10. Ten
Ten
Bane
The numbers and charts blur on my computer screen as my mind wanders to Avery. I shift my attention to Evie, who breathes one last cute sigh before falling asleep in my lap.
Yesterday was unparalleled. I’ve never been so caught up in something that I’m not eager to see Evie, but bonding with Avery made that a first.
It wasn’t so much that I wasn’t eager for our friends to bring Evie home as it was that I wasn’t ready for our lovemaking to end.
And while I’d gotten my hopes up to have Avery in my bed, she cautioned that we take things one step at a time. That seemed innocent enough until this morning when she reminded me that she wasn’t on the calendar for nanny duty today, then Beatrix popped over and picked Bella up again.
So much for the happy little family scenario that teased my heart .
If I wasn’t so off-kilter after yesterday, I’d swear something’s off. I’ve barely seen her all morning and when I did, her responses were clipped.
Her footsteps indicate she’s headed this way. I tighten my hold on Evie, considering if I can set her in the playpen, but Avery streams past.
“I’m headed out,” she says while flying past my doorway.
“Avery,” I say, trying not to wake Evie.
After a pause, Avery reappears.
Every bit of her is as gorgeous, which is why her nervous edge stands out. Is she regretting yesterday? The thought twists my gut. I shouldn’t have let things go so far without getting to know her better first.
I can’t let this fester. “Are we okay?”
“Yeah.” Her expression softens but her body language remains tense as she steps into my office. “I just have some errands to run.”
“Anything I could help with?”
“Nothing you’d be interested in.” With a quick peck, she’s on her way out.
My hand reaching for her is left wanting. I groan, rubbing my temple. This is a mess. I shouldn’t be questioning that a grown woman might have somewhere to go. No, that’s not it. She’s being evasive. That’s the problem.
Is it normal that Avery’s behavior sets off alarm bells in my head? Am I too needy or possessive? Out of the dating scene for too long?
My protective instincts kick into overdrive. I have to know what’s going on. When the front door closes, I’m on my feet before I can think twice. I grab my jacket and keys and the diaper bag, telling myself this isn’t stalking.
I’m just making sure she’s… what? Safe? Not cheating on me? Nothing seems rational.
I tuck my sleeping toddler into the car seat and keep my distance as I follow Avery. My stomach drops like a lead weight when she turns toward the outskirts of town, where our rival MC hangs out. Sure there are other roads and respectable businesses the direction she’s going, but I don’t want her anywhere near those scumbags.
And I’m regretting having Evie in their vicinity.
A cold sweat breaks out on my forehead as memories of my wife flood back, and I’m tortured by the promise I made to her.
Avery turns onto a dead-end road. Unless she’s lost, she’s headed to the biker bar. What the hell? My hands tighten on the steering wheel.
Evie wiggles in her sleep. I should floor it and get Evie far away from these heathens, but I turn into a strip center parking lot where I can watch Avery.
If she and her friends hadn’t come to our cigar shop, she wouldn’t be my nanny, or my lover. Maybe her friends wanted to try out a bar. But this one? It’s not the kind of place women should go, especially alone.
I need to get her out of this danger zone. Every instinct screams at me to protect her, but I force myself to hang back. She came straight here. It’s not an accident. Revealing that I’m stalking her is bound to break her trust.
My blood runs cold as when Avery finally gets out of her car and approaches the MC’s hangout. She’s not looking around to see if her girlfriends have arrived. She’s confident, heading straight in like she’s on a mission.
Everything clicks into place with sickening clarity. How could I have been so stupid? So blind?
Avery’s not just some innocent single mom in need of a job. She’s one of them. A spy. A wolf in sheep’s clothing, sent to infiltrate what’s left of my life and finish what they started when they murdered my wife.
Rage boils my blood. Haven’t they taken enough from me? Why wait a year? And word on the street was that my wife was collateral damage between our clubs. No personal beef with me.
It was nearly a year before I stopped regretting my promise to my wife not to retaliate.
But even with the evidence in front of me, I can’t accept that Avery is sent to hurt me. She’s too… perfect. Too perfect.
Fuck! I stifle the word before it leaves my mouth.
I stop my fist a millimeter before it slams against the steering wheel. Never wake a sleeping baby , as my wife always said.
Is there any way to save Avery without provoking them? And what if this is all a mistake and she’s in there on accident? The things those wretches would do to her—
She walks out. She’s fine. I can breathe again. Go home… to our house. Where I can protect you. And she’s going to have to explain why she came here today even if it means I reveal that I followed her.
I can’t have anyone connected to these shits in Evie’s life.
Watching carefully as she gets into her car, my mind races, replaying every interaction. Her gentle way with Evie, her understanding smiles, the way she seemed to effortlessly slip past my defenses. Was that anything more than a carefully crafted persona designed to break down my walls and make me completely vulnerable?
I fell for it. Hook, line, and sinker.
Why the fuck isn’t she driving away?
The front door to the bar swings open and one of the younger thugs in the MC exits.
Start your car, Avery. Get away from them.
He’s in no hurry crossing the parking lot. My fingers clutch the shifter. He’s definitely headed to her car. I drop it into first. He grabs the door handle. My foot moves to the gas pedal.
Avery’s expecting him.
My world shatters as recognition dawns on me. His sister is on Avery’s roller derby team. Two of my MC brothers hooked up with her. She swore that she has as little contact with her brother as possible, and they bought it.
I was buried in my work at the time, negotiating the international expansion of our cigar shops, so I stayed out of it, trusted them to be careful. What the fuck is going on?
I tell my heart to stop feeling so torn between protecting Evie and protecting Avery. There’s only one answer.
The realization hits me like a punch to the gut. The only way Avery could have been so perfect, so exactly what I needed, was if it was a ruse.
Flooring the gas pedal, I zip onto the main road, using one hand to pat Evie back to sleep.
How the hell could I have let this happen?