Chapter Six #2
“What the fuck is that?” Cross asked.
Joker twisted his lips. “Flowers.”
They were beautiful. It was a spring mix with daisies, lilies, and two sunflowers. They’d been in the room for less than a minute, but the aroma was drowning out the scent of stale cigarettes.
“Yeah, I can fucking see that, dipshit. Who are they for?”
Joker gestured to her. “Cleo.”
She blinked incessantly, staring at the vase. She’d never gotten flowers before.
“Who are they from?”
Wraith’s voice was enough to break her out of her daze. She glanced over the bouquet and saw the small card poking out from the top. She grabbed it, sliding her finger and opening the envelope.
May this next year be your best year. Happy Birthday, friend.
Her eyes welled, and she read it again. And again. And one more time.
“Cleo.”
She spun around to face the table.
Wraith arched his brow and lifted his chin. “Who are they from?”
Cleo knew exactly who sent the flowers. There were only a few people who knew it was her birthday. But she wasn’t about to expose her only friend. Defiance had never been in her nature, neither had lying. But…
“It doesn’t say.”
Wraith’s eyes darkened. It probably came off suspicious. The tension in the room elevated as the silence continued. Cleo licked her lips, holding tight to the small square of paper.
“Cue and Oak are leaving soon. Go get what you need before you go.” Ace gestured to the second floor.
Cleo nodded, feeling her chest ease. She reached for the vase.
“Leave them on the table,” Ace said.
Joker walked passed her placing them on the small table near the kitchen.
She darted her gaze between the president and the flowers. “I can bring them to my room.”
Gent snorted. “But then we all can’t enjoy them.”
“But…”
“Leave them,” Wraith said, leaving no room for argument.
She started out of the room with her eyes on the flowers and a small smile playing on her lips. So beautiful.
“And the card.”
She knitted her brows. “What?”
“Leave the card,” Wraith said, gesturing to the table with the flowers.
Her stomach dropped as she clutched tighter to the paper in her hand. “Are you going to throw them out?”
Wraith settled back in his chair. “Why would I do that?”
It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no. Wraith, while extremely rough and brutish, was never cruel to her. She walked over and placed the card near the flowers, and then solemnly walked down the hall to the stairs.
Cleo had just reached her door when her phone pinged.
She recognized the phone number and smiled.
Cleo had purposely not added her to her contacts.
She didn’t want to risk anyone seeing it.
This was a friendship the club wouldn’t approve of.
She’d met Taryn during an unsavory experience between Killcreek and Ghosttown East. The only good thing that came from it was a newly spawned friendship.
Their relationship was restricted to messages, but it was one she valued.
It was the closest thing she’d ever had to a best friend.
Taryn: Happy Birthday, girl! Wishing you the day you deserve……AMAZING!!!! Hoping you are showered and “flowered” with gifts and love.
Cleo closed the door, rushed to her bed, and immediately answered.
Cleo: Thank you!!!!! They just came and the flowers are beautiful. It was so nice of you to remember my birthday.
Taryn: Pfftt…..I’ve been counting down the days ’til I could celebrate you! Just wish we could do it together. How do you feel about kidnappings?
Cleo chuckled, crossing her legs and tapping on the screen.
Cleo: I’m not opposed if you’re the kidnapper.
Taryn: Just give me the word. I’ll grab Gee, and we’ll head up north. Operation: It’s my birthday, Bitches.
If only.
Cleo: Someday. Thanks again for the flowers. I really appreciate our friendship.
Taryn: So do I, Cleo. Happy Birthday!
Cleo reread the messages a few times before deleting them. As much as she wanted to keep them, she couldn’t risk anyone finding out she was in contact with Taryn. It had to remain a secret.
****
Wraith waited until he heard her walk up the steps and down the hall.
The creaking in the floorboards didn’t let many get away with anything.
He stood, pushed his chair back a few feet, and stalked to the table.
He knew nothing about flowers. It seemed like a waste of money.
They were just going to die. He grabbed the card and flipped it over.
May this next year be your best year. Happy Birthday, friend.
His chest tightened. It was her birthday. And he had no idea.
“Who the hell is sending her flowers?” Ace asked.
Wraith had his suspicions, but he wasn’t going to voice them. He was focused on a more pressing matter.
He walked back to the table, taking a seat across from Ghost. The brother continued eating his breakfast, not bothering to acknowledge Wraith.
“How the fuck did you know it was her birthday?”
It was the first time since he sat down that Ghost looked up and shrugged.
“How the fuck did you not?” Ghost scoffed, shaking his head. “You keep track of her life like it’s your fucking job, but you don’t know her birthday, brother?”
The accusation was fair, and Wraith couldn’t deny the claim. Since Knox died, he’d taken over as her warden. There wasn’t much Cleo did or places she went that Wraith didn’t know about. As Ghost said, he had made it his job.
Wraith stood and stalked through the room, ignoring the stares from the members.
They’d been smart enough not to add any additional commentary.
Considering the anger racing through his veins, it wouldn’t have served them well.
The irony? He had no one to be mad at except himself.
Wraith went through the back room on his way to the door leading out to the yard.
Wraith circled the fire pit, grasping his hips. When the door creaked, he jerked his head, watching Cypher walk out. He stopped a few feet away and lifted his phone.
“They’re from Taryn.”
Wraith had his suspicions, and assumed they were from her. There were only a handful of people who had any contact with Cleo, and the Ghosttown East MC old lady was one.
Cypher glanced down at his phone. “I’m watching their messages in real time.
Cleo assumed Taryn sent them, and Taryn just confirmed it.
Also, joked about coming up and kidnapping her and taking her out to celebrate.
Good to see Taryn’s got a sense of humor about that shit.
” Cypher snickered. “As usual, they’re all innocent, Wraith. ”
Wraith grasped his jaw, dragging his hand down his beard.
Unbeknownst to Cleo, they tracked her phone.
Not only the location but everything. They had access to purchases, calls, emails, and messages.
There wasn’t anything she did with the phone that Cypher couldn’t see.
It had been that way since she’d been given the phone after Knox’s death.
Before then, there wasn’t a reason. Cleo had been Knox’s sole responsibility.
After he died, Wraith took over. It was at Ace and Cross’s insistence that the phone be monitored.
Cleo’s loyalty had always been to her brother, not necessarily the club.
The president and VP needed to ensure that if Cleo remained with them, she’d stay silent about the MC.
And she had. There’d never been anything that sent up red flags.
Until Taryn. After an incident with the East MC, she’d shared her phone number with one of the members’ old ladies.
They’d messaged innocently, and it was clear Cleo was desperate for any type of female interaction.
Cypher had brought it to Wraith directly.
He should’ve made it known to the others.
There were no secrets in the club. However, Ace would’ve shut it down immediately as he had when another member’s woman had given her phone number to Cleo in front of them.
They hadn’t even left Inez’s building when Ace took her phone, deleting Regina’s phone number.
A few days later, Cleo asked Taryn for it, and she’d started a message thread with Regina.
It would’ve been grounds for confiscating Cleo’s phone. So Wraith and Cypher kept silent. As long as she was being safe, they wouldn’t say anything to anyone. And for now, they’d keep it that way.
“Anything else?” Wraith lifted his chin, gesturing to the phone.
“A few calls to Reyna that go straight to voicemail.”
Ace had told him, he’d deal with Reyna. But hadn’t mentioned anything.
“You talk to her yet?”
“No, and she hasn’t shown up in the last two days.”
That was suspicious.
“That normal?”
Cypher shrugged. “They make their own schedules, Wraith. But I’m thinking that’s why Ace is keeping Cleo away from the motel for now until we talk to Reyna.”
Cypher turned, walking toward the door.
“Did you know?” Wraith asked.
Cypher looked back, cocking his brow.
“You know it was her birthday?”
Cypher smirked and shook his head. “Not tight with her like Ghost.”
Neither was Wraith, it seemed. How had he missed this?
Birthdays had never been anything special for him.
Hell, he couldn’t even remember the last time he celebrated his own.
It was just another day. But women were different.
The proof was on Cleo’s face when she opened the gift from Ghost and saw the flowers.
For her, it was special. He paced around the fire pit, fighting against the blood racing through his veins.
Ghost was right. For as much as he was engulfed with every aspect of her life, this was a simple fact he should’ve known.
“Wraith.”
He glanced over at Cypher. He thought the brother had left, but he was standing in the same spot.
“Obviously not last year, but it was around this time of year that Knox used to take Cleo down to Lawry. Ace gave him a hard time because he didn’t want to bring anyone with them for back up, remember?”
A small detail like that wouldn’t be consequential in his memory.
But now that Cypher mentioned it, he remembered.
Wraith too had been aggravated with Knox’s insistence he take Cleo out alone.
He hadn’t understood it, and it had made no sense.
It was Cross who’d pushed for Ace to allow it. Now it was all coming together.
“Knox took her to the city for her birthday?” Wraith asked.
“That would be my guess.”
It was highlighting yet another thing Cleo lost when her brother died.
Her special day.