8. Summer
Summer
I woke up in Reese’s bed, the blinds keeping out all but a tiny sliver of light. Nate’s back was to me, but by his even breathing, I could tell he was still asleep.
Worry for what the day would bring threatened to crash over me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Everything was going to be all right. It had to be—somehow.
Pressing my face against the pillow, I breathed in again. Yes, I was smelling his pillow. And yes, it smelled good.
So good.
It figured Reese Haven’s bed would smell like man heaven.
I didn’t want to wake Nate, so I quietly slipped out of bed. I’d slept in my clothes, so after a quick trip to the bathroom, I went out to see if Reese was awake.
He stood in the kitchen, his back to me, fully dressed in a gray T-shirt and tan cargo pants. His head moved slightly, like he’d heard me, but he didn’t turn around.
It gave me a moment to take him in. In the confines of his small kitchen, he seemed unnaturally large—wider and thicker than a normal man.
The memory of his scent lingered, making my heartbeat quicken and heat pool in my core.
A fantasy flashed through my mind—me on the counter in front of him, his pants around his ankles and my legs wrapped around his waist.
“Coffee?” he asked.
The fantasy dissipated like smoke, and my cheeks warmed. “I’d love some.”
He reached into a cupboard, took out a mug, and poured me a cup. I got the strangest sense he was reluctant to face me, although I had no idea why.
I went into the kitchen, and he handed me the mug. Leaning against the counter, I took a sip.
“Wow. This is good.”
He finally turned, and the hint of a smile on his lips made my heart flutter. “Only compared to the sludge at the diner.”
“That’s a good point. Their coffee is terrible. And the food isn’t great, either. I’m not sure why anyone eats there.” I paused, my eyebrows drawing in. “Why do you eat there?”
He opened his mouth to reply but glanced away. “I don’t know. It’s close.”
I hesitated, wondering if he’d add anything. Like there was also a cute waitress he liked to see. But he didn’t.
“Did you sleep okay on the couch?” I asked.
“Yeah, fine.”
“Nate’s still passed out in there. He must have been tired.”
“How long is he suspended?”
“He can’t go back until next week. Which I guess kind of works out. I wouldn’t send him to school today anyway.”
“I was going to suggest you keep him out. What about you? Do you have to work?”
“Originally, I’d planned to call in and see if I could pick up an extra shift. But, no, I’m not on the schedule today.”
“Good. I was also going to suggest you call in sick.”
“I’m going to have to go in tomorrow, though. I can’t lose this job.”
“We’ll tackle that later.”
“If it was just Buzz and Hammer, I’d assume they’d be gone by then. They never stick around long. Axel…is another story.”
“This doesn’t smell like a quick in and out. They’re not here to remind you they can still find you. They’re here for Nate.”
A sick feeling spread through me. “I know. If I thought I could get rid of Axel by letting him take Nate out to lunch, I might try to talk Nate into it. As long as I could stand outside and wait for him. But I know how these guys operate.”
“Asshole won’t stop at lunch. If you let him anywhere with your son, you might not see him again.”
Worry washed over me, and I pressed my hand to my forehead. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
Reese shifted closer, and his hand twitched—almost like he was going to reach out and give me a reassuring caress. But he didn’t.
“First thing, we’ll get over to your place so you can pack some of your things. I want you to stay here until this is over.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he interrupted before I could get a word out.
“Don’t tell me I don’t have to do that,” he said. “I know I don’t. But I’m going to.”
“But sleeping on the couch…” Trailing off, I gestured toward the living room.
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ve slept in much worse places than my own couch. It’s fine.”
“Okay, we’ll stay here. But then what? Just wait until Axel gives up and leaves? What if he doesn’t?”
“I’m going to make a call. I have friends who can help us out. But this is tricky. We need to get rid of them without bringing down the wrath of the entire club.”
“How?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. I’m hoping that call will provide some insight.”
It would have been comforting to hear that Reese already had a plan, but more than that, I appreciated his honesty. He wasn’t bullshitting me to make himself look good. This was a tough situation, and we both knew it.
The bedroom door opened, and Nate came shuffling down the hall, rubbing his eyes.
“You’re up early,” I said. “I thought you might sleep in a little.”
He shrugged and wandered over to the couch.
“Morning, chief,” Reese said.
Something about Reese’s greeting perked Nate up. He gave him a sleepy smile. “Morning.”
“We’re going to have to hit up the grocery store, too,” Reese said. “I’m not used to having company.”
“Don’t worry. I’m an expert cupboard scrounger. Mind if I take a look?”
He stepped aside. “Be my guest.”
His kitchen wasn’t as empty as he’d implied. I’d dealt with worse. I put together breakfast for the three of us—sliced cheddar, some cubed ham, and cottage cheese—and afterward, we piled into his SUV to run our errands.
My stomach tingled with nervousness when the garage door lifted. I knew Axel wasn’t out front waiting for us. But I still half expected to hear the roar of bike engines and find ourselves surrounded by Axel and his club brothers.
Nothing happened when Reese backed out, and we didn’t see any sign of them on the way to my apartment complex.
Reese checked carefully before parking. No bikes. It was early. If I had to guess, they were still asleep at some cheap motel.
We went upstairs and Reese kept watch while Nate and I packed our bags.
I didn’t know how long we’d be away, so I did my best. Before we left, I made sure Nate had actually packed necessities—especially clean socks and underwear—and not just toys.
To his credit, he did a good job. His duffel bag was stuffed with clothes, and he’d even remembered his toothbrush.
I changed into a clean outfit and packed my work shirts. We brought our bags down to the SUV and put them in the back, then headed for the grocery store.
Our route took us past the diner. Reese slowed to turn at the intersection, and the flash of blue lights in the parking lot caught my eye.
“What’s going on?” I craned my neck to look.
Two police cars were parked outside the diner, both with their lights on. They weren’t there for breakfast.
Then I saw it. Several windows were broken, and the front was covered with haphazard black-and-red graffiti.
“Shit,” Reese muttered.
“Can you stop?” I asked. “I need to find out what’s going on.”
He gestured to the diner. “We can see what’s going on.”
“I know, but I need to know if anyone got hurt. I’ll text Tess and see if she’s here.”
“Fair enough.”
We pulled in and Reese parked on the far side of the lot as I sent Tess a text. She replied immediately, saying she’d be out in a second.
A moment later, she came around from the back door.
“Stay with Nate,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
I got out and gave my surroundings a quick glance. Even outside, the air felt thick with tension.
“You probably shouldn’t be here,” Tess said. “Terri’s pissed.”
“Well, yeah.” I gestured to the broken windows. “I would be, too.”
“No, I mean she’s pissed at you.”
“Why?”
A flash of worry crossed her face. “You didn’t see the door?”
“No.”
“They wrote ‘Summer is a whore.’”
My heart dropped, and I gaped at the diner. It wasn’t the first time Mayhem had done something like that. When Nate was a baby, they’d vandalized the coffee shop where I’d gotten a job. A few years later, they’d done something similar at a café.
Both times they’d spray-painted my name, making sure everyone knew I was the target. And both times, I’d lost my job not long after.
“It’s not my fault,” I muttered, more to myself than to Tess.
“I know it isn’t, but Terri’s in there ranting about paying the price for other people’s dumpster fires.”
I rolled my eyes. That woman didn’t have an ounce of compassion. “Of course she is.”
The front door opened, and Terri came out.
“Uh-oh,” Tess said. “You should—”
Too late. She’d spotted me.
“There you are,” she said, her voice laced with venom. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here.”
I started to say she couldn’t possibly blame me, but she didn’t give me the chance.
“You’re fired,” she snapped.
“You can’t fire me because of this.”
“I just did. I’m not dealing with this shit.” She turned to go back inside. “Tess, go home. We’re closing for the day.”
Anger swept through me. Fired? I didn’t care about the diner—it was a crappy place to work—but I had to put food on the table. I had to pay rent. I had to take care of my son. She wasn’t hurting me, but she was hurting Nate, and that was enough to make me snap.
“You uncaring, ungrateful, miserable excuse for a human,” I said, clenching my fists. “You treat your employees like shit, and you don’t even care when one of them might be in serious trouble.”
I took a step toward her, rage building inside me.
“Whoa, Summer,” Tess said.
I ignored her, ready to lunge at Terri. “You might as well throw my son out on the street, you stupid—”
Tess’s arms wrapped around my waist. I pulled against her grip, trying to take a swing at Terri’s stupid face. She let go, and I was about to tackle Terri when someone else grabbed me.
Someone much bigger.
Reese picked me up like I weighed nothing and spun me around.
“Let go!”
“Easy.” His voice was soft, in stark contrast to his iron grip.
“Get her out of here, or I’m pressing charges,” Terri said.
I struggled against Reese’s hold, twisting so I could yell at her. “I’m glad they broke the windows. You deserve it.”
“Come on.” He moved me toward his SUV. “Nate’s watching.”
The reminder that I was setting a bad example for my son almost made me lash out at Reese. But I had just enough common sense cutting through my anger to know he was right. We needed to go, and I needed to stop trying to thrash my ex-boss.
I cooperated, letting Reese lead me to the passenger door. With one arm still locked around me, he opened it.
“I’ll get in,” I mumbled.
He let go but kept his body between me and Terri while I climbed in, then closed the door.
Still seething, I crossed my arms. Reese got in, and a moment later, we were back on the road.
Nate didn’t say anything. I wasn’t sure if I’d freaked him out—he didn’t see me lose my temper very often—or if he was just being quiet. I kept my eyes ahead, not really seeing anything, letting my rage cool.
Fired. Not for the first time, I was unexpectedly without a job and didn’t know if I’d have enough money to pay rent next month.
Nate would be out of school soon with nowhere to go, but it didn’t even matter because his stupid sperm donor was lurking in town, and I had no idea what he planned to do.
Reese believed Axel would kidnap Nate if he had the chance. And I had a terrible feeling he was right.