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“You sure as hell weren’t smart enough to end it,” he seethes. “I’m thinking outside the box, and it drives you crazy. Well, fine, let it drive you crazy, but working with them gives us an advantage you never have.”
I feel the demon clawing at my chest. I desperately want to let it out. But some things hurt worse than physically attacking Seer.
“Get Damien under control or I’ll expose his real identity to the men.” I turn on my heel and walk out the door.
The club will eat him alive if they find out, but that’s the risk he took. Part of being a good leader is accepting responsibility for your actions. If Damien can’t get his shit together, they both deserve what’s coming for them. No matter what Seer thinks, I don’t trust the chief of police to keep his word. This whole stupid plan was for nothing.
My hands shake as I walk out of the conference room. My mind spins from the interrogation. I couldn’t avoid being pulled in forever. After all, I was on duty when Charlie disappeared, and Dr. Talon falls under my supervision. The little weasel told them he saw me going into her room that day.
“You aren’t in trouble,” a kind woman assured me. “We only want to get a sense of the timeline of the day and who was where. There are so many moving parts in a hospital of this size.”
The head of the hospital hadn’t looked at me kindly. He assessed me with a cold hard glare as if challenging me to lie. As if he had any evidence he could catch me on. I told them the story I’d been carefully preparing for days.
After all, Snake has scrubbed all the footage. Except for Dr. Talon, no one can place me at the scene of the crime. Frankly, I don’t see why they’re being so suspicious about it. I told them in not as many words.
“The girl I met was very disturbed and possibly a danger to herself and others,” I told them. “She had an outburst like I’d never seen before. I was forced to sedate her. That was my only interaction with her.”
“Can you explain why people claim they saw you eat lunch with her sister the day before she disappeared?” the head of the hospital asked coldly. Bastard.
“Well, as I said, the girl was disturbed,” I answered, not losing my cool. “I felt bad for her. She was clearly out of her depth. I wanted to let her know about the resources the hospital could offer her. That was all.”
Still, he’d stared at me with those cold, beady eyes. He told me I would be placed on administrative leave until the investigation could be completed.
In disbelief, I walk to my locker and grab my clothes. At first, I thought he was joking. Then the woman passed me some documents and explained I wouldn’t lose my salary or my benefits during this time. As if that matters.
I’ve been so careful to cover my tracks, so careful to keep Charlie safe, but it wasn’t enough. Even without proof, I could lose my career over this. As I grab my things, I wonder if it’s worth it. Then I think about Meredith’s face a few days ago as she told me and Pocus her story.
She didn’t say it in so many words, but she’s running from someone. I can see it in her eyes, in her posture. Whatever she’s gotten herself into with Charlie, they aren’t safe on their own. I can’t abandon them now. I can’t abandon her.
I slam my locker and grab my motorcycle helmet, feeling like a long ride. I take the long way back to Pocus’s house, letting my anger fuel me. Meredith could be playing me for a fool for all I know but I’m not sure if I care. From the moment I saw her, I felt drawn to her. I would do anything for her. Hell, I did do anything for her. I snuck Charlie out without question.
As the wind whips against my face, I wonder what happens next. When Charlie has found a safe home and this is over, will she disappear from my life? Or will she open up to me and tell me everything? I remember the way she stood up to Pocus, how her eyes shone fiercely in defiance. Despite knowing about his demon, she wasn’t afraid. And she really should have been.
She’s stronger than any woman I’ve met. She’s willing to put her life on the line for a kid she hardly knows. We aren’t so different in that sense. Maybe that’s what’s so attractive about her. Maybe I instinctually knew that the moment I met her. Or, maybe I’m thinking with my dick instead of my brain. That’s always a possibility.
When I pull up to Pocus’s house, I’m ready to have it out with her, to lay all of my cards on the table. Something in the bushes catches my eye, immediately drawing my attention. A figure is there, a man, hiding. I don’t recognize him. Nobody will once I’m done with him. He’s picked the wrong house to case.
I park my bike and sneak up behind him. He’s inept at this. He’s so focused on watching the house, he doesn’t notice me until I’m right up on him.
“Can I help you?” I ask in a low, angry voice.
He jumps in the air out of fear and turns to look at me, a terrified and guilty look on his face. He’s skinny and much shorter than me. He’d blow away in a stiff wind. I vaguely recognize him once he’s looking at me square on. I realize he’s the new guy in the club. So what the fuck is he doing over here?
“I’m s-s-s-sorry,” he stutters, his face pale. “I went for a run and I must have passed out. I was trying to reorient myself when you found me.”
Even his voice is pathetic. Good thing Seer has him on a probationary period because he’ll never make it as a full-fledged member of the MC. Not a chance.
“You better get back to the clubhouse before someone worries about you,” I tell him in a low, sarcastic tone. No one over there gives a fuck about him, but he’s at the top of my shit list now.
“Y-y-yes,” he stammers. “Good thinking. Have a good night.”
He walks away, nearly stumbling as he goes. I would almost believe he did pass out in the bushes. Except he already looked mighty comfortable when I pulled up on him. He’d been there for a while. I don’t trust him.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Graveyard walks into the house looking sweaty, dirty, and pissed off. A nervous jolt hits my stomach, but I push it aside. Things have been quiet the last few days since our talk. I’ve barely seen him and Pocus has avoided me like the plague. Not that I’ve minded.
Abigail and Tory have been lovely to me. Tory has been such a huge help with Charlie. I’ve been tempted to ask her about taking Charlie in, but I haven’t worked up the nerve. She seems burdened enough by things going on at the other house. It seems wrong to add something else to her plate.
