Chapter Eight
Carl
I ’d been disappointed when Gwyn hadn’t come to The Hangout Saturday night, and then again Sunday. I’d spent the whole day Monday pacing Sebastian’s shop while I covered for him, unable to sit still with my bear’s anxiety coursing through me.
What if something had happened?
What if she’d tried to move something and got hurt?
Or what if the roof caved in on her?
Or another alpha tried to take her for himself?
The part of me that tried to be logical said these fears were highly unlikely, but it didn’t matter. My bear’s claws dug through my chest, leaving me tense and on edge.
I roared through the streets on my bike as soon as the shop closed for the night, weaving in and out of traffic to get back to Hell. I went straight to the café, barely getting the kickstand down before I hopped off my hog and jerked on the door handle. The growl that spilled from me when I was denied access would have dropped another alpha to his knees, and it took me an embarrassing number of tugs to realize the door was locked, not stuck.
Eyes sweeping the parking lot, I cursed the fact that she didn’t have a vehicle. I had no way of knowing if she’d locked herself inside, or if she simply wasn’t there.
I pounded on the door a few times before giving up and sprinting over to The Hangout, hoping to see her curvy rear perched on the stool she seemed to prefer. I hadn’t realized I was still growling until everyone in the place turned to stare at me as I peeked in.
Choking the sound down to a silent vibration in my chest, I double checked that she hadn’t decided to sit somewhere else before storming back out into the evening air. It had been a warm day, the heat lingering despite the sinking sun, but I barely noticed as I turned and took off toward her house. I didn’t even have the patience to go back for my bike.
I was puffing for breath by the time I reached the corner of Sycamore Street, and my gaze swung to the sad yard in front of the duplex I’d delivered her to the previous week. Everything appeared normal, most of her neighbors inside with their families, although I could hear the shrieks of children playing somewhere nearby.
I was already halfway across the street before I realized there was light shining through her front window. My shoulders loosened slightly, but there was still a voice in my head whispering light meant nothing. She’d mentioned she’d done some work on the duplex as well, so she could have had an accident there just as easily as at the cafe.
Or she could have been abducted from her home. The doors were far too flimsy.
The smell of cooking filled my lungs as I reached her porch, covering any sign of her delicate scent. I hadn’t eaten all day, hadn’t even thought about it with the anxiety riding me, and I had to ignore the way my stomach suddenly rumbled. There was no way I’d be able to eat or sleep until I knew Gwyn was okay.
The hollow thump of my fist on the door was harsh as I used far too much force. The door rattled against the jam, convincing me I needed to replace it to make her more secure. I wouldn’t even need the strength of my bear to get into her home uninvited.
A scuff on the other side of the door let me know someone was there, but a long pause followed before I heard the lock disengage. The fact that she locked herself in at home soothed some of my bear’s frantic energy, and I was finally able to suck in a full breath when a crack of light appeared along the edge of the door.
“Carl?”
The door opened wider, Gwyn’s confused expression reminding me I had no valid reason to be there pounding on her door. Raising my hand to rub the back of my neck, my cheeks warmed even as my gaze roamed over her to be sure she was unharmed.
“Hey, I, uh…”
Satisfied far faster than I’d have expected, my bear receded, leaving me scrambling to explain my presence as I deflated.
“I just wanted to see what time you wanted me at the café tomorrow.”
A delicate brow arched, drawing my attention to the reading glasses perched on her nose. For some reason they made me smile, which only deepened the concerned look she was giving me.
“You couldn’t have just called?”
Coughing, I let my arm drop before shrugging.
“I don’t have your number.”
The silence between us stretched, the certainty that I was crazy written across her face.
“I’m usually at the café pretty early, so you can meet me there whenever you’re up.”
I was probably creeping her out more with the way I couldn’t stop staring, but nothing could convince me to drag my eyes away. It was ridiculous, I’d seen her Friday night, and she was supposed to be nothing more than my new boss, but none of that mattered.
“We’ll have to go pick up the supplies to make the repairs before I can get started. The store opens at seven. Would six-thirty be too early to pick you up? I can always come here instead?”
Her expression finally cleared before her lips pinched and she shot a glance over her shoulder.
“I’d forgotten about that. Six-thirty should be fine, and I guess you picking me up here makes the most sense.”
I nodded, my smile stretching. For a moment I’d considered asking if she was coming to The Hangout, but the smells leaking through the opening behind her told me she was busy cooking, and asking her to come might be pushing things a little too far.
“Okay then, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
Her lips tipped up, although she wasn’t quite smiling as she nodded back. She wiggled her fingers in a semblance of a wave before slowly closing the door with me still standing there, steadily convincing her I was some creepy stalker the longer I couldn’t make my feet move.
Dragging a deep breath into my lungs, searching for a hint of her scent amidst the rest of the lingering smells, I finally peeled my sole from the ground and turned. My pace was little better than plodding as I forced myself away from her home, but I managed to keep from looking over my shoulder in case she was watching through her window to be sure I left.
Exhaustion hit as I stepped in front of The Hangout, the emotional drain of the day taking more from me than physical labor ever did. Seeing my bike sitting by itself across the parking lot instead of parked with the others made my shoulders slump, and as much as I didn’t want to go the extra distance, I also couldn’t leave it over there. Hell wasn’t as bad as the Slums, but I still wouldn’t leave my motorcycle unattended in an empty lot for an extended time. The light that should have shone on that area was too dull to give more than a bare gleam, and I added replacing it to the list of tasks I had in my head for the café. It would be an easy way to pay Gwyn back without her realizing what I was doing.
Sitting on my bike, I didn’t bother cranking it. I was half tempted to leave since I was already on it, but I knew I wasn’t tired enough yet to make it through the night alone, and the guys would say something if they didn’t see me again after the way I’d popped in while looking for Gwyn. My phone had already vibrated in my pocket a few times, I just hadn’t bothered to check it yet.
I walked my bike over to put it in the row with the others, noting who else was inside. Blake’s ride was missing, but Sebastian’s was there, with Patch’s and Danger’s, and a couple of the others.
The guys were in their usual spot when I made it inside, and I braced myself for the questions I knew would come. Knox moved from the chair beside Sebastian as I made my way over, and I was glad to see Frank using the arm he’d broken as he poured beer from the pitcher into one of the empty glasses before sliding it to me as I took a seat.
Sebastian’s and Danger’s mates sat between them, discussing something as the guys talked about a rebuild they were doing at the shop. Sebastian’s garage had done well in Hell, but it was booming at its new location. He’d even mentioned opening a second shop in Hell again since he was just as devoted to the community as the rest of us, hinting at putting me in charge of it, but I had no interest in running a garage. I didn’t mind the two days I helped out so he could have time off with his mate, but I preferred the work I did the other days of the week. If I was running his second location, I wouldn’t have time to help the people who needed the handywork I did.
“Any issues today?”
If there had been anything serious I’d have called Sebastian immediately, and he knew that, he was just using the question as an opening. I took a drink as an excuse to put off answering, making him wait and buying myself a few more seconds to decide how I would explain my earlier actions.
“Nope.”
I popped the P, staring him down and daring him to ask. I’d known Sebastian since I’d moved to Penford after leaving the military, and we’d gotten along right from the start, but we were both alphas. It was natural to challenge each other to a degree.
“Find who you were looking for?”
He might not have realized who it was, but it couldn’t have been hard to figure out that was what I’d been doing when I stuck my head in earlier.
“Yep.”
I popped the P again just to be annoying, making Sebastian roll his eyes. I was the older of the two of us, but he always claimed to be more mature. Teasing him was a favorite pastime of mine, and he knew better than to take it seriously.
Shaking his head, he let out a sigh.
“Well, that’s good. Have you seen or heard anything about you-know-who?”
My gut tensed, fresh worry flooding in thinking something else had happened. Ever since Brooke had shown up at the garage asking him to tend her through her heat, we’d been having more problems with the Purists, and everyone was waiting for the other shoe to drop after the trial that had ended with three of the speciest’s leaders in prison for trafficking, along with a list of other crimes. Some hoped that the silence of the group meant they’d been cowed, but I had a feeling new people had already taken over and were just biding their time. Minor skirmishes along our borders were nothing, I was waiting for a real attack.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. We had a group of betas in here last week who seemed to have those leanings, but David kicked them out, and Patch made sure they left the area.”
Sebastian hummed as he took a swig of his drink, his arm subtly tightening around his mate. None of us blamed him for helping her, despite the trouble it had led to, and the scar around his neck showed he’d taken the brunt of it. The only other person who’d been truly hurt was Jackson, and we were doing our best to help him.
My gaze slid to the woman beside Brooke, the wild curls framing her round face giving her a cheery appearance. Charity had just as many reasons to hate the Purists as the rest of us. After she found out they were trafficking women, they’d kidnapped her sister to blackmail her into being claimed by one of them so she couldn’t rat them out. I didn’t enjoy violence for the sake of it, but killing those bastards holding the women hostage had been a pleasure.
“There are rumors floating around that someone has finally taken over and is organizing them again. Someone who’d been a silent partner before and has been around through it all, which means they might hold a grudge.”
I cursed under my breath. We all knew the Purists would never go away, too many people were intolerant of those who were different, but we had hoped the group would die down at least. It didn’t seem like that would be happening if there were already rumors.
“Anything aimed at us?”
“Not yet.”
I bit back a sigh and drowned it under another swig of beer. The mess with the Purists was almost enough to send me running for a cabin deep in the woods where I’d never see another person again, but I could never leave my brothers. The Knights were the pack I’d never had, closer than the only family I had left, and they’d accepted me despite my demons.
Besides, I’d go crazy alone with nothing but time to think of my past.
“So, who was that omega the other night?”
My hackles rose, my entire body tensing again as Sebastian got to what he’d really wanted to ask. Sebastian was happily bonded, so I knew he had no interest in Gwyn himself, but the alpha part of me still didn’t like another male asking about the omega I’d taken too much interest in.
“She’s become a regular here. David introduced us. I’m going to be doing some work for her on the place next door.”
My voice was gruffer than I’d meant it to be, but it was the best I could manage. My bear wanted to snarl at the other alpha, assert our dominance and claim on the female, but doing so would raise more questions.
Plus, I had no right. Gwyn had been clear in her aversion to alphas, and she seemed protective of her independence.
“That old diner? She’s trying to get that open again?”
I lifted one shoulder, trying to show less interest than I had in the project. If it all came together the way she’d described it would be a great place for the community, but discussing that with Sebastian felt wrong.
“She’s scaling it back to more of a café. The place is gutted and needs a lot of work, but we should be able to get it taken care of.”
“Are you—”
“ Leave it .”
Sebastian’s eyes widened when I cut him off, but my bear wasn’t happy discussing Gwyn after the anxiety I’d dealt with all day. My nails had already turned black, extending to sharp points that dug into my palms as I clenched my fists. Besides the hints of slick I’d caught in her scent, my interest seemed to be one sided, and I couldn’t handle having to defend not pursuing her. Until I knew where we stood, I didn’t want to be questioned.
“Oh-kay! Some of the guys were talking about going on an extended ride, maybe out to Blue Ridge, and staying for a few days. I don’t think Brooke will be up for going due to the morning sickness, so you wouldn’t have to worry about watching the shop if you want to go.”
I hadn’t even heard the rest of what he’d said, everything freezing on the words morning sickness . Sebastian was grinning like a fool, knowing what he’d done, but despite the breath I sucked in, I couldn’t catch Brooke’s scent amidst the others to confirm.
“Is she?”
My heart was fluttering as if I was the one responsible when Sebastian dipped his chin. I’d always had a soft spot for babies and young children, but after the things that had happened in my past, I’d sworn never to have any of my own. I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the anxiety it would bring.
I clapped a hand to Sebastian’s back, congratulating him even as my mind scrambled to figure out what his news would mean for the club. We weren’t as structured as other MCs, but he was the equivalent of our Prez. He’d cut back on the time he spent with the Knights once Brooke came into his life, and none of us held it against him, but a baby would change things even more.
“Man, I wasn’t sure you had it in you. I guess at least one of your swimmers stopped chasing its tail long enough to figure out what it was supposed to be doing.”
Sebastian laughed, punching me in the shoulder.
“There is nothing wrong with my swimmers, we were just waiting until the shop was settled. You’re the first we’ve told besides Mom.”
Mom was Mrs. Frost. Brooke’s mother had become somewhat of a mother to the whole club once Brooke and Sebastian became a thing.
My chest tightened knowing they’d honored me with the news. I met Brooke’s eyes, her smile showing she knew Sebastian had told me, and I choked up as I turned back to my friend.
“You know I’ll protect them with my life. Anything you need.”
Family was everything, and I wouldn’t hesitate to lay down my miserable existence for them. For any of the Knights. They’d seen me through some dark times, and they all deserved any happiness they could find.
“I know. Hopefully it never comes to that.”
I knew worry sat in the back of his mind almost as much as it did mine, but I didn’t want him to linger on it. It was time for celebration.
“David! We need shots and another pitcher! Sebastian’s swimmers finally made it!”
Brooke’s cheeks went bright red as Charity’s jaw dropped, but it took the other guys a bit longer to figure it out. The hungry look Danger shot his omega said it wouldn’t be long before we were celebrating again if he had any say in it, and congratulations tumbled over each other when the others caught up, the whole table happy for our leader and his mate.
“Of course you had to steal my thunder,” Sebastian muttered, shaking his head but grinning to show he wasn’t upset. I probably should have asked before announcing it to everyone, but good news was too hard to come by, and the club would have found out eventually anyway.
“How did he know first? I thought I was your friend!”
Charity mock pouted at Brooke who wrapped her in a hug.
“I was about to tell you, if someone hadn’t blabbed to everyone !”
Brooke’s glare was pitiful, her smile ruining it, so I stuck my tongue out at her and shrugged it off. My bear was distracted enough to relax, and I used the good news to keep myself centered in the present, enjoying the night until I made it back to my empty den, to go to sleep alone.