Chapter Twelve.
April
Tense and alert, I flinched as a tall man approached with a slight limp. “April?” he asked, and I nodded. “Honey, I’m Adam. I work for James Washington. James is over there in that car.”
“Where’s Stone?”
“Stone?”
“Harlequin?” I muttered, looking around. People were glancing over, and I was positive I looked a sight. Although my skin was clean, the guy called Seb had let me wash up, but my scrubs had blood on them.
“Hellfire is riding. Salisbury dropped you near our home rather than nearer Hellfire. You’re in Rapid City,” Adam explained.
“Damn, I didn’t realise they’d driven so far,” I whispered as I began shaking. A door opened in the waiting car, and a tall, dark-haired man exited. He glanced at Adam and me and frowned, clearly wondering why we were taking so long.
“Please come with us, April. We’ll protect you,” Adam urged.
“But I don’t know you.”
“Nope, and after what just happened, I can’t blame you for being wary. Would you like to ring Harlequin?
“Seb broke my cell, and I don’t have Stone’s number.”
“Would you recognise Chance Michaelson’s voice, Miss Graham, if you were to hear it?” the other man asked, approaching.
“Yes.”
“I’m James Washington. Please call me James. Allow me to contact Chance, and he can reassure you we’re safe to accompany.”
So, this was James Washington, whom Salisbury feared.
I could see why. An aura of danger hung around James.
This was a man used to wielding power and having his every word obeyed.
I’d be surprised if the suit he wore cost less than ten thousand dollars.
Long fingers jabbed at his phone, and then James turned to me and placed the phone on loudspeaker.
“Washington, tell me you have her?” Chance’s voice said, and my shoulders relaxed.
“April’s standing here, but she’s worried about our identity.”
“April, Washington’s safe. He’ll protect you like his own. Go with him, we’re riding and will be there soon,” Chance ordered.
“Okay,” I murmured, and James cut the call. He held out a hand, and I took it. He tucked it under his elbow and began marching me towards the SUV.
Adam fell into step beside him. James helped me inside, and both he and Adam climbed in on either side of me.
“Home,” James ordered the driver, and the car pulled away. “Were you harmed?” James asked me.
“No. Terrified and shaky, but they didn’t hurt me.” My hands were shaking violently, and James reached out and cupped them.
“Nobody blames you for being scared. That’s a healthy reaction to the situation you found yourself in.
However, let me assure you, April, no one will harm you with me present,” James said.
Silently, I nodded and stared out of the window until the car took a turning and drove through some gates.
Two guards tilted their heads as we passed, and I wondered where we were going.
A beautiful, massive house materialised on well-cultured grounds, and I frowned. “Where are we?”
“This is my home,” James said, and I gaped.
“We jokingly refer to it as Washington Manor,” Adam added as the car pulled to a stop outside a set of steps leading to a double-fronted entrance. The doors opened, and a woman appeared, looking slightly frazzled as we got out.
“James, the next time you sugar the kids up and then disappear, there will be a murder. Yours!” she called.
“Oh shit,” Adam muttered as a horde of children emerged, all talking at once. I counted eight in total.
“Daddy! Who’s that?” a little girl squealed.
“Alice, manners!” the woman snapped.
“Inside!” James bellowed, and the kids, all still smiling and chattering, rushed back away. None of them looked bothered by the shout. “Once I was the most feared man in Rapid City,” James lamented, and the woman laughed.
“Hi, I’m Kate, this reprobate’s wife. Come in, I bet you need a hot drink and a shower. Let’s get you fresh clothes. I’m sure we’ll have something that fits you,” she said warmly.
I glanced at the slim woman. Yeah, that wasn’t happening.
Twenty minutes later, I stared at the dress on the bed.
It would fit perfectly. I raised my eyebrows in surprise as I quickly dried off, pulled on my underwear, and dressed.
I ran a brush through my hair, not bothering to dry it, and stepped outside the guest bedroom I’d been shown to.
“Ah, wonderful, it fits. You look beautiful,” Kate said from where she sat on a chair in the hallway. “Come on, tea should be waiting.”
Kate led me down a maze of hallways and back into the grand entrance hall. We headed down the stairs, and Kate moved towards the rear of the house.
“This is my sanctuary, away from the chaos the family makes,” she said, entering a pretty room. It was decorated in pale gold and cream, with a cosy, lived-in feel.
“How many of those children were yours?” I asked as we sat down.
“Five. The others were Adam’s. Their fathers were having them for the day and had allowed them to be sugared up.
In response, the children turned into raging nightmares with their cousins.
Then James and Adam fled, and Jamie and Jason couldn’t manage the horde, so I ended up with eight hyperactive kids!
” Kate complained. Despite her words, there was a smile in her voice.
Kate was loved and loved back just as hard.
“Jamie and Jason?” I asked, rather lost.
“Jamie is James’s nephew. Jason is Frankie’s husband, and she’s Jamie’s twin and James’s niece. Jamie has five children, and Frankie has six.”
“Who is Adam to James?”
“Adam was James’s former bodyguard. Now they’re like brothers.”
“It must be chaos when you all get together,” I said for lack of anything else.
“Oh, they all live here. This place is huge. Each family has a wing, and James and I have the central building. Everyone is extremely close. If James could get his own way, he’d have Gunner, his younger brother, move in, but Gunner point-blank refuses.”
“Wow, how unusual. How do you all get on?”
“Incredibly well, luckily, despite Jamie taking a hit out on James!” Kate chuckled, and my eyes bugged out. Kate laughed harder. “It’s a long story. Let me tell you over tea. James is infamous, so his story is familiar to most people.”
I sat and listened as Kate told me of how she and James met, and how James had been the ruler of the Underworld. Listening to Kate, I decided her story needed to be put into a book because it was so fantastical.
I heard bikes approaching, and we looked up. “Ah, Hellfire is here, a little earlier than expected, but I imagine they broke some speed limits. Come, let’s move to the family lounge. I don’t want stomping boots in my sanctuary,” Kate said with a smile.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Kate asked.
“For the dress, tea, and calming me down.”
“You’re welcome. I’ve been in your place and remember how it feels.”
We headed out back into the huge entrance hall just as Stone burst through the front doors.
He spotted me instantly, and his long strides ate up the distance between us.
I sank into Stone’s arms, and he wrapped me up tightly and dropped his chin onto my forehead.
We stood there for several moments as I struggled not to cry.
Safe. The word kept running through my head.
Now that Stone was here, I was truly safe.
“Did Salisbury hurt you?” Stone whispered.
“No. He needed me to remove three bullets,” I responded, and I heard a noise of surprise close by. I peeked out from Stone’s embrace and saw James standing near.
“Salisbury had been shot?”
“Yes. Shoulder, ribs, and thigh,” I replied.
“Interesting. There’s been no rumours of an attempted takeover,” James muttered.
“No. Do you think someone’s making a move?” Chance asked.
“Could be. Adam will do some digging. Why don’t you all come and sit down?” James said, motioning towards a large room.
“Sorry, I need to get home. Clara must be worried sick,” I refused.
Stone stared at Chance, and I became annoyed. Chance didn’t dictate my life. As I opened my mouth to speak, Chance gazed at me before nodding slowly. I wondered if he’d read my mind.
“Go, I’ll update you later,” Chance replied.
Stone led me out and to his bike. Jinx followed behind.
“We’re okay,” Stone said to Jinx.
Jinx glanced at me and then Stone. “Nope. Brothers stick together. Someone’s got to watch your back while you ride home. That’s me.”
As I mounted the Harley, I glimpsed Chance watching, a strong look of approval on his face at Jinx’s words. A slight smile crossed his lips before Chance ducked back inside.
◆◆◆
Clara made a huge fuss, and she insisted that the cops be called at once.
They were already investigating because Tegan had reported it.
However, I’d not been hurt, and somehow, I knew Salisbury would have an alibi.
Stone assured me that Chance and James would handle it, and I’d let them. Clara was just relieved I was home.
Teagan arrived shortly after I got back, worry in every inch of her body. She wrapped her arms around me and clung tightly.
“Sorry, I tried to reach you, but they shoved you in that van!” she sobbed.
Teagan’s tears started my own, and I crumpled.
“Oh, hell,” Stone muttered as Clara shuffled over and joined in. The three of us stood there sobbing as Stone watched helplessly.
“I’ll fetch some nice hot tea,” Rose announced and scurried away.
Finally, Stone got us into Clara’s favourite room, and we all sat there mopping our eyes.
“What are the police doing?” Teagan questioned.
“I don’t know. But I can’t identify them anyway. The bastards all wore masks,” I lied, and Stone stiffened.
“Babe, didn’t see their faces?” he asked, and I saw the turmoil in him. Stone knew I was lying but also had guessed why.