AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Babe, we’re riding,” Chance rumbled down the phone, and I felt the tension leave my body.
“We were attacked. Fanatic took a blow to the head,” I babbled.
“Yeah, babe, the parking attendant called in. Bear and Diesel are closer and will be there in a minute. I’m on my way, honey, stay there; the attendant is coming to help,” Chance responded.
“Okay, can you stay on the line with me?” I asked, needing to hear him.
“Anything you desire,” Chance answered.
If the situation wasn’t so dire, I’d have replied with something dirty. Instead, I whispered a thank you to the man who my world revolved around.
Chance
“Who the fuck is he?” Chance demanded as he entered church and saw Sunny and Bear waiting for him.
“Can’t track him. I don’t think he’s from our state, which makes me ask why he’s here for Clio. And the fucker is definitely interested in her. I got the footage from the car park. He hid behind a motor until Fanatic had walked past and took him out. The asshole recognised Fanatic as the threat and thought Clio would be helpless,” Sunny explained, turning his laptop and showing Chance the footage.
A finger tapped Chance’s chin in irritation as he watched.
“I don’t get it. What is his tie to Clio?” Chance mused.
“Can’t find one, and without a name, I am unlikely to, Pres,” Sunny replied.
“What about sending the image to Hawthorne’s?” Chance asked.
“Already done so. Leila might be able to locate him, and if not Leila, I am sure she’ll drag Nigel into it. Between the two of them, they’ll find our mystery stalker,” Sunny announced.
“We’ve got two days, and then this damn event is happening. Do I need to stop it?” Chance questioned no one in particular.
“Clio will cut your balls off if you do. Thalia was saying how hard she’s worked on this fundraiser. If you cancel now, Clio will think that you don’t believe in her,” Bear replied.
“Bullshit,” Chance spat.
“Not so. Think on it from her point of view. She had her breakdown and has clawed her way back. And without our support because we all kept treating her with kid gloves. Clio arranged this whole event and really put effort into it. If you cancel now because she’s in danger, Clio’s not gonna hear that. She’s going to assume you believe she is gonna fail,” Bear argued.
“He’s right, Chance. We put two men on Clio for the next couple of days and then surround her during her fundraiser. Then we can lock her down. To do so beforehand will cause issues because, no offence, your woman will go off on a tangent, and we won’t control that,” Sunny pointed out.
Chance ran a palm down his face. His brothers weren’t wrong. Shut this down, and Clio would probably organise it elsewhere. He’d no doubt she had a backup plan with another backup plan. On Hellfire, they could control the script. And he wanted Clio to have this, to show her skills and receive the praise her hard work had no doubt earned. Nevertheless, he didn’t want his woman in the open and at risk. He was walking a fine line as it was.
“Put two on her and up our security. Ask the allies for a couple of extra bodies. If they all send someone, Hellfire will be covered,” Chance said finally.
Bear and Sunny both nodded their agreement. That was the option that made the most sense.
Thalia
“Why now?” she asked Bear.
Bear turned his head to face her. He’d been watching the ballgame while Thalia read a book snuggled up next to him.
“Huh?”
“Why now, Bear? Why is this man interested in Clio?”
“Maybe he’s seen her out and about and fixated on her,” Bear suggested. His gut told him that although the game wasn’t finished, for him, it was. Knowing better than to ignore Thalia, he turned his body to face her, grabbing her and hauling her into his lap.
“No. For months, she kept to the compound and their home. Then, from what I can gather, she organised a lot of stalls and other stuff over the phone. It’s only this last week that Clio has actually been out and about. So it doesn’t make sense.”
“You’ve got a point. The asshole couldn’t have seen her on Hellfire because Clio either hid in their house or in the compound. Are you sure it’s only a week she’s been out and about? What about her appointments with Janet? Could he have seen her there?” Bear inquired.
