13. Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Thirteen
They’d just finished lunch. Torrent wondered if the animals would actually make it to their room. As soon as they walked through the clubhouse doors, all the guys had crowded around the animals and begged Calliope to let them hold the smaller ones.
For some reason, Reaper, the cat, didn’t like Maverick.
It could have been that Mav hurt its feelings because the first thing he’d said when he saw it was, “What the fuck is that thing?” Calliope had taken offense and told Mav he needed to apologize.
Dragon had laughed so much at Mav trying to backtrack after he’d offended Calliope that Dragon fell off the seat he was on.
Torrent had to admit it had been funny watching Mav tell the cat that he hadn’t meant for his words to hurt the cat’s feelings.
Torrent appreciated the care that his brother was taking with helping Calliope feel safe and happy. Reaper had loved Harley.
Cauldron had bonded with Beast, the raccoon, and had looked up online what type of things raccoons could eat and sent a Prospect for some snacks.
Once the Prospect had returned, Cauldron had made him cut up all the fruit to keep in the refrigerator.
Seeing this huge, rough-and-tumble biker loving on Beast was too funny.
Torrent had snapped some pictures to use when Cauldron pissed him off again.
Shadow, the French Bulldog, was lying on a blanket on the floor with Calliope, letting her paint her toenails.
She wanted them to match the collar they’d bought the female pup.
He wondered if she’d try painting Monster’s nails next.
Harley was sitting beside her with Reaper cuddling in his lap.
The fact that the cat was larger than the Frenchie was interesting.
Now, they were all just chatting and enjoying the animals. Torrent was glad to see Monster had bonded with Cecilia and didn’t seem inclined to leave her side.
Dragon had come over to pet him, and Monster let him but stayed glued to Cecilia’s side.
Dragon’s phone beeped with a text, and the look on Dragon’s face had Torrent taking notice.
“Darlin’, did you tell anyone you were staying here?” he asked Cecilia.
“No, the only non-MC people I’ve talked to are Linny’s mom, Judith, and the school.
I told both that she had the flu and wouldn’t be at school this week.
If we need to keep her out longer, we’ll need a better excuse because influenza wouldn’t keep her out for longer than ten days,” Cecilia explained.
“So how did she find out you were at our clubhouse?” Dragon mused.
“Calliope, have you talked with Linny about where we’re staying?” Cecilia asked.
“I haven’t talked to her at all. I’m supposed to be sick, so I answered her that I didn’t feel good enough to talk or text when she texted.
She hasn’t listened because she’s been blowing up my phone asking where I was and when I was coming back,” Calliope recounted, finishing the dog’s nails and blowing on them to dry them.
Dragon gestured toward the stairs. “Darlin’, how about you take Beast, Shadow, and Reaper to your room with Cauldron, Harley, and Sally? We need to keep the illusion you’re sick.”
“Hey, Calliope, can I borrow your phone to check something?” Gunner inquired softly.
“Okay,” Calliope said, handing her phone to Gunner before picking up Shadow and motioning to Cauldron and Sally to get the other animals. Torrent adored that she was comfortable enough in the clubhouse not to think twice about requesting help with the animals.
Cecilia had applied the makeup to her neck and face. She didn’t look perfect, but no one who didn’t know could tell she had been attacked.
“Let’s see if we can figure out how she knew you were here without giving her any more information than we want her to have,” Dragon stated, texting the front gate.
Torrent didn’t like that she was just showing up because how did she know that Cecilia was at the clubhouse in the first place? Not to mention, the average person would be a little nervous about coming to the clubhouse.
“Maverick, meet her car and escort her in. Use your charm to see if you can get some information from her,” Dragon ordered.
“Now he wants my flappy lips,” Mav muttered as he walked out.
Torrent sat in the chair at the table beside Cecilia, laying his arm along the back of her chair.
The smile she gifted him with told him she was okay, at least for now.
Monster was lying at her feet, taking a nap.
He’d raised his head as the other animals left but then laid his head down and closed his eyes.
“Judith and I aren’t close friends. I continued the arrangement my mom had with her of our family taking the girls to school and Judith picking them up.
It doesn’t make sense for her to be this invested in where I’m at or how I’m doing because we’ve only talked or texted maybe five or six times since I moved back, and it was all regarding pickups or drop-offs,” Cecilia clarified.
Torrent glanced at Gunner. Torrent didn’t trust Judith’s intentions. Gunner gave a small nod and continued checking Calliope’s phone.
“I don’t know if you can work it into the conversation but maybe offer her a drink and take her to the kitchen. It would give me a chance to look through her purse if she leaves it at the table, and we can monitor your conversation from here,” Gunner suggested.
“I’m sure I can,” Cecilia agreed.
Maverick walked in with Judith, laughing and talking. Judith spotted Cecilia and hurried toward her.
“Oh, Cecilia, I’m so glad you’re okay. Where’s Calliope? Is she doing better? Why are you staying here?” Judith rapid-fired the questions at Cecilia.
Torrent scrutinized her body language. Her eyes darted around the clubhouse as if she was cataloging where everything was. She wasn’t even looking at Cecilia for the answer.
“Oh, I appreciate that, Judith,” Cecilia responded, motioning to the seat. Judith sat down across from her, and Maverick sat beside her. Judith laid her purse on the floor and leaned on the table.
“It seems so strange that if Calliope’s sick, you’d be here instead of at home,” Judith pried.
Cecilia laughed, leaning closer to Torrent. “Oh, that’s because Calliope wasn’t the first one to come down with the flu. It was me. I passed out, and Calliope found me when she came home from school. She knew Torrent’s and my history, so she called him for help,” Cecilia elaborated.
“Your history?” Judith questioned sharply, narrowing her eyes.
“Oh, it’s too long of one to go into right now. But I’m curious why you’re checking on us. I told you Calliope would be out with the flu. The school is full of it. It’s just the flu,” Cecilia stated smoothly.
Torrent watched Judith shift in the chair and look anywhere but at Cecilia. His wife had turned the tables on her, and Judith hadn’t been prepared for that. What was her game?
“Where are my manners? I’ve been really thirsty since having the flu. How about you and I go in the kitchen and get a drink?” Cecilia offered.
Torrent didn’t imagine the light in Judith’s eyes. For some reason, she wanted Cecilia alone.
“Oh, that sounds good,” Judith eagerly agreed, standing and going to pick up her purse. When her hand went under the table, Monster growled. Judith jumped back.
“You don’t need your purse. We’re not going to charge you for a drink from the kitchen.
Now if the bar was open, you might need to pay.
Would you like iced tea, a soda, or water?
” Cecilia asked, leading Judith out of the room.
Monster didn’t growl again, but he followed Cecilia and Judith into the kitchen.
Torrent started to get up and go to the computer room.
“We’re good. I installed the app on my phone. Here, you listen while we look through her purse,” Gunner said quietly, handing the phone and his EarPods to Torrent.
Torrent slid the EarPod in and watched the screen. Judith was standing by the table. Monster had posted up between her and where Cecilia was pouring iced tea into two glasses.
“Cecilia, you can’t be comfortable here. Why don’t you and Calliope come home? I can bring you food and things. You’ve had a lot of upheaval with your parents’ death. I’m not sure you’re thinking clearly,” Judith insinuated.
Cecilia handed her a glass then leaned against the counter, sipping hers. He was glad she wasn’t putting herself close to Judith. Something was definitely rotten, and they needed to get to the bottom of it.
“I am comfortable here. Everyone has helped out. Why would I not be thinking clearly?” Cecilia countered.
“Well, I mean, umm, your parents died, and you moved here,” Judith fumbled.
“I’m an emergency room nurse, so I’m used to dealing with a lot at one time. We really don’t know each other well. I appreciate the offer, but why did you come here?” Cecilia demanded.
“To help you,” Judith snapped, her tone hardening.
Torrent wished he could see Judith’s face closer, but if he zoomed in on her face, Cecilia wouldn’t be in view.
“What made you think I’d be here?” Cecilia asked.
“Calliope told Linny you were staying here,” Judith lied.
“Oh, they are good friends,” Cecilia responded smoothly. His wife was a smart one, not letting Judith know that they knew she was lying.
“Yes, and I would feel better seeing Calliope in person to check how she’s doing,” Judith insisted, standing up from the table and taking a step toward Cecilia. A low growl stopped her.
“I so appreciate you coming by to check on us. I’ll let Calliope know that Linny was worried and had you check on her. She’s sleeping and I don’t want to wake her. Rest is such a huge part of recuperating from the flu. Let me show you out,” Cecilia concluded, motioning toward the door.
Judith stared at her for a minute, then walked out of the room. Gunner had finished going through her stuff and had placed it back on the floor. Torrent pulled the EarPod out and laid Gunner’s phone face down on the table.
“I really wish I could tell Linny that I’d seen Calliope with my own eyes and she was doing better,” Judith whined as she and Cecilia walked back to the table.
“You know, Judith, you caring so much about Calliope’s well-being is so sweet. We’re so lucky to have you and Linny looking out for us,” Cecilia said, stopping to stand by Torrent.
“I’ll walk you out, gorgeous, and you can tell me how a woman like you doesn’t have a man, right now. I mean, that is just a crime,” Mav interjected, taking Judith’s arm after she picked up her purse. Mav led her out of the room.
Torrent stood up and held his arms out. Cecilia went into them, her arms wrapping around him.
“She’s up to something,” Cecilia muttered against his chest.
“She is, but you did fantastic,” Torrent reassured her, holding her in his arms, wishing he knew what was going on. He wanted to keep them safe, but they didn’t have all the pieces yet. Hopefully, Gunner would find something.
“Good job, darlin’. Now we need to figure out what is going on,” Dragon added warmly.
“Give me twenty-four hours. There’s a couple leads that I need to run down. I’d like to keep Calliope’s phone to go over some more, if that’s okay?” Gunner asked.
“Yes, we’ll be here at the clubhouse, and there’s nothing she needs it for, especially if she’s not replying to Linny,” Cecilia agreed.
Torrent didn’t have a good feeling about this. Hopefully, between Gunner’s research and Fury and Mammoth stopping in Nebraska, they’d get some more information.