phone, but I quit working for Erickson.
He didn’t take it well. I don’t need you to do anything about him.
This was a misunderstanding between us. He accused me of stealing from him, but I didn’t. He refused to accept my protestations.”
“Do you want to press charges?”
“No. I don’t want you to worry about Erickson.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at the clubhouse. Abra is taking me back to my apartment in a few minutes. I’m considering packing a bag and finding a place to stay for the next few days.”
“You can stay with me,” Max says.
“Maybe. Let me think about it. I might just go to a hotel. Whatever I decide, I’ll let you know.”
“I’ll meet you at your apartment. I want to see you and make sure you are okay for myself.”
“I can live with that. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
Ending the call, I hand the phone back to Abra. “Max is meeting us at my apartment. He went to Erickson’s house. Erickson gave him my phone and my keys. Probably my purse, too, but he didn’t say. We don’t need to go by Erickson’s house.”
“I’ll take you to your apartment so you can pack, but I think you should come back here,” Abra says, gesturing for me towards the front door. “You’ll be safer here than at a hotel or your brother’s house. We have more men to protect you.”
I study Abra’s face as he hands me a helmet that he grabbed off the handlebars of the motorcycle. I take it and slide it on my head without thinking. He reaches over to fasten the strap under my chin as he waits for me to speak.
“I don’t know if I’m in any danger, but honestly, I think I’d sleep better here than I would in a hotel room or at my brother’s house.
Getting kidnapped twice in a single day was unnerving.
I don’t trust Erickson to leave me alone.
So, yes, I’ll take you up on your offer. However, I’m not sleeping with you.”
Abra grins at me, forcing my breath to catch.
He is remarkably handsome. I’ve noticed Abra rarely smiles; he has what would be called resting bitch face if he were a woman.
I guess for a man, it’s just called being stoic or broody.
However, when he smiles, his appeal turns otherworldly.
I can see why he was so popular on the stage as Lucifer’s Heir.
“Women used to throw their panties on stage during your performances, didn’t they? ” I ask him.
He chuckles. The sound filled me with warmth and spiked my desire. “My stagehands used to steal them. I never saw a single one. They were all perverts.”
I laugh as he helps me slide onto the bike behind him. “Have you ridden before?” he asks me. We’re connected via Bluetooth in the helmets, so I can hear him over the roar of the motor.
“A long time ago. But I know what to do, and what not to do.”
He pulls my legs forward until my crotch cups his ass.
The vibration of the motor and the feel of the wind whipping by released all the tension I’d been carrying ever since I discovered I was pregnant.
A flash of concern shoots through me when I think of the tiny life growing inside me and the recklessness of being on a motorcycle, but that feeling dissipates quickly.
The tiny life is nothing more than a few cells at this point; it’s well-protected.
Even if we crashed, the embryo would still be safe.
Too soon, Abra pulls up outside my apartment building.
I spot my car in its spot and breathe a sigh of relief.
That’s one problem solved. I swing off the bike and wait for Abra to do the same.
Spotting something on the ground near my car, I let out a snort of disgust. Did the cop leave my purse outside the car?
What an idiot. Striding over without waiting for Abra.
My legs buckle when I see what’s on the ground.
What I thought was my purse was really a pair of men’s shoes.
The shoes belong to the dead man inside them.