Page 38 of Taming Raptor

Using my hands-free button, I called her. It rang several times, then went to voicemail. “Come on,” I muttered and called again. Several attempts yielded the same result.

“Fuck.” Irritated, I put the car in park and shut it off. Grumbling the whole way, I rushed up the stairs. When I reached her door, I went to knock twice, but after the first one, her door popped open a crack.

“Fiona!” I called into the small apartment as I pushed the door open further.

What I saw had me hyperventilating. Most people would’ve called the cops—not me, despite how panicked I was. The way I grew up and lived, you didn’t call the cops. Instead, I called Blade. Nervous, and unsure if someone was still in the apartment, I stepped out onto the landing, but pulled the door most of the way closed with the edge of my forearm. No one needed to see that.

“What’s up, babe?” he asked without a hello.

“You guys need to get over to Fiona’s. Like now. And bring the Mystery Machine.” That was what I called their biological cleanup van. That alone told him it was bad.

“On my way. Let me grab Ghost and Squirrel. Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Goddammit, Sage. Get your ass back to your car and lock the fucking doors. Do not hang up. Understand?” he demanded as I heard him moving around.

“Y-y-yes,” I stuttered, already moving. The reality of what I’d seen was sinking in and my adrenaline was in overdrive. As I hurried down the stairs, I stumbled and gripped the banister for support. When I hit the landing, I saw a man standing under a tree across the road. He was wearing a dark shirt and jeans. If his eyes hadn’t been so intent on me, I might not have noticed what looked like splatters on his arms and neck.

I stopped short and stared. Then the corners of his mouth lifted, and he motioned like he was tipping a hat to me.

With a hand that was covered in something dark.

“Cookie!” Blade snapped causing me to blink and the man to casually turn and walk away.

“I think he was across the street,” I whispered.

“Get. In. Your. Fucking. Car!” he shouted as I heard boots running on hard footing, then slamming doors and squealing tires. It pulled me out of my paralysis, and I ran to my car and practically ripped the door off the hinges before I dove in and hit the lock button.

Hyper aware, I sat there glancing from my rear view to the side mirrors. With each shaky breath I took, I expected the man to be at my window. Every little sound had me jumping.

I’d never in my life forget what I saw in that apartment.

Fiona had been sitting on the couch with her throat cut open and blood everywhere. A paper was stabbed to her chest. In words written in blood it said, “NO ONE TELLS ME NO, COOKIE.”

“Hopeless”—Breaking Benjamin

The visit with my mother had left me melancholy. It had brought back memories of carefree times as a child on the ranch. On the heels of those memories were the ones of my young love with Falina. I had questioned my inability to see her for what she was—a power hungry gold digger after our position in the clan and the money my family had amassed. Was I blind to what I thought was love? Had I been an idiot? Too rebellious? Likely, all of the above.

Being at the ranch was also another reminder that I would never see my grandfather again. That hurt every time I thought about it. I wasted so many years being stubborn. If only I’d gone home sooner.

All in all, my morning had left me agitated and in need of a good fuck to clear my head. Unfortunately, I hadn’t had time to so much as jack my dick, let alone fuck. Then there was the fact that I couldn’t get Sage out of my goddamn head.

At every turn, I remembered the way she tasted… the soft but intoxicating scent of her perfume… the way she felt in my arms.

Tonight was the first night we’d all been able to chill at the clubhouse. Phoenix and Gator were playing a game of pool while Phoenix’s ol’ lady, Sloane, was sitting at one of the tables with her friend, Niara. They were polishing off their third bottle of wine and giggling like little girls.

That sound reminded me of the sexy husky laugh I’d taken for granted and now missed. If I was honest, I’d been off and unsettled since arriving in Texas. Not even setting my hawk free to fly to his heart’s content helped. It was making me a cantankerous asshole.

One Short and Torque were arguing about the comparisons between a Camaro and a Challenger as Rooster and Banshee laughed at them. “You two are both idiots because nuthin’ beats a Harley,” Rooster inserted into their argument. He and Banshee were from our Roanoke, VA chapter. Rooster actually helped saved Phoenix’s old lady back when he was a prospect. Definitely some fucked up shit there, but now he’s fully patched thanks in part to his actions.

They had arrived last night from Virginia because Rooster used to have family here. He was back to get the estate settled and Banshee had ridden along. Torque’s son was with his grandmother, so we had no kiddos for the night.

I’d been happy to have Torque join us. His dad had passed away and his mom moved back to Dallas where she grew up. Torque had been with one of our support clubs down by Austin and had planned to go nomad to be near his mom, since there were no chapters of his club up here. Gator recommended him but when he found out I was reopening the Dallas chapter he was stoked.

One Short and Gator had been two of the members that had left when things had gone downhill years ago. They were happy to come back, and I was damn lucky to have them.

We were working on a few probationaries that Torque introduced us to. One was his cousin’s boyfriend, the other two were guys he’d worked with in the oil fields years ago. So far, they seemed like strong possibilities, but I had Facet looking into their backgrounds first. I needed to find a tech guru. Not that it was necessary, but it came in handy. Supposedly one of the oil field guys was crazy smart with computers but we would have to see.

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