Page 20 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door
“So this stalker could have followed you here?”
“I think so. What does he want from me?” I ask, knowing that they don’t hold the answer and praying that the only one I can think of can’t be true.
The guys don’t answer, but I know that from the looks they share, they’re thinking it’s nothing good. I should tell them the truth, tell them everything, but the words won’t come out. They deserve to know that there’s someone who wants me dead. Someone who would kill anyone who stood in their way.
Chapter 10
Wolf
I’m determined to catch the sick bastard who sent Harper those photos and make him pay. Not only has he terrorized an innocent woman because of whatever imaginary claim he believes he has to her, but also because of the damage he’s wreaked in our relationship. Since the note, Harper has withdrawn, and I swear it feels as if she’s avoiding me. Whenever I see her, I try to assure her we’ll catch this bastard. I’ve been careful not to push her further when it comes to ‘us’. She was so embarrassed that someone was watching us and had caught us on camera. I wonder if she’ll ever be able to be with me again without thinking of that. I’m trying to give her space, but the thought of not touching her, not kissing those soft lips, not holding her in my arms, or hearing her moan my name as I make her cum is driving me wild. Now that I’ve had her, all I want is more. But I have to respect her choice.
When I see her this morning in the kitchen, drinking coffee by the window, it takes every ounce of my self-control not to stalk over there and take her right there and then. She’s barefoot and wearing the same pajamas as the first night we met, reminding me of the lioness that she was that night, making me want her even more.
I keep my distance to stop myself from doing anything stupid. I can barely stand to look at her. “Good morning,” I manage through gritted teeth as I barely breathe, worried that if I catch the scent of her, I’ll lose control.
“Morning,” she says softly, looking up at me with sad eyes. All I want to do is take her in my arms and tell her it will be okay, but I don’t move any closer.
“Bear, Hawk, and I need to go out today on important Shadow Pack business. Four of our men will come here to protect you and Jenny. Their names are Tiny, Trick, Jumper, and Fox; you probably met most of them at the cookout,” I explain.
Harper looks hurt and confused by the change, but she doesn’t fight it. Maybe she wants me out of the house. Seeing me is probably a constant reminder of the stalker.
To my surprise, she asks, “Why are only some of the Shadow Pack members’ nicknames animals and not all?”
“Sometimes the name is more related to an animal than you might think. Trick, for example, is called that instead of rabbit. It’s a long-winded story, but the guy’s super lucky, we called him our rabbit’s foot, then it became rabbit, and then one day he was eating Trick’s cereal, and it became Trick because he’s a tricky customer too.”
“He’s also called Rabbit cos he fucks like one,” Bear interjects with a smile as he walks past us, heading to answer the front door, the bell having just rung.
Harper laughs, and the sound is music to my ears. I’ve not heard her laugh or even seen her smile since she got the note. “What about the others?”
“Tiny joined us from another club, so he already had the name. It’s for obvious reasons.”
“But I’ve met Tiny, he’s a giant, he’s got to be at least six foot eight,” Harper exclaims.
“Six nine, I believe. That’s why he’s nicknamed Tiny, it’s ironic,” I reply with a smile.
“Nah, it’s cos he’s got a tiny dick, isn’t that right, Tiny?” Bear says, teasing our friend as he walks into the room.
They play-wrestle for a moment, and Harper rolls her eyes, but in an indulgent, boys being boys kind of way. “What about Jumper?” she asks, turning to me.
“Jumper’s Australian and one heck of a boxer, so naturally a kangaroo came to mind. That became Jumper after he hooked up with some rival club member’s old lady and jumped out of a two-story window to escape when he came home early. When he told us the story, he said ‘Thank fuck kangaroos are good jumpers’ and the rest is history.” I smile to myself at the memory. Thinking back to the kinds of things I used to get up to in my youth. “I’m lucky that I’m the leader of the pack and therefore get called Wolf; god knows what my nickname would be otherwise.”
Harper shakes her head. “Nah, you’re too much of a wolf not to be called it. Even I find it strange, the idea of calling you Logan. So what about Fox? Is there a story about how he got his nickname?”
“Nope. Unfortunately not. Fox is a distant cousin of mine. His red hair, and the fact that he’s a cunning bastard were enough to earn him the nickname.”
“So, do your family live nearby?” she asks, seeming surprised. I never talk about my family.
I shake my head. “Thankfully, no. I’m not close with my family. They live in a trailer park in South Carolina. They’re drunks, the pair of them, and mean with it. Beat me until I wasbig enough to stand up to them. I moved away as soon as I could, joined the Army at eighteen, and never went back. I get the occasional email to the club’s account from them; they don’t have any other contact info for me, and they usually ask for money. I ignore most of them. Fox ran away when he was sixteen and came straight to me. He’s been a valued member of the pack ever since.”
I’m surprised that I told Harper this. I don’t usually like to talk about my past. To admit that I’m trailer trash. I don’t like the pity or mild disdain that it usually evokes in people. But Harper doesn’t look at me like that. Instead, she looks at me with what I can only describe as admiration.
“You’re incredibly strong, do you know that?” she says. “Not many people ever have the bravery or self-belief to leave those kinds of situations, let alone to go on to become a success in their own right and then help another person to do the same.”
“I’d hardly call me a success.”
“You are,” she says firmly. “You run the Shadow Pack and all of its assets, which I know for sure includes a successful bar, restaurant, and real estate holdings, and that’s just the things I know about. I think that qualifies as being a successful businessman, and you’re a war hero to boot.”
“Some people might call me a criminal. The Shadow Pack can be known to break the rules and doesn’t always follow the law when it comes to protecting our own.”
