He never wantedanyonehe loved to go through this hell. Whether they chose to use or not, he did not want any of them to ever be sitting in a chair beside him at a meeting.
Partway during the meeting, his phone buzzed silently in his pocket, and he opened it to find it was a notification from a new app Keys and Rose had developed so any adult in the club could track each other or the club kids. The notification was specifically telling him that Specs, a prospect, was near. While it normally didn’t ping anytime a member was next to someone else, it did for the prospects so everyone knew who was around to call on.
Ranger frowned at his phone, cursing Ghost for sending him a babysitter. As tempted as he was to text Specs and tell him to leave, Ranger did not want to be on his phone during someone else’s share. So he put it away, resigned to send the prospect away after the meeting and before Ranger got outside. He of all people understood Keys’ paranoia, and if it was anyone else buthimselfwho was the one currently being stalked, Ranger wouldn’t be so testy about it. But fuck, it was him, and he knew it was because Cross wasn’t with him tonight.
Talk about feeling like a child. The club didn’t even trust him to come to an NA meeting without Cross holding his fucking hand.
Ranger glanced up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath while counting to fifteen in his head. Putting himself in Ghost’s shoes for a moment, he forced himself to consider that after that morning, and Ranger’s confession that he was struggling, Ghostmighthave felt obligated to send someone to watch Ranger’s back. The acknowledgment did not dissipate his anger completely, but it did wane it.
Fucking Colby and his calming tricks.
After the meeting, Ranger helped to pack up the chairs. Unlike the church in Mount Grove, this was a community center where the rooms could be used for various purposes, so it was good practice for them to clean up after each meeting.
He shook hands with a few people, but was not in the mood to stay and chat like Cross usually made him do. He’d been a bartender for nearly eight years, and now he couldn’t stand small talk. Times certainly had changed.
Ranger was swept up in the exodus of those leaving the room, and nearly missed the tall figure standing up. She’d been sitting on a hallway bench, her eyes fixed on the door Ranger had just walked through.
What the fuck?! Emotions like embarrassment and shame came over him a moment before anger took their place. Why wasToniin the hallway outside his NA meeting? Had she followed him?
Her wide, dark eyes flicked to the person exiting behind Ranger, and then back to Ranger. She gripped the strap of her purse at her shoulder like it was a shield as she stepped towards him. “What… What are you doing here? Why are you here? Did you follow me?”
Even with the dark emotions swirling in his head, his feet still took him right up to her like there was no other place his body wanted to be. “Funny,” he answered dryly. “I was about to ask you the same question.”
CHAPTER 8
Seeing Ranger walk out of that room was like a clap of thunder on a clear day. What the hell was he doingina closed NA meeting? It wasclosedfor a reason. That’s why Toni had to wait outside to look for her mom or speak to Edema, her mom’s sponsor. He wasn’t supposed togo inside. Who did they think he was? Why hadn’t they questioned why he was there?
“Funny,” he replied dryly. “I was about to ask you the same question.”
Her? As in, he thoughtshehad followedhimhere? But then… Then that would mean he had a purpose here. That would mean he was supposed to be in that meeting.
Realization dawned on Toni like a bucket of cold ice. “You’re an addict.” The words, while spoken softly, came out sad. Almost accusatory, though that was not her intention. She, of all people, knew the true disease addiction was.
Ranger’s ice-blue eyes flared, almost making them appear more storm-gray, but before he could reply, Edema approached them from the side.
“Toni? Sweetie, I haven’t seen you in so long.” Edema opened her arms to hug Toni, and though Toni returned the gesture, hereyes never left Ranger. “I was wondering what you were doing here,” Edema continued, stepping back. In her mid-forties, she had a kind smile, dark skin, and no-bullshit attitude. Per Edema, she got enough sass from her teenage kids. She did not need it from her sponsees, too, no matter their ages. “But now I see you’re with Liam.” Turning to Ranger, she patted his arm. “I didn’t see Stuart tonight. I hope he’s doing okay.”
“He’s fine. I saw him this afternoon,” Ranger answered. The crisp tone he’d had with Toni vanished as he looked kindly down at Edema. “He just had another engagement tonight.”
“Good. You keep up the good work,” she said, reaching up to pat Ranger’s cheek. “And I am so glad to see you with Toni, and thank your mom for the pies. I know she says it’s not necessary, but tell her anyway.” Eyes flicking between them, she added with a knowing smile, “I’ll let you two be. And, Toni? Next time you speak with your mom, tell her to give me a call, would you? I haven’t heard from her since yesterday morning and I just want to check in.”
Toni swallowed hard and nodded stiffly. Edema had just unknowingly answered the exact question and reason why Toni was here tonight. If her mom wasn’t at this meeting, she’d at least been hoping to see Edema or Charles, her father’s sponsor. But it wasn’t that surprising not to see Charles here, as he’d been having some health issues recently.
It had been a long shot coming to this meeting anyway, but Toni had been foolishly hoping that her mom might have shown up seeking help after the night before.Ifshe’d even been in the house when Toni had pulled the trigger, which Toni still wasn’t convinced she’d been. Her father, high as he was, could have easily been arguing with himself.
Edema walked off, waving to someone else like she hadn’t just dropped a huge bomb of information on Ranger and Toni.
Pursing her lips to the side, Toni glanced up at Ranger. “So…your name is Liam.”
The frown on Ranger’s face did not lessen as she’d hoped with her stupid comment. “How did you get here?”
Seemed an odd question, since there were so many other more pressing ones to ask, but Toni still answered. “Sophia let me borrow her car.”
Ranger’s narrowed eyes shifted to the large window beside them that lead out to the parking lot, as if he was calculating something. “And Ghost sent Specs withyou…”
Toni was a little on the confused side, not entirely sure where this conversation was going. “I don’t know his name, but there’s been a prospect following me around all day. Ghost insisted until we have some answers about…” Her voice trailed off as she glanced around at the others still casually exiting the meeting. “Well, you know.”
“I don’t know, apparently, but I’m slowly starting to piece it all together.” Quickly, Ranger grabbed her hand, and with a startling jolt on her arm, started to pull her down the hallway. They weren’t speed walking, but Ranger’s long stride made it seem like she was. Once outside, Ranger paused until he spotted Sophia’s car and then headed in that direction.
