Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MILLIE
When I wake up, I’m alone. I don’t even have to open my eyes to sense that he’s gone. Axton takes up every ounce of any room he’s in, so I would feel him if he were here. My eyelids flutter open, and I look up at the ceiling.
My neck aches, my head hurts, and I’m exhausted, but in the best ways.
My body is sore, every single muscle hurts, but at the same time, it’s exhilarating.
I can’t remember the last time I had such amazing sex, like out-of-this-world amazing.
We did it one more time last night before we both passed out.
But now that he’s gone, sadness consumes me.
I wish he were here with me. His arms wrapped around me, his lips on my flesh, and his cock buried deep inside me. Everything about Axton Colter is out of this world, and I want more. So much fucking more.
Rolling over to my side, I push myself up to sitting, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I close my eyes and inhale a deep breath before I let it out slowly and stand. I shuffle toward the bathroom to take care of business, then head toward the kitchen for coffee and food.
After starting the coffee, I root around in the fridge for some Greek yogurt.
I throw a few spoonfuls in a bowl, then add some granola from the cabinet, plus a handful of both raspberries and blueberries.
I drizzle the whole bowl with honey before dipping my spoon inside and taking a big bite.
I look out the small kitchen window at the city surrounding me.
I miss the mountains.
I miss the clean air.
I miss the small town.
I miss it all.
I hear my phone ring in the other room and hurry toward my bedroom, reaching for the device on the nightstand. It’s Heidi. Sliding my finger across the screen, I lift it to my ear before I greet her.
“Heidi?” I call out. “Is everything okay?”
She doesn’t speak immediately, but when she does, I am forced to sit down on the edge of my bed. It’s either that or fall to the floor on my ass. I choose the bed. Closing my eyes, I start to ask her again if everything is okay.
“I just… Dante came here looking for you a few days ago again. I didn’t tell him anything, but I’m worried. I think he’s having me followed.”
Pinching my eyes closed, I let out a whoosh of my breath before I open them again. “He’s here, Heidi. But I’m safe.”
“Your man, he’s got you?”
“My man?” I ask.
She lets out a snort, then clears her throat a few times before she sighs heavily. “The guy you left North Carolina for. Don’t even act like you don’t know what the fuck I’m talking about.”
I do know what she’s talking about, because that beautiful man made me come more than once last night.
“He’s got me,” I state.
“Maybe I should come down there—keep you company. Be an extra person around, just in case.”
I love that she says that, that she’s offering it because I believe that she would indeed fly all the way here just to be my protector. Heidi is my best friend. I would do the same for her.
“No,” I call out. “Maybe take a vacation?” I ask. “A tropical one.”
“You want me to go to a beach?” she asks. “The mountains would be better.”
And then she ends the call. Oh my god, she’s going to come here. I just know it. I should laugh, but I don’t. Maybe she would do well in Thunder Rock. If anyone could get the Vicious Reapers organized and keep them in line, it would be Heidi. And I would love to watch it all happen.
I make my way back into the kitchen, add some creamer to my coffee, and take both my Greek yogurt bowl and my coffee to the small dining room table, where I sink down on the chair and shift my gaze from the window to the wood of the table.
It’s not new, a used piece I found when I was out shopping for furniture, but it’s solid and timeless, which is why I chose it. I’ll take something a little beat up as long as it’s solid and everlasting.
My mind drifts as I sit at the table, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck the next few weeks are going to bring.
I’m not sure what to expect at this point.
Dante has found me, or at least he knows my general whereabouts, which means finding me personally won’t take long.
I’m under the protection of the club, of the Vicious Reapers and Axton.
I should be safe.
But how come I only feel that warmth and safety when I’m in Axton’s arms?
Lifting my foot to the chair, I rest my cheek against my knee as I look out at the city’s buildings through my window. Dante is out there somewhere, no doubt plotting my death. He doesn’t want me to talk, and he’s going to make it permanent. Of that I’m certain. So damn certain.
Leaving my half-drunk coffee and my half-eaten bowl of yogurt on the table, I make my way toward the bathroom and start the shower. I let the water warm up. I don’t know what the hell is going to happen, but I do know that nothing is going to happen without a hot shower first.
So that’s what I’m going to do.
PIGGY
Leaving Millie this morning was the last thing I wanted, but I needed to get back to Thunder Rock and talk to Bullet.
I’m not sure how I’m going to bring this to him.
I’ve promised Millie round-the-clock security, and as much as I want to come through with that promise, I have a feeling I’ve just overcommitted the club and myself.
As I ride up to the clubhouse gate, I lift my hand, motioning for the prospect to open it.
Thankfully, he does so with little delay.
It doesn’t take me long to get to the front doors, and I notice that Bullet’s bike is in its spot, which is a boon for me because I can talk to him now instead of attempting to track him down.
I park my bike, throw my leg over the side, and move toward the door, tugging it open to slip inside. The music is playing, but it’s not loud yet. The night is still young, and we aren’t drunk and shouting, unable to control our volume yet. Give it a few hours.
I make my way toward the dark hallway and rap my knuckles against the office door. I know he’s inside. I can see the light on. But I’m not one to barge in, even if I want to. I mean, I would have to be seriously pissed if I did something like that, and I’m not… at least not yet.
I might be later.
Depending on how this meeting goes.
“C’mon in,” Bullet calls out.
I open the door and slip inside, but quickly close it behind me. I don’t lock it. There’s no need. Nobody will just walk in, especially with me being in here. Moving toward the center of the room, I don’t sit down but stand across from his desk instead.
Slowly, Bullet lifts his head, his eyes finding mine, and I watch as his brow arches in what I assume is a question. Clearing my throat, I rock back on my heels, then shake my head once before I speak.
“I might have made a mistake,” I begin.
“Piggy?” he asks.
“I promised Millie she would have round-the-clock security. Which at the Gilded Room is fine, and when I’m not at work, I can handle. But I promised a member, and I know I probably shouldn’t have, but I did.”
“No, you shouldn’t have,” Bullet mutters. “But I understand why you did.”
“He’s here, and he’s looking for her. It’s only a matter of time before he finds her, and they’re bad news.”
“They?”
“The Barones. Shocker recognized the name and did a little digging into the past. His father was a mob boss, which I’m assuming means the son who's after Millie has taken his place as the big boss.”
“Fuck,” Bullet hisses. “And he’s here looking for Millie?”
I could keep the facts from him, but I decide against it.
He’s my president, and he needs to know exactly what the fuck is going on and the dangers that could possibly be lurking.
She definitely saw something she shouldn’t have, and then she ran, which makes him think she’s going to talk, which means she’s a liability.
“He’s here looking for Millie. He was in Thunder Rock, driving like a maniac. Funny enough, I pulled his ass over. That’s when I started asking questions. He was in a fancy car from Nevada. It was too coincidental.”
“Why is he looking for her?” Bullet demands.
I still don’t want to actually say it, but there’s no way around it.
“She was out with him, and he met up with another car in the middle of nowhere. He killed three men right there in front of her while she watched from inside the car. Then he dragged their bodies off the side of the road. She doesn’t know why or who they were, but she knew that wasn’t a situation she needed to be in, so she ran. ”
“And now she’s seen too much, and he’s going to get rid of her,” Bullet finishes the story.
“That’s my assumption anyway.”
“Fuck,” he hisses.
“Yeah. That’s about the long and short of it.”
Bullet clears his throat before he leans back in his office chair. I watch as he lifts his fingers, pressing them together in front of his lips as he stares straight forward. He’s not looking at me. He’s looking past me and thinking.
When he drops his hands, only then do his eyes find mine. “Can you give me your schedule for the month at the department?”
“I can.” I nod once.
“And you don’t want to put her in lockdown at the club?”
I do, in fact, want to do just that, but at the same time, it’s not something I think would make her happy.
I’m pretty sure it would piss her off, and I don’t want to do that, at least not yet.
I want her to stick around long enough that I can piss her off later, not right away.
I don’t want her to take off on me again. I want her tethered to me.
“Not yet,” I say. “I don’t want her to feel like I’m taking over.”
Bullet chuckles. “I can see that, but you’re going to take over, aren’t you?”
“You know I am.”
“Good man,” he murmurs. “Get me the month’s schedule, and I’ll make sure there’s a prospect on those days you aren’t staying at her place. I assume you’ll be staying at hers when you’re not on duty. And when you’re on, a prospect will be at her apartment during the day?”
Dipping my chin in a single nod, I think about those words. I’m asking a hell of a lot for a woman who isn’t an old lady, and he’s giving it to me, but why? When I flick my gaze up to meet his, I see the question there.
“You want me to claim her?” I ask.
“A lot of resources for her, and she’s brought some possible shit to our door…”
Yeah. That’s the way I thought this would go. Shoving my hands in my front pockets, I ball my fingers into fists as I think about his words. About what they mean. Because they aren’t words to throw around, and he knows that better than anyone else.
But this is my second chance.
“I’m claiming her. Millie Monroe is my old lady.”
Bullet’s lips curve up into a grin. Obviously, this was what he wanted. “And you’ll be moving her home?” he asks.
I snort. He doesn’t need to know my plans. “I’ll text you my schedule and hers,” I state.
I walk toward the door without saying another word. He calls out my name. As I reach out for the knob, I stop in my tracks, looking over my shoulder back at him.
“Happy for you, brother.”
Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I hide the smile that threatens to pull at my lips. I’m not going to count my chickens before they hatch. She might tell me to fuck completely off, but she’s who I want. She’s mine. She’s always been mine. I’m keeping her.