CHAPTER FIVE
Iggy waited as long as he could for Olive to show up for breakfast. When she didn’t, he just thought she’d gotten busy or slept in. When he didn’t see her for lunch, dinner, or breakfast the next day, he got that feeling again.
“Dude, just go see her in the shop,” said Rowe. “You can use the excuse that you’re looking for a bike.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said nodding. “She’s different Rowe. She’s sweet and beautiful and doesn’t even know it. But I’m getting the feeling that something is wrong and I don’t think it has anything to do with me.”
“You’ve got the best instincts I know of brother. Go see her.”
Iggy leaned back against the counter of the bike shop. Olive was helping a few customers out but she’d barely spoken to him when he walked in.
He thought they’d made a great connection at the wedding. They’d practically danced all night together, even kissing when it was all done. Since that time, she’d avoided his calls and attempts to be near her.
“Something is wrong with her,” said Gunner to the younger man. “She’s usually happy, smiling, always making this place a little less male. She’s like one of our own daughters.”
“You know her?” frowned Iggy.
“Since she was five. She lived with an aunt and uncle until she was eight but she went to our school on the property. She and Jennifer were good friends. Jennifer saw her in kindergarten opening an empty lunch box and split hers with her. After that, we knew something was wrong.
“She’d been living with an aunt and uncle who weren’t exactly kind to her. We got the courts to turn her over to us and she lived in the school behind the gates. She went to college, graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering and we thought she would move away.”
“But she didn’t?” frowned Iggy.
“Nope. Came here and asked for a job in the shop. She lives in one of the small garconnières.” Gunner turned the young man to face him. “Iggy, something is wrong and we can’t get her to talk to us. See what you can do.”
“Me?” he frowned. “She won’t even acknowledge me.” Gunner slapped him on the back.
“You’re a fucking Marine. Make her.”
Iggy chuckled, nodding his head. He knew what the man meant. When the customers left he approached her again.
“Olive? Can we talk?” he asked.
“I’m really busy,” she said nervously.
“No you’re not!” yelled Gunner from the back. Iggy smirked at her and held out a hand.
“We just talk.” She nodded, taking a seat behind the counter. Iggy stayed on the other side of the counter, keeping a safe barrier between them in case she was scared.
“Olive, I thought we made a great connection at the wedding. If you didn’t feel the same way, just tell me,” he said calmly. She looked up at him, surprised.
“No. No, I mean, yes we made a connection.”
“Then what’s wrong? Why ghost me?” he asked.
She shook her head and he saw the beginning of tears. Looking over her head toward the back shop, he gave ‘that’ look to the men and they all walked out.
“Olive, honey, we’ve all noticed that something is wrong. Please tell us,” said Skull.
“You’ll hate me. You’ll make me leave,” she said sobbing. Gunner put his arm around the girl, kissing the top of her head.
“No one will make you leave. What’s wrong?”
“Those two bikers that were in here last week. The ones without the patches. The older man says he’s my uncle and owns me. He says I have to marry a rival biker in order for their war or business or something to work out. I don’t even know him. I don’t know any of them.”
“How did he know where you were?” asked Skull.
“I-I don’t know. You guys know me. I don’t leave the property.
It had to be someone off property that told them.
But I can’t even be sure that man is my uncle.
He had no proof. I’m scared, Gunner. I’m terrified.
Do you know what they do to women in those clubs?
” She cried even harder and Gunner stared at Iggy.
Iggy slowly came around the counter, turning Olive into his own arms. He held her tightly, soothing her.
“Olive, you do understand what everyone here does, right?” he asked.
“I know!” she cried. “I know but these men are violent. I can tell. They keep sending me videos of what they do to women that don’t do as they’re told. It’s horrible.” She cried harder and Gunner was clenching his fists at his side.
“When did the last video come?” asked Skull.
“The day they came to the shop. I should have told you then but I was a coward. I hid. I didn’t think they would actually find me.”
“You weren’t a coward. That was smart of you. They only think you work here. They don’t know for sure,” said Iggy.
“They’re going to keep coming. More and more of them,” she said sobbing into his chest. “I don’t know him! I swear I don’t know him!”
“Honey, we get it,” said Gunner. The buzzer for the door at the back of the shop, the one leading onto property, went off and Rush, Moose, Gator, Christian, and Kev walked in.
“You called them?” she asked with surprise.
“We didn’t call them. They heard the whole conversation,” said Razor. “They’ve known something was wrong and they’ve known that you needed help but we needed you to talk to us.”
“Oh, God,” she sobbed. “The phone. AJ wanted to make sure my phone had the latest updates. You saw. You saw the videos. And the vaccine. It was a tracker wasn’t it? I thought it was weird to put it in my neck.”
“Olive, we did it to protect you, to protect everyone here,” said Rush. “These guys are seriously no joke. We don’t know how they know you, or why they want you, but they will not get you. You have to trust us.”
“The name of the club is Graveyard Saints,” said Rush. “They have a reputation that you can only imagine.”
“God, I have to leave. I have to hide,” she said trying to pull out of Iggy’s grasp. His arms were like steel, holding her in place without harming her.
“You’re not going anywhere, Olive,” he whispered against her temple. “I won’t let you.”
“Let’s take this to the office,” said Gator. He turned to Gunner and the others. “Can we assume you’ll want to be a part of this if needed?”
“Fuck ‘if needed’. We will be a part of this,” said Razor.