Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Delaney
“Iswear it gets hotter every single day. Why do we live here again?” Sloane asks from her chair next to us.
“You don’t have to sit out here. You aren’t even helping,” Kelly snaps at her, wiping her forehead.
With us being stuck here another week, the garden is put together for the most part. Now us women are out here plotting where we are putting everything.
“I told you I wasn’t, but I want to be part of the team,” Sloane says.
“What she really means is that Gunner is busy and she’s bored, so she’s settling for us,” Jane jokes.
“I mean, you’re not wrong. I also hope that by supervising, I might benefit from the garden,” she admits freely.
“You can benefit from the garden and stay cool. How about you go inside and make us some drinks? That would be helpful and make you feel better,” Kelly tells her.
“Are you sure? I really do want to spend time with y’all, but this heat is brutal.”
I suck in a breath, hating how heavy the air is. “I think I’ll go in with her. I think I need a break.”
“You two go. We will be in shortly.” Kelly nods to me, letting me know that she feels it too.
Sloane stands, offering me her hand as she helps me from my kneeling position. My knees are killing me, but I ignore it as I let Sloane wrap her arm in mine as she leads me into the clubhouse.
As soon as the air hits us, I feel a little dizzy. “I think I need to sit down.”
Sloane helps me sit on the tile floor in the kitchen as she moves quickly to get me some water. “I know ice-cold water sounds better, but you don’t want to shock your system. Drink this while I make you water with some electrolytes.”
I do as she asks, letting my body slowly take in the water as I let the coolness of the room help bring my body temperature down. By the time she’s back, she hands me a full glass of cold water.
“It doesn’t taste great warm, but you should be cool enough now to drink it.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
I suck the water down, already starting to feel better. I smile when Sloane sits on the floor next to me.
“The heat hits you out of nowhere,” Sloane says.
“I have never spent so much time outside like this. I’m not an outdoor girl,” I admit.
“Yeah, me either. Not really. I would rather be working on my car. Don’t get me wrong, the shop gets hot too, but we have those industrial fans that keep the air moving. That makes it better.”
“I think maybe I need to keep my outdoor activity to a minimum. At least later in the day. Maybe the morning is better.”
She laughs. “Until summer fully hits. It’s hot as hell midsummer even when the sun is rising. We are lucky, though. We have the sea breeze. I’ve been further south in Central Florida, and it’s miserable there.”
I groan. “Don’t let me go there, then. I’m starting to wonder why I didn’t move to a colder state.”
My phone rings, interrupting our conversation.
“It’s my boss,” I mumble, wondering what it’s about. “Hello?”
“Hello, Miss Harris. I’m calling to see if you can come by tomorrow afternoon once classes are out to collect your belongings.”
I clear my throat. “I’ll need to speak with my lawyer regarding it. Can I get back with you?”
“Of course. I wish it didn’t come down to this. I’ll look forward to your call.”
I hang up, frowning.
“It’s been weeks since I was fired, but they are now asking me to come in to get my things,” I mutter.
“Do you think it’s nefarious? We could send a brother with you.”
I shake my head. “I think whoever has replaced me wants their own space. I think it means they don’t plan to let me come back. I need to call my lawyer.”
“I can give you privacy,” she offers.
I shake my head, dialing the number. After a short conversation with my lawyer, I look to Sloane.
“He said to go. It shows cooperation. I need to find Tank. Do you know where they are right now?”
She smiles. “Text him and tell him to come home. Trust me, he will be here.”
“You think?”
She nods. “I know. Especially with what we all know about him now. I promise, they aren’t doing anything important. Text him.”
I open our latest conversation, smiling when I see the picture he sent me from the store earlier. He’s holding up tampons with an older lady looking scandalized behind him. He captioned it with “Are these it?”
It made me laugh then, and I’m still smiling now.
Me
Can you come home? I have something we need to discuss.
He replies quickly.
Tank
On my way.
Kelly and Jane come in the door, stopping short when they see us on the floor.
“Uh, you guys good?”
I look at Sloane to find her already looking at me. We burst out laughing, unable to contain ourselves.
“They’ve lost it. We should call someone,” Jane whispers.
“Is sun poisoning enough to cause this?” Kelly hisses at her.
“I don’t know.”
I’m practically crying as Sloane stands, helping me to my feet.
“It’s cooler on the floor. We are good now, though. Did you get everything planned out?” Sloane asks.
“I don’t know if I like them being close friends. With the way Delaney can make people do as she says and Sloane’s bad ideas, they really will cause a lot of chaos,” Kelly states.
“Can you imagine? They would be a super team,” Jane groans.
“Wait until you meet my best friend Erica. It gets even better,” I promise.
That only makes them look more worried as Sloane and I laugh even more.
I don’t know how I got so lucky to find my way into this little family, but I know I’m lucky.
Tank
Me
Can you come home? I have something we need to discuss.
Getting the text from Delaney had me on my bike and rushing through traffic without a second thought.
We were having a chat with a former paralegal from the office Blaine works at, but I don’t care what he has to say in this moment.
Nothing good comes from a woman telling you that you need to talk. I mean, I guess she technically said we need to discuss something, but it strikes the same fear into my chest. The need to know what’s wrong and solve it for her is strong.
Acid is at the gate, opening it as soon as I get close. I nod to him before skidding to a stop in front of the clubhouse. I turn off the bike, throwing my helmet to the ground as I stride into the door with purpose.
At first, I don’t see her, and I panic. The main room of the clubhouse is empty.
This is where they usually hang out. My mind starts to race, but then I hear the laughter.
When I follow it to the kitchen, my heart slows as it takes in all four women sitting on the counter, each with a popsicle in their hand.
“Those are for the children,” I joke.
They all look at me, lips the color of their popsicle.
“Bear is entertaining them. They don’t need to know,” Kelly whispers.
“He won’t say anything.” Delaney smiles. “If he does, I’d have to punish him.”
“He might like that,” Sloane snorts.
“Sloane,” Jane hisses.
“Your secret is safe with me. For now. You needed me, Laney?” I ask.
She sobers, nodding.
“Let’s talk in our room.”
“Sounds ominous,” Jane whispers to Sloane.
“It’ll be fine,” Sloane says at her normal voice level.
That makes me feel a little bit better. If Sloane thinks everything will be okay, then it can’t be too bad.
I also like that Delaney confided in her.
I know she has Erica, but she has admitted that she has trouble making female friends because they tend to be cliquey.
This group isn’t that way. If they like you, you are in.
Even if she decides to kick my ass to the curb.
We leave the girls behind and head down into the room we have been sharing.
This room has become more than a place to sleep.
There are pieces of her throughout it. From her clothes in my dresser and dirty clothes basket to her perfume on my nightstand.
There’s the book she’s been reading now that she has some time.
It makes the room feel more like a home.
“Is everything okay?” I ask, wondering if this is where she tells me this life is too much.
That I am too much.
She smiles. “Yeah. I got a call from Principal Marshall. He wants me to come get my stuff from the school. I talked to the lawyer. They said I should go.”
I shake my head. “No. Absolutely not.”
“I didn’t ask. I’m informing you that I’m going.” She folds her arm over her chest.
“Laney, I will let you order me around in every single aspect of our life, but not when your safety is in the equation. If you leave here, he will be waiting. He has been spotted driving by many times. He has eyes on us.”
“I get that,” she says. “I really do, but I can’t stop living my life for fear of what he might do. If I do, it will be like he already won. I want to be safe, so I will let one of the guys trail me, but I need to go, and I need to go alone. If I show up with you, it will make it worse.”
“I don’t like it,” I growl.
She quirks an eyebrow at me. “I know. I don’t necessarily like it either, but I want to get my job back. Until the lawsuit is over, the lawyer thinks it’s best that I not rock the boat. I need to cooperate and not give them any reason to use this against me.”
“The lawyer is an idiot.”
She laughs. “You hired him.”
I sigh. “He’s the best. Fine, but take Acid with you. He follows you all the way there and will stay off property. They can’t prove he is there for you. You go inside and do what you need to do, then you go to your car and come straight back.”
“I can do that,” she whispers.
“Thank you. I know you prefer control, but I need to know you are safe. That is my nonnegotiable.”
“I should be upset about that, but I like it. For the first time, I want to let you take control. I promise I will make it quick, then I will come back here and we can plot how we are going to take the school board down.”
“I fully plan to get the principal fired,” I growl.
She shrugs. “I want to say not to do that, but he didn’t seem upset at all to let me go. Can we get Mrs. Lynch fired too? She seemed happy I was leaving.”
“Done. When do you go?” I ask.
“Tomorrow. After school lets out. God forbid any of the kids see me.”
I cup her cheek. “Let me get your mind off of it.”
She smirks. “You don’t have to get back to the guys?”
I shake my head. “Nope. I’m all yours. If you want me.”
“Always,” she whispers.
“I love you, Laney.”
“I love you too, Warren. Now get on your knees.”
I smile at her, my hands going behind my back as I lower myself to my knees. I tilt my head down into the submissive pose that we have been practicing.
“Good boy. Take my mind off of everything.”
Her hand strokes my head, down my cheek until she’s at my chin, pulling my head up so I can meet her eyes.
“With pleasure,” I growl, ready to go to work for my girl.