Page 3 of Triple the Danger

“You think he’s going to cause trouble for you,” he stated.

Unsurprisingly, he got it, and she nodded. “Knowing what I do now, he won’t let it go that I took him down so quickly. He’s going to be pissed, and I don’t need that bullshit in my life. I don’t want to leave forever, but going out of town, healing up, and being away from him and any other problems he’s likely to cause, might be just what I need.”

“As long as you’re not running because you’re scared of him and think you have to fight him on your own,” Mater warned. “Because you know the guys and I would never let him get near you.”

“I know.” And she did. There was no doubt in her mind they would beat Leon to a pulp if she asked, but it wasn’t what she wanted. “I really do, Mater. But you have that match coming up with Ty and Ream, and that’s a lot of time and concentration that shouldn’t be pulled away right now. Especially not for someone like Leon. The best thing for me to do is take some vacation time, do some travelling, and then come back in my best shape and ready to handle that bastard if he still isn’t ready to let it go. By then, your match will be done and I can use you all as backup if I need it.”

Mater was quiet for a few minutes as he regarded her. She held his gaze, despite the fatigue that pulled at her. Finally, he sighed and said, “You let me know when you’re leaving, and I’ll make sure you got everything you need from your place. And I’ll make sure you have a car he can’t track. But you need to promise me that you ever want to come home, you come home, no second guessing yourself. Don’t be worrying about the match or any of that other bullshit, you hear me? All of that can be handled or rescheduled. Got it?”

“Got it,” she said with a soft smile, her heart swelling in her chest. Mater let few people into his life, and she was one of the lucky ones. If she had had him as a Dad growing up instead of her idiot old man, well, she’d be a very different person than she was now. Still, there was something to be said about finding your chosen family instead of putting up with the ones you’re born with. “Thanks, Mater,” she told him before he left the room. “For everything.”

He stopped and looked back at her, gave a small nod, and then left the room without another word. She smiled to herself as she eased down and closed her eyes. She was going to be in a world of pain for a few days, but after that, she was going to leave town and clear her head. Figure out what she wanted.

Oh, and find a spot to burn that fucking black book, she reminded herself. She was going to leave it all behind her. Just like she did when she left her childhood home at the age of eighteen. She survived then, and she was going to survive again. But this time with a hell of a lot more friends behind her, and the knowledge that nothing was going to get in her way.

CHAPTER TWO

SAYLOR

Present Day

“God damn it,” she yelled as she slammed her hand down on the steering wheel in frustration. The damn car was overheating again; this was the third time in a week. There was no more ignoring it or trying to limp it along until she could get to the next town. She was going to have to take it to get it fixed. “Fucking hell,” she muttered to herself as she pulled over to the side of the road and grabbed her phone to search for garages.

She looked out her windshield at her surroundings first, and started to laugh when she saw a sign just ahead that told her of a Dragons Garage a few miles away. Well, wasn’t that handy? There was a phone number on the bottom, and she figured fate must have finally decided to give her a break. She called the number, but the first thing she heard was the line pick up and then what sounded like a scuffle on the other end.

“I swear to fucking God, Jax, if you don’t give me that phone,” a woman’s voice hissed angrily, a Hispanic accent flavoring her tone.

“Babe, we both know your man doesn’t want you working in your condition, so go take a nap or something,” a male voice replied, clearly unfazed.

More sounds echoed down the line until finally, a clearly annoyed woman blurted into the phone, “Dragons Garage, where there may be a murder today, so if this is the local law, just go ahead and come get me now.”

Saylor couldn’t help her burst of laughter. “If you need a hand hiding a body, I’m sure I could help,” she offered, unable to resist.

“I probably will, but you’ll have to do all the digging because I’m pregnant and the bubble wrap that my man constantly tries to wrap me in is too thick for me to bend over,” the woman joked. “Anyway, how can I help you? At this point I’ll give you anything if it means I can get these assholes out of my hair for a minute.”

“Well, my car has decided to overheat. I’m only a few miles down the road from your shop, so I was wondering if I could get a tow there and have it looked at and repaired. I’m happy to pay any kind of fee.”

“Don’t worry, you’ve moved to the head of the line. Just tell me the make and model of the car, where approximately you are, and I’ll send someone to get you. Are you okay with them bringing you back in the truck with them?”

“Yeah, that’s fine,” she replied, glancing over at her bag where her handgun was safely secured. She could fight her way out if whoever they sent was dangerous, but a gun worked too. She wasn’t taking any chances. She couldn’t.

“Great. See you shortly. Oh, and if he gets bossy, feel free to make it hurt. I’ll handle the damage when you get here.”

Saylor laughed again, unable to help herself. She liked this chick. “Got it.” They clicked off, and she looked around the area again. She was in the middle of a treed spot, and she noted there was plenty of cover if she had to run. She wasn’t experienced with surviving on her own in the woods, but she could figure it out. She had a go bag of essentials that would last her until she could find shelter or get to a town close by. Though, the closest shelter to her right now was the garage, and from the sounds of things, it was an interesting spot.

It pissed her off that she considered these kinds of things now. She had Leon to thank for that, and if she didn’t think that it would be an utter shit show, she’d go back and kill him now. But she didn’t think that would end her problems. See, Leon was hiding more secrets, and not only did she take his little black book of casino cheats, she also took a small piece of paper he had tucked in a secret compartment that included a bunch of names, numbers, and amounts. It didn’t make sense to her, but he wanted it back bad enough he was trying to find her.

Mater warned her that he had shown up at the gym two days after he beat her. That was the first clue something was very wrong, and just how in danger she was. How did he know to go there when she never told him about it? Mater told Leon straight up that he didn’t know who he was talking about, but then Leon showed pictures that either he or a PI had taken, of her entering and leaving the gym. It didn’t appear that he figured out how close of a relationship they had, and Mater managed to keep Leon from doing something too stupid, or finding her car, but it was too close a call for her.

Later that same day a message came and had accompanying pictures.

Leon: Saylor, you fucking cunt, I’m going to kill you when I catch you. You think you can sucker punch me and then take what doesn’t belong to you? Think again, bitch. You took something I need back, and you’re going to give it to me or everyone you know, love, or even associate with will die. I have people that can make it happen. You fucked over the wrong person, and other people by extension. You have twenty-four hours to come see me, and bring that book with you.

Immediately after the message, he sent pictures of her working out at the gym, smiling at some of the people during a couple different workouts. Then her meeting with a client, a sweet young woman who was trying to get her bakery up and running with a social media presence. She was a mother of a sweet three-year-old girl and an infant son who just turned two months old at the time. The last picture was of her sitting in her apartment, and looked to be from a hidden camera he must have placed somewhere. That was when she realized she couldn’t go home, and she needed to get out of town fast.

Mater was pissed, but hadn’t argued with her, agreeing getting out of town was the better option. He also promised that he, the guys, and the gym were all safe and not to worry about them. Still, she called in a favor from an ex-boyfriend she had parted from on good terms, to ask him to keep an eye on the gym for a while to be sure. He was a cop, and hopefully his presence would keep Leon at bay. Thankfully, her ex agreed, and it was him that gave her the information that made her realize just how big of a shit pile she stepped in.

Her ex refused to let her get off the phone until she had at least given him a name, and when she finally relented, he told her that Leon was an enforcer for one of the local bookies, Frank Dunn, who was a mean, and very dangerous, son of a bitch that didn’t like when things didn’t go his way. Her ex explained that Frank was associated with numerous assaults, and was even suspected of being involved in a few murders, though nothing had yet been proven.

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