Chapter 16 #2
I get inside the building fast, punching in the door code like someone is chasing me. The hallway feels too quiet, too dim. When I reach my apartment door, I unlock it, slam it shut behind me, and double check the lock. Then I double check it again because paranoia is now my roommate.
Ansley is curled up on the couch with a blanket and her laptop, watching something that looks way too peaceful for the panic swirling in my chest. Her eyes lift to me and immediately widen.
“Whoa,” she says, sitting up straighter. “That is your ‘Blade just told me something scary’ face.”
She knows me too well. My laugh comes out thin and brittle. “Something like that.”
She tosses the blanket aside and stands. “Okay, spill. What happened? You’re white as a sheet. Well… whiter than usual.”
I drop my purse, toes kicking off my shoes automatically as I pace a groove into the floor. “There’s some club trouble. Serious stuff. Blade wants me to stay with him for a bit until they take care of it.”
Ansley’s mouth tightens. Concern radiates off her in waves. “Are you in danger?”
“No,” I say quickly, then soften my voice. “Not directly. Blade is just… Blade. He sees a threat and his protector brain goes full ‘protect the girl I love’ mode.”
Her shoulders lower as relief comes through, but she still looks me over like checking for bullet holes. “And what about me? Am I safe here?”
“Yes,” I assure her, stepping close and taking her hands. “This is between the club and whoever they’re going after. You don’t have any ties to the Iron Reapers besides me, and Blade made it clear they’re only going after those connected to the club. You are not in the line of fire.”
She nods slowly, squeezing my fingers. “And you will be with him.”
My chest warms, even with fear chewing on the edges. “Yeah. He told me to pack a bag and be ready for when he comes to get me.”
“Good.” She exhales and shakes off the panic. “If anywhere in this world is safe for you, it’s next to that man. He would throw himself in front of a speeding train for you and then punch the train for daring to exist.”
I let out a shaky laugh. “Pretty much.”
Ansley cups my cheeks and tilts my head like I’m a scared kid. “Hey. Look at me. You are safe. Blade is terrifying in the best possible way and he’s smarter than people give him credit for. You trust him.”
“I do,” I whisper. “With everything.”
She nods like that settles it. “Then pack. If you disappear for more than forty-eight hours, I’m calling everyone, including the FBI and probably a psychic.”
I sniff-laugh and pull her into a hug that lasts longer than usual because hugs might actually be medicine. “Thank you.”
“Of course. I love living in our apartment. If you die, I’ll have to pay the full rent and that is not happening,” she jokes into my shoulder.
Her humor glues my sanity back together a little. I grab my duffel bag from my room and start filling it with clothes, toiletries, my laptop, my favorite hoodie, and yes, sexy underwear because if I’m going to be panic-hiding with my man, I refuse to wear granny panties.
Ansley leans against my doorframe, arms crossed.
“Pack one dress too. Just in case he takes you somewhere to remind you both that life isn’t all bullets and testosterone.
” I toss one in. Because she’s right. As the bag fills, so does that small spark of safety inside me.
Blade told me I’d be okay. And if anyone in this world gets to decide that… it’s him.
I finish zipping the duffel and drop it by the front door.
My adrenaline is still doing parkour in my veins, but with each second that passes the fear shifts into this weird, buzzing anticipation.
I keep telling myself that being with Blade means safety.
Protection. A giant biker shield from the boogeymen of the world.
Ansley pats the couch cushion beside her and forces a smile that looks exactly like I’m pretending everything is normal so you don’t cry. “Come sit. Distract yourself until he gets here.”
I flop down next to her and pull the blanket over my lap. We queue up American Monster because nothing says comfort like watching real murders play out on television while you wait for a biker to pick you up because danger is on the horizon. Peak coping.
Ansley hands me a bowl of popcorn like it’s emotional support carbs. “You’re going to be fine,” she whispers. “Just breathe.”
I nod and stuff popcorn in my mouth. Focus on serial killers instead of drug lords. Totally healthy strategy.
My phone buzzes in my lap.
Blade’s name fills the screen.
Blade: Five minutes. Be ready.
Oh boy.
Ansley and I stay planted on the couch, eyes glued to the paused TV screen, silence filling the room while we wait. My duffel sits by the door like an anxious dog, ready to bolt. My heart thumps so loud I’m convinced the neighbors can hear it.
Then.
A knock.
Short. Firm. Blade-knock.
My pulse trips. “Okay. That’s him. I think that’s him.”
Ansley squeezes my hand once before letting go. “Go verify it’s not a serial killer. Preferably before opening the door.”
“Great advice. Love your survival instincts,” I whisper, even though my voice is a shaky mess.
I creep over quietly and peek through the peephole. Relief floods me so fast my knees threaten mutiny. It’s Blade. Broad shoulders. Arms crossed. Jaw sharp enough to slice through a brick. He looks like a walking warning label that says touch her and die.
I unlock the door, pull it open, and before I can manage a hello, Blade steps inside just enough to grab my duffel right from my hand like it weighs nothing.
His eyes scan the apartment once, checking corners, windows, exits. Always assessing. Always ready to throw down.
Ansley hops up and folds her arms, doing her best to appear like she’s not intimidated by a six-foot-plus biker dripping danger. “Take care of her,” she says, no-nonsense tone fully engaged.
Blade meets her gaze, all seriousness and steel. “I will.”
He shifts my duffel over his shoulder, then points a finger gently but firmly toward her.
“If anything weird happens here,” he says, voice low, “you call me. Right away.”
Ansley blinks, clearly shaken by the weight behind his words. “I… yeah. I can do that.”
“Good.” He nods once. Final. Commanding.
My chest tightens with equal parts fear and safety because the man radiates protection like a superpower.
I step closer, ready to leave, ready to be anywhere he is. Blade reaches out and rests his hand on my lower back, guiding me like I’m the most important thing in the hallway.
“Let’s go,” he murmurs.
I give Ansley one last look. She gives me a tiny encouraging smile and a dramatic thumbs up because she refuses to let fear steal her flair.
I breathe out the tension locked in my chest and step over the threshold with Blade beside me. The door clicks shut behind us. Whatever waits outside, I know one thing for sure. Blade is ready to destroy anything that dares get in our way.