Page 36 of Protected By the Bikers Next Door
“Bear told me everything. I’m so sorry, I should never have gone. I shouldn’t have believed their lies. I should have trusted you,” Harper says, her words coming out in a rush.
Wolf strides toward her, his hand cupping her cheek as he looks into her eyes for a moment, almost as if he can’t believe she’s really there. “Don’t ever leave us again,” he says roughly, his voice choked with emotion. Before she can respond, he pulls her close and kisses her like it’s the last kiss they’ll ever have.
When they finally pull apart, Harper spots Hawk, silently watching. She goes over to talk to him; their conversation is too quiet for me to hear, and I give them their privacy. Their reunion isn’t as passionate, but I know my friend well, and it’s as if a weight has been lifted off him. Harper calls me and Wolf over to join them, and she begins to explain to the others how Susan and Tammy had lied to her about Susan being pregnant. The whole time, Wolf’s fists are clenched so tightly that the knuckles are white. I can tell this is the final straw; Susan has gone too far this time.
“Anyway, there’s something I need to tell you. The reason I was so upset when I thought Susan was pregnant is… well,” she pauses, trying to find the words, or perhaps build up the confidence to tell us. “Because I’m pregnant. I found out that day at the clubhouse.”
Joy swells in my heart, and I have to ask her to repeat herself for it to sink in fully. “I’m gonna be a dad!” I declare proudly.
Stricken, Harper hurries to explain that she doesn’t know which one of us is the father. “It could be any of you. If you want to know, we can find out.”
“No. We don’t care,” we say, practically in unison.
“It will still be all of our baby. We’ll love it as our own, no matter what, just as we do Jenny. That is, if that’s what you want?” I ask.
“Yes, do you? Do you really?” she asks us in disbelief.
Wolf and Hawk express their agreement.
Taking her hand and looking into her eyes, I think about how Harper holds my entire dreams in her hand. She’s offering me everything I’ve ever wanted and more.
“I want this more than anything. I love you.”
“I love you, too, all of you.”
For the first time in forever I feel a sense of peace descend on me.
Chapter 20
Harper
The guys and I booked my ultrasound right away. Two days later, we were in the clinic, staring at the tiny, bean-shaped baby on the monitor. It was one of the happiest days of my life. The ultrasound has been proudly displayed on the fridge, bringing me joy every time I look at it. That was until I received another note this morning.
When the ultrasound image falls out of the crisp, white envelope, I automatically look over to the refrigerator, wondering if my stalker has been inside and taken it. But it’s there, pinned to the fridge with a brightly colored magnet. Which can only mean one thing—somehow, my stalker has accessed my medical records.
Beneath the photo, in an angry scrawl, are the words:Bye-bye, Baby.
My legs buckle beneath me, and Hawk grabs me just in time, guiding me over to the nearest chair. I can feel myself start to hyperventilate, and he encourages me to take deep breaths, putting my head between my legs. He must have sent the others a message, because only moments later, Wolf and Bear arrive, their handsome faces marred with worry.
With a sick feeling in my gut, I know it’s time for me to tell the truth.
“I’ve got something I need to tell you. I’m sorry I didn’t before, but honestly, I’m not supposed to. Maybe I shouldn’teven tell you now,” I dither, wondering how to reveal such earth-shattering news.
Bear takes my hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together. There’s nothing you can tell us that will scare us away. We’re a team. You’re ours.”
“My name isn’t Harper Collins. Or at least, it didn’t used to be. I’m under witness protection.”
An expression of understanding crosses Hawk’s face, as if things finally make sense now. I presume he’s been using his tech skills to dig into my past while finding out about my stalker. “That explains why your online presence is so minimal; why I couldn’t find out much about you that far back. How long have you been in the program?”
“Six years. I used to live in Chicago. I worked as a paralegal. One night, I was working late when I heard a commotion in my boss’s office next door. I peeked through a crack in the door and witnessed a man shoot my boss at point-blank range. He died instantly. It turned out that the man was Viktor Volkov, a powerful boss in the Russian mafia. I was the only witness who lived long enough to testify against him. He was sentenced to twenty-five years to life. My sentence was that I had to give up my life, move to a new state, and live under the witness protection scheme.”
“I remember reading about him in the news, he’s an evil son of a bitch,” Wolf says quietly, his face a mask; the only sign of his agitation is the tightness of his jaw.
“Do you think Viktor could be behind the notes? Surely if you’re under the witness protection scheme, there’s no way he could have found you?” Bear asks.
“I don’t know. He has connections everywhere. The thing is, my identity has been compromised. Ryan, my ex, initially joined the program with me. When we split three years ago, he wanted out. He was allowed to, under the condition that he wouldn’t have contact with Jenny and me. This was fine until about six months ago, when he started making a fuss, claiming he had custody rights. My friend Mira was the one who recommended that I join the program, and I was fortunate enough to have her as my witness protection agent. She recently advised that we move so that Ryan wouldn’t know where we are and give away our new location, but he tracked us down. If anyone was trying to find us, all they needed to do was follow Ryan right to us.”
“Fucking idiot,” Hawk snarls.
