Chapter 17Evan
Chapter Seventeen
EVAN
T he kid they put on me looks like he isn’t even old enough to drive.
It’s downright insulting that they think I can’t defend myself if anything were to happen. Like this kid is going to be able to save me. The last thing I need right now is someone following me around. Not to mention I have a lot of shit I need to do.
“The inside is a bit of a construction zone at the moment, and I don’t have a bed in any of the guest rooms yet. Sorry.” I throw him a sheepish look over my shoulder as I unlock the backdoor for us.
“I’m good with the couch, babe. Better, too.” I arch my eyebrow at him because who in their right mind thinks a couch is better than a bed? “Just in case he comes back and tries to break into the house, I’ll be able to shoot his balls off before he even makes it past the entryway.”
He looks way too pleased at the thought of that. “Fucking biker dudes,” I mumble to myself.
“Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. The bathroom is down the hall, first door on the right. I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket,” I say before I head upstairs, the steps creaking the whole way. It’s one of the quirks of buying an old house that I haven’t had the time to tune up yet.
A nice long bath is calling my name tonight. The need to decompress and take a minute to breathe is so strong. I hate feeling like my life is spiraling out of control, and there’s no way to stop it. Ever since the day I agreed to help out the club, weird shit has happened. And not the good kind of weird. I’ve worked so hard for my stability. I’ll be damned if some random fuckhead thinks he can come in and take that away from me.
I come to a halt just before I reach my bedroom. Would it be weird if I took a bath with a man downstairs whom I just met tonight?
For some reason, sitting naked in a tub of water with someone in my house seems weirdly intimate. Especially in this house where you can hear someone breathing from the opposite end because it’s so old. You know what I mean? Like they’re just going to be sitting downstairs thinking about everything I’m doing. And if they hear the water splash? The thought alone makes me cringe.
I find the blankets and pillows I’m looking for tucked away in my closet. I completely gutted the linen closet by the bathroom in the hall and haven’t opened the door since. Just another thing on my to-do list.
“I keep the alarm set at night, so if you need to step out for whatever reason, the code is 666420.” I can’t help but snort as I set the bedding on the couch. Life isn’t worth living if you can’t laugh at yourself along the way.
Only two people know the code: Zeke and the guy who installed it, and even they didn’t get it until I told them. So I’m a little surprised when Levi starts laughing. “The devil’s lettuce, right? 666 for devil and 420 for weed. That’s a pretty good one.”
“Yeah.” I smirk. I don’t know whether to be happy someone finally got it without me explaining anything or if I should be slightly concerned that I have the same sense of humor as a kid who probably isn’t old enough to drink legally.
“Alright, well, I’m going to call it a night. Again, anything in the kitchen is free game. Help yourself to whatever. I’m sorry you're stuck babysitting me,” I say as I start to head back toward the stairs, snapping at Hades to follow.
“Don’t sweat it, babe. Prez just wants to make sure you’re safe. Although, I can’t say I’ve ever seen him like this with a woman. You two a thing?” he asks, looking like he’s trying to put everything together before he realizes what he just asked. “Ah, fuck. Please don’t tell Prez I asked you that. He would have my ass, and I’m finally doing something other than being their bitch. Not that I don’t enjoy being their bitch. I do. I know I need to earn—” he rambles.
“Levi,” I cut him off. “It’s fine. I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” I assure him. “It’s already forgotten. But to answer your question—no, we aren’t a thing. He’s only being like this because I’m the only option right now.” At those parting words, I finish the trek to my room, but not before I see the unsure look on Levi’s face. Like he didn’t believe a fucking word I just said.
Levi is already up and ready to go when I finally come down around 11am.
“Didn’t know if I was gonna have to go up and put a mirror under your nose.” Levi smirked, coffee cup in hand.
“Waking up before 10am should be illegal, and anyone that does is probably well on their way to being a serial killer if they aren’t already,” I grumble as I pour myself a cup of coffee over ice before grabbing the dairy-free creamer out of the fridge. I can’t stand hot beverages. The feeling of hot liquid going down my throat and into my stomach makes me want to crawl out of my skin.
“Are you stuck with me today, too?” I ask after finally feeling that first sip of caffeine entering my bloodstream.
“Until Prez says otherwise. I’ll probably get relieved when Scotch and Brock come over,” he replies, scratching Hades behind the ear where he likes it.
I’m just about to tell him that he doesn’t need to stay when I hear the faint sound of bikes coming up through the woods. No, that can’t be right. Levi also hears it because he jumps out of his seat to go look out the backdoor as I move to look out the kitchen window. It’s not long before I see Cain, Scotch, and Brock coming out of the far left trail.
Those assholes.
They cut the fucking gate.
“Where the fuck did they come from?” Levi asks while putting on his boots.
“The back edge of my property butts up to the end of the club’s property. I realized that the other day when I found out that we’re neighbors.” I sigh. I should have never let Cain in on that little detail. Clearly, he thinks he can just do whatever the fuck pleases him.
“Hellcat.” Cain smirks as I step outside to meet them, Levi following behind.
“Cain,” I answer as I cross my arms across my chest.
“This is Brock. He’s going to be the one installing the cameras.” I nod my head towards him. He doesn’t have a cut on either. He must be a prospect like Levi, just way older. I’d put my money on around my age. “Now, show us where the fuck you caught this guy.”
Motioning with my hand to follow, I walk over to the side door. “I didn’t see exactly where he was because by the time I got over here, Hades already had him moving. But I noticed a bunch of scratches around and on the deadbolt that weren’t there before. Like maybe he was trying to pick it?” All of the males nod their heads, and their faces harden, confirming my assumption.
“The ground was still kind of wet from all the rain we had, so I noticed footprints next to tire tracks from a bike, like he walked it up my drive. That’s the only thing I can think of because I never heard the bike. I mean, I heard you guys coming up the trail from way back.” I cut all three of them a glare. “Thanks for cutting the chain, by the way. But I would have heard a bike, you know?”
“My guess is whoever it was knew you were home and somehow knew where the barn was because it doesn’t seem like they needed any help finding their way back,” Cain said, hands on his toned muscular waist as he looked around, surveying everything.
“Prez is right, Ev. This seems more personal. I just can’t tell if it’s more personal toward you or the club. You okay?” Zeke asks while wrapping an arm around my shoulder. Before I can respond, a loud rumbling erupts from Cain, who looks like he’s about a second away from skinning Zeke alive.
Smirking with his hands in the air as he backs up to where he was originally standing, Zeke says, “Sorry, Prez. You know she’s the closest thing I have to a sister. I’ll keep it in check, though.”
Uh, what was that?
Deciding it’s better to just ignore that little exchange for now I answer Zeke, “Yeah, I’m alright. Just a little weirded out that someone has been scoping out my place. I don’t like feeling like I’m being watched.”
“We’re going to catch the fucker, hellcat. And he’s going to pay,” Cain vowed.
“Thanks. I appreciate it. I have some work to get done, so I’m going to leave you all to do whatever it is you’re about to do,” I say before I head inside the barn.
I keep things very clean around here. To avoid any sort of dog hair or really anything getting on the plants or bud, I had a shower installed in the barn. This allows me to clean off and change into my dirty whore leggings and tank. After securing my hair in a tight bun on my head, I make my way toward the glass door that leads to the plants.
“Want some help?” a voice I’m beginning to know all too well sounds from behind me. How did he follow me in here and I didn’t even notice? For being so large, the man sure moves quietly.
“I’m alright, thanks. I know you have things going on out there.” I wave my hand towards the door.
“It doesn’t take 4 guys to install cameras, babe.”
Sighing in defeat as I realize that I’m probably not going to be able to get rid of him like I wanted, I ask, “Do you have a change of clothes? You can’t come in here with what you’ve been wearing all over the place.”
“Always keep a change in my saddle bag, hellcat.” The bastard has the nerve to smirk. I’m sure he fucking does keep a change of clothes. Probably so he can get whatever skank’s cheap perfume off of him when he’s done. I can’t figure out why I’m getting so mad over some guy that isn’t even mine. And I hate it. I hate it so much. But seeing Candy in his lap, climbing all over him, is burned into my brain. I never thought I was a jealous person, but in that moment, I was. Hell, I obviously still am.
“It’s not for what you think, hellcat,” Cain says softly. I open my mouth to try to say that it doesn’t matter and he doesn’t owe me any explanation, but he beats me to the punch. “I never know what might happen or if I might be needed somewhere. Saves me some time to be prepared if something goes to shit.”
He offered me reassurance without even asking.
And I liked that.
I liked that a lot.
And I hate that I like it.
“You don’t owe me an explanation, Cain, but thank you,” I reply just as softly. Even though I hate all of the mixed signals I’ve been getting, I can’t seem to work up the courage to ruin the moment. “There’s a shower right over there if you want to rinse off before changing and coming in.”
I don’t wait for a reply before I enter the area with my plant babies, the glass door slamming shut behind me. It isn’t long before Cain follows.
We work in silence. And by silence, I mean the only sound is the sexy, soothing sound of David Draiman playing in the background. What can I say? The man can sing and has songs for any mood.
I thought I was going to need to show Cain what to do, but he came inside confident as always and went right to work, starting on the opposite end of me. I guess gun-running bikers probably know their way around plants.
As much as I hate asking for help, I can’t deny that it feels nice having someone here helping me. I’ve never had an issue with being alone, but the more I think about it, the more I think I might be a little lonely.
Before I know it, someone is banging on the glass, scaring the shit out of me. I let out a scream as I fall flat on my ass from where I was just crouched. I glare up at Cain, who is currently looking down at me, laughing, with his hand outstretched. “Relax, hellcat. It’s just Scotch letting me know they’re done.”
Grabbing it, allowing him to pull me up, I grumble, “Right. Just wasn’t expecting that is all.”
The funny feeling that I got when I first shook his hand is still there. If anything, it’s more intense. I close my eyes as I take a second to just feel it. A light shiver runs through my body as I open my eyes to find his intense gaze locked on mine. Part of me thinks that there is no way this is one-sided because he still hasn’t let go of my hand. The only problem is that there is this little devil on my shoulder telling me he’s way out of my league.
I’m the one to break the contact as I take a step back. I need to get a fucking grip.
“Let me go see what’s going on.”
I nod in response. Thankful for the minute alone.
I collect all of the supplies we pulled out and start putting them away, deciding to deal with them tomorrow. I think the events of the last few days call for a little R&R.
A long, hot shower is calling my name since I didn’t get the bath I wanted last night. I just hope I don’t have a prospect following me around anymore. There are only two types of people in this world that you can feel one hundred percent comfortable doing whatever the fuck you want in your house without feeling awkward. Your significant other who you have already crossed that line with, or one of the ‘I can lay around the house in the same clothes as the day before, hair unbrushed in a messy bun, face not washed, all while stuffing my face to anything I can get my hands on’ friend.
The prospect is so far away from either of those things that he might as well be on a completely different planet. Nice kid, though. I just prefer him not to hear the splash of water and think I’m getting off.
I head outside just as I hear the bikes start up. Zeke flicks me a wave, followed by one of those head nods guys do before taking off back down the trail with Brock and Levi in tow.
Cain must have seen the questioning look on my face because he chimes in with his stupid famous smirk that I swear is permanently stuck on his face, “You’re stuck with me today, little hellcat.”
Maybe today will be the day that I finally wipe it off.