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I shoot Siege a disgusted look. “You really need to stop. She didn’t come home because she feels like she has to get her own place in order to maintain her freedom and integrity as a person.”
Rigs steps in. “We talked about this Siege. I know you’re worried about your sister, but the way you’re going about it is all wrong.”
Dutch adds. “You’re starting to sound like the controlling asshole ex.”
Siege spins around to have a go at Dutch, but I shove him back with one hand. “No, he’s nothing like Serena’s asshole ex. Siege actually cares about his sister. He’s just confused about the difference between controlling and protecting.”
Siege sighs, “This is just harder than I thought it would be. Now, finding out someone might be trying to kill her has pushed me over the edge.”
“I get that, but the rest of us can’t let you crush her spirit to appease your fears.” He opens his mouth to object, but I interject, “Let’s grab a beer and chill out so I can bring you all up to speed on everything I know.”
Our club president somehow manages to get control of himself, and we spend hours brainstorming how to go about capturing this crazy fucker who seems hell bent on harming the woman I love.
Zen manages to dig up a wealth of information on Stanford Scott. He’s a pompous prick and I can’t wait to get my hands on him. When I track him down, I’m going to arrange a permanent solution to the Stan problem. I don’t want my Serena having to spend a lifetime looking over her shoulder. If the killer turns out to be her ex, there is no way on God’s green earth I will let him live.
When my club brothers finally take off in the early hours of the morning, I set the security alarm and go check on Serena. She’s still sleeping soundly. I crawl into bed with her, wearing only my boxer briefs. I know I said we need to slow our roll and I will. Cuddling is what she needs, not sex. Therefore, cuddles she will get.
She rolls over in her sleep and snuggles up on my chest. I wrap one arm around her, realizing that come what may, there will never be another woman for me. Serena is it. Maybe I’ve always known that deep down inside. It could be the reason I never warmed up to other women all that much. I’ve had lots of sex and my fair share of short-term relationships, but they were never like this. Not even close.
Chapter 19
Serena
It’s been a little over a month since I found out Gina died. I sent flowers and attended her funeral virtually, because Siege and Smoke insisted that going in person was too dangerous. The grief hit me a little harder than I expected. Some days, I still can’t believe she’s gone. I’ll watch a video on social media that I know she would love, and my finger goes for the share button before I realize what I’m doing. It’s heart wrenching every single time I forget she’s no longer in the world of the living.
Smoke is convinced that Stan killed her. But as violent and despicable as he is, I just can’t imagine Stan doing to her all the things the police documented. The Savage Legion have an ally at Las Salinas PD. He contacted the Buffalo police and requested case information on Gina, saying he had a similar case here in Las Salinas and he thought it might be linked. That did the trick. Cops share information with other cops to keep civilians safe.
Smoke was looking at the file at work and kept insisting that I didn’t want to read it. The thing is, Gina was my friend. I had to know what happened to her. I wasn’t the type to simply look away and be able to sleep at night. I went into his office while he was in a meeting and read the whole report, cover to cover.
Afterwards I was sick to my stomach and vomited. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately, since finding out that Gina had been murdered, and the suspicion that Stan had something to do with it, was stressing me out. My appetite had gone, and I felt nauseated a lot of the time. However, what I read in the file today was gut wrenching. My friend had been strangled to death and her body had been desecrated afterwards. I can’t imagine why anyone would do something like that. She was innocent. She didn’t deserve to die before she really got a chance to live. What kind of person mishandles or abuses dead bodies enough to damage them? It’s no wonder her parents had been so absolutely devastated. The thought of Stan doing something like that, did not fit with the man I knew at all.
I’m still living with Smoke. Of course, the brothers didn’t want me out on my own until whoever killed Gina was caught. I hope and pray whoever it turns out to be, ends up being arrested, tried, and convicted. He deserves to be locked up for life. No one who did stuff like that should be allowed to walk the streets or have any measure of freedom.
To be honest, with all the grief, missing my friend, and the brothers traipsing all over the place looking for the killer behind every bush, there hasn’t been much time or interest in sex. Smoke was the world’s best cuddler though. I had to give him credit where credit was due.
I’m lost in my own thoughts when I hear Smoke come out of his office. He stops in front of my door and asks, “Are you okay, princess?”
I stand up from my desk and walk out to greet him. “Yeah, I’m doing a lot better since I started talking to that grief counselor you linked me up with. How about you?”
“I’m getting frustrated that your ex seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. He stopped showing up for work, hasn’t touched the money in his bank account, or swiped his credit cards in almost a month.”
I think it over for a minute before saying, “I’m starting to think that whoever killed Gina might have done something to Stan as well.”
“Or he’s holed up with his extended family in some isolated location, because he’s afraid of being arrested for her murder.”
I can tell by the tone of his voice that Smoke didn’t think much of my idea that Stan could be a victim too. I didn’t know why that would be hard for him to imagine. Often men who thought they were real bad asses by hitting women, ended up getting preyed upon by bigger, badder, and more ruthless predators.
“Either way, her killer is still walking free,” I say bitterly.
Smoke reaches out to draw me into the circle of his arms. “I’m sorry, sweetness. I know that I promised you I would find him, and I haven’t.”
Guilt swamps my mind. “Please don’t take that as a complaint. Trust me, it wasn’t. I just hate that whoever did this is still walking around out there free to kill other innocent people.”
Marge came to the door of my office, “Excuse me, Mr. Drake. Your three o’clock is here.”
He turns to me, “Are you going to be okay while I meet with the Orbans?”
“Of course. What kind of question is that? Just because I’m extra angsty today doesn’t mean you need to rearrange your schedule around me.”
