Chapter 10 #2
Reeze studied him for a few seconds. It wasn’t a direct threat, more the sort of provocation people used when they wanted someone else to make the first move.
A test. A small hook thrown out to see whether someone was stupid enough to bite, and Reeze had dealt with that type far too many times to give him the satisfaction.
“You’ve seen enough.”
The man tilted his head slightly.
“I’ve only just started.”
Then he took out his phone without making the slightest attempt to hide what he was doing. He held it up between them and took a photograph of Reeze, his cut and the Master at Arms patch across his chest.
The click was clearly audible.
So was the intention behind it.
Something hardened behind Reeze’s ribs. Not quite anger yet, but it wasn’t far away.
More importantly, it confirmed what he had already begun to suspect.
This wasn’t some nosy neighbour, nor a cop who had happened to take a wrong turn.
He had come here to watch Reeze and find out how he would react.
“Say hello to Dennis.”
For the first time, the man’s expression genuinely changed. His smile widened and became far more real, as though he had just received exactly the answer he had come there to get.
“I will.”
Then he rolled up the window. The engine had never stopped running, and a few seconds later the Volvo pulled calmly out of the car park, without haste or any sign of urgency, exactly as though the man had accomplished what he came for and was simply moving on with his day.
Reeze remained where he was, watching until the car disappeared around the corner.
The first surge of anger was already giving way to questions, because Dennis rarely did anything without a reason and what bothered Reeze most was that he still didn’t understand what the bastard was actually trying to accomplish.
When Charlie opened the door, Reeze pulled her against him before she had time to say a word.
She barely managed to lift her arms before she was surrounded by leather, warmth and him, one hand against the back of her neck while the other closed around her back.
He held her tightly against his chest, and only then did Charlie feel some of the tension she had carried since seeing the man outside begin to loosen.
“That was Josh,” Reeze said quietly against her hair. “Dennis’s partner.”
Charlie closed her eyes for a moment. The name itself meant nothing to her, but the way Reeze said it told her enough to know it wasn’t good news.
When he finally released her, she could see that something had changed in him since he had left earlier. The warmth was still there in his eyes, but something else was moving behind it now. Thoughts, calculations, plans, as though he were already shifting invisible pieces around in his head.
“What do you think Dennis wants?” she asked.
Reeze ran a hand through his hair and let his gaze travel around the flat, taking in the windows, the door and the balcony before returning to her.
“Right now, it doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it matters.”
“No.”
He walked towards her and stopped close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.
“What matters is that he sent someone here. That means he wants something, and until I know what the fuck it is, I’m not leaving you here alone.”
Charlie blinked.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you pack a bag.”
“Reeze...”
“Charlie.”
There was nothing harsh in his voice, but she heard the same tone she imagined he used when discussions at the club were over and people simply did what needed to be done.
“Take what you need. Clothes, medication, chargers and whatever the hell else you don’t want to be without.”
She stared at him.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
“About what?”
“About you coming with me.”
She saw the muscle in his jaw move when he glanced towards the window again. It wasn’t nervousness, more the reaction of a man who had already identified a problem and begun constructing a solution around it.
“To the club?”
“Yeah.”
Charlie folded her arms around herself. She had seen Wallhalla MC from a distance since moving here, heard the engines, laughter and music from the pub and watched the men coming and going, but actually staying there was something else entirely.
“Is it safe?”
Reeze let out a breath through his nose.
“Safe? Not the way normal people mean it. But there I know who comes through the gates, who’s keeping watch and who’s moving around the grounds. Here, any fucker can park outside and sit staring at your window.”
After what she had just experienced, Charlie couldn’t exactly argue with that.
“He took a picture of you.”
“Mm.”
“Of your patch.”
“Mm.”
For the first time she saw irritation flicker beneath his calm exterior, not much, but enough to tell her it bothered him considerably more than he wanted to admit.
“That means this isn’t only about you anymore,” he continued. “He wanted to see how I’d react. Wanted to see whether he could make me do something stupid.”
Charlie studied him for a few seconds.
“Did he?”
That brought a crooked smile to Reeze’s face, not exactly cheerful, but as though he appreciated the question.
“No. But the bastard did make me break just about every speed limit across half the fucking town.”
Despite everything, Charlie laughed. It was brief and still slightly nervous, but enough to make some of the tension leave his posture.
“Good,” he said. “Now pack.”
“You really never give up, do you?”
“No.”
“At least that was honest.”
“I try.”
This time he actually smiled and reached for her hand, pulling her closer again. Not to kiss her and not simply to reassure her, but almost as though he needed the physical proof for himself that she was standing there and that she was all right.
“I want you where I can see you, babe.”
The words hit Charlie harder than anything else he had said. Not because they were particularly romantic, but because they were true, and somewhere inside she had already known what her answer would be.
“I’ll pack.”