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“You said he tried to kill you? I’m surprised they let him out early.” Sabre looks pissed. “Sometimes I can’t believe the fuckin’ system.”
“They said it wasn’t premeditated, that there were mitigating factors,” I say quietly. “He caught me gassing up to leave town and gave me a beatdown in the parking lot, right in front of the neighbors. Someone called the police. By the time they arrived, I had gotten beaten up pretty badly. The police had to drag him off me. I ended up in the hospital and there were enough witnesses to put him away for a long time. But his minister and members of the church all vouched for his good behavior, and I guess the parole board bought it.”
“He sounds like a sick fuck.”
“He is,” I acknowledge. I can’t talk about this with Sabre. I just can’t. So, I just say, “Dylan Everett is the bane of my existence. I don’t want him anywhere near my son.”
He nods slowly and turns to look back out at the street. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Linsey. Just know that me and my club are here for you if he shows up. You’re not in this alone anymore.”
“I’m embarrassed you noticed how jumpy I get.”
“Don’t be. Noticin’ details is a holdover from my time in the military.” A tired little grin catches at the corner of his mouth. “It’s about all I’m good for. That and making sirloin tips.”
I smile, because Sabre has a nice way about him. He’s a kind, caring man who really pays attention to the world around him. I like how he interacted with Noah and how he talks to me. Spending time with him almost makes me wish we could fit our lives together somehow.
“So, when do you want me to give your son his first class?”
I freeze, my mind racing. “Before answering that I want to say something.”
“Go ahead. Say what you gotta say, Linsey.”
“My son has never had a male authority figure in his life. He’s always searching for someone to latch onto. I know you didn’t sign up for anything like that. I understand this is just a knife throwing class and nothing more. I want to ask you to be careful about leading him to believe this is something that it’s not.”
“You want me to set clear boundaries. Is that what you’re sayin’?”
I nod. “Yes. I just don’t want him to get his heart broken by thinking you’re his new scout leader or anything like that.”
Sabre comes abruptly to his feet, scoops his helmet off the pavement, and looks down at me. “I can do that, Linsey. It’s not a problem.”
“Thank you, Sabre. I appreciate you understanding where I’m coming from on this one.”
“Of course I understand. How about every Sunday, say about three in the afternoon? I’ll text you the address. Would that work for you?”
I stand up and pull my spread more fully around my body. “We’ll be there. Thank you for befriending my son. I appreciate it more than you know.”
“You’re more than welcome.” Before I can respond, he’s strolling back down the street towards his bike. “Night, Linsey,” he calls over his shoulder, leaving me feeling strangely hollow inside.
Chapter 6
Sabre
Idon’t sleep much after leaving Linsey’s place. I can’t get the things she said about her ex out of my mind. This woman had to run away from everything and everybody she knew in order to feel safe. I roll out of bed and head to the clubhouse. It’s early but I know Tex will be there, his old lady is a schoolteacher, and he drops her off early, then comes to the clubhouse right after.
Tex is sitting in the bar area with a coffee and a mountain of paperwork. “This ain’t about the banquet, is it? If it is, you should know the word on the grapevine is the prosecutor’s office is gonna ask the judge to deny bail.”
“It’s not about the shooter, but that’s good to hear. This is about the chef.”
When his eyebrows furrow, I tell him about her ex, how he put her in the hospital. I explain that if, and when, he catches up with her, things are gonna get ugly fast.
Tex just shakes his head. “Well, you know this club ain’t gonna let shit like that fly, especially with a brother’s friend. What’s this fucker’s name?”
Relief lances through my chest because I was hoping he’d say something like that. I speak right up. “His name is Dylan Everett.”
“Since there’s no indication that he knows how to find them or that he’s here, this sounds like a security problem first and foremost.”
“That was my thought as well. I was hopin’ we could ask Zen to pull a record search on him. I want to get a feel for what we’re lookin’ at.”
Tex nods as he continues scribbling on his pad. “I’m sure that won’t be a problem. He can check his parole status, release conditions, and any other records available to the general public. Knowing Zen, he’ll grab a lot more than that.”
