Chapter 31
Chapter Thirty-One
Landon
There’s something freeing about letting down your defenses and allowing yourself to feel.
That’s something I’ve struggled with over the years.
I’ve always loved my sister, and I fell head over heels when my nephew was born, but family is different.
Even the bond I share with Rage is different than what I feel for Allora.
Obviously, I’m not in love with him, but we’re closer than anyone I share blood with other than Courtney and Micah.
But Allora gives me new purpose.
Which makes me that much more determined to find these guys who want to hurt her.
The reality is, we’ve made no progress. Not really. We know more than we knew a month ago but nothing that can help us find them or shut them down.
I know Daniil is frustrated but his frustration is professional.
Mine is personal.
Allora’s right that we can’t really start living our lives—together or individually—until this is resolved and I don’t like that any more than she does.
I’m getting paid and I have no doubt Silver has plenty of money, but eventually this will get costly.
Shadow Security’s rates are high. My personal services can be exorbitant, depending on the job.
Not that I care about money in this instance, because I’d protect Allora for free, but for how long? I have to work too.
It’s been six weeks since I rescued Allora and the last ten days or so have been nice. Peaceful. So much so I’m almost bored. Almost. The only people we see are from Shadow Security and occasionally her father. Beyond that, it’s just us.
If things were different, I’d be enjoying this time together. We’ve been able to talk, get to know each other on a deeper level than any other relationship I’ve had with a woman, and the sex is off the charts. But I know she’s getting bored and frustrated—I feel it too.
My phone rings on Friday morning.
“Hey.” It’s Luna. “I got the information you wanted.”
“Okay.”
“So, Peter Liam Cavanaugh is twenty-nine years old. Born in Luckenbach, Texas and—”
“That’s a real place?” I interrupt. “I thought it was made up for the song.”
She laughs. “Nope. It’s real, about fifty miles north of San Antonio.”
“Okay. Sorry I interrupted.”
“His father was a rodeo champion. Bull rider. Trampled to death when Pete was twelve. Lived with a grandmother who died under mysterious circumstances. From there, he was sent to live with an aunt in California. She died when he was fifteen and he went into the foster system. And apparently, he bounced from place to place. Like, he was moved every six months.”
“Was there a reason?”
She hesitates. “I found a statement from one of his foster parents, saying that while he’s usually smart, funny, and helpful, his temper is unpredictable and when he snaps, he’s violent.
Based on what I read, he could usually keep it in check for about six months and then he’d lose it and they would ask him to be moved. ”
“A biker with a temper. Imagine that.” I glance at the bathroom where Allora is in the shower and hope she stays in there for a while. I won’t lie to her but I don’t necessarily want her to know I’ve been looking into Pete and the rest of the club.
“Well, he also has a record. He got arrested for shoplifting at seventeen and one Theodore ‘Silver’ Sterling bailed him out and hired a lawyer to get his record expunged.”
“Protecting his daughter’s boyfriend, the kid who saved her from an attack at the clubhouse.”
“Really?”
“Long story. What else?”
“He did eighteen months for assault in a bar fight when he was twenty-one.”
“So, he’s still violent.”
“Well, he’s been arrested six times, but all the other times the charges were dropped. From what I gather, the club bribed his way out of trouble. On the surprising side, he got his Bachelor’s degree in accounting via an online school.”
“That’s why he’s the treasurer,” I muse.
“Yup. He has about twenty thousand dollars in various bank accounts, doesn’t own real estate, has never been married, and no social media presence.”
“That’s it?” I ask, somewhat disappointed.
“If you were expecting a smoking gun, I’m sorry, there’s nothing. He’s not clean, so to speak, but there’s nothing that ties him to sex traffickers.”
“Thanks, Luna.”
“Am I keeping this from Allora? I haven’t said anything yet but she’s become my friend and I don’t want to lie to my friends. If she asks me directly, I’ll tell her.”
“I plan to tell her, so no, I don’t expect you to lie.”
“Thanks, Grim.”
I disconnect just as Allora comes out of the bathroom. She’s in a short bathrobe, her hair up in a towel, padding across the floor gracefully.
“Why do you look all serious?” she asks, taking off the towel and starting to pull a comb through her wet hair.
I tell her what I found out from Luna. “Was he ever violent with you?” I ask carefully.
“Violent?” She shakes her head. “No. Overbearing, overprotective, and occasionally short-tempered, yes, but never violent. He never laid a hand on me in anger.”
“Did he talk about his life in foster care?”
“To a degree. I mean, he told me stories about how there were too many rules, how they wouldn’t let him work, stuff like that.
He never told me he was kicked out for being aggressive or having a temper.
I did know about the shoplifting.” She grimaces.
“It was for me. He stole a pair of designer jeans I’d been asking for.
My mom said a hundred dollars was too much for jeans and if I wanted them, I’d have to earn the money myself.
Pete thought he was being romantic. My dad bailed him out and reamed him a new one.
That was around the time I was getting tired of how overbearing he was and started planning my escape. ”
She pauses what she’s doing and looks at me. “Why the interest in Pete?”
“Something about him rubs me the wrong way. I can’t explain it.”
“He’s an arrogant ass. If you ask me, he borders on narcissistic.”
“Are you mad that I had Luna do a background check?”
“Why would I be mad? You’re just looking out for me. I’d be a little annoyed if you did one on me, but it’s not the same thing.”
I hesitate.
“What?” Her eyes narrow. “Did you?”
“Not me, but Daniil did. It was basically to find out if there’s anything in your past, or present, that might be tied to illegal activity. For example, if you were dealing drugs on the side—that might be a reason this trafficking ring targeted you.”
She seems more thoughtful than annoyed. “That makes sense. I hope you discovered that I’m pretty boring.”
“You don’t have a boring bone in your body,” I say, leaning over and kissing her.
Her phone rings and she makes a face. “Ugh, it’s my dad. Hey, Dad.” She puts it on speaker phone.
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
“I’m all right. Bored but hanging in there.”
“These fuckers are really hard to track down,” he says. “But I’m trying.”
“I know. You and Shadow Security are doing all you can.”
“So, uh, I wanted to ask you something.”
Uh oh.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Are you…” He hesitates, like he’s unsure what he wants to say. “Are you dating Grim?”
“Yes.” There’s no reason to lie.
“Seems like a good guy.”
“He is.”
“I just want you happy, baby girl.”
“I know, Dad.”
“So. My birthday is this week.”
“I know.”
“We’re having a party on Saturday. Cookout. It’ll be at the club but outside. We’re grilling, all the old ladies are cooking and baking. We’ll play some cornhole, have a few beers, nothing hardcore. It’s just family, no bunnies or anything.”
“Okay.” That’s all she says, like she’s waiting for an invitation.
“I’d like you there. And Grim too. If, uh, you’re going to be with him, I’d like to get to know him.”
“Dad.” She hesitates. “Don’t lie to me.”
“How am I lying?” he demands. “It’s my birthday. There’s a party. I want you there. Where did I lie?”
“The lie is that you want me to be there but you’re only inviting Landon so you and your brothers can give him the third degree. I swear to God, if you ask him what his intentions are, I will never speak to you again.”
“Oh, come on!” he protests. “I would do that even if I wasn’t a biker. I’m still your dad, and after all you’ve been through, I want to make sure he’s not just going after a convenient piece of ass. Once this crisis is over, maybe he’s planning to kick you to the curb.”
I arch my brows playfully but she gives me a stern look, indicating she doesn’t want me to speak up.
“I appreciate that. I do. But you have to trust me to know what I’m doing.
Besides, I know how these things go at the club—you’re going to drag him out into the woods or something and let the guys try and intimidate him.
The thing is, if there are six of them, sure you might be able to kick his ass—”
I snort. “Not hardly,” I murmur under my breath.
“—but there isn’t a guy in the club who can take him one-on-one. So intimidation only goes so far.”
“I’m not trying to intimidate him,” her father says quietly. “I just want him to look me in the eye and tell me he’s serious about you.”
“It’s fine,” I mouth. “We’ll go.”
She huffs out a breath. “All right. We’ll be there. But if you break this promise—”
“Honey, does everything have to be a threat?” he asks gently. “Can I just be your dad once in a while?”
She closes her eyes, breathing deeply, like his words are meaningful. Almost like she feels guilty.
“Yes,” she says softly. “You can. I’m sorry. I just know that Pete is going to make a nuisance of himself.”
“He won’t. For that, you have my word. He and I had a long talk after that day at Shadow Security. He’s not going to pull that bullshit ever again.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“See you Saturday. Three o’clock. You know the way.”
“Should I bring anything?”
He hesitates. “You remember how to make your mom’s corn casserole?”
At that she smiles. “Yes, I do.”
“That’s the best gift you could bring me.”
“Consider it done.”
She hangs up and looks at me. “You sure you love me? Because it’s not going to be fun.”
I laugh. “I’m sure and I’m also not afraid. Unless they’re going to shoot me, I can take care of myself.”
“I wouldn’t put anything past them.”
“It’ll be fine. Besides, if we’re going to be together, I should spend time with your dad. Right?”
“I suppose.”
“Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.”
I hope I sound more confident than I feel.