Chapter 37 #2
“Cannon, Atlas,” I hiss as my gaze scans the area around it, but with it being a cloudy and moonless night, I can’t see very much outside of the perimeter of the motion detector lights.
Their heads whip toward me and then they follow my line of sight.
Cannon holds out a hand and I dig in my bag for some disposable nitrile gloves and a plastic baggie that the guys asked me to carry around after the first note was found.
As soon as Doc mentioned someone could dust drugs over a note that could affect anyone that touched them, Anthony was animate that everyone carries a kit with a handful of these in their saddle bags and for me, my purse.
I give them to him and Atlas moves to stand protectively in front of me and Miracle while scanning the tree line.
A moment later, Cannon curses as he takes a picture of the note before putting it in the baggie along with his gloves.
“W-What did it say?” I ask, hating that my voice trembles, but I’ve been a ball of nerves since hearing about Smoke getting shot and then later, Mae getting kidnapped.
“You’re riding in Miracle’s car until we can get your car checked out. I won’t take any chances. Fucking wish we had our own Bastion. He could at least sniff the car and see if it’s clear that way.”
My hand trembles as I take the note from Cannon and then I freeze. Next to me, Miracle inhales sharply.
You keep letting that filth touch you and you’re making me mad. You won’t like what happens when I get mad, Lark.
“We need to tell Reaper.”
Atlas’ voice brings me out of my panic and I immediately shake my head. “No, not yet.”
They both give me angry looks, and I point up at my house. “I’ll explain when we get to my house. I will tell him, but we need to wait.”
They both scowl but the four of us head up the path to my house.
As we walk, I find myself jumping at various sounds in the forest. Maybe I should consider putting more lights out here?
Five long minutes later, I unlock the front door and we all pile into the living room.
“Explain,” Cannon and Atlas growl almost in unison.
“The guys need to focus on rescuing Mae. We don’t know what those fuckers are doing to her. Once they have her and are back at the clubhouse, then I will tell Reaper. Right now, this guy is just threatening me. Mae’s the one in immediate danger, not me.”
The guys grumble but eventually agree with me.
“Come on, M.”
She follows me upstairs and I head to my closet straight away, pulling out two suitcases.
“What all do you need to pack?” Miracle asks me.
“I think at least enough clothes for a week – both casual and work. I’ve already got a bunch of bathroom stuff there, so I don’t need to worry about that.”
“Honey?”
I turn towards the doorway and realize Ma must have heard us. Shit. I was really dreading this talk. She knows about the notes and the voicemails, but I haven’t told her anything about tonight.
“Ma, I have to go and stay at the clubhouse for a while. Something happened at Forest Creek and the guys want me close as a precaution.”
Her worried gaze darts from me to Miracle and back to me. “What happened?”
“One of the guys got hurt protecting one of the ladies. That’s all I really know.
I need you and Granny to be careful when you go out and about.
I took the next three days off, so the guys aren’t spread so thin, but after that, I’ll need to come back and work.
Erica and Michael are off this weekend. Also, don’t move my car—the guys want to get it checked out. ”
Her worry increases. “Did you get another note?”
“Yeah, and once I get back to the clubhouse, we’re going to try and see if we can figure out who left it, but my guess is that it’s like the other times.
Their face will be covered, their ballcap will be pulled low, and they’ll be wearing big bulky, black clothes.
At some point, he or she will mess up and we’ll get a lead on them. ”
Her gaze meets mine and after a few beats, she nods. “Okay. Be safe, keep us posted on your friend. I’ll let you know if we spot anything unusual as well.”
She gives me a hug. When she leaves and heads back downstairs, I walk over to my dresser, grabbing a few more pajamas, sweats, and underclothes.
“I grabbed a full week’s worth of your work gear. I know you don’t need that much, but just in case this drags out, you’ll have extra.”
“Thanks, M.”
I walk into the closet and grab some jeans, t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, and hoodies.
My gaze snags on my heavier fall coat, and after a moment of hesitation, I grab it.
Walking over to my bookcases, I pick out a few more books to take over as well.
While I mostly read on my Kindle, I like to read a physical book every now and then.
In those instances, I always buy two—one stays on my shelf looking pretty with the spine still intact, and the other one I’ll read.
Folding my clothes, I put them in my suitcase. Grabbing the zipper, I start to close them.
“Damn, girl. Looks like you’ve almost moved in with Reaper.”
Looking over my shoulder, she gives me a grin as she steps away from my closet and plops down on my bed.
My cheeks heat when I realize that after this, the vast majority of my clothes left in my closet are my summer clothes, a few dresses, and some that I’ve been holding onto because I’m hoping I’ll be able to fit into them again someday.
“Has he asked you to move in?”
I shake my head. “No, but he did ask me to stay there while he’s gone.”
She sits up, picking at her nail as she sobers. “The guys all seem to have taken to you. When the others left, which includes Reaper, they all told Cannon and Atlas to take care of their Queen.”
I pause as I hear her voice waver a bit and I take a closer look at her.
Where did my confident and sassy best friend go?
It’s like she has a cloud hanging over her.
Her shoulders are slumped. Her fingernail polish is badly chipped whereas in the past, she always made sure to repaint them if the paint got even a slight chip in it.
There are bags under her eyes and her usually sparkling eyes are dull.
Even though she laughed and talked with Cannon and Atlas, which was a little weird to see them talking with a woman so much, she wasn’t her usual self.
“Yeah, I’ve gotten to know them all even more this past week. Though, it’s still weird hearing them call me that.”
“Why do they call you ‘Queen’?”
“It’s because Reaper and I are together.
He’s the President of this chapter so that’s why they call me ‘Queen’ sometimes.
In Forest Creek, Levi’s their Queen since she’s with Thor.
Well, she’s really with Thor and Dragon, but Thor’s the President not just of the Forest Creek chapter, but also of all the Steel Archangel’s MC chapters. ”
She cocks her head to the side as she looks up at me. “So, your Reaper’s Old Lady then?”
Blushing, I nod. “Yeah, he asked me and I said yes. Then the guys voted and approved it as well. Reaper said he ordered me a property cut but it will take a while to get it.”
I bite back a scowl at that. While the bunnies haven’t done anything as severe as what Brandy pulled last week, they still like to try and get under my skin. Another reason I can’t wait is so that the freaking hang arounds will stop trying to hit on Reaper at parties.
She opens her mouth to say something, but the sound of boots coming up the steps has me shaking my head slightly. “I’ll fill you in more when we’re at Reaper’s house.”
Hesitantly, she nods and lifts the suitcase off the bed and sets it on the ground.
“We can get those, Lark,” Cannon tells me gruffly. He glances quickly over at Miracle who fidgets slightly under his gaze.
Once again, my worries about Miracle rise, but I push them back down for now. When we’re alone I’ll see if I can figure out what’s bothering her.
Heading downstairs, I tell Ma we’re heading out and then lock up behind me before heading into the garage.
Besides my family, and now the club, Miracle and Khloe are the only ones that know the codes to get into our garage.
Earlier tonight after we found out about Smoke, Cannon had stepped away and brought their bikes up to the house and put them in the garage.
Whenever they visit, Miracle and Khloe always park in our garage, which is something I’m grateful for with this stalker business.
I don’t want him or her possibly messing with Miracle’s car either.
She saved up for a long time to get a manual gunmetal grey Mustang GT.
The guys whistle when they see it and I chew the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling as she blushes. Miracle pops her trunk and the guys put my suitcases in before shutting it.
Cannon’s face hardens as he turns around. “Atlas will lead. Miracle, you follow behind Atlas and I’ll bring up the rear. Do not get separated at the lights. We don’t know what this fucker will do. Lark, do a three-way call with Atlas and me so that we’re linked. You remember our hand signals?”
I nod. All the guys have been quizzing me on them since everything with my stalker started heating up.
Cannon gives a chin lift. “Let’s head out. I’ll close up behind us.”
Getting into the passenger seat, I buckle up and exhale heavily as I pray nothing happens on the way home.
That pulls me up short.
Home.
I smile as I start the three-way call with the guys. I’m not sure when I started thinking of Anthony’s house as home, but it feels right. Shaking that off for now, I focus on my phone.
“Can you guys hear me okay?”
“Yes,” they both reply back in unison.
I bite my lip at that. Not too long after Anthony asked me to stay last weekend, I noticed that Cannon and Atlas did almost everything together.
It could just be that they are good friends, but something tells me it’s more than that.
Anthony had warned me that they don’t talk to many women because of something that happened in their past with an ex.
While he didn’t tell me what all happened, I got the impression the guys were in a relationship with the same woman like how Levi is with both Thor and Dragon.
However, tonight, even though you could tell they were kind of uncomfortable, they both went out of their way to talk to Miracle, keep her company, and to keep her mind off whatever is bothering her.
Miracle pulls out of my garage and follows Atlas down the lane and towards town.