Page 36 of Always Mine

“Anthony, I can’t make it back.I want to get home.Please, stop.Please.”

She rushed at him and put a hand on his shoulder, and it was so odd as he suddenly stopped.He paused right there on the stairwell, and she heard his breathing.Daisy paused, not wanting to believe he could see her, hear her, or feel her.

“Anthony, I am here, I love you, and I want to get back to you.”She touched his shoulder again, and this time he moved and touched the same spot she was touching him.

“Daisy, come back to me.Please, come back to me.”

She watched as he closed his eyes, but then it was like he had to pull himself away, and she watched as he went.This time, she didn’t follow him but went straight back to her room and stared at herself in that bed.

How did she wake herself up?

Was this all a dream?

Was she just imagining everything that was happening to her?

****

Anthony rested againsthis car and looked down at his cell phone.He’d texted Luke, and then called.Still no sign of him.The guy hadn’t died.He had told him to get Daisy out of there as he took care of the rest, and now he didn’t like that he was missing.

Luke had been injured.His memory was foggy, but that much he did remember.His side had been cut, possible bullet wound, possible knife wound.He’d not stuck around to get the details as Daisy had been dying in his arms, and he had to get her to the hospital.

Pulling up his name again, he called, but it went straight to voicemail.Anthony had a horrible feeling.Luke had promised him, had made a vow, and even begun the removal of his Monster Dogs MC ink.

Anthony rubbed at his temples, feeling his temper start to rise.This was not good.

Getting to his feet, he rounded his car and climbed inside.The only other place to go was Luke’s.Not that he made it a habit of going to his place.They never wanted to alert suspicion about him and Luke hanging out.They were the complete opposites of each other.

However, Luke had told him if anything bad were to happen, he was to check out his apartment, and more specifically, his safe.He didn’t want to do this, but with Luke suddenly missing, there was no other choice.

Pulling out of his parking space, he made his way toward the apartment building Luke had purchased in Fort Wills.This had come as news to him, because he figured Luke would stay in Monster Dogs MC territory.It would have certainly been safer.

Anthony had memorized all the necessary codes to get into the building.Luke lived on the fourth floor, and the building was nice, but then most things in Fort Wills were nice.Sure, they had a good area and a bad area like most towns.Even still, Luke had chosen a nice area.

To show his loyalty and trust, Anthony had made a spare key to access Luke’s apartment.Stepping inside the apartment, he expected to see a shithole.He just assumed all the Monster Dogs lived like animals, but the place was clean.

The curtains were still open, drawing in a nice swath of light.Luke didn’t have a lot of possessions but what he did have was nice.He liked it.The apartment was pretty good.

He didn’t stay and linger but went to one of the rooms.The first door he opened was a bedroom, and the second was an office.He went to the desk, and started to look around, trying to find what he was looking for, but he was coming up with a blank.There was no safe.Then, he took a seat at the desk and looked across the room.He looked at the singular picture on the wall.It was a random flower, and it was kind of fucking creepy.The picture was of a Daisy.

Was that a coincidence, or did Luke have a feeling he wasn’t going to make it?When Anthony asked why he wouldn’t give the location of the safe to him, but insisted on him having the codes, Luke had always told him if the time ever came, he would know where it was.

He made his way over to the painting.The office had no other decorations.No art, not even a book.He reached out and took the painting off the wall, and sure enough, behind it, inside the wall, was a safe.He had remembered the combination and figured it was a long shot.There was a chance Luke was faking it all this time, and yet he tried the combination.The safe opened up.

Luke was no longer looking like the enemy.In such a short time, it seemed he had truly come to hate his own club.With the safe, there was only a single file.It was thick and Anthony pulled it out, glancing over it.He didn’t recognize it.He opened it and frowned as there were pictures.None of them were quite clear, until Anthony realized what his father had been talking about.

He moved back toward the desk and spread the file out.Luke had come to realize the kind of shit his club was into, and it would seem he was not a fan.He had created a full document of everything his club was into.Containment holdings, pictures of the women.Some of the images were blurry, but it was all here.Luke knew this.

Anthony pulled out his cell phone and dialed his father.Lash was not known for patience.

The call went to voicemail.

He tried to call Luke again.The man had been alive and breathing when he left him.There was no reason for him to have escaped.

No answer.

Finally, he called his mother.

“Hey, sweetie,” Angel said.

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