Chapter 13
He leaned against the arm of the chair, watching Annie fuss with the blanket around her sister. Leigh looked pale, making her bruises more noticeable, but she was steadier than yesterday, though Hunter could see the stiffness in her movements.
Having been in his share of fights, he understood the pain that came from simply breathing. Each day would get easier. Maybe not mentally, but physically for her.
"When do you plan on going home?" he asked.
Annie looked at him. "When my sister—"
She whipped her gaze off him to her sister. He leaned to the side but couldn't make out what Leigh was saying. They appeared to disagree.
"What?" he said.
Annie turned back toward him. "Sorry. She says she's fine, and it's obvious that she's not okay."
Because of the severity of the injuries and the trauma they'd survived, the sooner they got away from Vancouver, the better.
While neither of them confessed the whole story to him, he knew what they were dealing with. They wouldn't stand a chance against the state patrol.
"I'm busy tonight." He glanced at Leigh and then back to Annie.
"Tomorrow, I can take you to the train station.
I'll have one of my brothers stay outside the house to make sure nobody comes here.
Once I have you on the train, I'll come back and stay with your sister.
When it's time for you to come back, we'll do the same routine to make sure you're both protected. "
Annie's eyes widened. "You'd...that?"
He didn't catch the whole question but nodded anyway.
She turned to Leigh. Her sister's lips pressed into a thin line. Relief didn't show in her face—only worry.
He stood from the chair so that he could see Leigh's face and read her lips.
Annie's sister shook her head, eyes glistening. "You don't know..."
Hunter walked across the room, letting them talk it out. He knew better than to step between sisters when fear was already pulling them in opposite directions. They only had each other. They'd need that bond if they were going to get Leigh away from her husband.
His phone buzzed against his thigh.
He pulled it out, thumb swiping across the screen.
Kodiak's text message lit up.
Jason came to the clubhouse in uniform. Asked if Trent Walters was here. Cruz told him he didn't know anyone by that name. He left this time, but I'm sure he'll be back. Just wanted to give you a heads up.
Hunter's jaw tightened at the use of his real name. So, Jason was sniffing around and found out who'd taken the girls. He looked out the window. Once he left the house, they'd lose their protection. They needed someone around twenty-four/seven.
He shot a text back to Kodiak, asking him to come to the house.
The text from Kodiak burned in Hunter's palm long after the screen went dark.
Jason. Uniform. Gate. Questions. He slipped the phone into his pocket and lifted his eyes to the room.
Annie kneeled near the coffee table, straightening the blanket around Leigh.
Leigh sat on the sofa, leaning forward, appearing pale and small.
Annie lifted her hand to get his attention. "Is everything okay?"
He shook his head. "Your brother-in-law went to the clubhouse and asked about me by name."
Leigh tensed. Annie's eyes widened, shock flickering in her gaze.
"I know he's a cop," Hunter said.
He wanted no drama. Annie had her reasons for keeping that information secret. But he was too far in not to let her know the risk they were all facing.
"Because he's a cop, he can put eyes everywhere. The train station, airport, rentals, and even buses. He can tag faces, names, and locations. If we move the wrong way, he'll be there."
Annie stood, her mouth moving too quickly for him to decipher any words.
Hunter touched her cheek gently. "Slow down. I couldn't read you."
She took his hand in both of hers, brought it down to her chest, held it there like something precious, and repeated herself. "What are we going to do?"
He looked from her to Leigh, who refused to meet his gaze. He knew that kind of fright—born from fear, sharpened by shame. She was in fight or flight mode and feeling no pain because the need to find somewhere to hide overrode everything else.
"For now," he said. "We stay here while I think about our next step."
Annie's chin tipped up a fraction, defiant against the trouble that she couldn't control.
Hunter's mind raced concurrently. He had obligations to the club, with Royalla taking priority.
However, he'd stepped in and taken responsibility for the women.
Royalla's shipment couldn't be altered, as timelines needed to stay aligned.
The crews were already in motion, and the girls had no one to turn to.
He needed to talk to Kodiak, face-to-face.
He couldn't hear to use the phone, and the fucking texts took too long to type out.
"No one goes anywhere." He squeezed Annie's hand. "Not until I talk to Kodiak."
Annie's fingers clutch his hand tighter. Leigh sank back onto the edge of the couch, hugging her middle and keeping her eyes on the floor.
Eventually, Annie joined her sister on the couch. He moved to the window, keeping watch.
The girls stood and joined him an hour later. Annie tapped his arm and pointed to her ear. He nodded, pressing his hand to his chest. He could feel the Harley's rumble through his body and stepped outside, pulling the door behind him until the latch caught. Gravel spat under Kodiak's tires.
He met his president when the bike shut off. Gazing down the road, he made sure there was nobody else in sight.
Kodiak waved his hand in front of Hunter's face. "No one followed."
"He's out there." He shook his head. "He knows I took his wife and sister-in-law. Broke into his house."
Kodiak tugged off his shades, studying Hunter's face.
"The fucker needs to get a search warrant before he can step on Royalla land.
I have the members cleaning and hiding everything, but we still have a shipment going out tonight.
If I have to choose between my club or those two women, I'll pick my.
..." Kodiak lit a cigarette and blew smoke as he finished talking.
Hunter didn't need to read his lips to know Royalla came first.
Hunter glanced back at the house. "I thought they'd be safe here, but if I'm gone, there are two windows in the living room facing the road, plus a door.
If Jason wants a clean shot from a distance without even approaching the house, there are several weak points.
It wouldn't take much, a hunting rifle would kill anyone inside, and there would be no witnesses. "
Kodiak slapped him on the shoulder, grabbing his attention. "You think he's getting close to finding them?"
"I think a man who shows up at a clubhouse in uniform is telling you he's not worried about playing fair.
" He paused. "If the threat of going through three hundred Royalla members didn't stop him from approaching the gate, nothing is going to stop him.
" He rubbed his jaw, having spoken more than he had in the last several years.
"The women were beaten. He's still after them.
I'm not going to let them go. They need protection.
I'll work around the shipment, but I need to find somewhere for them to stay in the meantime. "
"They mean anything to you?" Kodiak said.
There was something about Annie that kept him here, refusing to leave her alone, but thinking she'd imagine having anything more than sex with a man like him, who couldn't hear, was delusional. Still, he was going to take all the time he could get with her.
"Yeah, they do." He met Kodiak's gaze.
"Move them to the clubhouse before I change my mind." Prez pulled out his phone. "I'll have Cruz bring the truck." He looked up from his cell. "I need you to work tonight."
He stuck his hand out, motioning for Kodiak to keep facing him. "But what about a raid?"
"We've had raids before and survived. If something happens, get the women down the hole in the garage."
There was no way to hide anyone in the clubhouse.
But the attached garage, where they ran their business, had a false concrete floor underneath the service pit.
It's where they hid their paperwork, extra weapons, and any hot items they were storing in case a shipment was going out or a raid happened.
Hunter nodded once. "I'll tell them."
Kodiak's gaze sharpened. "They step onto Royalla property, they listen to you."
Hunter folded his arms, feeling the knot tighten beneath his sternum. "Understand."
"Cruz will clean up here, so they don't leave a trail. If Jason has eyes, we don't feed them." Kodiak slid the shades back on.
Hunter looked toward the house again, imagining Jason's silhouette where the trees broke, waiting for him to slip up.
When he walked in, Annie was already standing, reading his face like a language she'd quickly picked up. Leigh's eyes followed him, ready for bad news.
"We're moving you to the clubhouse again." He inhaled. "There are more people, more protection. Out here's too open."
Annie glanced at her sister, then put her hand on his arm. "We trust you."
Her belief in him landed with weight. He felt it and accepted responsibility for them. He wasn't going to let her down.
"Pack." Hunter placed his hand over her hand. "Cruz will be here in a few minutes to take you back in the truck."
"Hm?" She leaned closer. "I couldn't hear you."
His heart pounded. It was hard to tell how loud or soft he was talking, so he tried to keep his voice lower.
He repeated himself and walked back out to check in with Kodiak, making sure everything was going smoothly.
The plan was simple, and simple is what keeps people alive. Move fast, move clean, get inside the clubhouse, then breathe.
Annie gathered all the clothes Roma had collected for them, shoving everything into a black garbage bag. He carried it out to the truck once Cruz pulled into the driveway.
Inside, the women gathered, both uneasy about walking out in the open. But they had to go now. They needed better security, and the only place he could guarantee their safety was at the clubhouse.
Even staying here, guarding the house, wouldn't work. While his eyes were working fine, he needed his hearing to protect them. Anyone could walk or drive a car up to the house without him hearing.
At the clubhouse, the others could be his ears.
He'd made his choice to Kodiak. From here on out, the women belonged to him.