Page 22 of Demon

I hear distant chatter outside, then Jett walks in. My shoulders fall an inch in relief. I stand up and step toward the dress. I slip off my blood-stained dress, grab the new dress, and pull it on. I’m not shy about my body, but I turn away so he doesn’t see the pudgy belly I developed from my pregnancy. I peek at Jett to see if there’s any indication he’s interested in my body. The heat in his eyes makes me internally bounce up and down with joy.He is attracted to me. He makes it so hard to tell sometimes.

I pull the sheets back and get into bed. He lies down but stays on top of the blanket.

“Can you stay with me tonight?” I ask, needing him to be close to me.

He stares elsewhere, at the wall, but nods.

“I just want today to be over with so I can go home to Sammy.” The idea of going back into that house makes me queasy. Jett sounds confident everything will be okay. I just hope he’s right.

“Go to sleep,” he says softly. “This is the safest place you can be.”

* * *

I crashedlast night and wake to a light-filled room. Demon is perched on top of the blanket, the same place I saw him before I fell asleep. “What’s the time?” I ask sleepily.

“Ten past seven.”

I sit up, pull the blanket off me, and stand. There’s an ache in my head from the sudden movement. “I’d better get going.”

He stands, then takes his motorcycle vest from the side table and puts his arms through the loops, which lifts his shirt slightly. His jeans hang low on his hips, giving me a glimpse of more of his tattoos. I see splashes of black and red, like on his neck, making me wonder how big that tattoo actually is. He grabs the black bag and looks over his shoulder. “Don’t forget your self-defense things.”

“Oh,” I walk over and grab them. He opens the bag wide, so I put them inside.

He opens his bedroom door, and I follow him out. It’s quiet. Many doors lead off the hallway, which I suspect are other bedrooms. When we reach the stairs, I see the clubhouse is large and open plan. There’s a lot of wood—wooden floorboards, exposed wooden beams on the roof, and a wooden bar. As we walk down, the large entertainment area with a pool table and dart board becomes visible.

When we reach the bottom of the stairs, I ask, “Is Elena awake? I’d like to thank her for the dress.”

He tilts his head toward the back of the house. I follow him until we reach the kitchen. Two women are standing over the stove top, one with long blond hair, the other with auburn. They glance our way, and both sets of eyes widen as their eyes dart between us. They give me a friendly smile.

“My name’s Ivy.”

The one with auburn hair responds, “I’m Ava.” She tilts her head briefly toward the woman beside her. “And this is my sister, Elena.”

“Thanks for the dress,” I tell Elena, offering a grateful smile. “I’ll wash it and bring it back.”

She waves me off. “Not a problem at all. It’s nice to put a face to the name.”

“Would you like some breakfast?” Ava asks, pulling my attention back to her. “It’ll be ready in about fifteen minutes.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I need to get back to my daughter.”

I say my goodbyes, and Jett and I make our way out through the house. Stepping off the porch, I glance up, taking in the clubhouse. It resembles a large farmhouse—massive and imposing. The MC sits on sprawling acreage, mostly flat land bordered by a line of trees along the fence. I inhale deeply, the fresh, crisp scent of the forest settling over me. “It’s beautiful here,” I murmur. I get a grunt from Jett in response.

We make our way to the shed, where motorcycles are lined up alongside a truck. “We’re taking the truck,” Jett says, disappearing to the back of the shed. I climb into the passenger seat, and he returns a moment later carrying a folded ladder, which he tosses into the truck bed before joining me.

Fear churns in my stomach as we drive to my house, my thoughts spiraling uncontrollably. Did Sammy call me? Did she need me last night? I don’t have my phone on me, and the uncertainty is suffocating. When we pull into the driveway, my eyes dart to Sandra’s house. Sure enough, there’s a van parked outside.

“I’ll be right back,” Jett says. He gets out of the truck and jogs over to the van. The door opens and a younger-looking man with a thick head of hair steps out and stretches. The poor guy looks like he slept there overnight. I frown. He must have been so uncomfortable, and he did that for Sammy and me.

Jett and the man chat while I get out of the truck and go to the front door of my home. I look at it. It seems to be back on its hinges. I grab the door handle. It’s locked. Heavy boots come closer until a tattooed hand reaches out, passing me my keys. He must have gotten my keys last night.

“The large silver key is for the deadbolt. You’ll have to unlock that one too.”

I give him a smile of appreciation. Another form of protection I’m grateful for. I unlock the door and cautiously step inside, looking around. The house seems as though it’s back to normal. No mess. With Jett right behind me, I walk in farther. Everything looks fine, as if last night never even happened, but the strong scent of cleaning products is evident. When I get to the kitchen, I recoil as I have a flashback of the man grabbing my hair while the other demanded the money.

“Go have a shower and I’ll put the cameras up.”

There’s an irrational part of me that doesn’t want Jett to leave me alone. “Okay,” I respond, but I check my phone first, which is still on the counter. No missed calls or messages.Phew!

---