Chapter 22
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Coty
I have never wanted to kill somebody before. The police guarding Cory Coleman in a Knoxville hospital won’t save him tonight. I storm through the Den and out the front door. Before I can jerk my truck door open, a body slams into my back hard, pinning me to the closed door.
“Get off me!” I fight, but can’t break free. Not a position to be in.
“Nope. Not happening.” Jack uses all his weight to hold me against the side of my truck. Fighting him is pointless. I could never beat him.
“He hurt her. He’s gonna pay.”
“Yeah, he will.” Jack doesn’t ease up. “We’ll get him, but we don’t have all the details.”
Has he lost his mind? “Her back is all the details we need!”
“Not true.” Hendrix leans his side against my truck and lays his arm on the hood. He watches Jack and me like this is perfectly normal. “We don’t know if Cory Coleman attacked both of them, or if there was another man involved. We wanna get the right man, or all of them.”
Good point. But that’s not helping right now. For four days, I went insane, not knowing where she was. No, I didn’t listen when she told me not to stalk her. I camped out in her driveway. Even rode by her parents’ house. Ran into her brother in town. David swore he didn’t know where she was.
Nick called in an anonymous tip to the Knoxville police department after Kayla called Lily. Naturally, she and Nick told Jack, and they notified Mack right away. We held an emergency Church meeting with the members who were at the clubhouse tonight. There were enough of us here to handle this without calling everyone in this late.
“Kayla needs you.” Jack’s words hit me hard. I stop fighting. “Let’s go back inside and find out what happened and who did it. We need to get Kayla and her friend settled and ensure they’re protected for the night. They’ve been through enough tonight. We’ll figure out what to do once they’re taken care of.”
“You’re not stopping me?”
“No. We just need to handle it smart.” Jack’s the last person who would stop me. We all helped him when he went after the men responsible for hurting Lily.
“If there’s more than one, he’s still out there.” Hendrix looks toward the road. No cars pass.
That’s a creepy thought. Did someone follow them from Knoxville? All we know is the police found one man in Kira’s apartment unconscious on the living room floor with a broken lamp next to him. It was easy to piece most of that scene together.
“Okay. You’re both right. We need to know exactly what happened.” I nod to Jack. He releases me, but stays behind me until we’re back inside. Hey. I wouldn’t trust me either.
Jack lightly taps on his father’s office door. Jay lets us in. Mack’s at his desk. Worley stands slightly behind him on his right. Nanny’s on his left with her arm casually around his shoulders. Kayla and her friend sit in the two leather chairs in front of the desk. Lily stands behind Kayla’s chair. Kayla briefly glances over her shoulder. She looks relieved to see us.
“Miss Mitchell, we’re sorry for what you and Kayla went through,” Nanny says.
I mentally kick myself. We missed hearing their story. We’ll have to get it from Lily later. I highly doubt Kayla will talk to me.
“Miss Mitchell, I have to ask, do you want our help?” Mack leans forward with his elbows on the desk.
“What does that look like?” Kira asks.
“We help you get away from your abuser and help you start over,” Nanny replies.
“But you have to follow the plan. There’s no detouring from it,” Mack adds.
Kira drops her head and lowers her voice. “Did I kill him?”
“You did not. Cory Coleman is under guard at a hospital in Knoxville. He has eight stitches in the back of his head and a concussion, but he will recover.” Nick’s in a chair behind Worley near the window. I didn’t even see him at first.
“Miss Mitchell, was Cory alone?” Mack asks.
“Um.” Kira looks at Kayla and then at Mack. “He was the only one in the apartment.”
Kayla drops her head back and groans. What’s that about? What are they hiding?
“It’s important for us to know if someone else was involved.” Worley senses she’s holding back.
“I didn’t see anyone else,” Kayla says.
“But someone else was there?” Mack pushes for the truth. He already knows. We all do.
“I don’t know where Cory’s friend was tonight. They always come from North Carolina together on the weekends. He was going to be Cory’s Best Man in the wedding.” Kira sniffles and swipes at her cheek.
“What’s this friend’s name? I’ll see if I can locate him.” Nick’s fingers hover over the keyboard.
“Trent Colby.” Kayla shakes her head and glares at Kira from the corner of her eye. She knows this man. Something tells me he’s more than just Cory’s friend.
“It’s been a long night. Miss Mitchell, do you want our help?” Mack asks again.
“What happens if I don’t take your help?” Kira drops her eyes to the floor again.
Kayla reaches over and takes her hand. Nanny shakes her head at Kayla. She can’t influence her friend’s decision. This is something Kira must decide for herself.
“Then you’re free to go,” Mack replies. Kira’s head snaps up. “Just never mention this conversation. Too many lives are at risk.”
“How do I get home?” Kira looks at Kayla.
“We can get you a room at a hotel on the interstate. You can call someone to pick you up from there, or we can get you a bus ticket,” Mack tells her.
Kira stares at Kayla for a long moment. Kayla doesn’t move or offer to help her get back to Knoxville. I won’t allow her to drive back into that city knowing someone there could hurt her again.
Kira drops her head again. “He’ll kill me, won’t he?”
“More than likely,” Lily says softly. Her eyes meet Jack’s.
Kira takes a deep breath and looks up at Nanny. “I don’t wanna go back. Help me. Please help me.”
Kayla, Lily, and Nanny go to Kira and wrap their arms around her. For a moment, I feared she’d return to Knoxville.
“Okay, Miss Mitchell.” Mack stands after the ladies part. “Welcome to the Viking Warriors MC.”
“And Ariel’s Angels,” Nanny adds.
“What’s Ariel’s Angels?” Kira asks.
“The organization that’s going to save you and help you start over,” Nanny explains.
“Okay. Let’s get Miss Mitchell settled for the night,” Mack says.
Nick looks up from his laptop. “A room at the Haven House is ready for her.”
“What about Kayla?” Lily asks.
Mack and Nanny look at each other. Kayla starts to speak. Nope. She gets no say in this.
“She stays on club property.” Everyone turns to me. “It’s safer if she does.”
“He’s right,” Jack agrees. “We don’t know where Trent Colby is. If he was in the parking lot when the attack happened, he could have followed them here.”
“She can have my room here. I can stay with my parents or at my grandparents’ ranch if that helps.” I won’t. I’m not letting Kayla out of my sight. No matter what she stays, I’ll be close by.
“Thank you, Rodeo, but that’s not necessary.” Nanny smiles sweetly at me before looking Kayla in the eye, daring her to dispute her decision. “Both ladies will stay at the Haven House until we have a better idea of what we’re up against.”
“That’s an excellent idea,” Lily quickly agrees. “I’ll walk them up there.”
Jack rushes forward. “Uh, angel. That might not be a good idea.”
Lily lays her palm against his cheek and smiles. “It’s okay, Jack. I know you hate going there. Jay or Rodeo can walk me back.”
“That’s not quite it.” Jack huffs. “Well, it’s part of it.”
“What’s the other part?” Lily tilts her head.
“Tell her now, Jack,” Nanny insists.
Jack’s shoulders drop. “Don’t be angry.”
“Wrong choice of words,” Worley mumbles.
Lily takes a step back and pokes Jack in the chest. “Out with it, Jack.”
“Nina’s here,” he finally just spits it out.
Lily blinks rapidly. “Nina? My friend, Nina Lowe? The woman who sent me here and saved my life is in Willow Creek?”
“She’s the Haven House Mother,” Nanny says.
“What?” Lily looks around the room. “How long has she been here?”
“We brought her back with us from LA.” Jack reaches for her hand, but she holds it away from him.
“Nearly two months? My friend, I thought I’d never see again, has been here, on club property, for nearly two months.”
Nobody moves or speaks. It’s true.
“Why? Why wouldn’t any of you tell me?” Lily asks, surprisingly calm.
Jack manages to catch her hand this time. “I’m sorry, love. Nina asked us not to tell you. She just made the decision to stay a few days ago.”
Nanny nods, confirming it’s true.
“Well.” Lily pulls her hand away. She takes Kayla’s hand and one of Kira’s. “I’m taking these angels to the Haven House.” She stops at the door. “Coty, Jay, Hendrix, follow us.” She looks around the room. “I love all of you. I really do. Keeping this from me was wrong. I get why you did it. It’s still wrong, though.” She looks at Jack. “We’ll talk when I get back. Right now, my friend is going to explain why she kept me in the dark.”
Mack nods his approval. Jay, Hendrix, and I follow them to the Haven House. As much as I want to reach for Kayla, I don’t. We’ll talk tomorrow whether she’s ready or not.