Page 20 of Tempt Me

“Not a fuckin’ thing. This is a legitimate business and we don’t deal in the shit they’re talkin’ about,” Reaper answers without hesitation. “This garage has been in my family for years and I’m not about to risk that shit for guns and drugs. I’ve got an ol’ lady, kids, and a club full of men and women to think about. Trax has a woman and kid now too. Savage has a woman of his own. None of us are gonna fuckin’ risk them for a few bucks.”

“Hilton, there isn’t anything here,” one of the state boys says, walking in the shop to stand with us. “Do you know why this claim would be tossed out against you?”

“Yeah. One of the cops here doesn’t like to be told no and put in his place when he’s harassin’ an innocent woman. I suggest you look into Wheeler. You’ll find he’s one step away from bein’ put on desk duty because of everythin’ he’s been doin’ in Benton Falls. He’s been harassin’ my girl for a long time and her uncle went to Wheeler’s boss about that shit. He’s not supposed to interact with bikers at all and yet pulled my girl after bein’ told that and didn’t wait for another officer to show up on the scene to take over for him. She wasn’t alone and there’s a witness to tell you exactly what I just said is true,” I answer the state cop as the man in questions enters the shop and glares in my direction while I spill the truth about him.

“I’ll definitely be looking into that. We’ll get out of your way. If anything is busted and needs to be repaired, call this number and they’ll get you a check for the damages,” the state cop says as he hands Reaper a card before turning to face Wheeler.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You’re not arresting any of them and you’re gonna pay for any damage done?” Wheeler explodes as he steps even closer to where we stand.

“Get the hell out of here. Head directly to the station and wait for me to get there,” the state cop demands, his voice echoing in the shop as he steps toward Wheeler who instantly turns around and flees from the garage. Fucking pussy!

“I’ll be in touch,” Hilton states as they leave and head out of the shop to leave the three of us alone.

I’m glad Rubber isn’t here today. He’s at school and finishing up his degree. Since he’ll only be working for the club, he doesn’t need to go for more than his associates degree. Once he graduates, he’ll help Cash with the accounting work so it can free Cash up for other things. If he were here, it wouldn’t be a big deal because he’s a brother. But, with him being away from the garage, Wheeler doesn’t know about him. I can still use him when it comes to Zoey if I have to because of this douche canoe. I know he’s not a Prospect any longer, but if it comes down to making sure someone is with my kitten, I’ll use anyone I have to. Her safety and protecting our baby is the most important thing in the world to me.

“Let’s get the fuck outta here. I’m callin’ church so we can find out about this asshole Wheeler. Should’ve already done that shit. And we’re votin’ on Nails when we’re in there,” Reaper states, anger filling his voice as we make our way outta the shop and take in the fucking mess we’ll be cleaning up for days.

Everything is fucking trashed. We’ll need new computers at the counter, everything we had on display is on the floor now, and I can’t even imagine what our storeroom looks like. Shaking my head, I follow Reaper and Trax out of the garage and set the alarm before locking the door once I’m through it. We all make our way to our bikes and don’t hesitate to start them and take off. None of us put our helmets on as we make our way to the clubhouse.

We’re all in church as I take my seat. Reaper had me bring Zoey in because she’s had the most interaction with this fucker. Taking my seat, I pull her down in my lap and hold her close to me as Reaper starts the meeting.

“The garage was raided today by the state cops. It’s fuckin’ trashed,” Reaper begins as the men around the table all grumble and swear under their breath. “Zoey, I need you to tell us everythin’ you know about the cop that’s been harassin’ you in Benton Falls. He was there today and got in Savage’s face. Said somethin’ about you bein’ his girl to Savage. I don’t know anythin’ more than the few things Savage has told me. So, we need to hear it from you.”

“Okay. Um, I moved to Benton Falls a little over a year ago. I graduated high school early and started college there the second I could. Growing up around the club and with three younger brothers, I was more comfortable with the guys than girls with the exception of Reagan. Anyway, I’ve been riding bikes for as long as I can remember. Started out on dirt bikes and progressed from there. I took my bike with me to school because if I don’t have to be in a cage, I refuse to be in one.

“I’d say within a few days of me moving to Benton Falls, I started noticing a cop following me whenever I’d go out on a ride. At first he didn’t pull me over and just followed me. He’d follow me all around town and pull up to the lookout point when I went there to be alone and just breathe. About a month after he started following me around, he started pulling me over. Bullshit reasons for the most part. Knowing I’d be getting followed, I didn’t speed or anything when I was in town. If anything, I went slightly under the speed limit. I also always wear full riding gear when I’m on my bike so it’s not like I was flashing a ton of skin or letting my shirts blow up and displaying my back and shit for the world to see.

“Every time he’s pulled me over, it’s gotten worse and worse. He’s threatened me, my family, and everyone I know. I go riding with my friend Kingston and he threatened to arrest him for drug charges and he’d make sure they stuck so he would rot in prison and couldn’t protect me. Those were his exact words. This asshole didn’t do any research into me because then he’d know that Slim, the President of the Phantom Bastards, is my grandpa and his son, Playboy is my uncle. My dad is in the Wild Kings out of Clifton Falls and all three of my brothers are in the new chapter of the Wild Kings in Cedar Bay. So, no matter what he tried to do, I’d always have someone to ride with me.

“Anyway, I wasn’t about to let Kingston get in trouble so I started riding out of town with him. The cop would still follow us. Even when we left his jurisdiction. I know he’s an addict and every time he talks to me it becomes more about fucking me and making me his than anything else. When I first started feeling as if I were being watched, I didn’t even think about it being him. Now, I’m wondering if it was him all along. The last interaction I had with him was the day Jameson and I left to come here. It was so bad, I couldn’t even continue driving myself. He scares me. This fucker is completely unhinged and I don’t honestly know what he’s gonna do,” my kitten says, her body trembling in my arms as she relives every single interaction with the fucker.

“Thank you, sweetheart. Go back out and sit with Alex and Reagan. Savage will be out soon. We’ll make sure he doesn’t get to you again, Zoey,” Reaper promises her as I grab her neck and turn her face toward mine so I can get a kiss from her.

Pulling away, I stand after she gets up and walk her to the door. I watch Zoey walk back down the hallway toward the common room where Alex and my sister are waiting for her. Once she’s out of my sight, I close the door and take my seat once again. Reaper smiles at me because he knows I’m fucking done when it comes to Zoey. With a nod in his direction, he starts issuing orders.

“Hawk, do your thing on the computer and find out everythin’ you can about this Wheeler fucker. He’s out of Benton Falls. Not sure of his first name. I’m sure it won’t be hard to pull up. Take the security footage from the garage today and get his image from that if you have to. You’ve got an hour to find everythin’ about him you can. We’ll meet back here then. Not only will we be discussin’ that stupid bitch, we’ll be takin’ a vote. I hope you all fuckin’ vote the right way this time,” Reaper says, looking around the table but letting his gaze linger on Crow and Eagle as they sit together. “The rest of you, I want all bikes pulled into the barn here. I don’t want a fuckin’ one of them left in the open. If you’re not doin’ that shit, go through your room and make sure you ain’t got shit in there that can get you arrested. We’re gonna go through this entire fuckin’ place and make sure nothin’ comes back at us if this is raided next.”

After Reaper slams the gavel on the table in front of him, we all get out of chairs and head for the doors. I’m gonna move the bikes first before I head to my room. Walking through the common room, I don’t see Alex, my sister, or Zoey anywhere. I hear music coming from the kitchen and know at least one of them is in there. I’m sure the others are taking care of the kids or doing something else around here. The Fallen girls are really getting fucking lazy and need to be talked to. Again. Rebel is the only one I see working right now as she stocks the bar and makes sure everything is clean and ready for anyone who wants a drink. Forcing all thoughts aside, I head outside and help the guys move our bikes away from the clubhouse. We’ll have to figure out what to do about the SUVs, trucks, and cars when we’re done.

Chapter Fifteen

Zoey

WALKING OUT OF church, my heart is beating in my chest. That asshole fucking followed me here. Knowing that the cop that’s been harassing me is now in Clinton City makes me want to run and hide far away. I don’t want Jameson or anyone here getting in trouble because of shit that’s following me. Yes, I know that’s not how things are handled in a club. The men will handle the situation, but my question is how many of them will end up hurt, in jail, or worse before this stupid little bitch finally gets stopped. I don’t honestly know how much more of his shit I can take. It was one thing when he was following me around Benton Falls because I always had Kingston with me and I knew that’s where the asshole worked. I could expect him to pop up when I least expected it to happen. Now, he’s somehow here and I don’t know what to expect or think about the situation. All I know is one way or another he’ll get stopped and never found again if Jameson or my family get their hands on him.

Instead of heading over to Reagan and Alex, I make my way in the kitchen and start looking through everything to see what I can make to eat. Or what I can bake. When I get stressed out, that’s one of the things I do to help calm myself. There’s just something about playing music and getting lost in creating something that will take care of those I care about that soothes the anxiety and worry filling me. Looking in the freezer, I find everything I’ll need to make ribs and pulled pork for dinner. Grabbing the meat, I put it in the sink after filling it with water to start thawing. Heading to the pantry, I grab what I need to make rolls, my barbeque sauce, and a cake for dessert. Since we all grew up with Skylar, I know how to make everything from scratch instead of buying the boxed, jarred, or canned shit. There’s also corn on the cob in the freezer. After putting everything else on the counter, I pull that out and let it sit on the counter for now. Getting to work after turning on one of my playlists, I force all thoughts of the cop out of my head.

“Hey,” Reagan says, coming in the kitchen with Xavier on her hip. “Are you okay?”

“No, I’m not. That cop followed me here, Reagan. He’s here now and I don’t know what to do. I don’t want anyone here dealing with his shit or being threatened because I’m not doing what he wants. The man is so damn fucked-up and I can’t get away from him no matter what I do. You should’ve heard what he said to me before your brother walked up to the SUV the day we left to come here,” I tell my best friend honestly as tears fill my eyes.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” she says, walking up and wrapping her free arm around me while pulling my body in close to hers. “Jameson will deal with him. You let him worry about this shit. He’s not gonna get hurt or anything. He knows how to take care of himself. He’s been doing it for a long time now. The rest of the guys will have his back and they won’t let him go off the rails. My brother will do whatever it takes to protect you and I think you’re starting to see that. It’s why you’re so fucking scared for him.”

“I know he will. That’s the problem, Reagan. Jameson doesn’t know when to stop or back off. He’ll keep going until he ends up behind bars. There’s so much you don’t know and jail or prison is the last place I want him to end up. If I call my dad, gramps, or uncle, you know they’ll show up and steamroll everyone to make sure they’re the ones to deal with the stupid asshole. I don’t want that either. I’ve already thought about disappearing so he can’t find me and will leave Clinton City. But, we’ve been taught our entire lives that’s not how we handle shit. We let the guys deal with it and listen to them when they tell us to do something that’s for our safety,” I say, my voice wavering as I try to hold back the tears from falling.

“Everything will work out. Trax won’t let Jameson do anything stupid. He’ll keep him in check. I’m gonna go see what needs to be done and go from there. If you need me, I’m here,” she says before giving me one last squeeze and leaving me alone in the kitchen once again.

Hearing a commotion in the common room, I know church is over. The guys all head in various directions. Their booted footsteps echo off the walls because they don’t give a shit who hears them walking and moving around in their sanctuary. Shaking my head, I put my entire focus back on what I’m doing. The recipe I’m using for the barbeque sauce is one I got from Skylar and the guys back home love it. I’m hoping everyone here likes it too.

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