Page 49 of Chasing Storm

I tell him about my boredom; me looking out the window, and James behind a tree, then next to it. His gestures and then he’s gone as if he turned to ash and floated with the wind. I tilt my head back to gauge Joey’s reaction. Does he think I’m hallucinating? Causing drama? Am I?

He rubs his nose against my hair. “James is out there, so it could have been him or youthoughtyou saw him.” I’m about to argue, but he hurries on. “Meaning, it could have been someone else who resembles James, and your mind processed that it was him.”

I let out a long sigh, tired from the day. “You might be right.”

His hand rubs up and down my arm. “Tea, I don’t think you’re making it up. Obviously, you saw someone, whether it was James or his doppelganger. Either way, I’ll let Sean and my mom know about the incident. From now on, the house alarm will remain on when we’re out and at home. Thank God Sean’s not far from us, but it’s my mom I’m worried about.Ifit was James, then he’s aware of where my mom lives.”

“She should stay with us for a few weeks.”

He lets out a humorless laugh. “My mom won’t go for that. She was James’ prisoner for too many years. She’s not about to let him dictate her present and future, not after gaining her freedom back. I’ll offer it, but if she refuses, Sean could stay at her house. At least it will alleviate my fear of him pouncing on her.”

Joey calls Sean and his mom and has me reiterate what happened. As he suspected, Kara declines his request, along with Sean staying at her place. She’s had enough of running, hiding, and being scared. It doesn’t help Joey’s anxiety when she says that if James wants her dead this time, he’ll have to fight her into her grave. Sean tells Joey he’ll keep an eye on her without her noticing, and he’ll do the same. When I go to school, Joey expects me to call him every hour. These arrangements aren’t the best, but I understand per the circumstances.

I’m too tired to eat, so we retire early to bed, snuggling close to one another. The mere idea of losing Joey chokes the air from my lungs. My husband played a dangerous game by stealing money from James. I get why he did it, and he deserves the money after all James put him through. But when you poke the bear, he’s bound to come charging at you, clawing and chomping at the bit. Not only has James lost money, but he’s lost the loyalty that once made him one of the Kings of Chicago. My father and James were enemies yet had so much in common. Aside from anger and hatred, they lacked emotions. They ran on adrenalin, pumped full of violence. In the end, the horrors my father committed, the people he damaged, caught up to him, except he got off too easy with a heart attack. We can only hope James finds his demise before he can get his hands on any of us. One slip up, one time we put our guard down, it gives James an opportunity to ruin us. We climbed out of the depravity of the streets, found our footing, and started a life for ourselves. For Sean, Joey, Kara, and I, we’ll have to look over our shoulders and fight to keep what we have.

Chapter 20

I have no doubt Teagan saw James three weeks ago. The stench of the devil is everywhere. He’s triggered our panic mode, especially mine. There isn’t a thing we do or a place we go to where I’m not scanning the crowd, checking locks, behind doors, and being the first in the house when we return. James has done this to me. To us. In all the ways I could have killed him in the silos, I refrained from murdering in cold blood. It’s one thing if we’re physically fighting, or I’m protecting someone I love, but to do it with his arms and legs tied to a chair didn’t sit well with me.

But as much as we’re on alert, we’ve continued to live our lives. Sean has his fitness center up and running. He has a way to go in implementing the wellness and nutrition area because he’s still interviewing people to match the qualifications. In the meantime, the news of the gym has caught on like it’s the hottest place of the century. No matter what hour you arrive at the five a.m. to midnight gym, there are plenty of people utilizing the weights and machines. Sean arrives before opening hours, but he hired a security company to manage the place from seven in the evening to midnight. Right now, he has two employees managing the front desk and offering assistance.

Since I’m still working for Elijah, I come here for Sean’s accounting work to keep everything separated. When Teagan’s in school, I work in his back office, taking breaks to make the most of the gym.

I’m on a treadmill, running at a slower pace, and Sean is talking to some guy. By guy standards, he’s above average, with a darker complexion and hair. From the looks of it, he’s showing the guy the different machines and how they work. While Sean bends down to grab some weights, I can’t help laughing as the guy’s eyes zero in on Sean’s ass. It’s awkward and a bit disconcerting to watch my oblivious friend get ogled by a guy. Never could I have imagined my childhood friend gay, let alone in love with me. With all that’s happened over the year, I doubt he has the same feelings, which is good. He deserves a partner. One who will watch his back, even though I’ll continue to do so whether he has someone or not.

They’re moving closer to me. Sean is talking about reps and resting, all the while you can tell the guy isn’t even listening. His eyes take in Sean’s body, charmed by his surfer looks and bulk. Sean’s build has grown over the past year. While we all ran for our lives, he spent time at the gym when he felt it was safe enough to leave my mom at the apartment by herself. And now that he owns one, his monster size isn’t anything to laugh at. I’ve been in street fights with guys his size, arms unable to lie at their sides, and thighs the size of tree trunks. Even so, I wouldn’t want to fight Sean. In our younger years, we used to spar together, refraining from hard punches and kicks, and avoiding face and groin. Thinking back, I wonder if he was checking out my ass and package like this guy is doing to Sean. A small laugh escapes, and I shake my head at the thought.

I shut off the treadmill, and wipe down my hair with a towel, wrapping it around my neck. Sean leaves the guy to his workout, and as he’s walking toward me, the guy checks him out like eye-candy. Sean gives me a confused look when I purse my lips together to prevent a laugh.

He smacks my chest with the back of his hand and asks, “What’s your problem?” I can’t hold it in anymore, so I look away and hoot. Sean pushes against my arm, causing me to fall to the side, and says, “What’s so funny, asshole?”

I’m stomping my foot, belly laughing at his reaction. Once I settle, I ask, “Who’s the guy?”

There are others at the gym, so Sean pretends to search the room. “What guy?”

“The one eye-fucking you.”

He shoves his finger in my face. “Shut the fuck up, Joe. Don’t you even pull what you did with the realtor.” My hands fly up in a stop position. “You embarrassed me, revealing my…” he lowers his voice, “…sexual orientation.”

“Calm yourself. I’m not going to say anything. After what happened with the realtor, I apologized and told you I wouldn’t.”

We’re out of earshot, standing by the drink bar. It doesn’t take long until he breaks. “Was he really eye-fucking me?”

My smirk says it all, but I add, “Does a porn star love cock? Come on, how can younotnotice?”

He crosses his arms over his chest, eyes on the guy. “Because I was busy explaining the equipment.”

I let out a loud howl and say, “Except he was waiting to see a certain someone’s equipment.”

Sean’s head whips around and pushes me in the chest. “Shut up!”

“No one heard.” My hand flicks the air. “There’s no one around us.”

I let it all sink in. Sean is so sensitive to his needs and doesn’t share much. Not that I want to know who’s up in his ass, but it’s time to see him with a partner. At the rate he’s going, he’ll be fucking his hand until he’s dead.

While securing the blender, his eyes are bolted onto the guy who steals glances our way. The blender stops, and Sean pours us a protein shake.

Not to raise his hackles, I nonchalantly ask, “What do you think of him?”

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