Chapter 2
ENZO
After getting some coffee, I sit in the SUV and watch the woman who’s seated behind the counter in the small store.
I only have a thirty-minute drive still to go before I reach the house that the team from the island found for me. I was surprised when they contacted me during the flight to let me know they’re renting a property in Tower while the sale goes through. The weapons will arrive tomorrow.
Tower is close to Aurora, and from the photos they sent me, the house looks okay enough to stay in while I’m dealing with the MC.
Honestly, I could’ve kept driving, but on the spur of the moment, I pulled over at this gas station that’s practically in the middle of nowhere.
I take in the woman’s blonde hair, which is pulled up in a ponytail, soft bangs framing her forehead and cheeks.
Jenna.
I saw her name on the tag pinned to her shirt.
I keep staring at her, thinking her eyes are something I’ve never seen before. One blue and one green.
I know there’s a term for it, but for the life of me, I can’t remember what it’s called.
Instead of starting the engine and getting my tired ass to the rental so I can sleep, I pull my phone out of my pocket and Google what it’s called if you have different color eyes.
Heterochromia.
Such an ugly word for such a beautiful sight.
My gaze returns to Jenna, who’s sitting with her chin resting on her palms, her focus on something that’s hidden from my sight.
I take a sip of the coffee and grimace when it tastes like shit.
Setting the cup down in a holder between the front seats, I keep watching Jenna while thinking about our short but surprising interaction.
When I entered the store, she startled badly as she popped up between the shelves. Only one look from me had her blushing bright red and hightailing it to the counter.
She didn’t say a single word and did her best to avoid eye contact with me. But I captured her blue and green gaze, and what I saw made me feel something foreign.
There was so much pain and fear in her eyes, and she was trembling. In a matter of seconds, I was able to read her like an open book.
She’s shy and more antisocial than me. She’s suffered through something that broke her, but she’s also innocent.
I’d guess her to be in her early to mid twenties. From the worn state of her clothes, it’s obvious she’s poor. Her nails are bitten short, which tells me she’s constantly anxious about something.
Honestly, she reminds me of a younger version of myself, before I learned how to become the hunter instead of being the prey.
Suddenly, Jenna laughs, her face lighting up for a couple of seconds. A breathtaking smile eases the tension from her beautiful features, completely captivating me.
My lips part, and I suck in a shocked breath.
Holy fuck, I’ve never seen anything or anyone more beautiful in my life.
Then she quickly schools her face and nervously glances around the store and out the window. When her eyes land on my SUV, they widen with worry.
I know she can’t see me through the tinted windows, but not wanting to cause her any further anxiety, I start the engine. As I slowly drive out of the gas station, I sneak a last glance at the blonde beauty before focusing my attention on the road.
Just as I leave the small town of Aurora in my rearview mirror, lights brighten the highway up ahead as motorcycles come from the opposite direction.
My gaze zooms in on the group, and as we pass each other, I see the St. Louis Demons emblem on their cuts.
I’m tempted to pull over so I can empty my two guns on the eight men. It will send a clear message that I’m not here to back down, but as I continue to drive, my eyes flicking to the rearview mirror, I decide against it.
First, I need to find out exactly what I’m dealing with before I make any rash decisions.
My phone rings, pulling my attention away from the group of motorcycles. I glance at the screen, and seeing Dominik’s name, I frown.
Accepting the call, I ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why are you calling?” I mutter.
“I was in the control room when your order came through. Are you moving to the States?”
“No.”
When I don’t offer more information, Dominik sighs. “Why do you need so many weapons? Are you fighting a war we’re not aware of?”
The man is a hermit by nature, and even though he’s been dealing more with people since the alliance was formed, he still gets annoyed when a conversation drags out.
“I’m opening another factory here to produce counterfeit goods, then I don’t have to worry about border control. An MC gang is giving me trouble because this is their territory.”
“Do you need backup?” Dominik asks.
“Who needs backup?” I hear Santiago ask in the background.
Four years ago, the men became brothers-in-law when they married sisters, and since then, they’ve been inseparable.
“Enzo,” Dominik replies to him.
“Put him on speaker,” Santiago orders, then he asks, “Do you need help, Enzo? We can be there before lunch tomorrow.”
“I’m fine,” I mutter. “Just send me the weapons.”
“How many men do you have with you?” Dominik asks.
“None.”
“I swear, every single time we talk to you, I’m more convinced you’re insane,” Santiago chuckles. “How many men are in the MC club?”
It’s my turn to let out an annoyed sigh. “Not sure. I’ve been told there are over thirty members.”
“You’re facing a group of thirty by yourself?” Dominik snaps, anger raising his tone by a notch.
The usual carelessness is gone from Santiago’s voice when he says, “Wait for us to gather our men, then we’ll come through.”
“Don’t come yet.” I suck in a deep breath. “I’ll call if I need backup.”
“You’re fucking stubborn, you know that?” Santiago mumbles. “Fine. Call if you need us. We’ll get a team ready on standby.”
“Okay.” I pause for a moment before I add, “Thanks.”
“Take care of yourself,” Dominik says before he ends the call.
Like I’ve said before, the members of the alliance are the only people I trust, and damn, they’re always trying to draw me in closer.
I’ve never had a family, which is something the alliance is turning into, and I don’t know how to deal with it.
When I pull up to the house that looks more like a cabin, I glance around the surrounding area that’s bathed in darkness.
Climbing out of the SUV, I reach behind me and pull my gun from where it’s tucked into the waistband of my pants.
I take off the safety as I cautiously walk toward the front door.
Noticing a basket on the porch, I first make sure no one’s lurking in the shadows before I crouch down. I use the barrel of my gun to nudge the white cloth away, and seeing a pie with a welcome note and a set of keys to the house, I shake my head.
I seriously hope I don’t have any neighbors who are going to come over to introduce themselves.
I pick up the keys and unlock the front door. Walking through the already furnished house, I take in the paintings of wildlife, the old couches, and the floral bedding in the four bedrooms.
I need to get new shit because everything in the house gives me the creeps. It’s too homely for my taste.
Heading back outside, I retrieve my luggage, and after I lock the front door behind me, I walk to the main bedroom. I haul my bags onto the bed and open them, taking out a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt so I can clean up after all the traveling.
After I’m done showering, I grab my two guns and head to the living room. I switch off all the lights before dropping down on one of the couches and tuck one of my guns beneath the cushion while I rest the other one on my chest.
Listening to all the foreign sounds, my thoughts turn back to the woman I saw at the gas station. I bring up every single detail of Jenna’s beautiful face and eyes and recall the anxiousness that poured off her in waves.
Was it my imagination? Maybe if I see her a second time, she won’t be as pretty as I first thought.
I close my eyes, trying to still my mind, but after an hour, they snap open again, and I sit up with an unhappy grumbling sound coming from my chest because I can’t fall asleep. The time difference between Lisbon and Minnesota is going to take a while to get used to.
Right then, my stomach decides to join in, letting out a growl of its own.
I should get something to eat.
Climbing to my feet, I grab my weapons and head back to the bedroom, where I put on a pair of sneakers.
I take my binoculars out of my bag, and when I leave the house, I spare the basket with the pie a glance before I lock the front door behind me.
I’m not eating the pie, but I probably have to get rid of it at some point.
Letting out a sigh, I decide to throw it away when I return, and I continue to walk to the SUV. Climbing into the driver’s seat, I pull out my phone and check for nearby fast-food places.
There’s not much nearby, but when I check Aurora, I see a Burger King not too far from the gas station I stopped at earlier.
I start the engine, and during the drive back to Aurora, I try to deny the fact that I’m heading back to the gas station because I want to see Jenna again.
Why else did I bring my binoculars?
I shake my head at myself as I pull up to the drive-through lane of the fast-food place.
I order a burger, fries, and soda, and luckily, it doesn’t take long before I have my food, and I drive the short distance to the gas station.
I find a spot on the side of the road where the shadows offer me some cover, and lifting the binoculars, I look at the store.
The instant the lenses focus on Jenna, I’m once again struck with awe as I drink in the sight of her rare beauty.
It wasn’t my imagination.
For a few minutes, my food is forgotten on the passenger seat beside me as I shamelessly watch the way her hips move while she mops the floor.
Eventually, my stomach growls again, and I quickly remove the burger from the brown paper bag. While my teeth sink into the bun and patty, I once again observe Jenna through my binoculars, getting a real close look at every inch of her.
Her skin is way too pale, and her bone structure so petite she seems fragile.
Her neck is slender, and her breasts seem average in size. When I reach her waist, I notice the fabric of her jeans is bunched together and held up by a worn belt.
Her clothes are too big for her.
The sneakers on her feet should’ve been thrown in the trash already.
A beaten-up truck pulls up to the side of the gas station, drawing my attention away from the woman. I watch as a man, wearing blue overalls, climbs out and walks to the store.
He’s tall and slender, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he swallows.
When he enters the store, Jenna instantly tenses up and hurries back to her spot behind the counter. The man’s lips move, but she doesn’t reply and instead just nods, an uncomfortable and cautious expression tightening her features even more.
Even though she keeps her head lowered like she did with me, I catch her peeking from under her bangs, watching the man as he pulls a six-pack of beers from one of the fridges.
He makes his way to the counter, saying something else to her, and again she doesn’t reply but instead taps the screen showing how much he has to pay. When he pulls a few dollar bills from his pocket and holds them out to her, she pats the counter, indicating for him to put the money down.
Is she mute?
The man chuckles and again says something that has a red blush creeping up her neck.
My eyes narrow, not liking it one fucking bit that he’s making her blush.
Jenna remains tense as he leaves, and the instant he’s out of her line of sight, she covers her mouth with her palm, her chest rising and falling with quick breaths.
I check where the man has gone, and when I see him taking cover behind the wall, a mere inch shy of the window to the store, everything in me stills and my predatory nature rises to the surface.
As the fucker peeks into the store like a fucking creep and brings up his phone to take a photo of the woman, I clench my jaw so hard my molars grind against each other.
I continue to follow his movements as he walks to his truck, and when he climbs in, I drop the binoculars and start my SUV’s engine.
The man pulls out of the parking spot, and I keep my headlights off as I follow after him. Once we’re a safe distance away from the gas station, I pick up speed and overtake the truck before turning the steering wheel sharp and coming to a sudden stop in front of him.
The entire truck shudders as the bastard slams on the brakes, then he shoves his door open and gets out while shouting, “Are you fucking insane?”
“Yes,” I grumble as I climb out of the SUV.
Instead of ending him with a quick bullet, I close the distance between us.
The man’s eyes widen, and he brings up his hands. “Whoa now.”
As he turns around to dart back to his truck, I grab him from behind, wrapping my arm around his neck. The stench of his sweat wafts up my nose as I tighten my hold until I’m suffocating him.
“She’s mine,” I growl in his ear.
He slaps and grabs at my arm as his mouth opens, desperately trying to gasp for air.
It takes less than three minutes before his body goes limp.
I let his body drop to the road and dig his phone out of his pocket.
I have to press his thumb to the fingerprint ID scanner to unlock the device, then go into the album where I find many photos of women.
I delete all the ones of Jenna and make sure to empty the trash and wipe my prints off the device before slipping it back into his pocket.
I quickly walk to the truck and grab the six-pack of beers without touching anything else.
Opening one can after another, I pour the contents over the bastard’s face, neck, and torso, to contaminate any evidence I might have left on his person before I take the empty cans with me to the SUV.
I cautiously glance around the area to make sure there are no witnesses, then climbing in behind the steering wheel, I head back to the gas station.
Only when I park across the road in a dark area and I pick up the binoculars again, do I exhale a breath of relief and take a sip of the soda I bought earlier.
Now I can watch Jenna in peace.