Chapter Eight
Pike
She was quiet. No, that wasn’t right she wasn’t just quiet, she was silent.
For the entire ride Chloe said nothing until we arrived at the cabin and even then, it was just a softly whispered expression of awe.
She took in the wooden structure in front of us and the lake beyond the cabin before she turned slowly, eyeing the heavy gathering of trees that surrounded the property with careful eyes.
They darted around carefully, taking in every detail and tucking it away for later.
Then as if she knew she was being watched, Chloe let out a breath and turned to the car where Gemma still slept. “I’ll grab her and then get our things.”
I nodded. “Hope this place meets your standards.” It was an asshole thing to say, I knew it, but I couldn’t help myself.
Her eyes flashed wide and then she looked away, grabbing her daughter and carrying her inside the cabin.
Part of me wanted to go after her but I suppressed that urge and went to check out the property.
I hadn’t been up for a few years, not since the MC first took over the property from the Carter family.
Slate said he’d done some upgrades, so I kept that in mind while I searched for traps or other weaknesses in the property.
The road leading to the cabin was just long enough that no one would be able to sneak up on us unannounced, especially not with the camera system Slate had installed. I studied every inch of the property until I was confident I knew it inside and out.
I turned back to the cabin with a heavy sigh.
This was my home for the foreseeable future.
The log cabin looked like it was right out of one of those postcards, made from real logs that gave it a rustic air while the inside was as modern as possible.
The top floor held three bedrooms, one primary and two guest bedrooms with a connecting bathroom, while the main floor was simple with a living room and fireplace, a spacious eat-in kitchen, half bathroom, and a mudroom that led out to the deck.
It was cozy and picturesque and all that shit. It was a good safe house in a good location and as long as everyone did what I said, they would be fine.
I stepped inside the cabin expecting chaos of two females unpacking and settling into a new environment but what I found instead was peace.
It was quiet inside except for the faint sound of something bubbling in the kitchen.
I went there thinking I’d find Chloe, but the pot was set to simmer so I went in search of her, checking the doors and windows as I went.
They were all set to a sensor which would give me notice if they were opened and an alarm would sound if it was activated.
“Whatcha doin’, Mr. Pike?” Gemma’s voice sounded behind me, damn near making me jump out of my skin. I spun to face her and frowned.
“I’m checking out my surroundings. What are you doing, Miss Gemma?”
She held up a book with a colorful cover. “Reading a book. Have you seen Mandi?”
Who the fuck was Mandi? I frowned and looked around the living room, thinking maybe it was a pet or worse, an imaginary friend. “Who’s Mandi?”
“My doll. Miss Ash made it for me.”
Her doll. That my sister made for her. “I’ll go check the car,” I offered, which earned me a wide smile.
“Thank you so much.”
When I returned, she jumped to her feet and wrapped her arms around my legs before she took the doll. “Mandi, Mr. Pike saved you.” She took the doll and hugged her close. “Mandi says thank you too.”
“You both are welcome. Where’s your mom?”
She pointed to the top floor.
I turned, stopped, and then turned back to the little girl. “Don’t go outside without me or your mom, okay?”
The light in her green eyes dimmed but she gave a solemn nod. “Okay Mr. Pike, I won’t.”
“Good.” I nodded. “I need to talk to your mom.” I took the stairs two at a time, searching in the first room I came across, which held Gemma’s things.
The connecting bathroom was empty and so was the other guest bedroom but when I stepped out into the hall, I found the closet door open and a pair of long, shapely legs peeking out.
I turned to find her shoving bottles of water and energy bars into one closet. “What are you doing?”
She gasped and then let out a sharp scream loud enough to make my ears ring.
She quickly jumped to her feet and spun to face me before slamming her head against one of the shelves.
“Ouch.” She rubbed her head and glared hard at me.
“I’m preparing,” she groaned confidently despite the waver in her voice.
“Preparing for what exactly?” The last thing I needed was to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with a headcase.
“Gemma needs to know she has a safe space if someone gets inside.”
“No one will,” I insisted because it was easier than focusing on the fear in her eyes.
“Well if they do, she needs to have a place just for her.” Her eyes were wide and hesitant. “If she has a plan ahead of time, she won’t be as scared.”
I looked inside the closet and frowned. “This won’t work.”
“Well it’s all we’ve got,” she shot back, annoyed.
“This is too small,” I grunted, grabbing her wrist and dragging her along behind me to the primary suite.
“This closet is much bigger,” I said when we stopped in front of the closed double doors.
“It’ll take longer for anyone to find it if they make it inside, which they won’t.
Gemma won’t be able to hear anything in here either.
” If anyone had told me this was how I’d be spending my day, I would’ve told them to stop smoking crack.
Chloe was breathing heavy, and her skin had gone pale, but she nodded. “Thank you, Will, um Pike. Thanks.”
I gave one short nod. “I’ll stay with Gemma while you get this settled.
” And then I walked off because it was easier to deal with Gemma than it was her mother, T-Bone’s warning about her years of trauma rang in my ears constantly.
I knew Ashley’s death wasn’t her fault, not explicitly, but anger wasn’t rational and mine had decided that Chloe made the perfect target.
Just like every other man in her life, my conscience added unnecessarily.
Barely one day in and I was already softening. No fucking way.
I did something nice for the girl, not her mother.
That was it.
That’s how it would continue to be.
We all had our trauma, had bad shit that happened to us, but we didn’t all let it define us. That’s what I told myself, but I couldn’t get that look of fear that penetrated her green gaze out of my own fucking head. I didn’t want to know the details.
“What’s wrong, Mr. Pike?” Gemma hopped to her feet.
What was with this kid? It was like she had this sixth sense about my emotions. I stopped at the bottom of the steps and bent down to look in her eyes. “What makes you think something is wrong?”
Her eyes widened with fear, but it quickly vanished. “You got the crinkle line right there,” she said, rubbing her little finger between my brows. “So what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I sighed. “I was just checking on your mom.” I didn’t want to worry the little girl, but her mother was wound really fucking tight.
“Mommy is worried, that’s all,” she spoke in such a serious expression I had to blink to make sure it was a six-year-old. “She wants to keep us both safe. No matter what.” Those were, no doubt, words she’d heard hundreds of times during their time in Ashley’s house.
“Yeah, she does.”
“Auntie Faith said you’ll keep us safe.”
“Did she?”
Gemma nodded.
“And what do you think?”
She tilted her head and studied me carefully. “I think you will. You’re a lot nicer than Daddy and his friends.”
Well, shit. “I’m not that nice.”
Her smile grew. “You’re nice,” she insisted. “But you’re safe with me.”
She nodded. “I’ll tell Mommy.”
I was starting to see exactly why Ash wanted to protect this little girl.