27. Why Do I Feel Like The Crazy One?
WHY DO I FEEL LIKE THE CRAZY ONE?
CROSS
I look at Lake and shake my head. I’ve gotten to know the guy pretty well since Olivia came to live here.
He was kind of an asshole at first. I suspected he listened to Ray’s lies about Olivia.
I was going to call him out on it, but he apologized to Olivia and by all accounts, seemed to be good to her.
Olivia was happy. If anyone deserved happiness in this world, it’s her.
My Ollie-girl is the gentlest, sweetest woman on the planet.
Without her holding my hand, I doubt I would have survived losing my daughter.
I owe her so much more than I could ever repay.
I didn’t like some man sniffing around her, but if she was happy, I wasn’t going to stand in the way.
Carson himself vouched for Lake and I thought that was good enough.
Obviously, I was wrong.
Lake is some kind of psycho. He also knows too damn much about our club.
I need to figure out what his endgame is here.
Yet, I know I need to tread carefully. There’s no way in hell I want him to disappear.
He’s a threat to Olivia and I’ll never let anyone hurt her again. That girl’s been through enough.
“Let me call Carson to go collect Olivia and keep her safe so we can talk,” I tell Lake.
I’m trying to appeal to his need to make sure Olivia is safe.
That seems the center of whatever sick fantasy he’s created here.
He nods once slowly, his fists clenched.
I take out my cell and punch in Carson’s phone number.
“Hey, Cross. What’s up?”
“I’m down below the foreman’s cabin. I was going to check on Olivia, and I ran into La—” I stop talking when I see the white-hot anger on Lake’s face.
So, I change tactics. “I ran into a man watching Olivia’s cabin.
I need to investigate what he knows and make sure she’s safe.
Can you or one of your brothers go to her house and bring her to yours?
Keep an eye on her until we can figure out what’s going on? ”
“How the fuck did a man get through my security detail? Damn it, this ranch is supposed to be locked tight. I’m going to make sure heads roll when this is done,” Carson snarls.
“There’s a good explanation for it all. I’ll talk to you soon. I need to get some things done here before I know what direction to start looking. The man in question says he’s been watching Livy for six months.”
“Son of a bitch. Get him to the paddock.”
“Planning on it,” I answer. I turn to look at Lake. He’s leaning against a tree, rubbing his temple. Something about that strikes me as wrong. While he’s distracted, I whisper my next words. “Carson, it’s Lake.”
“What?” he asks, wariness in his tone. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“I’m not sure but I think Lake’s had some kind of fucking break with reality. He keeps insisting he’s not Lake. Hell, I think the son-of-a-bitch is trying to pretend he’s Bear—the man Olivia has always loved.”
“Mother-fucking-hell,” Carson growls. “Coop and I will head to Olivia’s right now. We’ll get her settled and have Jeff and some of the others watching over her. Then, I’ll grab Colt. We’ll all meet you there.”
“I’m going to have to call the club for this, Carson. This guy knows shit he shouldn’t.”
“Get off the fucking phone,” Lake growls.
“Gotta go,” I respond and hang up quickly. I turn to face Lake and the anger I see on his features is palpable.
“What the fuck did you say to Carson? This is club shit. Olivia is my old lady. I’ll handle her safety. Once I kill Eyeball and take out his club completely, I’m dealing with that bitch Ayita.”
The more he talks, the more my stomach churns.
I feel like I’m in a damn episode of that old television show, The Twilight Zone.
It’s not a good feeling. Is it possible this motherfucker has been looking into our club—all to make us believe he’s some kind of reincarnated version of Bear?
Is he so crazy that the son of a bitch really thinks he can pull this off?
If the answer is yes to that, then he’s more dangerous than I imagined.
He looks miserable now. It doesn’t take a genius to tell he’s having some major headache issues.
I rub the back of my neck. Something in me hates to do this shit to Lake.
I know his medical history. I know he’s having pain now, but until I figure out what the fuck is going on here, I don’t really have a choice.
I reach behind me and push up my cut and shirt enough to get the gun I keep hidden in my belt at the back.
I keep the safety on, but grab the barrel.
I step up to Lake, and then wielding the gun like a hammer, I slam the butt of the gun into Lake’s head.
I admit I pull back on the blow. I want him incapacitated—not dead.
Hopefully, I judged my strength close enough.
I don’t need to make this dumbass even more unstable.
With any luck, it might knock some sense back into him.
Lake crumbles at my feet and fights to stay conscious. “Cross, why?” His voice is weak and whispery. “Are you betraying me, just like Ranger?” With that, he goes out.
I’m left staring at him in complete fucking disbelief.
Dread fills me at once. Lake’s words cut something inside of me open.
Enough people know about Eyeball and what happened with Olivia that with some recon, Lake could probably find out.
Hell, she may have told Lake herself. There’s no way he could know anything about Ranger, though.
Our club and the two clubs that helped us went to great lengths to keep that information private.
He also mentioned Ayita—something that most members of the club knew nothing about until recently.
I have a lot of fucking questions, and what I’m thinking is completely impossible.
It can’t be true. There’s no way this complete stranger who doesn’t resemble Bear at all can be Bear. Is there?
Shit. Maybe I’m the one who is insane here.