Chapter 18
Lauren
I packed enough clothes and toiletries for a week, at Trick’s suggestion, along with all the things Elvis would need. Loading all the shit into my car was more difficult than I expected. Trick and King had to get creative to make everything fit.
Coaxing Elvis into the cat carrier was another challenge, since he viewed it with a level of disdain that only a cat could manage to pull off.
A handful of cat treats and three scratches on my arms later, he was finally secured for travel, yowling loudly to make sure everyone within a two block radius knew how indignant he was at finding himself in his current predicament.
King and my uncle led the way, and Trick followed closely behind me on the drive to the clubhouse. I had to admit that I felt a sense of relief every time I glanced up to see him in my rear-view mirror.
I was surprised to find that the gates to the compound were closed, and Rod was manning the guard shack when we arrived.
The only other time I’d seen the gates closed and someone on guard was the first night I’d caught a glimpse of Trick – or his backside anyway – when the club was having a party.
As we approached, the heavy iron gates swung open, and Rod gave me a wave as we all drove through.
I was barely out of the car before Sinner appeared, stomping out the front door of the clubhouse and pulling me into a hug.
“Viking called me. I hate like hell that you weren’t safe at one of my places, but I promise you’ll be fine here.”
His normally gruff voice was filled with concern. Before I could respond, Uncle Bill was there elbowing him out of the way.
“C‘mon, girlie,” he muttered, “Let’s get your shit unloaded and get you inside.” He waved toward the door, and several of the club members came walking out.
Tony grabbed my suitcase and computer bag, and the guy with the mohawk who I’d seen with Trick at the diner a couple of weeks ago carried the boxes of necessities for Elvis inside.
According to the patch on his cut, his road name was Hawk and I wondered if his hairstyle had anything to do with that.
Wrangler, who had patched in a month or so ago, carried the cat tree.
He held it upright, bracing it on his shoulder like a soldier with his rifle marching off to war.
Trick reached into the passenger seat and emerged holding the cat carrier gingerly by the handle, with Elvis doing his best impression of a rabid velociraptor trying to claw through the sturdy canvas sides to get out.
“Uh, darlin’, do you wanna come get your cat before he completely loses his shit in here?”
“Oh, Elvis, I’m so sorry,” I crooned to him, carefully taking the carrier from Trick.
He grabbed the last few things from my car, then led the way inside.
We took an immediate right down the hallway leading toward the offices, then took another right into the annex, stopping at a door with a VIP Guest Suite sign on it.
The door was propped open, and Tony, Wrangler and Hawk were setting my stuff down. I spotted a small loveseat in the corner of the room and set Elvis and his carrier down on it, talking softly to him to calm him down as I rummaged through one of the boxes looking for his favorite treats.
Uncle Bill, Sinner, King, and Trick followed me in with Trick closing the door behind them.
Sinner and my uncle sat on the end of the bed, while King and Trick took up positions leaning against the wall.
Not a single one of them chose to set on the loveseat next to Elvis.
With the racket he was making, I couldn’t blame them.
I gently pushed a few treats through the wide mesh opening in the side of the cat carrier, and Elvis stopped imitating a creature from the bowels of Hell long enough to eat them.
While he was distracted, I unzipped the flap to open it, only to jump back as he catapulted himself out of it with an angry hiss.
He hit the ground running and darted around the room, escaping into the bathroom when he couldn’t find a way out of the suite.
I decided to leave him alone for a while, hoping he would acclimate to the temporary space without too much trouble.
“We had Tony freshen the place up, since it hasn’t been used in a few weeks.
He put fresh linens on the bed and stocked the mini fridge with some basics.
You’re welcome to anything in the kitchen at the clubhouse, too,” King said, and I thanked him for going to all the trouble.
He waved off my appreciation with a smile.
“Trick, after you get settled in, come to my office and we’ll work out a plan to catch this fucker. I’ve already given the order that we’re closed to outside visitors. We’ll keep the gates to the compound closed, and the prospects and some of the brothers will take turns standing guard.”
“You’re going to have someone standing guard? Surely I’m safe enough behind the compound gates, and I don’t want to make things hard on the club or the members. I know they all have other jobs to do,” I pointed out.
Sinner spoke up from his seat on the end of the bed. “Don’t you worry about that. The most important job any of us have is to keep our loved ones safe, sweetheart.”
I burst into tears. I was mortified, but I couldn’t help it. After everything that had been happening, the heartfelt sentiment delivered in Sinner’s usual gruff, no-nonsense manner was what broke me.
“Dammit, you made her cry,” my uncle grumbled to his old friend as he got to his feet and stomped over to me.
“C’mere, girlie,” he said, his sinewy arms wrapping around me in a tight embrace.
I breathed in the familiar scent of motor oil and leather, letting it soothe the frustration, and the pain, and the fear that filled me.
“I didn’t mean to,” Sinner protested, sounding horrified by my reaction. “I was tryin’ to make her feel better.”
“You don’t need to worry about the club, Lauren. My dad is right. Nothing matters more than making sure you’re safe,” King assured me.
My uncle, Sinner, and King left a few minutes later, leaving Trick to get me settled into the space.
I took a good look around, now that the room wasn’t filled with so many people. There was a king-sized bed, two nightstands, a dresser with a large TV mounted on the wall above it, the loveseat, and a small counter set up as a coffee bar, with the mini fridge tucked underneath.
Two doors in the room led to the bathroom, and a small closet. The whole thing reminded me of the studio apartment I’d rented just after I’d graduated from college.
My first priority was setting up the litter box, which luckily fit in the corner of the bathroom so it would be out of the way. When I walked back into the bedroom, Trick was setting the food and water bowls on the floor next to the mini fridge.
“I know King wanted to meet with you, so I can finish unpacking the rest of this on my own,” I told him.
He took me by the hand and led me over to the loveseat.
“I need to tell you something and I don’t want you to freak out,” he cautioned.
I sighed, then pointed out, “Telling me not to freak out is almost guaranteed to make me do just that.”
He gave me a ghost of a smile, then put his arm around me and pulled me into his side. “You’re right, sorry.” He took a deep breath, and I braced myself for whatever bad news he was getting ready to deliver.
“When the guys were looking around the yard for Elvis earlier, Lucky noticed that some of the flowers underneath the living room window had been trampled on.”
I shifted a little so I could look up at him in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“That motherfucker was standing right in front of the window, and from that spot, he could see in between the slats in the blinds. Since he fucked with the camera recording, we have no way to know how long he was there watching.”
I jerked back, staring at him in shock.
“Did you hear anything at all before the alarm went off?”
“No,” I whispered, thoroughly rattled by the dawning realization that Beau had been looking in the window, watching me as I watched a movie, completely oblivious that he was there. I felt sick when I realized he may have also seen Trick and me together.
I looked up again at Trick, whose jaw was clenched so hard I was afraid he’d crack a molar. “I didn’t hear a fuckin’ thing either. I should have had one of the prospects on patrol,” he fumed.
“Surely you aren’t blaming yourself for this? This is all on Beau.” I reached out and squeezed his bicep, trying to reassure him.
“He’s gonna wish he’d never been born when I get through with him,” he vowed, and I wasn’t sure if he was even aware that he was clenching and unclenching his fists.
Trick left to meet with King and the others a few minutes later, after I reassured him that I would be fine on my own.
I busied myself unpacking everything, then getting Elvis settled.
He finally curled up next to me on the loveseat while I tried – and failed – to lose myself in the e-book I was reading.
After rereading the same page three times and having no idea what it said, I set my Kindle down and turned on the TV instead.
I finally settled on reruns of The Big Bang Theory, but that didn’t really hold my attention either. I kept thinking about Beau, trying to figure out how I could have missed the signs that he would cross the line from persistent ex to full-fledged stalker.
A soft knock on the door startled me out of my thoughts. It was immediately followed by Trick’s voice.
“Let me in, darlin’.”
He looked tired when I opened the door, kissing my forehead as he brushed past me. He had his duffel bag and backpack in his hands and set them on the bed before slipping off his cut and hanging it on a hook by the door. When he started unpacking his bag, I couldn’t help but ask what he was doing.
“I’m staying here with you,” he tossed over his shoulder as he put some socks and boxer briefs in the dresser drawer.
That didn’t help my confusion.