4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
Sophia waited for the coffee to finish. Although Tack and a couple of his brothers had stayed, Sophia had still been unable to sleep deeply. She’d drift off and then jerk awake, reliving the squirrels swinging on the front porch.
She had a huge sheet of notes on her to-do list to keep herself and the people and animals on her farm safe.
She had a shotgun because her property backed up to a nature reserve.
She didn’t mind the deer that came onto her property, but every once in a while, a coyote or bobcat would venture onto it.
She wanted a way to protect herself and those on her property.
One shotgun seemed like it wasn’t enough.
Maybe she needed a couple of handguns and a rifle.
The shotgun was by the back door and wouldn’t do any good if someone trying to hurt them came through the front door.
This early in the morning, she could hear the creaks and groans of the old farmhouse. It had been in her family for years and belonged to her parents before they passed. Her dad and she had shared the veterinary practice. She’d always loved animals, and growing up had been hard.
Kids at school hadn’t understood Sophia’s eccentricities, but the animals never judged. Her parents had encouraged her to be who she was, not conform to the popular kids at school.
This morning with everything that she’d gone through, she really missed her mom and dad.
They’d died four years ago. She’d met Rufus when he came home to live with his mom because of a job move.
She didn’t think her parents would have liked Rufus, but she’d been so lost and heartbroken after they died.
Him being across the street had them spending time together, and marriage had seemed like the next step.
If only she’d known how that step would change everything.
She’d stayed married to Rufus even though he’d started treating her differently after marriage—calling her names that demeaned her and constantly putting down her strange habits.
The tipping point for her was when he kicked one of the animals that she had in their house because she needed to check it multiple times a night.
She’d known he didn’t love animals like she did, but to see that side of him opened her eyes.
And what he and Jolene had done the following day, but she didn’t want to think about that right now.
She’d started divorce proceedings and hired a kick-ass lawyer, who got her what she wanted—her farm, her house, and her freedom. She’d paid a pretty penny to get it. Now, eighteen months later, things had become strange.
“Is the coffee ready?” Tack asked, walking into the kitchen looking as good as he did last night.
She nodded, taking two cups from the cabinet, doctoring hers, and cocking her eyebrow at him. It was a little too early in the morning for full sentences without her coffee.
He smirked and poured a little of the caramel creamer into his coffee, taking a sip.
“This is good. Did you sleep okay?” he asked, the smirk still on his face.
So she was a little grumpy before her coffee. She finished her cup, poured and doctored another, the caffeine hitting her system enough to make forming words possible.
“No. It was intermittent, and I had so many thoughts running through my head at what all needed to be done,” she muttered, continuing to sip the coffee, staring at his cut with ‘Sgt at Arms’ on it.
She’d watched the shows with biker clubs but was confused about the different positions beyond President and Vice President.
“So you’re a SWAT officer and also sergeant-at-arms for your club. That must be busy,” she concluded.
“Sometimes. Both of those roles protect people. I also help run the club’s gun shop,” he explained, taking a sip of his coffee.
She was trying to focus on his words, but it was so early, she was exhausted, and he was so nice to look at with his dark hair, close-cropped beard, and his eyes she could drown in.
“Sophia?” he asked.
“Yes,” she answered.
“I asked if you’d like help taking care of cameras and an alarm,” he shared, a smile in his voice.
So maybe she’d drifted off wondering how his beard would feel between her thighs, but he was the first man in a long time that actually had her wanting to make sure everything was trimmed and shaved for visitors.
His chuckles had her wondering what was so funny. Oh, fuckity-fuck-a-duck! She sometimes said things out loud when she was thinking.
“Did I say that out loud?” she asked, scandalized he heard her.
“Oh yes, you did, and I can’t wait to share it with the other brothers,” Shield crowed.
Tack turned around, grabbing Shield’s cut. “You will not embarrass her that way. Got it?” he growled.
Oh my! That growl had her pussy waking up and roaring for Tack to come visit.
Tack and Shield stared at her, eyes wide.
“Did I say that out loud again?” she wondered.
They both nodded. Then Shield patted Tack’s shoulder. “Brother, this is going to be interesting,” he pointed out, walking around Tack to get a mug of coffee.
“Good Morning! Good Morning, hot motorcycle men,” Freedom chirped, walking in and opening the refrigerator.
Sophia was thankful for Freedom’s interruption.
“I’m going to take a quick shower and be back in a second,” she declared, running off to her room.
She was mortified. She hadn’t narrated her thoughts in years. Rufus had broken her of that habit because he’d pinched her lip every time she did it. She had no idea why suddenly this morning she’d started doing it again.
She slipped her clothes off, turning the shower to hot to wash her embarrassment away. How long was it acceptable to hide in the shower?
Tack stared at where Sophia had vanished to her room.
If he’d been attracted to her yesterday, today had increased it a thousand-fold.
Listening to her verbalize her internal thoughts and spending time in her presence had him understanding what his Vice President and President had meant about when you finally meet your one, you’ll know.
Sophia had him standing in her kitchen wondering how fast he could get his cut on her back and his ring on her finger.
“Why are you two acting weird?” Freedom asked.
Shield started to open his mouth, but when Tack glared at him, he closed it.
“It’s early. I think I need more coffee,” Tack stated, walking back toward the coffee pot.
Freedom chuckled, shaking her head. “Yeah, let’s call it that. It’s totally not about what I heard as I walked down the hall that has your dick hard in your jeans.”
Tack stared at Freedom. “Fucking hell,” Tack grumbled.
Shield’s laughter and high-fiving Freedom didn’t make his need for Sophia go away.
Lake walked in, going straight to the coffee pot. “What’s so funny and what am I missing?”
“Nothing,” Tack grunted, taking his coffee and heading outside.
Going out the back door, he stared around the property, specifically at where he’d run and lost the guy.
He wondered if there was something the person might have left that he might see in the light of day.
Without thinking about anything but finding out more about the person, Tack set off at a brisk pace, going through the small gate that kept the farm animals from being able to reach the driveway and the land on the other side of it.
He slowed down when he got to the large stand of trees, scrutinizing the ground for anything out of the ordinary.
The ground was a little muddy in the trees from the rain they’d had last week. He paused when he saw a couple depressions in the ground and four candy wrappers that looked out of place.
He pulled out his phone, ringing Shield.
“Yeah,” he answered.
“Grab a plastic bag and some plastic gloves from Sophia’s office. Bring them over to the stand of trees where I chased the guy to last night. I want to collect some items without getting any prints on them,” Tack directed.
“Got it,” Shield agreed.
Tack looked around the area to see if there was anything else that struck him as not belonging.
He turned all the way around, then stood behind where the depressions and candy wrappers were.
He faced the house, and his heart stuttered.
This spot gave a perfect view of the big kitchen window over the sink that had light shining through it.
The window had one of those half-gauzy curtains over the bottom half, but through the top half, anyone would be able to see into the kitchen and identify who was there.
They’d also be able to see when the lights went off for the night.
Tack didn’t have a good feeling about whoever was doing this to Sophia, and he definitely didn’t want to have to go on shift today and leave her. Sure, he could leave a brother to watch over the farm, but Tack wanted to be the one to take care of her.