31. Chapter 31
Even though I’m trying to portray calm, I’m anything but calm on the inside. Gripping onto the backpack in my lap with my good hand, I take a deep breath, trying to calm some of my nerves. I’m so focused on calming down that I don’t notice Patch squatting down in front of me until he places a hand on my knee and I jump a little.
“Siren, I’m sorry that I made you more nervous by explaining what we were going to do and the precautions that we’re taking. I sometimes forget when explaining things that you’re new to the club life.” He pauses as he sighs before squeezing my knee. “I should have worded that better.”
Giving him a small smile, I reach out and squeeze his hand. “It’s okay. I knew at some point Stephan would get out and make his first move. Same for Diego. I know too much, which means he’ll be coming down on me too, especially if Grandpa confronts him about the trafficking. If he does, then I’m sure he’ll connect the dots which will lead back to me. I was just hoping for a little more time before their first move.” Taking another deep breath, I squeeze his hand again. “Now, let’s get out of here. I’ll feel much safer when we get to your clubhouse and I can wrap my babies in my arms.”
Patch grins as he stands and then he surprises me when he leans forward and places a chaste kiss on my lips. “That’s my Siren. Love you, Mary.”
My chest warms and my breath hitches. I shouldn’t be so surprised to hear him saying that since he’s been telling me he loves me multiple times a day these last few days, but I just can’t seem to shut off that small part of my brain that keeps saying he’ll change his mind someday and realize I’m not worth the trouble and leave me. Leave me and the kids.
Shaking off those gloomy thoughts, I smile up at him. “I love you too, Luke.” Thankfully, he doesn’t call me out on using his real name, but I didn’t want to use his road name for that. Maybe someday, but not yet.
Alli hoists the two duffle bags over her shoulders. When Patch turns to move behind me, she gives me a saucy grin and a wink when his back is to her. Shaking my head, I feel my smile widening. It’s so good to have her back in my life.
Out in the hallway, I wave goodbye to the nurses that helped me and as we near the elevator, I’m surrounded in a sea of leather, denim, and biker boots. Someone named Ryder takes the bags from Alli and I raise an eyebrow in question at her when he leans down and places a quick kiss at her temple. She blushes and mouths the word ‘later’ as she waves at me and then heads down a different hallway, most likely to head back down to the ER.
Turning, I frown when we reach the elevator and I realize my kids aren’t out here anymore. Mae had said they were going to wait in the hallway. Where did they go?
I jump slightly when I feel Patch’s breath tickling my ear.
“I texted the guys a bit ago that we were almost ready, so they escorted the ladies and the kids out to their trucks. Some of the guys followed them back to the clubhouse, since we didn’t want the kids out in the open while we go and get your meds.”
A sigh of relief flows through me and I blink back tears at the emotions surging through me at the lengths Patch’s club is taking to ensure our safety. Well, as much as they physically can, that is. I know some things will be out of their hands, but I know they’ll do everything they can to minimize those risks.
Turning and looking over my shoulder at him, I give him a grateful smile. “Thank you, all of you.”
The man next to me grunts as we all file into the elevator, which is a tight fit with how many men are with us. When he looks down at me, I’m surprised by how soft and gentle his warm brown eyes are. Glancing at his cut, I see his name is Bear, which is fitting. The man is a few inches taller than Patch and he’s built like a brick house. I wouldn’t want to see the damage he can do with those fists if someone ever crosses him.
“Don’t worry, Mary,” Bear says. “You’re Patch’s woman, which makes you family, and we keep our family safe. And if the unthinkable does happen, you can bet your ass that we’ll be finding you as quickly as possible.”
“Speaking of, here, Mary.” Thor, who’s standing on the other side of me, hands me a little pouch. “When you’re in the truck, put these on. Patch can explain them to you.”
Opening the pouch, I peek inside and am puzzled when I see a couple of bracelets inside that are made out of small paracord strands. What’s so special about these bracelets?
The elevator door opens and I cinch the pouch closed before tucking it into the front pocket of the backpack. I don’t want to risk dropping it.
Once again, the guys surround me as Patch quickly wheels me through the entrance of the doors and out to the drop off/pick up area in front of the hospital. Two more men in cuts are waiting by a truck that’s idling and Patch steers me toward them.
As soon as we reach the truck, I’m startled to find myself suddenly in Patch’s arms, especially since I’m so heavy, and then in the next second, I’m seated in the truck and the door is shut. Blinking in surprise, I watch Patch jog around the front of the truck before he climbs in behind the wheel. The back doors open and then two men that I haven’t met before climb into the backseat.
Turning to look behind us, I note that the two men carrying our duffle bags before are getting into the truck behind us. A few moments later, the roar of multiple bikes starting up fill the air. Five of them pull in front of us and Patch pulls out behind them. Looking behind us again, more bikes pull out behind us, then the second truck. Even though I can’t see them, I’m betting there are more motorcycles behind the second truck as well. Some of the tension in my shoulders leaches away from my body at being so surrounded by Patch’s club.
Patch clears his throat and I turn toward him.
“Those bracelets are made by Levi and a friend of hers, Gray. Open one of them up.”
Reaching into the bag, I pull out the pouch and retrieve one of the bracelets. Undoing the latch, I freeze when I see the little blade at the end. Suddenly, a part of Levi’s story comes back to me. About how Reaper and she used these to cut through the ropes that held them. Is this what she meant?
“Are these what Levi and Reaper used to free themselves?” I ask to clarify things for myself.
A grim look passes over his face before he jerks his head in a sharp nod. Then, for some reason, he grins. It doesn’t escape my notice that the man seated behind Patch is grinning like a loon and I’m sure the other guy behind me is as well. But why are they suddenly grinning?
“Sure are, Mary. Our Queen has been instrumental in helping to keep all of us safe. There’s also a tracking beacon sewn into the band, but they aren’t monitored unless we need them to be. Oh, and I’m Gunner, by the way.”
I’m actually surprised that I relax more at hearing the bracelets have trackers on them. Especially since I know my ring Stephan had given me had one in it. But then again, I trust the club not to monitor the trackers unless need be. My gaze tracks the thin band where Stephan’s ring used to sit. I had asked what happened to it the morning after Luke rescued me and he told me that they’d given him my jewelry while I was in surgery. He then gave my ring to Smoke for safekeeping. When I pressed on that, worried that the ring was possibly broadcasting from the clubhouse where the kids are, he told me that Smoke put it in a specially made box that prevents the broadcast, or signal, from escaping.
Pushing those thoughts out of my mind, I refocus on Gunner and give him a grateful smile. “Nice to meet you, Gunner.” Then I freeze as a thought hits me. “I saw the kids wearing bracelets like these but didn’t think anything of it earlier. Are their bracelets kid friendly versions or do they have the blades as well?”
A grunt comes from behind me and I twist a little more in my seat to try and see the guy better.
“I’m Axe, by the way. They’re kid friendly, so no blades. Also, Smoke took a few liberties and asked me to tell you that in case the bracelets are removed or cut off, your kids have trackers in the soles of all their shoes as well. With your situation, he wanted to be a step ahead in case anyone got their hands on them. He’d like to put them in your shoes too”
“I think Levi, Mae, and the other ladies and kids are going to get the trackers, too. Smoke had thought of getting trackers that could be injected under the skin, but I don’t know if he got them or not,” Patch says as he glances at me. “We can talk to him about all that when we get back to the clubhouse. He’s our eyes a lot when we’re in town.”
I frown at that, trying to figure out what he means, and then my eyes widen in surprise. “You mean he can hack into the town’s security cameras?”
All the men give me feral grins. “It helps to own the company that installed almost all of the town’s security cameras,” Gunner says and I feel my jaw dropping in surprise.
“How did I not make the connection that you guys own Steel Security?”
His grin grows bigger. “Smoke is the brains behind everything and the majority owner. The club just has shares in it.”
Well, fuck.
The guys all chuckle and I feel my cheeks heat. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
Patch shakes his head, but judging by his smile, I know I said that out load.
Again.
I groan. That’s been happening a lot lately. Thankfully, it’s then that I realize we’re in the drive-thru for the pharmacy and relief flows through me that it’s our turn.
Digging through the backpack, I find my wallet and pass my driver’s license over to Patch, knowing he’ll need it to get my script. While we wait, I can’t help but clutch my wallet tightly as I discreetly look around, trying to see if I spot Stephan or any of his goons. Or any of the so-called family members that betrayed me.
My gaze snags on a beige Honda Civic, and I can’t seem to look away. My breathing increases when I realize who I’m staring at.
A hand wraps around mine, and I jump a little, but can’t tear my eyes off the man in the car.
“Siren, I think I know which car, but tell us what and who you’re staring at,” Patch’s voice is quiet, and low, most likely so that it doesn’t pick up on the speaker that leads into the pharmacy or for the cameras they have littered throughout the drive-thru lane.
Licking my dry lips, I swallow thickly. “Beige Honda Civic. Illinois plates, URM1N3. It’s Stephan. I know it is. He’s dyed his hair black. He looks exactly how he did when I first met him after Diego and Isaac kidnapped me. I can’t tell his eye-color from here, but I bet it’s blue.”
My hands clutch my wallet even tighter as his license plates meaning dawns on me. “You are mine,” I whisper, and Patch’s hand tightens in mine.
“He’s trying to get in your head, Mary. Don’t let him,” Gunner says from the back seat, his voice low and so growly that it makes my skin break out in goosebumps.
Taking a deep breath, I try to calm my racing heart and mind. Gunner’s right. He’s trying to screw with me. Taking another deep breath, I square my shoulders and then casually look away from him, as I admire the flower baskets out front of the neighboring business. Ignoring him is a surefire way of pissing him off, but I’m not willing to be sucked into his mind games anymore. I just need to convince my body and my mind not to panic or tremble every time we see him or any of his ‘associates’.
A soft chuckle has me turning toward the backseat to find both Gunner and Axe wearing matching grins.
“Looks like you know how to get under his skin too, Mary. Don’t look, but he’s—” Axe starts to say and I can’t help but grin in response.
“Let me guess. Running his hands through his hair roughly? Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel? Unbuttoning the buttons on the neck of his polo?”
Their grins widen at my words and they both nod. “All of the above.”
My grin fades and I swallow nervously. “I just hope I’m not provoking him too much. I don’t want him to hurt anyone, but especially my kids.”
Patch’s hand tightens on mine. “Or you,” he growls, and I have to fight to not press my legs together.
Who knew that I’d find a possessive streak sexy, especially after everything with Stephan? But it’s incredibly sexy on Patch. Maybe that’s some of what Levi meant the other day—that sometimes their protectiveness and possessiveness can be a good thing?
The pharmacist chooses that moment to come back and gives Patch my script. Tucking the medicine into my backpack, I force myself not to look directly at Stephan as we pull out of the parking lot, but I do keep him in my periphery.
“I texted the others about him, so they’ll all be on the lookout for him. I also sent the car’s info to Smoke. Maybe it’ll give us a lead as to where he’s staying.”
While I’m sure the address tied to the car is bogus, if Smoke can track his car on his cameras, it just might help us fill in some blanks.
Driving through town, I can’t help it, but my gaze keeps bouncing to all the cars and people, wondering if anyone is going to do something.
A siren in the distance has me looking behind us and my eyes widen when I see a cop car behind our little caravan. “Fuck.”
Axe reaches up and squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t worry. Everyone will stay together as we pull over. Even if it is one of that asshole’s little pissants, they won’t do anything stupid with so many witnesses.”
“Also, Smoke fitted out all of our vehicles with cameras for situations like this. If anything does happen, we’ll have the footage as proof,” Patch says and I feel myself relaxing even further.
My eyes burn with unshed tears as my throat tightens with emotion. Seeing the officer get out of his car, I push those emotions away for now and steel myself.
“It will probably be Wolfe. Or possibly O’Grady. They are Stephan’s two closest buddies who will do anything he says because he helps keep their pockets lined with cash from Diego.”
Patch tenses and I wonder which part of what I just said caused that reaction, but I don’t have time to ask because the cop takes that moment to approach us. I force my body to remain calm as Wolfe’s face comes into view. Fuck. Why did it have to be him?
“License and registration,” he all but barks at us, his eyes never leaving me. Then again, he’d have to bark or yell to be heard since none of the guys have shut off their engines.
“What seems to be the problem, Officer?”
“License and registration.”
With a sigh, Patch pulls out his wallet and gestures to the glove box as his gaze flicks to me. “Can you grab the registration?”
Displaying a calm I definitely don’t feel, I do as Patch asks. When I hand him the registration, I’m beyond proud that my hands don’t shake in the slightest. But then again, that could be because of the three muscular bikers in the truck with me and the eight bikers flanking our truck.
Patch hands Wolfe the registration and I’m not even surprised when Wolfe barely even gives the documents a glance before returning his gaze to me.
“What seems to be the problem, Officer?” Patch asks again and Wolfe almost snarls as he tears his gaze away from me to look at Patch.
“Failure to give the appropriate advance notice of your indication to turn.” He looks behind us, glaring at the bikers who are probably giving as much as they are getting, and then he does the same to those in front of us and finally, to Gunner and Axe in the backseat before his gaze settles icily on me. I barely repress the shiver that runs through me as memories of the last time I saw him threaten to bombard me.
“Seems you’ve taken in with the wrong crowd, Mrs. Hayes. Why are you with these low-life thugs when you have a loving husband that misses you and wants you to return home where you belong?”
Borrowing on the strength of the guys in the truck, I straighten my shoulders. “It’s Mary Catarino. I’ve officially changed back to my maiden name after filing for divorce. I will never be with Stephan again.” Biting my lip, I force myself not to say what I really want to say. That there is no love in that man except for his love for himself. Well, himself and his bank account. The only things he’s missing are his cook, maid, and punching bag.
“Is that right?” He pauses as he passes Patch a piece of paper along with his license and registration. “A warning. Make sure you’re obeying the traffic rules, or next time you’ll be getting a ticket.” He pauses again as his gaze returns to me. “Have a good day, Mrs. Hayes,” he tells me, though his body language and eyes wish me anything but that. “If you know what’s good for you and Stephan’s children, you’ll return home. The children need a positive male role model in their lives, especially your older son. They’ll just turn into more thugs if you keep hanging around with this crowd. You wouldn’t want that, now would you?”
Gritting my teeth, I force my jaw to unclench. “I have everything handled with my children’s care. Thank you for your concern, Officer Wolfe.”
“Remember what happens when you disobey your husband,” he says with an evil glint in his eye before he makes his way back to his cruiser. Moments later, he pulls out and drives by us, sending me one last menacing look before he’s gone.
He may be gone, but all my spiraling mind can focus on is his parting words. I know that was his intention, but I can’t stop my mind from remembering every scenario where Stephan claimed I ‘disobeyed’ him and the beatings that followed.
Or who was present during those beatings.