Page 31 of Pike’s Redemption

“The things left for me weren’t malicious like this.” The clarification hung there. If I were being honest, this seemed like a step beyond — towards evil. I wanted to press her for an answer about all the things that she was leaving unsaid and what the actual fuck she was not talking about, but I didn’t. It was making me exhausted.

“I didn’t have time to go over the system to find a weak point, but the lights were affected this time,” she continued as if I was over here fighting not to shake her. She was acting like there wasn’t some psycho outside. Oh, wait, two psychos outside throwing dead animals at our windows and leaving her some creepy presents?

“I’ve notified Dimitri,” Luca said abruptly, shoving his phone in his pocket and glaring at Ronnie. Whatever went on, he was not happy at all with her.

I groaned. That wasn’t good at all. Even Ronnie’s mood finally shifted at that news. Typing furiously, I tapped a message for Pike.

Me: someone threw something @ window. im fine

Pike: u alright

Me: ??

Pike: omw

Fuck. Well, that wasn’t necessary, but there wasn’t any point in telling him not to come. He wouldn’t appreciate it, first of all, and there was no way he wouldn’t want to see this shit show himself.

Pretty soon, we’d end up with both MCs here, and Max would be flying his ass back. There would be two MCs and a Bratva alpha-hole—a whole circus. Pouring myself a tall frosty glass of milkshake, I turned away from the slider, ignoring the situation, and trusted that it’d be fine.

“You didn’t have to be such a tattle-tale Luca,” Ronnie said with a pout, slumping into one of the low benches at the dining table and pulling her legs up under her, making herself look even smaller in the oversized t-shirt she was wearing.

“Whatever,” Luca retorted as if he couldn’t care less that Ronnie was pissed off at him, even though we all knew that Luca had a real weakness for my sister. He’d been assigned to be her guard years ago when she was sick, and he’d seen her through many phases of life. No way would he let her get hurt by some sicko.

A few minutes later, Enzo trekked back into the kitchen and mumbled to Luca in Russian, cutting his eyes back and forth to the outside and then back to us. He’d shed his suit jacket and rolled up his sleeves. Sweat gleamed on his skin, either from the heat or because he’d taken an actual run around the property.

“Well?” I finally snapped, impatient, after Enzo drank a glass of water. “What did you see? Obviously, you didn’t catch anyone.”

“Nyet, no. We weren’t that lucky. I just did a fast lap, but Dimitri will bring men to rerun the perimeter.” He breathed deeply, sighing as he looked outside thoughtfully. Enzo was competent at his job and quick to think of solutions. I’d never been in danger before, but I had always known Enzo was there to protect me. “Some areas of the grounds were disturbed, but I couldn’t find anyone on the immediate grounds. It could be a trap to lure me away and leave the house with only Luca to guard it.” Enzo ran over his thoughts aloud, and I appreciated it because it let me understand the reasoning. Luca repeated something to him in Russian, and there was the ‘nyet’ again.

“I need my computer.” Ronnie got up from the bench, stretching as if bored beyond her imagination. She’d polished off the milkshake and pulled herself to her full height of just over five feet nothing. Luca held up a hand, a muscle in his jaw ticking.

“I’ll get it for you. Or I’ll escort you down to pick it up. Until we reestablish security, you will not be going anywhere alone.”

“Sure, big guy. You can go get it for me.” Ronnie arranged herself back on the bench while waiting until Luca returned with her laptop, which he handed over to her with another frown.

I was going to address the elephant in the room when the roar and thunder of motorcycles outside announced the obvious and had Luca and Enzo going to the door. The driveway was teeming with motorcycles, Iron Brotherhood, and Cobra cuts, but my eyes were on Pike.

Pike moved through the door with purpose, his eyes locking on mine when he stepped inside. The tension in the room shifted, coiling tighter as he assessed the situation. He didn’t ask questions, and he didn’t need to. He took one look at me, then at the bloody mess on the glass, and I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface.

Without breaking stride, he crossed the room and embraced me firmly, his hand cradling the back of my head. “You okay?” His voice was a low rumble, barely restrained.

I nodded against his chest, taking in the scent of leather and his familiar, grounding presence. “I’m fine, just freaked out.”

“Damn right you are,” he muttered, pulling back to search my face. His thumb brushed my cheek, and I saw the hard edge of his concern softening slightly. “We’ll figure this out.”

Behind him, the room filled with boots and hushed conversations as more bikers filed in, each radiating the same intensity as Pike. Dimitri, looking every bit the dangerous Bratva leader he was, followed behind, his gaze flicking between us before settling on Enzo.

“This just happened?” Dimitri asked, his voice cold and controlled.

Enzo nodded, stepping forward. “Yeah, just a few minutes ago. I did a sweep, but nothing. Someone was out there, though. No doubt about that.”

Pike’s jaw clenched as he turned to the window, his hand resting protectively on my back. “They’re playing games.”

Dimitri’s expression darkened as he exchanged a glance with Enzo. “We’ll tighten security and have the guys run another sweep to see if they can find anything. Whoever’s doing this will regret it.”I could see Maddox speaking to the Brotherhood and Cross in hushed voices, coordinating as they sent foot soldiers into the darkness.

Sitting quietly at the table, Ronnie finally spoke up, her voice almost nonchalant. “There’s been a pattern. Two people are coming near the house. I’ve been tracking them. One has been leaving things on the patio for days. Then, this person has been skirting our system for days, checking the grounds and the perimeter. He’s been careful not to be seen. Both have just been shadows, though. I’ve not been able to get any clear images of either of them.”

All eyes turned to her, and I saw the brief flash of guilt in her eyes before she masked it. Pike’s gaze narrowed, and he stepped toward her, his protective instinct on high alert. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything sooner?”

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