Chapter Eighteen
As I put down a box, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I groan as I stretch my back out. Who knew that boxes of books were so heavy? I pull my phone out of my pocket and see Adalyn’s name on the screen.
Adalyn: Hey, Harlee
I take a deep breath as I stare at her name.
Shit.
She was super sweet, and I meant it when I said that she could reach out to me, but I don’t know how I feel about that now. After Bullet explained everything, I can’t help but look at her with suspicion.
Is she really William’s daughter?
Does she know who Bullet is and how he’s connected to the MC?
Is she fishing for information on us like we are her?
My phone goes off again, and I look down and see her name.
Adalyn: Shoot, I hit send too soon. *emoji hiding face* I don’t know if you are busy today, but I was wondering if you would like to get together and grab a smoothie or something? If not, it’s totally cool, I’m sure you’re busy, and it is super last minute.
Does she really have to be so nice?
Reluctantly, I text her back
Me: Hey! I’m actually working today, but you’re more than welcome to stop by and hang out.
Adalyn: At the bookshop?
Me: That’s the place.
Adalyn: That’s so cool! I wish I worked at a bookshop. I would spend my whole paycheck on books. Are you sure it’s okay if I stop by?
Me: It’s more than fine. We just got a shipment of new books too, so you can check them out.
Adalyn: Awesome, would you like me to pick up anything for you?
Again with the thoughtfulness. I really hope she’s not playing us.
Me: I’m good. I’ll see you soon.
Taking a deep breath, I exit her text message and go into the one between Bullet and me.
Me: She’s coming by the shop.
Bullet: Are you sure you’re okay with doing this?
Me: I’ll be fine. I’ll text you soon.
I tuck my phone back into my pocket and leave the storage room. Tara looks up as I step onto the floor.
“Hey, how’s it going back there?” she asks.
“I think better than it is out here.”
She’s got books stacked so high around her as she checks them in that it’s almost hard to see her.
She laughs. “I love new shipment day.”
“So I hope it’s okay, but she is going to stop by.”
I don’t even have to explain who she is. Tara goes from playful to serious.
“Are you sure you want to do this? I’m sure the guys will understand if you can’t do it.”
Before she even finishes her sentence, I shake my head. “No, I got this,” I say, sounding more confident than I really feel.
“Well, I’m here if you need me.”
“Let me know when she arrives?”
“You got it.”
I head back into the storage room and begin unpacking boxes. Every time the bell rings above the door, my breath catches.
Is that her?
Thirty minutes later, Tara comes back.
“Hey, Harlee, you have a visitor,” Tara says lightly.
My heart races as I smile. “Hey, you made it!”
Adalyn smiles. “I did.” She looks over at Tara. “I hope it’s okay I’m here.”
Tara waves away her concern. “You’re fine. Any friend of Harlee’s is a friend of mine. Make yourself at home. I’ll be out front if you need me.”
“I know you said you didn’t want anything, but I grabbed you a strawberry banana smoothie. I hope that’s okay,” Adalyn says as she holds it out to me.
“Oh, thank you.”
She steps forward to hand it to me, and I see my opening.
“Oh, let me get that.” I reach up and touch her hair, pulling a few strands.
Wincing, I lie through my teeth. “Sorry about that. You had a bug in your hair, and I didn’t realize your hair got caught on my ring.”
“Oh my god, how embarrassing,” she says, sounding completely appalled.
“If you want, there’s a bathroom through there,” I say, pointing toward the door.
Without giving it a second thought, she sets the drinks down and rushes toward the bathroom. When the door shuts behind her, I walk over to my bag. Very carefully, I pull out a Ziploc bag that Bullet placed in there this morning and place the hair inside.
My heart races as I shove it back into my purse. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself.
Who knew stealing somebody’s hair could be so stressful?
A few minutes later, Adalyn comes out of the restroom.
“You good?”
“As good as one can be when they’re completely mortified.” She laughs.
“Shit happens.” I shrug.
Adalyn looks around the room. “This place is so cool. How long have you worked here?”
“I actually don’t work here full-time. I work next door at the tattoo shop, too,” I tell her without thinking about it.
“I’ve always wanted a tattoo,” she says wistfully.
“What’s stopping you?”
Adalyn’s face scrunches up. “Let’s just say my dad isn’t the biggest fan of body art and self-expression.”
“Well, that sucks,” I say, making her laugh.
“It does, it totally does.”
“If you want, I can take you next door and get you hooked up,” I offer.
“I would love to, but I can’t. He would really lose his mind.”
“I take it your dad is one of those.”
Her nose scrunches up. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“Has he always been that way?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I didn’t know him until a few months ago when he came back into my life.” She shrugs.
“Damn.”
Adalyn sighs. “Tell me about it. I feel like all I’m doing lately is trying to appease him. Which is embarrassing now that I say it out loud…”
“Hey, I get it. I have daddy issues, too.” I wink, making her laugh.
“Honestly, I don’t know if that makes me feel better, but thanks for trying.”
“I’m serious. I used to be super close with my dad, but then my mom died a few years ago, and shit just fell apart.”
Her eyes fill with sympathy. “I am so, so sorry, Harlee. I can’t imagine.”
“It’s okay,” I lie, feeling uncomfortable. “So did you move here to reconnect with your dad?”
“Yeah, I didn’t want to, but my mom kind of forced my hand. She thought it would be good for me to have some male influence in my life,” she says, rolling her eyes.
“Do you like him at least?”
“Yeah, he’s nice.”
I’ll give her credit if it weren’t for the fact that her voice wobbled, I would have bought it. She’s totally scared of him, I know it. Which pisses me off. Adalyn is so sweet, she doesn’t deserve to be scared of someone who’s supposed to love her and protect her.
“Enough of the awkward family drama, tell me what’s happening between you and Jake,” she says, changing the subject.
Part of me hates her using that nickname. Like she has something special with him, but I know that’s not the truth.
I groan.
“Do we have to?” I fake whine, making her laugh.
“Yes! I want to know everything, like how did you two meet? Have you two always been friends? Tell me all the things!”
“I met Jacob several years ago through a family friend. We clicked right away, although he would probably deny it since he’s older than I am, and I was sixteen at the time. He’s only a couple years older than me, so it was nothing creepy.”
“Hey, you don’t have to justify it to me. I went on a date with him, and we’re the same age, I think. How old are you?”
“Nineteen. You?”
“Twenty. So see, it’s not a big deal. So have you been stuck in the friend zone ever since?” she asks, making me wince.
“Pretty much.”
“You know he’s into you, right?”
I shake my head. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”
“Girl, that guy totally saw his life flash before his eyes when he saw you the other night. He was so worried about you that he didn’t think about how it would look to me.”
“Sorry about that,” I lie, making her laugh.
“It’s fine. So what are you going to do? Are you going to make a move?”
“I don’t know…I’m starting to feel like if we were supposed to happen, we would have by now,” I confess.
“I don’t think you should give up on him. I think all he needs is a little push.”
“You do?”
“I do. Trust me, that boy wants you bad.”
I nod as I think it over. Maybe she’s right, maybe it’s too soon to give up. Mama always said things that we really want never come easy.
“Thanks,” I tell her softly.
Adalyn winks. “Us girls got to stick together. Now tell me, how can I help you with all these books?”
As Adalyn babbles about the different books she picks up, I can’t help but hope that she’s not really William’s daughter and that she’s not playing us because I’d really hate to hate her.
“Hey,” Colt says as I walk into the clubhouse.
“What’s up?”
“Not much. Just catching up with Hades,” he says, referring to one of the Lotus nomads who has decided to stick around until the Dansworth situation is handled.
Hades is a big motherfucker with tanned skin and long black curly hair that he usually keeps tied back. He’s helped us out of a bind or two in the past. Not long ago, he decided to hang out in Vegas for a while, and he’s been spending time around the clubhouse and helping out when we need it.
I look over at Hades. “What’s up?”
“Not much,” he says.
“He’s offered to go on the run with us,” Colt says.
I raise my eyebrows in surprise. Usually we don’t let non-chapter members perform club business with us unless we have to. Which tells me I’m missing something. I’ll have to ask when I get one of the guys alone later.
“Bullet,” Reaper says, catching my attention.
I look over my shoulder and see him standing in the doorway of his office.
“I’ll catch up with you guys later,” I tell them before walking Reaper’s way.
I head into his office and shut the door behind me before taking a seat.
“Did she get it?” he asks as he sits behind his desk.
“She did,” I say as I pull the Ziplock bag out of my pocket. I set it on his desk and slide it across to him.
He picks it up and examines it before setting it back on his desk. “I hate that we had to involve her in this.”
“You and me both, but it had to be done.”
Reaper smirks. “She didn’t leave us with much of an option. Make sure you thank her for me.”
“I will.”
“Are you ready to go on the run?”
“Yeah. My bags are packed. Colt just told me that Hades will be joining this time.”
A look I can’t quite name crosses Reaper’s face for a second.
“He will be.”
I want to push, but don’t. It’s not my place.
“Do you need me to look out for anything while he’s out there with us?”
“Nah, I trust him. He’s good people. I just never expected him to stay in one place for longer than a couple of weeks. Do you think Harlee will behave while you’re gone?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Does Harlee ever actually behave?” I say as I smirk, making him laugh.
“That girl’s been nothing but trouble since the day she was born,” he says with laughter and his voice.
For a minute, we fall silent. I need to talk to him, but I don’t know how to get the words out.
How do you tell your boss that you have feelings for somebody who’s completely off-limits?
“You good, Bullet?”
“Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you.”
Reaper leans back into his chair and studies me thoughtfully. “Tell me.”
I run my sweaty hands over my thighs. Why is this so hard?
I clear my throat. “I actually need to talk to you about Harlee.”
“Is she okay? Is she in trouble?”
“She’s fine. I actually want to talk to you about Harlee and me…”
His eyes close, and he shakes his head. “Come on, Bullet, don’t do this to me.”
“I don’t think I can stay away from her anymore,” I confess.
“Goddammit,” he swears under his breath. “Natalie warned me this would happen.”
I smile as I think about his old lady, who’s one of my best friends.
“You should know by now, she’s usually right,” I tease, making him chuckle.
“That she is.”
We fall silent for a moment.
“You know you’re playing with fire with Harlee, right? Honk made it known that no one was supposed to touch his daughter. Especially you,” he asks.
“I can’t stay away from her,” I tell him.
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Isn’t that the same thing?” I ask, shaking my head.
Reaper stares off thoughtfully for a few moments. “Look, kid, I love you. You’re one of my girl’s favorite people in this world. I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for her, and because of the role you’ve played in her life, I’m willing to give you my blessing,” he says, making my heart race.
“Thank…”
He raises his hand and cuts me off. “I’ll only give you my blessing if Honk gives his.”
Leaning back into my chair, I sigh. “I don’t know if he’ll ever give his blessing,” I confess.
“He will when he is ready, but he’s not here right now, so take this time and figure it out between the two of you. That way when he comes home, you two already have a plan in place. You hear me?”
“So, to verify, you’re saying that I can date Harlee out in the open until Honk comes home. Then, at that point, we need his blessing before we can go any further?”
Reaper nods. “Exactly.”
“And if he disapproves?”
“For my sake, let’s just assume he’s going to approve, and if he doesn’t, we can figure it out later.” Reaper winces.
“Thank you,” I tell him sincerely.
“You’re welcome. Now get the fuck out of here. Go do whatever you have to do before you take off.”
I jump up and start heading toward the door.
“Oh, Bullet,” Reaper says, making me pause.
I look over my shoulder. “What’s up?”
“I’m sure if you asked Natalie, she would love to help you plan your date.”
While having Natalie help would be nice, I kind of like the idea of planning it on my own. Still, it’s not a bad idea to run my plans by another woman.
One whom I trust and would never lead me astray.
“I’ll think about it. Later.”
Leaving his office, I shut his door behind me and head down the hall toward my room. Once inside, I shut the door and fall back onto my bed.
He gave me his blessing, I think as my heart races in my chest. Holy shit, this is happening.
Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my phone and find her number.
Me: Hey, I’ll be gone for two days on club business. But when I get back, I want to take you out on a date. What do you think?
Harlee: I think you better hurry home. Ride safe and keep me updated.
I toss my phone down onto the bed next to me. This is it. I finally get to make Harlee fucking Swift mine once and for all.
Now all I have to do is not screw it up.