Page 131 of Peaks and Promises

It also didn’t help that we didn’t know what he was driving. No one had seen any bikers in town. He’d probably left his motorcycle and come in a different vehicle, which meant we couldn’t rely on the telltale roar of a bike engine to betray him.

But a bigger question loomed, one for which I didn’t have an answer. What were we going to do if we found him?

Garrett was helping me with the legal side of things. Not that Axel would abide by anything ordered by a court, but a protection order would mean he could be arrested if he got too close to me or Nate. If they could catch him before it was too late.

That was a big if.

We’d purchased a smartwatch for Nate that had GPS tracking capabilities, and Reese had placed another tracker in his shoe. He had apps on his phone that would connect to both, so if the worst happened and we couldn’t find Nate, the trackers would lead us right to him.

They were comforting, but I still worried about things like the trackers dropping their signal or Nate losing the watch.

I hadn’t ruled out trying to convince my mom to intervene. She didn’t have any actual power in the club, but she had Stryker’s ear. She could whisper what she wanted, and he might give it to her. And if what she wanted was for her daughter and grandson to be left alone, he could make Axel stop. If Axel went against a direct order from club leadership, his life would be forfeit.

Of course, my mother would have to return my call first, and so far she hadn’t. And depressing as it was, there was no guarantee she’d take my side.

On the morning of the third day, with no end to our seclusion in sight, I decided to convince Reese that I needed to go back to work.

I dressed in my Copper Kettle T-shirt and name tag, and put my hair up in a ponytail. When I emerged from the bedroom, I found Reese in the kitchen. He took one look at me and his jaw hitched.

“No,” he said.

“Hear me out.”

“No.”

Frustrated, I put my hands on my hips. “I can’t afford to take an extended vacation just because my ex might be lurking in town. I need this job.”

“Might be lurking in town?”

“Let’s be honest, no one has seen him. Maybe I was wrong.”

“Do you really think that?”

“I don’t know anymore. But I do know I can’t sit here indefinitely.”

Crossing his arms, he growled, and I tried to ignore what that did to my insides.

“The Copper Kettle is one of the safest places in town,” I continued. “The SPS are always there. Heck, my boss is their president or whatever. Can you imagine if Axel actually came into the restaurant? They’d have him surrounded in two seconds. What could he possibly do? And Nate’s safe here. Your dad won’t leave his side, and your brothers are constantly coming to check on things. No one is getting past the HDS.”

His brow furrowed. “HDS?”

“Haven Defense System.”

He shook his head with a smirk. “Fine. But I’ll drive you.”

“I can live with that.”

I found Nate out back with Paul and let him know I was going to work for the day. I assured him I’d be safe, and he seemed to believe me. Paul didn’t protest, but he did cast a questioning glance at Reese.

We took Paul’s truck to make it less likely we’d be recognized, and Reese would be sure he wasn’t followed when he drove back to his parents’ place.

Dark clouds had rolled in, obscuring the mountain peaks, and intermittent peals of thunder rumbled. Reese said summer storms weren’t unheard of, and sure enough, on the way into town, the downpour began.

A few days before, the sidewalks in the little downtown had been bustling with people. Now the weather chased everyone indoors, and the streets were nearly empty. It made me feel better. Fewer places for Axel to hide.

If he was even in town.

Reese parked outside the Copper Kettle, but instead of dropping me off, he walked me in. When I came out from the back after clocking in, he’d seated himself at the counter. I wondered if he was going to sit there all day while I worked.