Shadow Chapter #2
“If you want, you can take my car. That way it’s warmer, and you can easily carry it,” she offered.
“Nah, I’m a biker. I’m used to the cold, and I prefer to ride in a cage only when absolutely necessary. This isn’t the case. I can haul all of it back,” he told her.
“A cage?” Cambria asked.
“It’s what bikers call any vehicle that’s enclosed. We ride to enjoy the freedom and the wind in our faces. A vehicle feels like a cage, hence the name,” I explained.
“That makes sense. I learned something new. I know some biker lingo from Brae, but not a bunch. The restaurant is approximately five miles away. Let me get you money to pay for it,” she hastily said. She was coming to her feet when I reached out and placed my hand on her leg. She froze.
“Sit back. There’s no need to get money. We’ve got it handled. And before you argue, this is our mess. We’re covering everything until this situation is resolved. Buying food is one of those,” I told her.
“I can’t let you—”
Ryder cut off her argument as he strolled to the door. “Yes, you can. Come lock up behind me, brother,” he said.
Removing my hand from hers, I rose and went to him. He put on his boots. When Ryder stepped out onto the porch, he paused to whisper to me. “I’ll give you as much time as I can to talk to her. Get the apology out of the way. I can tell it’s killing you not to do it. Good luck.”
“Thanks, Ryder,” I whispered back.
He held out his hand. We fist bumped, then he walked off into the dark.
I had gotten the door shut and the locks reengaged by the time I heard the roar of his bike engine.
Cambria was still seated in her chair. She appeared uncomfortable.
Inhaling deeply, I went back to take my seat.
She didn’t meet my gaze. She was staring down at her hands in her lap.
“Cambria, I need to talk to you.”
“About the trip? Shouldn’t we wait for Ryder to get back?”
“No, not about the trip. This conversation is about you and me. I’d like you to look at me and listen,” I told her. I put enough firmness in my tone so she would know I wasn’t backing down from this.
Her head snapped up. When her eyes met mine, I saw unease there, but also a flare of temper. She didn’t want me to tell her what to do. Rather than it upsetting me or putting me off, I found it electrifying. As inappropriate as it was, my cock jerked.
“What’s so important you have to tell me without Ryder here and in that tone?” she snapped.
“The tone is meant to keep you from blowing me off, as for why alone, that’s easy. I need to apologize, and I prefer that my ass chewing not be witnessed. And if you want to get physical and hit me, that shouldn’t be something anyone else sees.”
“So, you don’t want to be embarrassed in front of your friend,” she countered.
“Not that. I already had my stupidity exposed to all my club brothers. It’s for you, so you can feel safe to express yourself without reservation or feeling judged, not that he’ll judge you.”
Her surprise kept her silent, so I jumped right into it. There was no guarantee how long Ryder would be gone.
“Cambria, I insisted on coming here, even though I doubted you’d allow me in your home. You’ve been more than gracious to me, but I don’t expect you to put on a show. No matter what you say to me, my club is committed to protecting you. Nothing you say or do will change that.
“I came not only to protect you, but to tell you, in person, how goddamn sorry I am for what I did. I want you to know, it was never my intention to expose you to anyone. Or to bring danger to you. And I swear to God that I believed I left no trail that someone else could follow. Yours was so faint that I thought I was crazy at times. It was more hunches that led me to you than visible footsteps you left behind.”
I stood up to pace. Cambria sat there motionless, but she was listening.
“I can’t explain it, but when I’m in the middle of a search, sometimes, I get this feeling in my gut that tells me I’m on the right path or that something big and significant is coming.
Following those feelings is what led me to find you, rather than anything you did wrong, Cambria.
You do outstanding work. Did Brae explain exactly why I was stalking you, as you called it? ” I asked.
“She said I tripped an alert you had on your information. I swore that I didn’t. I saw them and avoided them all, I thought, and got the hell out of your business. Clearly, I missed one,” she said in disgust.
“The fact that you spotted them and only missed one is a feat. I covered that data, along with the data on my brothers and the club in them. Why were you researching me?” I was curious.
“When Brae first got involved with your club because of her mom, I checked into you guys. I had to be sure she was safe. Everything then came back, indicating you were legit guys, and although many years ago there were rumors of criminal activity, nothing of that sort was hinted at now. I was able to gather a decent amount of information on everyone except you. Brae and I were talking, and I was reminded of it, so I thought I’d try again.
My curiosity and the inability to leave puzzles alone bit me in the ass,” she admitted ruefully.
“I have the same problem, which is why when you tripped that alert, I was determined to find you for that reason as well. You were so elusive. It was a mystery for me to solve. But I never intended to expose you to anyone, Cambria. I’m still working to figure out how it happened.
No matter what we have to do or how long it takes, I will ensure you’re safe again. ”
“Shadow, I can’t say I’m not pissed at you because I am.
But this isn’t all on you. My snooping into you started you on my trail in the first place.
The fact that you were asked to look into me by Rage might not have been the source of the exposure.
I can understand his need to make sure Brae is safe.
It’s the same as my wish to ensure it when I initially looked into your club.
We’re all at fault. The thing I’m worried about is finding the point at which it happened and mitigating the fallout.
And then I’ll work to regain my life. I’m pretty sure that Cambria Mulally will have to disappear.
It sucks to have to start over, but I’ve done it before.
At least this time, I’m not a teenager with no exposure to the world. ”
She tried to project a calm appearance, but I heard the traces of anxiety and fear in her voice. I walked over to stand by her chair. She glanced up at me.
“You will have a life. And I’ll do everything I can to ensure you don’t have to give up everything and start from scratch. Regardless of whether you’re an adult or not, it’s traumatic enough. Again, I can’t tell you how damn sorry I am.”
“Shadow, you have to stop trying to atone so much. It was a mistake. You said it wasn’t intentional. I believe you. We know that it’s possible I was the one who messed up and revealed my identity somehow.”
I chose to take her at her word. I resumed my seat. “Okay, let’s talk about something else.”
“Like what?”
“Well, we could politely discuss the weather, or we could talk computers. Tell me about your work, and I’ll tell you about mine. I warn you, one is very boring and has nothing to do with computers.” I grinned.
“Oh my, such intriguing choices. I’m tempted to say the weather, but… maybe computers are better. You have me curious about your other job,” she said inquisitively.
“Oh, you wait. It’s enthralling. Ladies first.”
“It’s not as thrilling as your work probably is. I’m a computer network architect. Are you familiar with what one does?”
“I know the definition, but that’s all.”
“Well, you know we design various organizations’ networks based on the company’s business goals.
I don’t just design for one business type.
I’m versatile. Otherwise, I’d get bored.
I enjoy the challenge of not only providing users with the necessary tools but also designing and implementing security standards and configuring all hardware components.
I not only design the systems but also manage their implementation, monitor the performance, and follow up on issues and concerns.
I perform the network upgrades and create backups.
Sometimes, they ask me to redesign things as their businesses change or they are required to do different tasks.
If anything needs to be repaired or updated, I handle it.
I constantly learn about new advancements to stay on top of things.
I hate for anyone I work with to be outdated.
That’s pretty much my job in a nutshell. ”
“So you know everything there is to know to run all those businesses. I can’t see them being able to live without you.”
“They can, but it is more difficult to bring in someone new. They have to figure out how I designed it. Most of my clients sign contracts with me for years. I ensure they stay on track.”
“Christ, if you had to change your entire identity, all that would be wiped away and you’d have to start from scratch,” I groaned.
“Maybe. Although if I had enough time, I might be able to get my clients to switch to my new persona. I could tell them I was getting out of the business, but had an ideal person for them to work with. Someone I mentored to make the transition as seamless as possible. The only time I might have to worry is if they request a face-to-face meeting. With new clients, it wouldn’t matter. ”
“Still, it would be a burden. Christ, we’ve got to make this right,” I muttered.
“Hey, we’re not talking about that right now. Remember? Tell me about your jobs,” she prompted.
“Okay, so our club owns several businesses. Each of us works in one or more of them. Some of us manage them. Everyone receives a cut of all businesses’ profits, excluding the percentage allocated to the overall club fund.
When one of us manages a business, that cut is higher than the others.
I don’t manage, but I help at our scrapyard, Sacred Souls Scrap.
See, I told you, nothing at all to do with computers.
“I help customers find whatever they’re looking for.
Sometimes, I’ll haul something to the yard if it needs to be picked up, though we have guys who do that.
Some customers bring their own, or a towing company may be told to bring it to us, say a car that was totaled in a wreck.
You’d be surprised at what can be salvaged and reused.
What people call junk has a lot more life in it than most know.
Crusher manages it, and I help him whenever he needs me to do his job.
“Then there’s my hacker job. Crusher is an IT kinda guy.
He handles the club’s networks and stuff.
He can do research, too, but I have a knack for deep-diving and finding the dark, hidden stuff.
The dark web is mostly where I dwell. I do it to protect my club, our families, and friends.
We’re not criminals running illegal businesses.
It was because of my expertise that I was asked to look into you. Honestly, I love being a detective.”
“I love it too. Brae always tells me I can’t leave anything a mystery or an unsolved puzzle. She’s the same way. She has to find everything when she defends or prosecutes someone.”
“And she’s looking for the dirt on Aarón Mora,” I said quietly.
Her eyes dropped.
“You don’t need to tell me that’s why you’re delving into him. She told us that she had you working a case for her, and that was when Rage wanted to know if you’d been vetted and your name.”
Cambria nodded. “Yes, he’s the one. And what I’ve found tells me he’s beyond terrible, and I will find the proof for her.”
Before either of us said more, the sound of a motorcycle coming closer stopped us.
I got up and went to the door. However, I didn’t automatically open it.
Assuming it was Ryder was a way to get yourself hurt or killed.
I kept the door closed and locked and my head away from the window.
My hand went to my back, underneath my cut. It rested on the butt of my gun.
“Stay back so no one can see you through that door window,” I warned her.
“You don’t think it’s Ryder?”
“It probably is, but no use being careless.”
After the bike stopped and shut off, it was no more than two minutes when there was a hard rap on the door.
Then my brother called out, “It’s me. Don’t shoot, or the food goes with me.”
I still darted my head over to look out the window to make sure he was alone.
Not seeing anyone, I unlocked and opened the door.
He bumped me with the bags as he came inside.
I shut and relocked the door while Cambria took the bags from him.
Ryder was shedding his boots. I went to the kitchen to help her set out the food.
“They were busy. Luckily, we called it in. As I sat there waiting, a ton of people went in. God, this smells delicious. I can’t wait. Is it okay to wash my hands in this sink?” he asked.
When she said yes, we both did it and then finished helping her. She placed the food on her small kitchen table, and we soon had full plates. We dug in. I moaned after my first bite. There was barely any talk as we ate.