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“Cash. I want it as off the books as possible.”
I’m not stupid. I know Eric is still out there waiting for me to fuck up so he can get his hands on me again. The more I stay hidden, the longer he’ll think I’m at the clubhouse still or just out hiding from him somewhere else. It’s a game of cat and mouse for him and he’s going to do everything in his power to ensure he wins and takes all of my remaining money and hurts me more than he has so far. This time, he’ll kill me so I don’t press charges against him and no one knows what he’s stolen from me. To get me to obey him, he’ll threaten my baby sister, so I comply with his demands. He always threatens her because he knows I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.
After several more minutes of the fucker leering at me and making me feel so dirty it’s not funny, he finally hands over the key for a room and lets me know it’s in the back on the first floor. As I’m walking out of the office and back to my car, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I’m almost afraid to pull it out and see who’s messaging or calling me. Not many people have my number. Still, I pull it out and look at the screen just before getting back in my car.
Eric: You won’t know when or where, but I’m coming for you. I’ll get my hands on your slut of a sister too. This isn’t over and you’ll give me what I want. You have nowhere to go.
That’s all I need to know he’s the one behind the destruction of our home. Not just the destruction inside to the furniture and other belongings, but the fire too. My heart starts racing as sweat begins to coat my body and my breathing catches in my lungs. Darting my gaze around the parking lot to see if he’s here with us, I don’t spot him, but that doesn’t mean anything. He could be hiding so he can witness firsthand what his mind games are doing to me. Shoving my phone back in my purse, I get in my car and close the door behind me before turning to face Jaelyn with a shaky smile on my face.
Leading her in back of the old building, we park in front of our door and get out with our bags and purses. I unlock the door for us and reach around to turn on the light before either one of us steps foot inside. When we finally do, the sight before us takes my breath away. The bed is made but the blankets and pillows look hard as fuck and not comfortable at all. On top of a dresser that’s scratched and has holes in the side and a few drawers, rests a TV with a large crack from top to bottom. At the back of the room is a bathroom door barely hanging from the hinges as the door of the minifridge sits open. Walking over to it, I notice it’s plugged in up higher on the wall and there is absolutely no coolness to the damn thing. It’s a good thing we didn’t try to pick up food or anything for here.
It’s just for tonight!I keep replaying like a mantra in my head as Jaelyn carefully sets her bag on the small table in front of the window and looks around.
“Hartley?”
“I know sis. It’s not good at all. Let’s get some sleep and wake up early in the morning so we can get the fuck outta here.”
“Where are we gonna go?” she questions me, as she sits on the very edge of the mattress.
“I don’t know. Where do you want to go? We can go anywhere in the world. I’ll dip into my money in order to move where you want to,” I tell her just as there’s a knock on the door.
With a worried look at my sister, I usher her into the bathroom before stepping carefully over to the door Jae closed and locked when she came in behind me. Standing at the door is none other than Lash. I have no clue how the hell he found us already, but I’m honestly not surprised.
“Open up, Hartley,” he demands, his voice coming through the door as if it’s standing open.
Taking a deep breath, I unlock the locks and slide the chain from it’s resting place before opening the door to find an extremely pissed off Lash standing in front of me. He’s got his black hat on pulled down low over his face as his hands are braced on either side of the door frame. His head is lowered, and it appears as if he has the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. After a few minutes, he raises his head to look at me. Lash’s gaze travels the length of my body as if he’s physically caressing me. This time I shiver as a delicious tremble invades my body. He always makes me feel as if he’s ready to pounce on me and have his wicked way with me.
“Lash, what are you doing here?” I ask him, stepping back to allow him to enter the room.
“Heard this is where you’re stayin’ and it’s not a good place, Pixie. The two of you shouldn’t be here,” he states as Jae makes her way out of the bathroom and gingerly sits back down on the edge of the bed.
“It’s not like we have much choice. You obviously don’t want us in the clubhouse and I’m not up for anymore run-ins with your woman. Especially when she shouldn’t be stressed out since she’s pregnant,” I tell him.
“Mona should have never shown up at my house. She doesn’t belong there. There are things you need to know, and I’ve been tryin’ to keep my distance from you. Pixie, you make me feel things I’ve never felt before and I don’t know if I want it. I’m not good enough for you. I’ll never be good enough for an angel like you. My hands are stained with blood, and I have the entire club on my back as the president. I can’t give you the life you deserve, and I refuse to make either one of you a target because you’re tied to me in anyway,” he tells me, slumping down on the rickety old chair sitting with the table.
“I never once asked you for anything, Lash. Neither one of us did. Mona has made it clear we’re not welcome there, and you didn’t actually want us in your home. So, we’re not. Jae and I have a lot to figure out and it’s going to take time, but we’ll get where we’re supposed to be in life,” I tell him as I go to walk away from him.
Lash reaches out with his hand and stops me from moving away from him. His hand is wrapped tight around mine as he stares up into my eyes making it impossible to move away from him. Honestly, I don’t want to leave his side, but he’s basically just reinforced he doesn’t want me around long term and I’m okay with it. I have to be.
“Do you guys want me to leave the room so you can fuck?” Jaelyn suddenly says, her voice filled with laughter as Lash snaps his head to look at her.
I can’t stop the laughter from spilling out of me. She wanted to break the tension filling the room and she accomplished it. Lash isn’t laughing like we are, but he is smiling and that’s a plus. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile since meeting and he is sexy. His entire face lights up as his eyes slide partially closed and dimples appear under the beard covering his face.
“Look, Mona says she’s pregnant. Had Doc come in and give her a test even though she showed me one. Mona made Doc turn her back so I’m still not even sure she’s pregnant. I can have a paternity test done when she’s nine weeks. She’s demandin’ I make her my ol’ lady, move her into my house with me, and tellin’ me I’m goin’ to do as she wants, or she’s goin’ to have an abortion or disappear, and I’ll never know where my kid is. Or if it’s even still alive. Not movin’ her into my house. Bitch went through it and found my credit card, a stash of money, my laptop in my locked office, and wants me to buy all this shit. I’m not doin’ it. Already told her she’ll be signin’ her rights away if she’s pregnant and the kid is mine.
“We’re keepin’ her at the clubhouse in a locked room so she can’t get away from us and do what she keeps threatenin’. Even said that shit in front of Doc. I’m not sayin’ you and I are gonna last or that we’re in a relationship. Never been in one before in my life. What I do know is I want to spend some time with you and get to know you. I just can’t have it out in the open right now because we have no clue what her plan is and what she’ll do if she doesn’t get her way. I’m not goin’ to put you in her path of destruction because there’s no doubt in my mind that’s her ultimate goal,” Lash tells me as Jaelyn and I look at him.
Lash is so damn torn. It’s written all over his face. From his downturned mouth to the way his eyes are filling with emotion. This is not something he gives many people, but he’s giving it to us. He’s letting my sister and I see him vulnerable in this moment.
“Look, Lash, I get where you’re coming from. I truly do. However, I have my own shit going on with Eric and I need to get us a permanent place to live. Somewhere Eric can’t find us, and we can start to move on with our lives. He’s done enough damage we need to try and begin to repair. Let’s just go our separate ways and if we find one another again, we can see if there’s still whatever going on between us. If not, we had our time, and it was good. I know you don’t give more than a night to any woman. It’s not a big deal,” I tell him, trying to pull my hand from his.
“No, Pixie. You could already be pregnant and I’m not lettin’ you go where I don’t know where you are or if you’re safe. For now, I’m goin’ to have one of the prospects followin’ you and Jaelyn around. I trust Austin with my life, and he’ll be the main one on you two. You both need to stay in town. We’ll figure this shit out and I’ll help you as much as I can. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see you again. I know it will be soon though.”
“Oh, before you go, I need the fire chief’s card so I can call him tomorrow. That’s the last phone call I have to make. The insurance company won’t do anything until they have the report from him.”
Lash reaches in his cut and pulls out the card for me. Handing it over, his gaze moves to my chest. I’m not unaffected by his touch and he knows it. He stands up, towering over me as he looks down at me. Lowering his head, he places his lips against mine in a tender kiss filled with promise. If I’m not careful, he’s going to break through each defense I try to put in place against him. I’ll be the one to get hurt while he moves on with his life.
“I gotta get back. I’ll be here as soon as I can. For breakfast in the mornin’ go to Knight’s Diner. Maybe I’ll see you there,” he says, moving closer toward the door. “Make sure you lock this fucker and put a chair under the handle. It’s not much but it will give you a few seconds at least. Austin will be here as soon as I call him. I’ll see you both soon.”
