Chapter 18
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
Payden
I wake up with a start, bolting upright, not knowing where I am.
I glance around the darkened room, my vision not adjusting right away. Sitting up, I rub my eyes. Then I feel someone shift beside me. Not just anyone. Logan. He’s tucked up behind my back, spooning me.
I take a second, then I feel Logan’s hand on my thigh. “Go back to sleep.”
“Where are we?”
“The clubhouse.”
Oh, that’s right. Last night is a bit of a blur.
I slide back down, holding onto the edge of the comforter. I peek underneath. I’m wearing an oversized t-shirt which has to be Logan’s. I don’t even remember changing, but my head is still foggy, and my sleep was broken. I kept seeing dead people.
Then the covers move and Dozer sticks his head out. The cheeky little thing.
“Oh my god,” I say, scruffing him under the chin. “You got a good spot there, buddy?”
He rolls onto his back so I can give him a good belly rub.
“You good?” Logan asks.
I glance across at him, he has one eye open. “I forgot where I was.”
“I got some of your shit last night?—”
“You went without me?”
“I told you I was goin’ without you.”
“I must’ve passed out.”
“You were exhausted. Luna was here for a while,” he tells me.
Now I remember. Luna laid with me until I fell asleep.
“Did you hear any news?” I ask, unsure if I want to know anything at all.
Logan moves, shifting to lift his elbow, his head resting in his hand. “It’s not good, I’m afraid.”
It’s as I suspected. “Did anyone make it?”
“Yes. A woman named Nancy, then Molly who we know about, two guys called David and Ryan.”
“Oh my goodness, Ryan’s okay?”
“From what I heard, yeah.”
Nancy is from accounting, and David is an intern.
I swallow. “Logan, there were a dozen people in the office that day.”
“I know that. The news has been reportin’ it all night, which brings us up to speed,” he says. “You’re not gonna like this.”
I frown, trying to come to terms with the news that my entire office, aside from a handful of people, are dead. “Uh, oh.” I continue to stroke Dozer because he’s the only thing keeping me sane right now.
“Sawyer found some tracking devices, one of them was in your purse.”
My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. “What the fuck?”
“It gets worse,” he says, sitting full upright. He’s shirtless and I don’t give a shit that I admire his brawn. Maybe I need him as a distraction right now so I don’t have to listen to any more of what he’s got to say. Holy fuck. Get a grip!
“Don’t sugar coat it.”
“Okay, but it’s early, you sure you’re ready to hear it?”
“I think I’ve stomached enough scotch to last a lifetime. Hit me with it.”
He blows air out of his cheeks, picks up Dozer when he rolls over toward his side, then says, “We’re goin’ to Mississippi.”
I blink. “Why?”
“Because these assholes had trackers on you, Payden. They shot everyone in your building, and raided your apartment. They were after everyone on that case, and though Ryan caught a bullet, he didn’t die. But they were tryin’ hard.”
“Why Mississippi?”
“The Hellions. You’ll be safe there, until this blows over.”
Oh, hell no. “You’ve got to be kidding me?”
“Does it look like I’m stutterin’?”
“Why can’t we stay here?”
“Because it’s not safe.” He runs a hand over his stubble and I try not to concentrate on his mouth.
“I’m safe with you,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.
“Not in the city, not while these people are at large.” He takes a breath, then hits me with a zinger. “Your brother joined the Hellions some months back. Your parents are under our protection and we have to fake your death.”
I blink, taking in his words for half a beat. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“Not like I’m enjoyin’ havin’ to tell you this, but we’ve come up with a plan.”
I sit up again. “A plan?” I stammer. “And since when did Declan join the Hellions and not tell me?”
“Haze worked it out. He’s buddies with Willow’s brother Max.”
“That little shit. He didn’t think to tell me something like that?”
“Maybe he didn’t think you’d approve?”
I flick my eyes to his. “I’ve never stopped him doing anything, but we’re close. He didn’t tell me any of this. I called him last night?—”
“All the more reason to get your ass to Mississippi. We’ll have the protection of the MC, and they won’t follow you there if they think you’re dead.”
I take a second to digest that piece of information. “And my parents?”
“It’s a precaution, but you’re gonna have to tell them what we’re doin’. It’s riskier that way, because they’ll know the truth, but as long as they go about their daily business, as well as some fake grief thrown in, they’ll be fine.”
“Fake grief?” I shake my head. “You are all out of your minds. I swear to god.”
“No, Payd, we’re not. We’ve talked about it for half the night, and after Sawyer found those trackers, it was unanimous. They won’t stop until they find you, and that leads me to the next thing…”
“Oh, yippee, there’s more.”
“Sawyer got into your mainframe, but the firewalls and protection are really fuckin’ good. We know this Cristoph dude was tryin’ to break into the files, and there’s a reason for that. Clearly, there’s somethin’ in there they need, and they were willin’ to kill for.”
“So if Sawyer can get in with my log in, what’s the issue?”
“These files are above your pay grade,” he says. “So, he’s workin’ on gettin’ in. In the meantime, it’s time to start plannin’ a funeral.”
I glare at him. “There has to be another way. What if they saw me last night at the apartment?”
“If they did, they would’ve followed us then and we probably wouldn’t be havin’ this conversation now. Everyone thinks she died.”
“Is it too late to get it sugar coated?”
He smirks. “Look, it ain’t so bad, you get to hang out with me and Dozer.” He waves a paw at me and my eyes drop to his chest where Dozer is being cradled.
“Road trip?”
“Somethin’ like that.”
“Logan, this is completely nuts.”
“You got a better idea? Plus, if you’re dead, it’ll mean your family is safe, as well as the clubhouse. These people, whoever they are, planned this entire thing, and I’m not puttin’ you or anyone I care about in the firin’ line.”
“Aww.” I pout. “You care about me?”
He sighs. “Of course. Then there’s my brothers, Saw, Nova, and Erica who is about two seconds away from droppin’ a baby—your pregnant best friend.”
My face drops. Oh, my gosh. I’ve been completely selfish. There are other people here at risk, and all I can think about is all the reasons I don’t want to leave. But I have to.
This plan is ridiculous, and there is no guarantee that it’ll work. None at all.
Logan rolls over, then pulls his phone off the side table. He scrolls for a second, then holds the phone to me. “Ever seen this guy?”
I squint, looking down at the phone. “No. I don’t think so.”
“Nova said he’s the guy that she thought was followin’ her at the bar some time ago. He looked a lot like Bobby.”
“I-I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”
“Jett went back to the surveillance at the gym, right around the time you told me you lost your keys. He was there. Turns out, this fool has been followin’ you. We think he started with Nova to begin with, but you were the target.”
“Oh my god, wait.” I think back. “He’s a big guy, scruffy appearance, and he has a nose ring.”
“Yeah? You know him?”
“No, but at Manny’s pre-birthday shopping spree a while back, some guy almost bowled me over when I was heading into the shop.
It was so rude, I remember turning around and yelling at him.
I only remember because he was wearing this same outfit and I laughed thinking he looked like one of the dudes from The Village People. ”
He shoots me a look. “Seriously?”
“It’s the mustache. Anyway, the details are hazy, but I thought I was paranoid. I was always looking over my shoulder, checking my doors were locked?—”
“Well, you have good instincts. Like I say, the creep is probably in a ditch somewhere. We’ll deal with him if we have to.”
I swallow, needing to focus. “This is getting heavy.”
“I’ll go with you to Mississippi,” Logan says. Our eyes meet. The corner of his mouth turns up slightly. “It wasn’t a request.”
“You’re not even gonna give an inch?”
“Nope. But if you wanna feel like you’re runnin’ the show, go right ahead. Let’s hear your plan.”
I bite my lip. “I don’t have one,” I admit. “Still traumatized from… everything.”
Logan’s face softens as he strokes my cheek with his knuckle. He did the same thing last night, from what I can remember. I like his touch. It’s warm. Comforting. Safe.
I like how it makes me feel; like nothing can get me, even when all arrows are pointing at my demise.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been hard on you.”
I shake my head. “It’s okay. I need a reality check, clearly.”
“Only when it comes to your safety. We can’t put you in any unnecessary danger, Payd. There’s too much at stake. Meanwhile, we’ll look into this whole Becca thing while we’re there, and Sawyer is tryin’ to trace the last call.”
“I don’t even want to ask how he’s doing that.”
“Illegally.” Logan shrugs. “But he’s good at evading the law.”
“I know Willow is by the book, but surely she’d reach out to the Department of Justice? I need to know Beeca is okay.”
Only them, and the US Marshall’s office know the whereabouts of people in witness protection. Rightly so. It’s designed that way for a reason.
“Sit tight. She’s doin’ all she can, but right now, we gotta get up and move at first light.”
“Jesus, we sound like we’re on the run—” I frown. “Holy shit, we’re on the run!”
“Just breathe, Angel. I said I’d take care of you, and before you bust my balls, I know you’re a strong, independent woman who has been lookin’ after herself her whole life, but it’s okay to let someone else take the reins when things go off the grid.”
I let his words settle before I answer. “I wasn’t going to bust your balls. I think, after everything that happened, I need to get away for a while. I need to find Becca and make sure she’s okay.”
“It’ll also mean ditchin’ your cell phone.”
“I’m assuming you’ve already arranged a new number?”
His lips twitch. “You catch on quick.”
I roll my eyes. “I’ve been reading people for quite a while, Logan Dawson. I could tell you some things.”
“Well, Payden Benedict, since we’re usin’ formalities, I don’t doubt any of that, but it means keepin’ a low profile.”
“Only my brother will know where I am since apparently he’s a Hellion.”
“Yeah, it’ll give you time to do some family bondin’.”
“I have no clue why he would lie to me.”
“Like I said, maybe he didn’t think you’d approve.”
I narrow my eyes. “I’m not a snob, Logan. I have nothing against him joining a club, but from what we know of the Hellions, they’re not exactly the NOLA Rebels.”
He tries, and fails, to keep a straight face. “Their business practices may be somewhat questionable?—”
“Wait, are they one percenters?”
“No, they’re not, but they do shift guns and launder money from time to time.”
“Holy shit, and Declan is patched in.”
“From what I know, he’s been prospectin’ for a year and just patched in.”
I close my eyes, trying to imagine my sweet baby brother being a part of the Ridgehaven Hellions. I respect Cash, and this club, but Bane Adler does things differently.
He’s notorious for causing issues with another club, the Skeletons, and they basically have a legendary war going on over there. One I don’t want to get in the middle of.
But I think about Becca, and Molly. I have to be strong.
“When do we leave again?” I yawn.
“That’s my girl,” Logan chuckles, and for the first time in twenty-four hours, I smile.