Chapter 15
ROSEMARY
One Week Later . . .
Sitting on the sidelines, I feel uneasy watching as Kevlar spars with Viper.
The two of them are both throwing jabs, not hitting each other, but getting close.
Why did I let Kevlar talk me into coming and sitting in here?
My stomach churns, twists, and tightens.
The sight of them sparring leaves me aching yet sick all at the same time.
It’s bad enough I’m dealing with nightmares.
Those alone are enough. They’re horrible, and if not for Kevlar holding me, easing the tremors from my body, I don’t know what I’d do.
He’s there for me, keeping me from losing my mind.
When the nightmares become too much, he distracts me.
Sometimes talking to me about his childhood. Other times, it’s with sex.
I love the times he talks to me about his past. Knowing he had two great parents who still love him makes me happy.
I now knew Kevlar’s favorite color, food, and drink.
He informed me he played football and baseball in school, but he wasn’t the typical jock, but rather the bad boy all the girls wanted.
This would explain his cockiness when I first met him.
He also told me about his brother, Zain, who still lives back in Virginia and is a cop.
Kevlar explained to me that he still has a good relationship with his brother, though they don’t always see eye to eye.
He would ask me questions about my childhood and what it was like growing up with my dad and Cobra, and I’d answer him, telling him what he wanted to know.
Eventually, I’d fall back to sleep in his arms. Sometimes, we’d end up staying awake, and he’d take me outside to watch the sunrise.
With each day and each sweet act he made toward me, it was like he was claiming a part of my heart.
I knew I was in love with him, though I refuse to admit it to him, ‘cause if I’m honest with myself, the very idea scares me to death.
I’ve seen that love can get someone hurt, even killed.
I don’t want it to be that he loses someone the way my dad lost my mom.
Not the bitch who birthed me, but the one who raised me.
This past week, Dad and I talked about it more.
He’s planning on coming back when the dust settles back home.
He’s helping Cobra and the club there with some shit that, as he said it is damn close to blowing in their faces.
One of the guys had been arrested. Another killed, and the club wants to seek acts of vengeance, though whatever they do, they’ll have to play it smart.
I finally ended up asking him a question I wanted to ask but didn’t know how.
Why they didn’t come for me before? I had a tracker they placed to keep track of me though I was gone.
It was a way to keep me safe even when they knew I was angry with them and refusing to talk to either of them.
My dad didn’t know the answer, but it was while I was talking to them that I remembered when I first got to wherever it was Dominic held me, I’d had a bandage on the back of my neck and the bottom of my foot.
I didn’t put it together until then, but they must have removed the tracker.
Both the real one and the decoy. Technically, they were both real, but one was only to come on if the other wasn’t found.
Someone had to have known I had both of them, but I don’t know who.
That’s what my dad intended to find out.
There’s only a handful of people who would’ve known.
“Rosemary, you wanna give it a try?” Viper asks, and it’s then I realize they’d stopped sparring and Kevlar was coming out of the ring.
“No, thanks.” There’s no way I was getting in a ring again. “Maybe another time,” I lie with a fake smile, and Viper knows it.
“Right, maybe next time,” he grunts and starts unwinding the tape around his hands. “I need to go see if Jade’s back from her appointment anyway. She wants to go house hunting again.”
I knew she wanted to go house hunting. She told me about it. She’s used to being in Viper’s place back in Virginia, which they kept. She said they’d keep it as a getaway considering when you were there, the scenery was to die for.
“I hope you guys find what you’re looking for.
” This time, I give him a real smile. I mean it, though.
I hoped they found it, considering I’ve seen the set of listings Jade wants to go see.
They’re all pretty awesome on paper. But I also know she’s looking for their forever home.
She’s adamant they have one, and I get it.
She’s freaking out about being pregnant, and her hormones have been all over the place.
She’s crying one minute, laughing another, even raging, which is something I’ve never seen her do.
She’s the sweetest woman, yet she’s going crazy with this pregnancy.
Honestly, I think it’s all the changes and stress she’s been dealing with.
“Same, Rosie, fuckin’ same. The woman is going to drive me insane.” Viper grunts, tossing the balled-up tape to one of the prospects. “She didn’t want me going to her appointment with her.”
At this bit of news, he surprises me, and I cock a brow. “She didn’t want you to go to an appointment with her? Why?” That doesn’t sound like my best friend.
“Don’t know.” Viper shrugs, pulls his phone out, stares at the screen, and shakes his head. “Now she’s saying we’re not going to look at houses, and she wants me to meet her at some address.”
Something about it doesn’t make sense. It really didn’t make sense.
Furrowing my brow, I pull my new phone out of the pocket of the hoodie I stole from Kevlar.
“What’s the address?” Viper relays it to me, and I look it up on my phone, finding it’s nothing more than a parcel of land.
“This isn’t any of the places she showed me you guys were looking at.
” I glance up from my phone to look between Viper and Kevlar. “Please tell me she didn’t go alone.”
“No fuckin’ way she’s going anywhere without someone watching out for her,” Viper grinds out and does something on his phone before putting the damn thing to his ear.
Kevlar grabs my arms, hauls me up and into his side, and pulls his phone out.
“No answer,” Viper snarls.
“Vulture,” Kevlar growls. “Check the location of the prospect’s and Jade’s phones.
” He pauses for a minute, tenses further, and fury radiates off him.
“Right, get the others together and meet us at the front of the clubhouse.” Hanging up, he looks at Viper.
“Vulture says the phones are in two different places.”
“Fuck.” Viper’s voice lowers threateningly, and he moves, heading for the exit of the gym they built at the back of the clubhouse. You have to go outside and walk toward the front to go back inside.
By the time we reach the front of it, a truck is squealing into the parking lot. It comes to a halt as I take in the people inside the cab. A small breath of relief whooshes past my lips. It’s Jade and Wrecker.
“Viper,” I utter and cling to Kevlar to keep myself upright. My legs feel weak and like I was going to fall if I didn’t hold on.
“Jade,” Viper roars and rushes the truck. Throwing the passenger door open, he yanks a crying Jade into his arms as he demands, “The fuck happened, prospect?”
“Jade was coming out of the doctor’s office when someone tried to nab her. She fought ’em off long enough for me to get to her. Sorry, Prez, I was trying to stay back enough so she wouldn’t know she had a tail. I fucked up.”
At least he admitted to it.
“They took my purse.” Jade’s voice hitches, and she leans into Viper. “They took everything I had in it. My phone. Wallet. And my surprise I was going to give to you,” she breathes, shaking her head.
“Surprise?” Viper quips, sounding disbelieving. “What are you talkin’ about? You went for your appointment.”
“I know I did.” Jade rolls her eyes and looks totally upset.
“It was an ultrasound appointment, and I wanted to do something special for it so I asked the doctor’s office if I could order something and send it to them so I could surprise you later with it.
” She stomps her foot and looks upset. “I wanted to do something special, and now it’s ruined.
And on top of that, I was almost kidnapped. ”
The way she says this makes me want to laugh. That or stare at her like she’s grown two heads.
“Darlin’, I think you getting nearly kidnapped is more important than whatever surprise you were trying to do,” Viper grumbles.
And in that moment, it might have been the wrong thing to say. I know this, considering the way Jade’s face turned a beet red.
“So, you’re saying me wanting to surprise you with the fact we’re pregnant with not just one but two babies isn’t important?” Jade snaps, shoves out of his arms, and stomps into the clubhouse. “Well, thanks a lot. See if I try to do anything else for you.”
“Oh shit,” I remark, staring wide-eyed at the doors. My best friend is pregnant with twins. No wonder she’s been all crazy lately.
“The hell just happened?” Kevlar mutters.
Viper looks pale and ready to keel over at any moment. “Twins,” he utters, totally in a daze.
“Viper, I suggest you snap out of it and go see to Jade,” I speak up. The words are barely out of my mouth before he’s doing just that.
“Come on, baby, let’s get inside. I’ve got to still figure out what the fuck happened,” Kevlar grunts, leading me in the same direction Jade and Viper went with Wrecker directly behind us.