Chapter 5
Sadie
“All right, wild man, time for bed.” Sadie finished with the book she’d been reading Oliver, and placed it on the nightstand. There was no need to put it away because it was his favorite and he’d want her to read it again tomorrow night.
“Aww. Can’t I have one more story?” her nephew pleaded. He always tried to put off going to sleep. Even now, he was yawning wide enough for her to see his tonsils.
“Not tonight.” She pulled his covers up to his chest, leaned down and kissed his forehead, then ruffled his hair before pulling away. “You have school in the morning, and you need your sleep.”
“Okay. Night, Sadie.” He rubbed his eyes and rolled to his side, his favorite teddy bear tucked tight to his chest.
“Goodnight, buddy. Love you.” She kissed his cheek and reached for the bedside lamp.
“Love you, too.”
She turned off the light and left his room, leaving the door open in case he called out for her in the night.
Even though she was tired, she doubted sleep would come easily to her.
The closer it got to Christmas, the more dreams she had of her brother.
Some good, some bad. A wave of sadness rolled through her whenever she thought about the little things Ryan was going to miss out on.
All the firsts he wouldn’t be here to see.
Learning to ride a bike. Driving a car. His first date. His first kiss. His first heartbreak.
She used the bathroom, shut off the light, and easily made it to her bedroom in the dark.
She pulled her covers back and climbed into bed.
She turned to her side and clutched a pillow to her chest. As predicted, her brain wouldn’t shut off.
If she didn't stop thinking about her brother, she’d be crying herself to sleep.
She forced herself to think of other things, such as Jed and the mind-blowing orgasms he’d given her last night.
She figured he would be good in bed, given the amount of experience he had, but nothing prepared her for just how good he was.
He had every right to be as cocky as he appeared to be when it came to sex.
When they woke up this morning, they’d had sex one more time before she needed to pick up Oliver.
He’d followed her into the shower, dropping to his knees and putting his mouth between her legs as she rinsed the shampoo from her hair.
He’d thrown one leg over his shoulder and went at her like he was starving.
She’d barely been able to hold herself up.
She had one hand buried in his hair and the other plastered to the wall, trying to keep her balance on one leg.
She didn’t know whose moans were louder, hers or his.
God, the sight of Jed’s sandy blonde head buried between her legs was so damn sexy, she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
The leg she was standing on started to shake, warning her that her orgasm was barreling down on her fast. Jed, sensing this, jumped to his feet, spun her around, and pushed into her from behind.
She barely had enough time to put her hands out in front of her to brace for his assault.
And that’s what it was, an assault on her pussy.
With his arms wrapped around her, he hammered into her like he was trying to write his name on her soul.
“I’m close,” she’d whispered.
Jed’s fingers moved to her clit. She was so wound up at this point that she immediately shattered. He growled low and deep into her neck as he pulled her tighter and found his own release. He kissed her cheek and her neck before asking, “You good?”
Her head dropped back on his shoulder, her eyes closed, and her smile widened. “Yes. I’m very good.”
She didn’t know when she’d drifted off or how long she’d been sleeping when she heard a noise that drew her from her dreams. What was that?
She strained to listen for the sound again.
Was that the doorknob jiggling? She bolted up in bed and reached for her phone.
She pulled up her alarm app and discovered the camera on the landing outside was no longer working.
Oh shit! She pulled her stun gun from her bedside table, and on swift, silent feet, she hurried to Oliver’s room. She pushed the door closed, careful not to make any noise, hoping not to draw the attention of whoever was trying to break in.
Moving swiftly to Oliver’s bed, she picked him up and hurried to the closet.
She pushed his shoes and some of his toys to the side with her foot, then climbed inside.
She settled him on her lap and reached for the closet door, holding her breath as she pulled it closed.
What if the intruder got into Oliver’s room and checked the closet?
She couldn’t afford for her nephew to get hurt, and she couldn’t deal with this on her own.
She lay him on the floor next to her and woke up her phone.
She scrolled until she found Jed’s number, then hit send and prayed he answered quickly.
It rang four times, then went to voicemail.
She tried again and got the same results.
She pulled up Race’s number and hit dial, crossing her fingers that he answered.
“Sadie?”
“Race,” she whispered. “Someone’s breaking into my apartment." The blaring sound of her alarm being triggered indicated someone had gotten the door open. The noise was almost immediately silenced. She was frightened of what that might mean. How had they disarmed the alarm?
“Are you and Oliver somewhere safe? In the bathroom with the door closed or in a closet?” Race asked. It sounded like he was on the move as he spoke to her, giving her instructions.
“We’re in a closet,” she whispered back.
“Okay. I want you to stay quiet, but keep your phone on so I can hear what you hear.” His voice sounded muffled, like he had his hand over the speaker as he spoke to someone with him. “Sadie, we’re on our way. Hang tight.”
“Okay. Please, hurry.”
She pulled clothes from the hangers above her and covered Oliver, hoping that if the intruder made it this far, they would overlook her nephew.
Just the thought of something happening to him brought tears to her eyes.
She would die for him, no question. She lost her brother; she would not lose her nephew, too.
Her breath caught in her chest as she listened to heavy footsteps moving around her apartment.
She gripped her stun gun tighter as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, telling herself to call down and focus.
“Sa-die,” someone sing-songed her name. “Come out. Come out, wherever you are.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise. She thought she recognized that voice. Was that Tinker?
“Sa-die.” He’d sounded closer. He was getting off on terrorizing her from the sounds of it.
What the hell was he doing here? What did he want?
Did he want payback for what went down at Bottoms Up?
Should she slip out and hope he didn’t come looking for Oliver?
What if Oliver woke up and came looking for her?
Would Tinker hurt him, too? Then a thought hit her.
Was he the one who’d been in her apartment before and left the mess on her bed?
“Sadie?” Oliver’s small voice jerked her attention to the side. He was trying to sit up. She quickly leaned over and whispered in his ear. “Stay down, buddy, and be very, very quiet. Someone’s in the apartment. Race is on his way.”
Her nephew’s small body started to shake where her hand rested on his chest.
“Sa-die?” Tinker moved past Oliver’s room, heading toward hers. Shit! After he found her room empty, he would have to check the bathroom and Oliver’s room. When he did, she was sure he’d find them. There was nowhere else they could be. Damn it. Where was Race?
She scrolled through her phone until she found the app for her car and crossed her fingers.
Please, God. Please, God. Let this work.
She entered the password and hit the alarm.
The sound of her car alarm going off was music to her ears.
She had no idea if it would make Tinker leave or if he’d continue looking for her.
She moved Oliver behind her and held her stun gun in front of her, ready to zap him if the door came open.
Where was Race?
* * *
Tinker
He hurried down the stairs and down the alley to the truck he borrowed from Lyle. With Sadie setting off the car alarm, the police would be there in no time, if the Sons didn’t beat them to her apartment.
He smiled to himself as he pulled out onto the main street. He could picture Sadie cowering in her apartment, scared out of her mind. He bet her fear level was through the roof after finding the present he left on her bed the first time he broke in.
It had been a simple matter of picking a lock, something he had always excelled at. He wished he could have seen the terror on her face when she found the panties he’d used to jack off with.
He’d known how the club would react once they realized someone had broken into her apartment; they’d be hellbent on making sure it never happened again.
He was proven right as he waited down the alley in the truck he borrowed from Lyle.
He’d watched as Jackson carried up a box full of stuff, then stepped out onto the landing to install a camera.
Once he was finished, he brought the boxes downstairs and threw them in the dumpster.
All Tinker had to do was wait for him to clear out, then slip in to retrieve the boxes.
He got the name of the security system along with the model number.
It was a matter of an internet search, and he had all the information he needed to circumvent the system.
He’d learned a lot of things while in prison, both from fellow inmates and from the classes they encouraged them to take.
And what morons they were for allowing a convicted criminal to take classes on security systems.