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Content, I smile.
We’re silent for a moment, enjoying the fall scenery, when Gauge murmurs, “Olina?”
I stiffen, hearing my dead name. Cautiously, I ask, “Yes?”
Gauge strokes his hand down my arm affectionately before asking, “Olina who?”
If Gauge and I have any kind of future, I’ll have to tell him who I am—relationships can’t be built on secrets, right? I want him to know who I am. Or was. The more he knows , the closer we’ll become.
Opening up to Gauge doesn’t mean I have to reveal who Levi is or what abuse I endured. Besides, it’s not like telling Gauge who Levi is will help. Levi is FBI—he repeatedly said if I ever went to the authorities that they would never believe me over him. He would punish me if I did.
Before, I kept my mouth shut because I feared the repercussions of coming clean. Now, it’s not just me I worry for. Gauge and the club could be at risk of Levi’s wrath too. My green-eyed biker doesn’t realize how dangerous Levi is. It would kill me if something were to happen to Gauge because he was trying to defend my honor.However, I need to trust him.
Tell him, Opal. It’s time.
“Allred.”
I can feel the tension leave his muscles. He’s been waiting a long time for me to share my identity. I’m upset I can’t share more, at least not yet. Dragging up my darkest moments is difficult.
“What do you plan to do with this information?”
“I’ll do what I do best. I’ll use it to hunt down the bastard.”
My panic rises. “Gauge, this man is dangerous. It’s not only me in danger, but you and the crew. It’s not worth pursuing, not when it can hurt us.”
“You’re safe, Opal. I’ve got you.” He squeezes me tightly. “Let me handle this my way.”
CHAPTERFIFTEEN
GAUGE
This is the first solid piece of information Opal has given me about herself. There’s only so much you can do with a birth year and first name. Though Olina is an uncommon name, when you put it into a data search, it spits out every damn Olina born in her birth year. I couldn’t even limit my search to Utah. Just because I picked her up there doesn’t mean that’s where she came from.
Do you think she’d tell me where she grew up? She straight up refused to respond. Extracting answers from Opal is like pulling teeth from an unwilling patient. It’s only going to happen if the person is prepped and ready for it. Opal isn’t ready to confront her past, and I will not push her before she’s ready. Pushing can cause a trauma victim to close off completely.
I had to expand my search to include the rest of the United States and Canada. Over six thousand hits came across my initial search. Chase was able to work some of his computer hacking skills, narrowing my investigation down to fourteen hundred potential people.
That’s still a lot of profiles to comb through, especially when I work a full-time job doing long hours of stressful security on top of my vice president duties. My time is limited. My brothers are as busy as I am, but help where they can, when they can.
Since Opal’s stalker is not an immediate threat, the search doesn’t require all hands on deck.
But now, a full name and birth date will give me the lead I need to dive deeper.
I spent the rest of my afternoon with Opal in the city before riding us back home. She has been tense since I revealed my plan to dig into my investigation. I don’t take her trust and concern lightly, realizing she’s given me a responsibility by putting her faith in me. She doesn’t tell me not to investigate, but I see her apprehension.
When we’re settled in the house, Opal asks if I want to join her in the shower.
“Very tempting, Gorgeous. But I’m gonna need a rain check. I have work to do.”
Opal’s pale brows knit together. “Are you going to try to find him?”
Instead of admitting I am and adding to her concern, I kiss her lips. “Go get cleaned up. Relax.”
Without waiting for her to reply, I turn on my heels, heading for the heated garage where Chase works with his computers. He’s not alone. Atlas and Punk are deep into a card game, not bothering to look up when I enter the space.
“Olina Allred. March twentieth, nineteen-ninety-eight.”
Chase looks at me over the monitor of one of his computers. “What is this? Are we just spouting off random shit?”
