Chapter 18
Everleigh
“He had a lot of guards,” Kiersten muttered.
“Yeah, he did,” Country answered. “But they’re no match for the brothers.”
After sharing a heartfelt reunion, Country and Kiersten followed Davies, Matteo, and me back out to Billy’s truck.
On the way out, we’d seen one of the guards who’d been shot, and I couldn’t stop envisioning it being Billy, who was sprawled out on the ground with blood pooling around him.
It was a thought that led me to ask Country, “So, you think they’ll be okay? ”
“Absolutely,” Country answered as he sped toward the clubhouse. “Gotta remember, this ain’t our first rodeo.”
“Yeah, but this is the first time my dad has been involved.” Kiersten sounded just as worried as me as she told him, “At least, like this.”
“Billy’s gonna be fine,” Country scoffed. “You got nothing to worry about there.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I still don’t get it.” Taking his eyes off the road for just a moment, Country glanced up at the rearview mirror as he asked, “Why the hell would you go to Antonio’s place without telling someone? You had to know we were going to handle it.”
“That’s exactly why I went,” I explained. “I didn’t want you to have to handle it.”
“But that wasn’t up to you.”
“Maybe not, but it wasn’t right that you guys were being forced to put your lives in danger when it was me that Antonio wanted.”
“First, no one forces the Sinners to do anything,” Country snapped. “And second, that asshole kidnapped my ol’ lady. Didn’t matter why he took her. There was no way in hell we were gonna let him get away with that shit.”
“When you put it like that...”
“Exactly,” Country huffed. “You put yourself and us in danger for nothing.”
“I wouldn’t say it was for nothing,” Kiersten glanced over at Matteo as she added, “She found Matteo, and he unchained me and helped us get to you. That’s something.”
“Maybe, but it wasn’t worth putting her life in danger.” Country glanced up at his rearview mirror once more, then added, “And I’m pretty sure Billy’s going to agree with me on this one.”
“Yeah, he looked pretty upset.” Kiersten turned back to look at me as she warned, “You might want to prepare yourself.”
“Prepare for what?”
“You’ll see.”
When we got to the clubhouse, everyone got out of Billy’s truck and immediately started inside. I hadn’t gotten far when I felt a hand on my arm, tugging me back. I glanced back and found Matteo standing behind me with a worried look. “I should go.”
“What?” I waited for the others to head inside, then asked, “Where would you go?”
“I don’t know, but I got no business being here.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “These guys see me as the fucking enemy. It’s only a matter of time before they try and take me out.”
“That’s not going to happen, Matteo.” I placed my hand on his arm, trying my best to comfort him as I said, “They know you aren’t like the others and that you helped Kiersten and me.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He looked nervously over his shoulder like he was expecting one of the Sinners to come up behind him. “I’m tied to DeLuca, and that’s all that matters to guys like these.”
“If you’re thinking about leaving, don’t,” Davies warned. “Nothing screams rat more than a runner. Best to stick around and see this thing through, or the brothers might get the wrong idea.”
“He’s right.” I knew Matteo was scared, and I didn’t blame him. His brief encounter with Billy and the brothers wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I truly believed that he should stay, which is why I told him, “The last thing you need is to find yourself in trouble with the Sinners.”
“Fine, I’ll stay, but if I end up in a ditch somewhere...”
“You won’t. Trust me.”
Matteo and I followed Davies inside, then joined the others in the bar.
It was painfully quiet as we sat there waiting on some word from the guys which only seemed to make the wait feel that much longer.
Since I couldn’t go there to find out how things were going myself, I did the only thing I could.
I waited.
And I waited some more.
Just when I thought I couldn’t stand it a second longer, Country got the call from Viper.
I could tell by the relieved look on his face that everything had gone as planned, but I wasn’t certain until Country ordered us all a round of drinks.
While the others were eager to join in, I was hesitant.
I knew Billy was angry with me and would want to hash things out.
I didn’t want to make things worse by being inebriated, so when Kiersten passed me a beer, I told her, “I better pass.”
“Oh, come on,” Kiersten pleaded. “Don’t make me drink alone.”
“But Billy...”
“Dad will be fine.” She slid the beer a little closer as she said, “Besides, he’s going to be a while.”
I glanced over to the corner of the room where Matteo was sitting with Davies, and when I saw that he was having a beer of his own, I told her, “Okay, fine. I’ll have one, maybe even two...”
“Great.” Kiersten smiled. “Maybe now I can get some answers from you.”
“Answers about what?”
Kiersten’s eyes narrowed. “Like how did you really meet my father? ‘Cause I’m finding it doubtful that you met on some dating app.”
“Oooh.” Country leaned in and snickered, “I know this one.”
He hadn’t left Kiersten’s side since we left Antonio’s, and I got the feeling he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
I didn’t blame him. After what she’d been through, it was understandable that he would be feeling extra protective.
He slipped his arm around her waist and waited for me to respond, “It’s complicated. ”
“Umm, it’s not all that complicated.” He shrugged casually. “Not when you think about it.”
“Just tell me,” Kiersten pushed.
“Okay, here goes... The man who had you kidnapped, Antonio DeLuca, shot me, along with several others, and he hired your father to deal with the aftermath.” I lifted my beer and took a drink, then continued, “Only I wasn’t dead.”
“Wait,” she gasped. “You were shot?”
“Hm-hmm. Three times.”
“And you survived?”
“Thanks to your father and Doc.” My throat tightened as I said, “He could’ve just let me die. It certainly would’ve been easier and safer, but for some crazy reason, he decided to take mercy on me.”
“And thank goodness for that.” Kiersten glanced over at Country and then back to me. “So, why did this DeLuca guy shoot you in the first place?”
“Because I didn’t want to work for him anymore.”
I took a moment to explain everything to her, and when I got to the part where I moved Antonio’s assets, her eyes grew wide, and she gasped, “You didn’t!”
“Yeah, I did, and it was a huge mistake. It’s how he found out I was alive and staying at your dad’s.”
“And why he had those men come and get me from the airport.”
“Exactly.” I reached over and placed my hand on her arm. “I really am sorry that he pulled you into all this. If I had known what he was going to do...”
“It’s not your fault, Everleigh. The guy is a total nutjob.
” She glanced over at Country as she admitted, “I gotta say, I was pretty freaked out when they took me from the airport. They had me blindfolded in the back of some stupid van for almost four hours, and they never said a word. I had no idea what was going on.”
“Billy was absolutely distraught when he found out they had taken you. I really thought he was going to lose it.” I motioned my head over to Country as I told her, “And your friend here wasn’t any better. I thought he and your dad were going to go to blows.”
“Seriously?” Kiersten turned to Country with a scowl. “You got into it with my dad?”
“Maybe just a little.”
“Oh, good grief, Grayson. You can’t fight my dad.”
“I can when he puts my girl in danger.” He leaned over and kissed her on the temple. “But don’t worry. I’ll make it up to him.”
“I hope so cause it wasn’t his fault that nutjob had me kidnapped.”
“You guys must be talking about Antonio,” Matteo said from behind me.
I smiled as I answered, “As a matter of fact, we were.”
“Well, nutjob doesn’t begin to describe the guy.” Matteo grabbed another beer, then sat down next to me. “He’s evil in ways you can’t imagine.”
“I’m glad you got out of there.”
“Me, too.”
“So, what do you think you will do?”
“No idea.” He shrugged. “I’ll have to find a new job, and I gotta be pretty quick about it. I have a house payment to make and a fiancé to take care of.”
“You know I’ll help any way I...” My mouth dropped open as I gasped, “Wait! You did it? You asked Chloe to marry you?”
“Sure did.” A bright smile crossed his face. “Can’t believe she said yes.”
“Of course, she said yes!” I nudged him with my elbow. “You’re great. She’s lucky to have you.”
“No, I’m the lucky one.”
As I sat there talking with him, I thought back to the day I found his necklace in Billy’s yard.
I was devastated to discover that he was dead, and now, he was sitting right next to me—living and breathing, just like me.
I glanced up at his throat and saw no sign of his necklace, so I asked, “What happened to the necklace your grandfather gave you?”
“Not sure.” He reached up to his neck and ran his fingers across his throat. “Lost it during a scuffle and never could find it.”
“I think I might’ve it found it.”
“You did?” he gasped. “Where?”
“With some of Billy’s things.” I was afraid to say too much, so I quickly added, “I was thinking I could get it to you sometime.”
“That would be awesome. I could definitely use it right about now.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the bar doors flew open, and Viper and the rest of the Sinner men came barreling into the bar like a group of football players who’d just won the big game.
They were loud and boastful, clearly pleased with the way things played out with Antonio.
I watched as each of the brothers strolled up to the counter, checked in on Kiersten, then grabbed themselves a drink.
I kept expecting to see Billy walk through the door, but there was no sign of him. Worried something might be wrong, I leaned over to Kiersten and said, “Any idea where your dad might be?”
“I’m not sure.” She scanned the room, making sure he wasn’t there, and concern marked her face when she didn’t see him. She gave Country a nudge, then said, “Dad’s not here.”
“Oh, yeah?” He gave the room a quick scan, then stood and said, “Give me a minute.”
We both watched as he walked over to Viper.
They spoke for a moment, then Country glanced back over at me.
I didn’t have a good feeling as Country gave him a quick nod, then headed back over to Kiersten and me.
His eyes skirted over to Matteo, and when he saw that he was listening, he got a strange look on his face.
“He’s gonna be a bit... He had some stuff to take care of before he left Antonio’s place. ”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Work stuff.”
He didn’t have to say anything more. I knew exactly what he was saying, and while I understood that it was Billy’s job to handle situations like these, I didn’t like the fact that I would have to wait to talk to him.
And to make matters worse, I had no idea what I was supposed to do until he came back.
“Okay. Do you have any idea what I’m supposed to do until he gets done? ”
“Well...” He hesitated for a moment, then answered, “Viper told me to put you up in one of the guest rooms.”
“Oh, okay.”
“He also wants a word with Matteo.”
“Why?”
“That’s between Viper and Matteo.” Country motioned his hand over to Matteo as he said, “I’ll show you down to his office.”
“His office?” Matteo asked, sounding nervous. “Why does he want to talk there?”
“Because he does.”
Without saying anything more, Country started out of the bar.
Matteo glanced over at me, looking for some kind of reassurance, but sadly, I had none to give.
I had no idea what Viper wanted with him, and I suddenly regretted encouraging him to stay.
I didn’t want him to know that I was just as worried as he was, so I mouthed, “It’ll be okay. ”
Matteo gave me a skeptical look, then followed Country out of the bar. I was still staring at the doorway when Kiersten leaned over and whispered, “He’s going to be fine. Viper knows he helped us.”
“He also knows that he was working for Antonio.”
“Yes, but Viper’s an exceptional judge of character.” She gave me an encouraging smile. “He’ll see that Matteo’s a good kid who was in a bad spot.”
“I certainly hope so.”
I was a mess. Between Billy not being there and Matteo’s visit with Viper, I felt like I was being torn in a hundred directions.
I tried not to think the worst about either of them, but it wasn’t easy—especially when I was at the root of all their woes.
I finished off my beer and was about to ask for another when Country returned—alone.
Fearing something might’ve happened, I rushed over to him and asked, “Where’s Matteo?”
“He’s still with Viper.”
“Is he okay?”
“Why wouldn’t he be?” I gave him a stern look, “He’s fine. Seriously. Viper’s hooking him up with a couple of his contacts before he heads back home.”
“Oh, wow. That’s good, right?”
Relief washed over me when he replied, “Yeah, I’d say that’s very good.”
“Thank goodness.”
“You ready for another beer?”
“I think I’m gonna pass.” I glanced around the room at all of his brothers, watching as they enjoyed their drinks and idle conversation, and I felt like a complete Debbie Downer.
I just wanted to crawl into bed and forget this day ever happened, so I told him, “I think I’d rather go to that guest room you were telling me about. ”
“Sure thing.”
I gave Kiersten a quick wave, then followed Country out of the bar and down the hall.
When we reached the guest room, he opened the door, revealing a small room that reminded me of a tiny hotel room.
There was a full-sized bed, a small dresser with a flat-screen TV, and there was an adjoining bathroom. “This is really nice.”
“It’ll do in a pinch... Can I get you anything before I go?”
“No, I’m good.” I stepped into the room for a better look around, then turned to Country and said, “Thank you.”
“No problem.” He started to leave but suddenly stopped and turned back to face me. “Hey, uh, sorry about acting like such an asshole before... You didn’t deserve that shit.”
“You don’t have to apologize. I totally understand.”
“Yeah, well. Sorry just the same.”
He gave me a quick nod, then disappeared down the hall.
I closed the door, and without bothering to remove my clothes, I laid down on the bed.
I had a sinking feeling as I curled up into one of the pillows and closed my eyes.
I just wanted to fall asleep and put this horrible day behind me, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Billy.
I had a feeling that he had his own reasons for staying at Antonio’s, and it had nothing to do with work. It was me. All me.
I feared I’d finally pushed him too far.
And I had no idea what I was going to do about it.