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“Not me. It’s just more to grab onto.” I give her a wink, and she cackles loudly.
We go down the list of different vendors I mentioned and are blown away by every single one. By the time we’re having ice cream, Luna says she doesn’t know if she can fit anything else in her stomach. She’s not nearly as distant or quiet as she was earlier, and I’m glad. Something’s obviously bothering her, and while I won’t pry, I hope she’ll talk to me about it sometime soon.
We’re at The Donut Man ordering five dozen donuts when Luna stands closer to me. She wraps an arm around my body and snuggles close against my chest. “Thank you for taking me out today. I’ve had a lot of fun, even if we did stuff ourselves like a Thanksgiving turkey.”
I glance down at her, staring at that perfect button nose and then those deep vibrant forest-green eyes. Every time I look into them, it’s like we’re back home in Julian. “I’m just glad you came out here to visit me. I’m going to dread the day you leave, Luna. That’s the God’s honest truth.”
“I’m not looking forward to leaving either,” Luna admits.
“Sir, your order is ready,” the man behind the counter states. He hands me two large plastic bags filled with the donuts.
“Thank you. Have a great day,” I say to the man.
“Likewise,” he replies.
Luna and I make our way out of Grand Central Market. “I’m sorry I was out of it earlier, Brennon. I know you noticed I was acting weird when you picked me up from the bus station. The truth of it is I had a stalker. Well, maybe have is more accurate. He’s in prison right now.”
I blink a couple of times at Luna, and we exit the market, beginning our walk back to the clubhouse. “I had no idea. Did something happen earlier that frightened you?” I’m glad she’s telling me about this, but I wish she would have said something earlier.
“Yeah, but it’s silly. That guy with the neck tattoos who walked by us. He looked a lot like Kevin, my stalker. That terrified me. I thought I’d made all this progress since he’s been locked up, but I think I’m lying to myself. I have PTSD from the whole thing. Some days I’m fine. Other days I’m not.”
“Is he going to be in prison for a long time?” I’m not too great with California laws, but I don’t think stalking would require a lot of hard time.
“He was supposed to be in for five years, but he’s been in for about eighteen months, and he’s coming up for parole. The PI I hired to help me called me to let me know,” Luna sighs, and I can tell this is weighing very heavily on her.
“Can I ask what happened? Five years is a long time for him to be locked up, right?”
Luna nods once. “He was following me places. I remember a few incidents where it was the grocery store, then there would be dead animals left on the windshield of my car. I’d get scary text messages that would just shake me to my core. Eventually, it escalated. One night I went out with Stacey, and we were dancing. This random guy wanted to dance with me. Kevin found me and confronted me about being ‘his’ and how I shouldn’t be dancing with anyone. He told me I was his and no one else’s, then proceeded to strangle me. If it wasn’t for my PI, I’d be dead. He saved my life.”
I swallow hard, absorbing all of the information she’s just told me. “How did you know him?”
“I met him on a dating app. I thought that a bad boy would be a nice change for me. The real kicker is how bad I’m terrified he’s actually going to make parole.” Luna looks down at the ground, almost like she’s embarrassed.
“I’m the kind of bad man you need in your life, not a psychopath like that. If he manages to get his vermin ass out, I won’t let him even get close enough to hurt you. You have my word.” My heart pounds in my chest at the thought of Luna being near this asshole. I meant every word I said. I’m not going to let him near her if he manages to get out.
Luna stops out of nowhere and leans up on her tippy toes to press a sweet kiss to my lips. “You’re the best, Brennon.”
“It’s nothing, Luna. Promise.” I don’t make a big deal out of it, and we continue on our trek to the clubhouse.
When we arrive, everyone is excited that we brought back donuts, and the guys start ripping into them. Luna and I stay in The Clubhouse for a while and drink some Jack and Coke, but ultimately by eleven, we’re heading upstairs. I’m beat, and while I’m sure she is . . . I really want to see how the rest of the night is going to go.
I lose track of how many Jack and Cokes we’ve had. We’re having such a good time chatting with everyone, but after a point, Luna’s tugging on my cut. “Brennon, I think we should go upstairs.” There’s a mischievous look in her eyes, and I’m damn sure I know what she wants.
It’s the same thing I fucking want too.
“We’re gonna hit the hay, guys. See you in the morning,” I announce, and an array of boos and party poopers comes out through the group.
Luna and I disappear through the back door leading out of The Clubhouse and into the small hallway which leads to our club’s kitchen, the stairs leading to the basement, the stairs leading up to the next level, as well as Breaker’s office and the room where we have church. I walk a little further and take Luna up the stairs.
“Brennon,” Luna’s voice drops a bit, and I almost think she’s upset. We just reach the top when I turn back to look at her, trying to figure out what’s going on.
“You okay?”
Luna’s eyes are glimmering, and in this lighting, they’re so much more vibrant than usual. “Yeah, I am. I’m just . . .” Luna takes a couple of steps toward me and grabs onto my cut. She slowly traces her fingers up the leather until she has a hold of my collar. She bores into my eyes for a moment before staring at my club name. “Sarge. I noticed they were all calling you that today. Is there a reason they call you Sarge?”
I release a gut laugh, knowing Luna’s going to get a kick out of this. “When I was prospecting for the club, I was rather young. I had a bit of an attitude problem, and when I’d get shitty, they told me, ‘Okay, Sarge’. It was condescending as fuck and a way to tell me to go fuck myself, but it worked. Kinda stuck with me through the years.”
A sweet smile tugs at Luna’s lips. “I love that story. It’s really cute.”
