6. Whitney
Whitney
“Hey, girl.” Bridget strolled into the kitchen carrying a basket of laundry. “How’s it going?”
“Not too bad.” Bridget was one of the club girls, and I liked her a lot. She was beautiful and confident, and she always dressed to turn heads. But her easygoing nature made it impossible not to like her. And in this crazy clubhouse full of men, it was nice to have someone to talk to. “How about you?”
“Can’t complain.” She glanced around, then asked, “Where’s our boy?”
“He’s outside playing with Dagger’s son.”
“Oh, that’s good.”
“Yeah, they’ve been out there for a while. Last time I checked, they were making plans to build a fort, but I’m sure they’re on to something else by now.”
“Oh, there’s no telling with Garrison. He’s always into something.” She dropped the basket of laundry down on the kitchen table. “But that’s a good thing. It means you’re getting some much-needed Momma time.”
“I guess.” I stirred my coffee and smiled. “It’s been quiet. Maybe just a bit too quiet without him around.”
It was still strange being at the clubhouse surrounded by so many men and all the noises they made. There was always someone talking or laughing, and music was constantly playing in the bar. There was a time when that kind of constant noise would’ve driven me crazy, but over the past couple of weeks, I’d come to find it comforting. It was a sign that I wasn’t alone.
We were in a fortress, surrounded by men who would lay their lives down for us. It was impossible not to feel safe and protected. I didn’t have to look over my shoulder every five minutes and I could breathe again. And even though they’d only been gone a little while, I missed having them around.
“It’s definitely different during the mornings and late afternoons when the guys aren’t around.” Bridget sat down across from me. “But then again, we’re not completely alone. Goose and Ghost are just out back.”
“Oh, I know. They’ve been in to check on me a hundred times in the past hour.”
“At least they’re easy on the eyes.” She playfully raked her teeth across her bottom lip. “Especially Ghost. My God, that man is all kinds of fine.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You guess?” she gasped. “You don’t think he’s hot?”
“Oh, he’s attractive. There’s no denying that, but he’s also a little scary.”
“Oh, that’s just because he’s on the job. He takes this club stuff very seriously. They all do.”
“Maybe that’s it, but he always seems so intense.”
“Oh, you must bring that out in him because he’s not normally like that.”
“He’s not?”
“No, not at all.” Bridget chuckled softly. “He’s usually pretty easygoing unless he has a reason not to be.”
“So the silent, brooding protector thing...”
“It’s all for you.”
“But why?”
“You’d have to ask him that, but I’d guess he doesn’t even realize how intense he’s coming off.”
My gaze drifted toward the window. Ghost was standing near the clubhouse entrance with his arms crossed, scanning the area. “I have to admit, being here has definite advantages.”
Bridget tilted her head, her grin widening. “Like what?”
“I’ve spent so long looking over my shoulder, and now, we have all these guys looking out for us, and I don’t have to worry so much.”
“They definitely have a way of making a girl feel safe. It’s one of the reasons I stick around—that and they have amazing parties.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t know anything about that.”
“But one day you will.” She giggled. “I’ll look forward to that.”
“Look forward to what?” Antonia asked as she walked into the room.
“I was just telling Whit about the wild parties the guys have.”
“Oh, yeah. There’s no doubt that they know how to have a good time.” Antonia poured herself a cup of coffee, then came over and sat down next to me. “So, how have you been doing?”
Before I could answer, Bridget stood and grabbed her basket of laundry. “I’ll leave you girls to it.”
“You don’t have to rush off.”
“It’s okay. I really need to get this done.” She gave me a wink. “I have a shift later tonight.”
“Okay. I’ll catch up with you later.” Once she was gone, I turned back to Antonia and asked, “So, what brings you out today?”
“Memphis needed to talk to Preacher, so I decided to tag along. I wanted to see how you were doing.”
“That was very thoughtful of you... I can honestly say that things have been going pretty well. I’ve been going a little stir-crazy, but it’s nothing I can’t manage.”
“I bet. It has to be hard to be so couped up all the time.”
“It’s really not that bad. I kind of like it. It gives me a little stability and all that.”
“I get it.” She took a sip of her coffee before asking, “Does that mean that the dreams have gotten better?”
“Yes and no.” I’d mentioned the dreams when we first met. I’m not sure why I thought to open up to her and Jenna, but they were so easy to talk to. I found myself telling them things I never thought I would share. “Not quite as frequent, but I still have them from time to time.”
“And the bad one?”
“Yeah, I’m still having it.” I didn’t like to think about it much less talk about it, but I found myself confessing, “I try not to think too much about it. I know I can’t change any of it, but I just can’t stop thinking about the look in his eyes when he said he was coming back for me.”
It wasn’t just the look in his eyes that spooked me.
It was what he said that rattled me to the core.
His grip on my throat tightened as he yanked me close and warned, ‘I’ll be back for you. You know I will, and when I do, you will be mine. Once and for all.’
Antonia tried to reassure me by saying, “He was throwing out empty threats.”
“I don’t know. He’s got the means to make good on them if he wanted to.”
“But he’d have to get through the guys first.”
“That’s a whole other concern. There’s no telling what he would do if...”
Before I could finish my thought, Toby and his new friend barreled through the doorway. Both were sweaty and out of breath as they made their way over to the fridge.
Toby grabbed a bottle of water, and his eyes were bright with excitement as he turned to me and said, “We found a baby snake.”
“What?”
“It was just a garden snake.” Garrison took a drink of his water before adding, “It won’t hurt ya.”
“A snake is a snake.” My voice cracked as I said, “Please tell me you left that thing outside.”
“Yes, Mom,” Toby groaned. “It’s outside.”
“Thank goodness.”
Garrison leaned over to Toby and giggled, “Your mom is a scaredy-cat.”
“Yeah, but she’s still cool.”
“Moms are never cool.” He laughed, then gave Toby a quick wave and ran for the door. “See ya later.”
He darted out the back door, and the room fell silent. Toby stared off into space, and it was clear he had something on his mind. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking about something Garrison said.”
“Oh? What’s that?”
“He’s in fourth grade, just like me.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that.”
“Well, he said his teacher is really nice, and he’s got a lot of friends. He said I’d really like them.”
“I’m sure you would.”
“He said I could meet them if I started going to school with him.” His little hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as he told me, “I know we gotta be careful because of, you know , but it could--”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I interrupted.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
“It’s just not safe, honey. At least, not yet.”
“It’s not fair." Defeat marked his face as he muttered, “I just want things to be normal again.”
It was clear he really wanted this, and I wanted it for him. I just wasn’t sure it was the right time, and that broke my heart. I’d done this. I’d brought this monster into our lives and turned our world upside down. And more than that, I hurt the one person I loved the most in this world. Trying my best not to cry, I swallowed hard and told him, “I know you do, and eventually, they will be. But right now, we have to go about things the right way.”
“That’s just your way of saying no.”
“No, that’s my way of saying I will think about it.”
I knew he needed some normalcy, and I wanted to give it to him. I just wasn’t sure how to do that and keep him safe at the same time. Clearly unhappy with my answer, Toby rolled his eyes and muttered, “Whatever.”
Without saying anything more, he turned and walked out of the room. Once I was certain he was out of earshot, I leaned my head back and groaned, “Why does this have to be so hard?”
Antonia had remained quiet throughout our exchange. “It’ll get easier. It’s just going to take some time,” she softly offered.
“I’m not so sure. This whole thing has been really hard on him, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
“You could talk to Preacher about it and see if he has any thoughts on it.”
“Oh, I hate to bother them.”
“You won’t be a bother. You’re just asking for options.”
“I guess.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s in his office with Memphis and Creed.”
“I’m sure they’re busy.”
“I’m sure they can take five minutes to hear you out,” Antonia pushed.
“Ugh,” I grumbled. “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“No, and neither is Toby. So, you might as well get to it.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll go.” I stood and carried my empty coffee cup over to the sink. “I don’t even know what to say.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
I started out the door as I grumbled, “Thanks for the help.”
“You’ll do fine!” she shouted back. “Good luck!”
I’d been by Preacher’s office a couple of times over the past couple of weeks, but I’d never actually gone inside. In fact, I’d avoided it altogether. I wasn’t exactly scared of him, but I wasn’t expecting us to be great friends either. From what I could tell, Preacher was a very powerful man, and he was both feared and respected by all who knew him.
Hoping to settle my nerves, I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. It did little to help my shaky hands as I reached up and knocked on his door. I waited a moment, and my chest tightened when I heard, “Yeah, come in.”
I turned the knob and eased the door open, and when I stepped inside, I found Preacher sitting at his desk. Memphis, Creed, and Seven were sitting across from him, and they all seemed calm and collected like they already knew why I was there. I feigned a smile and said, “Hi, I’m sorry to bother you, but could I have a minute of your time?”
“Of course,” Preacher’s brows furrowed. “Everything okay?”
I swallowed hard, unsure how to start.
“Yes, I just wanted to talk to you about Toby,” I began, my voice smaller than I wanted it to be. “You guys have been so great about letting us stay here and keeping us safe, and I appreciate it more than you could possibly know, but um, I was wondering...”
“You’re making this harder than it’s gotta be,” Preacher interrupted. “Just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I was wanting your thoughts on Toby and school.”
“School?” His brows furrowed with surprise. “What about it?”
“Well, he was talking with Garrison earlier...”
“Enough said.” Preacher’s eyes never left mine as he leaned back in his chair. “I get the kid’s interest, but it’s not gonna happen.”
“He’s been stuck here for weeks now. Surely, there’s something we can do.”
He looked over to Creed, his VP and right-hand man, as he asked, “What do you think?”
“I think you’re right. It’s a no go.” Creed leaned forward with a grimace. “Here, they’re off the radar. There’s no way that cop fella can find them, but school is a different ball game. The kid will get exposure there that we can’t protect him from.”
“Creed’s right. Even with fake IDs and paperwork, there are school reports to contend with,” Seven added. “Grades and records, and one slip up, and we’ll be done.”
“It’s just too much.”
I glanced between the two of them, feeling the weight of their decision.
The last thing I wanted to do was to put Toby in more danger, but I also couldn’t keep him locked away forever. “Is there anything else we could do?”
Preacher exchanged a glance with Creed and Seven, then sighed and rubbed his hand over his jaw. He thought for a moment, then leaned forward, folding his hands on the desk. “There is one option.”
“Okay?”
“We could bring in a tutor. Keep it private. No records, no names. He’ll still get his education, but there won’t be a paper trail.”
“That could work.” It wasn’t what I’d envisioned, but it was better than nothing. “At least for now.”
“Yeah, this won’t be for the long term—just until we find the best way to keep your son safe.”
“Thank you,” I whispered, my voice breaking just a little. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
“Glad we could help.”
I didn’t want to take up any more of their time, so I quickly turned and skirted out of the room. I felt a bit discouraged as I made my way down the hall and back to the room. Toby was excited about the thought of going to school with Garrison, and I hated to disappoint him. But I would have to find a way to make him understand that his safety was the most important thing.
Needless to say, the conversation didn’t go well.
In fact, it went even worse than I’d expected.
As soon as he heard that he couldn’t go with Garrison, he shut down and wouldn’t even listen to me. He wouldn’t even look at me. He just got up, and as he walked over to the TV, he mumbled, “Don’t worry about it.”
After that, he was pretty quiet for the rest of the night. He went to bed early and drifted off to sleep without even saying goodnight. He was punishing me, and it was working. Seeing him so disappointed was like a knife to the heart, and I hated that I couldn’t fix it.
All I could do was lay there and watch him sleep. On a good note, it was the first time in days that he didn’t spend most of the night tossing and turning in his sleep. He was still and peaceful. I, on the other hand, was wound tight. There was no way I could sleep.
I didn’t even bother trying.
I needed air.
Being careful not to wake Toby, I slipped out of the room and down the hall to the back exit. When I stepped outside, it was a bit cold but in a good way. I needed the bite of the cool air. I wrapped my arms around myself and tilted my head up, trying to lose myself in the night sky.
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d stopped long enough to actually look at the stars. My nights had always been so rushed with getting dinner ready and helping with Toby’s homework. It was nice to have a moment to catch my breath.
I hadn’t been standing there long when I heard boots grinding against the gravel, and they were coming right towards me. That’s when it hit me. I was out there alone. Dylan, or anyone for that matter, could take me, and no one would be there to stop them.
I was about to dart back inside and lock the door when I saw those broad shoulders and that familiar, confident stride.
Ghost.
His road name suited him—not only because of his long, whitish-blond hair and piercing blue eyes, but the fact that he had a way of sneaking up on you. My breath hitched, but for the first time in weeks, it wasn’t from fear. His soul-searching blue eyes met mine, and he held my gaze as he approached. Concern marked his handsome face as he said, “You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep.” I gave him a slight shrug. “I thought some fresh air might help.”
“I get it.”
He came and stood beside me, and for a moment, we just stood there, looking up at the stars. After a while, he asked, “You okay?’
There was an unexpected gentleness in his tone that made my chest tighten. “I will be.”
Ghost nodded, his eyes holding mine for a beat longer than I expected before looking back up at the sky.
Neither of us moved.
We just stood there, and beneath the silence, there was an underlying tension between us. It wasn’t the bad kind, not like it was with Dylan. I wasn’t on edge waiting for the next blow. This was very, very different. This was intriguing—almost enticing.
Our hands dangled at our sides, just close enough that the backs of my fingers brushed against his. It was barely a touch and completely accidental, but it had my mind racing. We were so close, and I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if I just reached out and took hold of his hand.
Would it feel gentle against mine? Would holding his strong, protective hand make me feel safe? The thought tugged at the corners of my mind and left me wondering if he’d noticed how close we were and if he felt the same pull I did. It was doubtful. Ghost was handsome, steady, and strong.
And I was damaged and broken.
It was crazy to believe that someone like him would want to reach for a woman like me.
Not now.
Not ever.
And so we stood, watching the sky, both lost in our own thoughts.