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“He wants a fuckin’ heir. He doesn’t even give a fuck about her wealth. Though I have a feelin’ Janice won’t be gettin’ her hands on the money like she assumes. Nolan will change his mind once Autumn is his and make sure Janice doesn’t touch a penny of Autumn’s money. He’ll use it to further one of his many so-called business ventures. It’s just a matter of time before he turns on Janice and finds Autumn on his own. If that happens, we’re gonna have to put her on lockdown. Nolan uses a fuckin’ hitman to find his victims and he doesn’t stop until he acquires his target,” Goose informs us and my blood goes cold with the knowledge that a hitman can be coming for Autumn and she’s got no clue.
“Are we tellin’ Autumn what Goose has found out?” Hawkeye questions. “I know she’s learned some information about what’s goin’ on. Is this somethin’ she’s gonna be filled in on?”
“No. Not right now at least. I don’t want her worryin’ about this shit when she already overheard the fucker lay his plans out for her mother. For now, we keep it to ourselves and we’ll make the decision if she needs to know what’s goin’ on,” Venom says, leaning back in his chair.
“Who’s the one trackin’ her then?” I ask, remembering the tracker I found on her car when it was brought in.
“That would be Janice. She had it installed by her personal mechanic and always knows where Autumn is. The bitch would put a tracker in her own daughter’s body if she could get away with it,” Goose answers.
“Are you sure she hasn’t done that?” Brick questions, leaning over the table with his arms crossed in front of him.
“No, I’m not. We can have Doc take a look and see if she notices anythin’ out of the ordinary, but we’d have to explain the situation to Autumn. That’s Venom’s call to make. What I do know for sure is no one’s seen Janice in their hometown for at least a week now. It’s as if she’s disappeared and didn’t let anyone know where she was goin’. I’m not sure if she’s headin’ here or what’s goin’ on though. She’s not usin’ her cards or anythin’ else I can use to track her,” Goose answers as Venom thinks about what to do regarding Autumn getting checked to see if a tracker has been implanted on her body.
“We’re gonna hold off on havin’ Doc check her for a tracker right now. I want to see if this bitch has the balls to show up in Cedar Bay. Brick and Ghost are still gonna be followin’ Autumn when she’s not at the garage or here in the clubhouse. I want extra Prospects stationed outside and close to the gate to make sure no one’s tryin’ to get in that way. Goose, make sure the security measures are workin’ properly so we don’t have any surprises happen. We’re not goin’ on lockdown if we don’t have to at this point. If things change, we’ll start with it just bein’ Autumn, the ol’ ladies, and kids. We’re not gonna have them unprotected for any reason. Quinn is the only exception for when she goes to the hospital to visit the baby. Then, I want three members and two Prospects on her,” Venom orders as he looks around the table at us all.
Venom calls church after making sure there’s nothing else we need to talk about. I remain in my seat while everyone else rushes out of our meeting room. They’re rushing to the bar to get a drink since they’re out of work early today but I don’t want to drink. I can’t when we don’t know if Autumn’s going to leave the clubhouse or not. Can’t be tipsy or drunk when we have to keep an eye on her. I’ll have a drink before I go to bed tonight. Brick also remains in his seat. We’re the last two to leave the room as we go to the common room and take a table for ourselves away from everyone else. Both of us have a lot to think about and figure out when it comes to Autumn and how we’re gonna move forward with her. If we want to move forward with her.
Chapter Nine
Autumn
I’VE LEARNED I’M being followed by Ghost and Brick. If I’m not at the clubhouse or work, they’re on my ass. While I appreciate the gesture, it makes me feel like I’m back with my mother in a way. She never let me do what the fuck I want or go where I want to go without knowing where I am at all times. I understand this situation is completely different and they’re doing it as a safety precaution instead of trying to control me. No one in the Wild Kings has told me I can’t go anywhere or do something at any time since I’ve been here. With the exception of where I can and can’t go in the clubhouse. There are certain rooms off limits to anyone who’s not a member and that’s not the same as being restricted about what I can and can’t do.
While I know that the club is responsible for Ghost and Brick following me around, I’m not sure why they’ve started paying attention to me again. It’s nothing major as they both spend a few minutes with me when they’re around. Brick flirts like he did in the beginning and Ghost is a silent sentry at my side. They both look at me with desire and lust filled eyes, but haven’t made a move on me since that one time together weeks ago. I’m not sure I’m actually ready to accept them in my bed again after the way they’ve ignored me and treated me as if nothing happened. It hurts more than I’ll ever admit to even myself. Quinn doesn’t even know how I feel about the situation and she’s gotten me to talk about things more than once. Anyway, I’m just going to keep an eye on the men and figure out what their game plan is. I’m not a pawn to be played with and that’s something I’ll be sticking to moving forward.
Today I’m taking the day off from the garage. I haven’t really had one since I started and Venom told me to take the day for whatever I need to do. They can handle the office for a day and make sure they don’t trash it before I get back there tomorrow. I’m not sure they can go a full day without trashing the office, but we’ll see. These men are pigs and I’m sure I’ll go back to find my desk covered in paperwork and greasy rags they use to wipe their hands off. The breakroom will need to be cleaned and I don’t even want to think about the bathrooms if I don’t clean them on a daily basis. At least their bathroom. It’s gross.
My plan is to stay at the clubhouse since I know both Brick and Ghost are at work today. I don’t want to force anyone to follow me, but I’m not about to let anyone else know where I spend my time. It’s bad enough that those two know. I’m not ashamed of my love of reading. It’s just something I don’t advertise. I’ve been called so many names by others who bullied me because I would rather read than go out and party. Parties have never been my scene and that’s okay. Getting lost in a world that someone has created is much more my style than getting dressed up and covered in make-up to pretend everything in my world is perfect when it’s a fucking lie. I hate lying and those who make up stories to gain an advantage over someone. It’s something I’ve watched my mother do on a daily basis and why I hate it so fucking much.
After cleaning my room, I find a good book from one of the few I brought with me when I left, and curl up in bed. My phone is charging on the stand next to me in case I need it for any reason. I don’t believe I’ll need it because I don’t talk to anyone. Still, it’s a comfort thing to me and one I take because there’s not much else I can do here.
Getting lost in my book, it takes me a few seconds to realize my phone is ringing. Setting my book aside, I look down at the screen to see my mother calling me. She’s finally decided to reach out after me being gone for weeks now. A large part of me doesn’t want to answer, but if it means she won’t show up anywhere near Cedar Bay, it’s something I have to do. Taking a deep breath, I brace myself for the verbal beatdown I’m about to get from her.
“Hello, Mother,” I answer my phone, anger starting to build up in me as I wonder what she’ll have to say.
“Autumn, I’m tired of playing your childish games. Where the hell are you?” she screams into the phone.
“I’m sure you think you know where I am, Mother. I did find the tracker on my car. How long has it been there?” I return, letting years of pent-up anger out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Autumn,” she says, her voice shaking which is the first sign of her lying to me.
“Yeah, you do. But that’s not why you called. So, why don’t you enlighten me as to why I get to hear from you after weeks of being gone.”
“Autumn, I am your mother and you will respect me,” she starts to say as laughter falls from me with no way of stopping it.
“You’re not a mother to me, Janice. You might have given birth to me, but that’s about all I can say. A mother loves her child and doesn’t beat them down the way you’ve done to me for my entire life. You locked me in closets for hours on end, belittled me, beat me down on a daily basis, and have made my life a living hell. You’ve tried to steal from me countless times, and have stooped as low as to try to force me to marry a man who wants to kill or sell me after he gets an heir. So, no, I won’t be showing you an ounce of respect because you haven’t earned that shit from me,” I tell her, tears forming in my eyes as I relive every horrible thing she’s done to me over the years.
“Grow the fuck up, Autumn. You’re such a spoiled fucking brat. You’re to get your shit together, get in your car, and head home. Now,” she orders me as if I’m actually going to follow her word now.
“No, I’m really not. I’m going to stay where I am, curl back up with my book, and forget you even called me. That sounds like a much better idea. I’m not about to return to your house where you can beat me and force me to marry a killer. You’re fucking crazy if you think that’s about to happen,” I inform her, ready to hang up the phone.
“What do you think is gonna happen to your new little friends when the police show up, Autumn? They’re not the great people I’m sure you believe they are. Nolan will do whatever it takes to bring you back home to go through with the marriage. He’s paid for you and you need to fulfill your end of the deal,” my mother states through gritted teeth based on the tone of her voice.
“If you want the contract fulfilled, then you marry the sick fuck. You’re the one who made the deal and I want no part of it. You can’t fucking sell me, Mother. So, again, I won’t be leaving here to come back to your bullshit way of life. And I’ll make sure everyone here knows you’ve threatened to bring the cops here to their home and town. I’m sure they’ll take kindly to that,” I promise my mother before hanging up the phone.
My entire body is trembling as I realize what I’ve just done. For the first time in my life, I’ve stood up to the bitch who gave birth to me. She’s nothing more than an incubator as far as I’m concerned. My heart is racing and I’m having a hard time getting in a full breath as the implications of what I’ve just done set in. My mother is going to come for me even harder now. I can’t remain in Cedar Bay now. Not only will her and Nolan come after the club and everyone associated with it, but they’ll make sure my punishment is even worse than anything I’ve ever experienced up to this point. I have to leave here. Immediately.
Getting off my bed, I completely forget all about my book and rush around to put a pair of jeans on before grabbing my purse and everything I’ll need to start putting together a plan to get the fuck out of Cedar Bay and away from everyone. Especially now that I know there’s no tracker on the car. I can use it while I’m here before making sure I take off in something new that my mother hasn’t seen before. Or Nolan. This way I know they won’t be able to put a tracker or anything else on the damn thing. My first stop is going to be a visit to Dr. Tallman though. I’ve been curious about something for the last week or so and I want her to make sure I’m just having crazy thoughts after reading a story line.
