Page 14 of Grizzly's Pride
Piper didn’t catch their entire conversation, but Grizzly had entered the bedroom, which they now shared, and told her he was needed for one, two days at most.
Grizzly still wasn’t back yet, although he texted her four hours ago, telling her he’d be back before midnight. Midnight was still six hours away.
He said he had assigned a prospect downstairs to watch her. That prospect was now nowhere in sight, and Piper was beginning to have cabin fever.
She knew Grizzly was right. That she had to stay put and keep a low profile until this entire mess blew over. Easy for Grizzly to say, given he could walk out of the apartment anytime he wanted.
Piper hadn’t texted or called Grizzly about the Black Dog MC member stalking her. The last thing she wanted to do was sound needy, especially when he was already helping her out despite the orders of his MC President to cut her loose.
Even worse, she was developing genuine feelings for her biker protector. Spending every day with him in such close quarters made her realize that underneath all his ink and roughness beat the heart of a caring man. For some reason, every person she met in her life, including her father, didn’t give a damn about her, but Grizzly did.
Did that mean he felt some sense of affection toward her, or was this feeling temporary? Not questions to deliberate right now. Piper tried to take her mind off the red-haired biker across the street. She turned on the TV to distract herself.
Piper had no idea what the movie was all about. Her phone beeped, and for a second, she panicked when she realized she forgot where she left it. She rummaged around the sofa and living room, finally finding her phone on the dining room table.
It was Dave, the prospect Grizzly assigned to watch her. He had gone for an early dinner food run and was asking her if she wanted anything. Piper told him she wasn’t hungry. Turning the TV off, she returned to her spot by the window. The red-haired biker was gone. She spotted Dave sitting on the bench across her apartment, happily diving into a burger.
Was the red-haired biker a figment of her imagination? No, she still had a photo of him on her phone. He was real all right, and he deliberately made his exit once Dave was back.
Grace might be run by the Ruthless Reapers MC, but even Grizzly admitted they couldn’t watch everyone or all the roads in town twenty-four seven. The click of the doorknob made her jump.
She looked around desperately in the living room for some sort of weapon she could use. Piper finally settled on an old baseball bat leaning against the closet door.
She picked it up, gripped it close. The front door swung open, revealing Grizzly carrying a bunch of brown paper bags. The smell of greasy fries and burgers made her stomach rumble. She forgot all about the biker.
When Grizzly saw her, he raised one eyebrow at her, then nodded to the bat. “Who did you think I was, an intruder?” The amusement in his voice irritated her.
“Sue me for being paranoid,” she said under her breath.
Grizzly dropped the bags on the coffee table in front of the TV, then went to her. He gently pried the bat from her fingers. Relief filled her when it fully sank in that he was truly back with her.
For an unexplainable reason, she started to shake. Grizzly pulled her close, and in his big arms, she started to relax.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, stroking her back. That felt nice. Her tense muscles started to relax. “Did something happen?”
“Yesterday, I saw one of them. A Black Dogs MC member,” she whispered.
“What? Are you sure? Dave told me he didn’t spot anyone or anything suspicious when I asked for a report,” Grizzly said.
She let out a sigh of frustration. Of course, he’d believe one of his men over her. Then she remembered the photo she’d taken. Grizzly released her as she took out the phone and showed him the picture.
“I’ve seen him since yesterday and just now. He disappeared when Dave returned from his lunch break,” she said. Grizzly furrowed his brow as he studied the picture, then he swore.
“That useless, good-for-nothing prospect,” Grizzly said, sounding pissed.“I told him to keep an eye out for everything. It looks like he completely slacked off.”
“Don’t blame Dave,” she said quickly. “Whoever this red-haired biker is, he’s cunning.”
Grizzly stared at the picture for so long, she had to ask,“Do you know him?”
Grizzly took a seat on the sofa. Hesitantly, she joined him. She wasn’t certain about his mood, but when he slid a hand on her thigh and gave it a squeeze, she knew he wasn’t mad at her.
“I do,” Grizzly said in a rough voice. “His name is Rage. One of the Black Dogs MC’s worst enforcers. If Rat, the Black Dogs Prez, sent Rage here, then this situation is worse than I thought.”
****
Piper looked so spooked by his revelation, she started shaking. Grizzly couldn’t blame her. If a sadistic biker like Rage was after him, he’d be worried too.
He pulled Piper into an embrace. She looked like she needed it, and besides, he wanted to drown himself in the scent of her shampoo, of her. As she trembled in his arms, Grizzly wished he’d never left her here in the apartment all alone, even if Tank wanted his help with a job gone wrong.
