Chapter 12
CHAPTER
TWELVE
CARBON
Rapping my knuckles on the open office door, I wait for Jolt to motion me over, closing the door to the clubhouse office behind me. “What’s up, man?”
“I need to stay here on this run.” I was scheduled to go on the run with most of council tomorrow, but I know Harry is planning to do something. After having looked into that fucking address, I need to be here to stop her or protect her.
Jolt leans back in his seat. “Spill.”
Rolling my neck, feeling a bit annoyed that I have to do this, but I bite the fucking bullet and do it anyway. “I am in love with Harlow, and she is about to get herself into some serious fucking trouble. I intend to stop that from happening.”
Saying it out loud of the first time… it feels incredibly right. I just wish it was Harry standing in front of me hearing it. Soon, she needs more time. We have trust to build.
Jolt’s head rocks. “Well. Wow. Alright.” He seems a bit shellshocked. “Brother, I… I got to be honest, why now?”
“What do you mean?”
He laughs. “I mean, you have carried a torch for this girl since the second she showed up here and I know why you have kept it hidden, but… why now?”
“She is about to get in a whole heap of tr?—”
“Nah, that isn’t why,” he cuts me off.
Asshole isn’t going to let me get out of this. While I am not surprised that he knew, I am majorly irritated he knew. “I am tired of pretending she isn’t fucking everything to me.”
“He’ll come around.” Jolt’s head rocks as he considers his own words. “Anyway, what’s the trouble?”
“Not certain, but there is some shit she has been hiding that is not my place to say. I do know she is about to do something. I assume she is waiting for us to be out of town in the hopes that I don’t follow her.
” I rub my neck. “I have been”—I wave my hand to imply the shit they stepped in over in the past.
“Yeah, I know, but I was under the impression she was totally into it. She is, right?” he asks, a brow lifted in verification.
“Pretty sure, she got pissed when I stopped a bit back. But she also knows I am supposed to go this week and I assume she is planning to act when she thinks I can’t follow her.
She doesn’t want me to stop her.” I run my hand through my hair and continue on, “She could either get hurt or end up in prison, so I need to stay, but let her think I’m gone. ”
“I cou?—”
“If your woman was on the line, would you let someone else handle it?” I grit out.
“Alright. You can stay. We will just tell council last second you have some lawyer shit or whatever. Your dad will back you?”
I nod, but I also log away the fact that he seemed to accept that easily. Does he know who his woman is?
“Sounds like you have this under control. You know he is going to be pissed you didn’t loop him in on this. You going to call Hanger?” His head tips to the side a bit as he eyes me.
“If I want a chance with Harlow, then I have to be the one to fucking manage it. If she thinks I ran around talking to people about her business, she will never trust me. I don’t fucking care who it pisses off, she is the one that fucking matters.
” I lean back folding my arms over my chest. “She is the only one that fucking matters.”
Jolt nods. “Alright. Sounds good. You call people in if you need help though. Got it?”
“Yup.” I give a hard sniff. Shoving to my feet, I get the fuck out of dodge before anyone can wrangle me into their drama, which is seriously the hardest part of my job.
I know why they think I am a good fit for Arms, but sometimes it gets a bit overwhelming.
Sometimes I just want to hide out somewhere no one can find me and breathe.
Pulling my helmet on, I get myself comfortable on my bike trying to decide where to go.
I have some work to do, but I oddly don’t feel like being alone.
I also don’t want to be where anyone will interrupt me.
Digging my phone out of my pocket I stare at the contact screen, I double check that I am attached via my helmet and hit dial, on the third ring she picks up. “Why are you calling me?”
“I debated showing up at your place, but I rather be at my place right now,” I tell her, not even hiding the smile that drags up my face—the benefits of a helmet.
“Is that your ass-backwards way of inviting me over?” she seems hesitant, a hint annoyed, but mostly breathy which implies she is excited.
“If it was, would you come over?” I wrap my hands around the handlebars.
“What are you playing at Carbon?” she demands, but I swear I hear a little hope in there. Or I am just making shit up in my head, totally possible.
“Not playing sexy girl, just don’t feel like being solo,” I let her know and hope she agrees to this. Fuck do I want to see her.
She makes a humming sound. “I need more information before I commit to a decision.”
Barking out a laugh, this woman! “I need to do some work, but I don’t want to be alone and before you say go to the clubhouse, I would like to remind you that I need to do work and people hunt me down there.”
“I am still not seeing why you are calling me,” she pokes, and for once I am struggling to read her tone.
“What are you doing?”
“Sketching, listening to music, uhm, debating what to have for lunch,” she lists things off and I am glad she does because it helps me know how to fill her needs.
“I have left over pizza, music, and plenty of surfaces to sketch from,” I make sure to really infuse my voice with the smile I am sporting.
“What kind of pizza?” I grin feeling like she is hooked, now I just have to reel her in.
“Pepperoni and black olive,” as I’m filling in that blank, I remember she likes jalape?os and pineapple on her pizza. “I have jalape?o I can slice up and throw on top… we can even blister it on the stove first if you want.”
“Pineapple?”
“A whole can of it. We can heat it on the flame too if you want.”
“Alright, I’ll be there in twenty.” She hangs up, I call her right back. “What?”
“Let me pick you up,” I propose in a way that suggests it isn’t really a question.
“That seems ridiculous to have you leave your place, come get me, then take me back,” she scoffs.
“I’m at the clubhouse.”
“I’m not on your way. I can meet you at the house.” She is saying the right things, but there is no steam there, I know my woman wants me to push.
I fire up my bike. “What was that? I missed what you were saying. Well, I am sure you agreed to me picking you up, so I will see you in ten.”
I end the call, then tear off out the gate after the prospect opens it, feeling like a fucking King on his way to collect his Queen.
I roll through the streets, pulling into her apartment parking lot.
I park next to her car, then kill the engine.
I make my way to her door, giving a light knock. I hear her call out, “Unlocked”
I twist the knob pushing in, I step into her apartment, getting slapped with her rosewood, vanilla, and amber scent. “I hope it was unlocked because you knew I was coming.”
She calls back, “Of course, I’m not a fucking idiot.”
Bending down to greet Ron Ron as he rubs himself along my legs before I head toward her voice, standing in her bedroom doorway I see her bent over from the waist pulling a pair of shoes on. She straightens, looking back at me. “What has gotten into you?”
I shrug.
She grabs a tote style bag, holding it out to me. “Will this fit in your saddlebags? I think I have a backpack somewhere.” She twists to look in her closet.
“This will fit.”
“Excellent.” She turns back beaming at me and I want to drag her into me to kiss the shit out of her.
I remind myself that she needs time, no, I need time to prove she can trust me.
I get her down to my bike and on it, feeling glad I have just decided to cart her helmet around with me everywhere now.
I need to lock this down before Mint starts questioning shit. Right now, I could pull the, “I keep forgetting.” Or “Eh, I had my hands full.” Much longer and it won’t fly, so I am going to need to make sure everyone fucking knows Harry is mine. Soon.
We pull into my garage, I feel relieved that her car won’t be out front of my house.
Granted, Mouse is likely the only one who would see, I still don’t need to deal with that risk.
The fewer the questions right now, the better.
I need to earn a little faith from her before others get involved.
My biggest fear is she will send me away if she doesn’t think I am worth the effort of standing up to her brother.
I watch as she makes her way around my space, this is the very first time she has been here without others to judge us—of her being on a tear and then us getting interrupted.
She looks at every painting, every photo, every detail in my place.
Standing in front of the windows she looks at the backyard, out to the creek and trees.
“You really found something special here.”
I step in behind her, but don’t touch her. “I love this house.”
“The bats still inhabiting your boxes?” She takes a small half step back, her body so close to mine I can feel her heat radiating against my chest. I suppress a groan.
“Yeah, they are super full. I have a couple feeding trays that I put fruit on for them.” I point out to the little stakes with small discs on top that I have some cut up fruit on. “They seem pretty happy here.”
“All you need is a cat,” I can hear the happy teasing sound in her voice.
“And an octopus,” I say as I run my palm down her forearm, wrapping my hand around hers, I brush my finger over the ring she is wearing on her pointer finger—the one I got her.
“Illegal to own them in California,” she adds quietly.
“Hmm, then I suppose we will have to give all our love to Cauldron.” Floating the words to see how she responds.
“I suppose so.”