Page 50 of Wild Cub

Chapter 16

“Teresa.Teresa,darlin’,wakeup.” I hear Alexander’s voice nudging my eyes to wake up from the first decent sleep I’ve had in years. Granted, it may have been from getting my brains screwed out of my head last night and seeing stars. The sun has barely peeked through the windows. I grunt, not wanting to wake up. A kiss on the forehead jolts me from my slumber.

“Darlin’, we have to be somewhere. Get dressed. We’ll stop by the agency and get your car.” He’s giving an unusual amount of commands this early in the morning. It takes my body and mind a minute to comprehend what’s going on. Alexander’s dressed, as if he’s ready to ride. I spot his gun holstered to his side, and I scramble to my feet, searching for my clothes, being careful of my sore arm and body.

“Mind telling me where you’re taking me? There’d better be coffee.” I grab my boots and my phone as I talk.

He shakes his head in response. “I wish I could. Just trust me, okay?”

Trust him? I’m starting to, but after everything, I’m not sure what to expect.

The coolness of the morning air wakes more of my senses as we head towards the Foundation to pick up my car. Good thing I have my go bag in the car--I can freshen up and not smell like the morning after. As we drive, he’s quiet, avoiding eye contact. He’s closing off again, and I don’t understand why. All I want to do is reach out to him, but I don’t want to scare him off.Please don’t break my heart.

We pick up my car and head out, the gleam of the sunrise lighting the sky. As I watch the sunrise, I’m worried; I don’t know what I’m walking into. For all I know, death could be knocking at my door. After a series of twists and turns, I feel truly lost. The winding roads lead to a gate that opens when Alexander waves at what I’m assuming is a security camera. Where are we? My gut tells me to run, but curiosity leads me the other direction.Trust me.The dirt road goes on for another mile.

I’m greeted by a rundown compound, lined with bikes and the occasional car. Alexander parks his truck and signals me to park behind him. I do as I’m told, and my heart starts to race out of my chest. He stands by the door, waiting for me to unlock it. I gather up my courage and my pocketknife to get out of the car. Thankfully, I’d packed a sweater and extra jeans that I changed into before we got on the road, the coolness of the morning an unexpected chill to my bones.

Alexander looks down at me with a serious look before speaking. “Listen. Please, listen to me. Do not look at anyone. Stay behind me. If you know what’s good for you, keep your mouth shut until someone talks to you.” The heavy, cold words circle me. There’s no sense of love in his tone, and it chills me. I give him a small nod before he guides me inside.

It looks similar to the Devil’s Whiskey. I see familiar faces, but also wandering eyes. I see Doc by the bar, Keola next to him. I look for any indication of emotion, of happiness to see me, but there’s only silence. Barely a glance in my direction or recognition.

We continue down a long hallway and stop at a door, and Alexander gives a knock. “Yeah.” One word vibrates from behind the door and through me. Alexander opens it, and I’m welcomed by the salt and pepper face of the main Grim Wolf himself. His burning brown eyes sear into my skin. A feeling of uneasiness and shakiness immediately takes hold. Dark lighting barely giving details of his face, the only lighting is a large desk light.

“Have a seat. Please.” He gestures to the leather seats in front of us. I make small steps, surveying my surroundings. Alexander is still behind me. “Jackson has filled me in on the excitement from yesterday. I see that you are alive and well. I know you know the current…issues in the city. We have collected some information, but before I divulge, I have a proposition for you.” He searches for a cigarette and lighter, lighting up as he gives me time to consider. I blank for a second, confusion washes over me. Something drops in the pit of my stomach.

“How can I be of any help? I’m not a biker or a criminal. I doubt I can be of any help whatsoever.” I lean back in my chair, folding my hands against my chest. Alexander sits straight up in his chair, silent, not even glancing in my direction.

“You bring more to the table than you give yourself credit for.” Rawlings leans back in his chair, propping his feet up on his desk.

“Nope, I’m good. I somehow got myself into this mess and I’m not interested in a deeper dive. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.” I move out of my seat.

Rawlings glares at me and pops up out of his seat. “Sit your fucking ass down. Jesus, compliments don’t work with you, do they? I don’t know how he did it, but it worked,” Rawlings growls out. The man is a beast, big and burly, a modern day Zeus.You call that a compliment?Wait, who did what? My heart sinks as I lower myself back down to the chair.

“Your choices are simple, dear one. You’re either with us,” the man starts before pausing to let the silence settle in. “Or against us,” Rawlings growls as he finishes his threat. I scoff; he’s asking me to choose between two true evils.

I’ve worked with a lot of different people in my life, all twenty-eight years of it, from homeless people and veterans in the psych ward, to scheming businessmen and politicians. I’m not easily intimidated. I live in a true man’s world. Here I am, the only woman in the room, probably the whole place, with a life-altering decision to make.

I glance to the back of the worn-out office. Two brooding men in Grim Wolves leather jackets, whose names I can’t remember, stood guard near the door. As if I would escape – as if I could. I’m stupid enough to run away from one of the most powerful gangs in Raleigh. I turn back around, eyes trained on the ground, shaking my head. I can smell the cigarette smoke, whiskey, and wrong decisions hanging around me like a noose. I don’t know my answer. Feelings have twisted like a knife in my chest. When I finally bring my eyes back up, I’m caught in a pair of icy blue-gray ones. Those beautiful eyes are leading down the rabbit hole, asking me to make the right choice. Just like Alice, I follow a little too close for comfort.

I thought I’d seen the bigger picture, which turned out to be just a small snapshot of what’s actually going on in this city. As a social worker on a mission, I have known better. I’m somehow intertwined in this mess. A couple months ago, I wouldn’t be caught dead in this situation. I was wrong, and it takes a lot for me, Teresa Bjorn, to be wrong.

I thought I knew the world around me. I thought I could make an impact on a small community. It turns out, I was wrong. Here, in this moment, looking into those incredible eyes, I know what I have to do. I know I can’t stall any more. I can see the heat in his eyes, the brimstone stare. He demanded an answer, and, judging by my surroundings, I don't have a choice. I’m a fool for letting myself get this far.

“If I had known a kid’s birthday party was going to land me here, I’d have stayed home with Seamus,” I mumble. I raise my voice to respond to Rawlings. “You know at this point in a movie, the villain reveals his plan, and the hero realizes she fucked up. Do I at least get that?” I’m on the verge of getting my knife out and taking someone down with me.

Rawlings sighs. “I guess I won’t beat around the bush, then. We have a common enemy, Ms. Bjorn. I asked Jackson to keep tabs on you, make sure you wouldn’t be a problem or nuisance. When you met Jackson and enlisted his help, it just made his job easier. I’m not interested in why you were involved, but I gave him a task: extract information and push people in the right direction.”

A task? He means me, gaining my trust and taking what was needed. I’m starting to spiral. Was anything with Jackson real? Pushing people in the right direction.

I rub my temples. “Aggie didn’t know what to look for in her reports, so I thought Jackson could help. But you pushed Aggie into pulling them.”

“Ah, Ms. Aggie, an angel woman, but in need of a nudge.” Rawlings puffs out a ring of smoke.

“What other tasks did you send him on?” I ask, afraid of the answer I already know. Rawlings looks at me through the smoke. Exactly the answer I needed: me.

“May I remind you thatyouenlisted his help. He’s a good VP, very convincing and charming. He got you here after you opened that door and made it easier to get what we want. In more ways than one.” He lets out a rumble and a snickering laugh.

Shame. Anger. The itch to lunge across the table and strangle him. How dare he?

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