Page 6 of Blade's Boo

Jake hadn't been able to stick around and scold me for what I’d done or to ask me more questions. He had to get to work. Although I knew he’d find me and ask soon. I’d called off at Salvation and spent the day watching the bakery then I followed her home. I knew I couldn’t watch her twenty-four seven, so I asked a few of my brothers to help me. Capone was one of them. He'd been my friend before I joined the club, so I knew he’d help. He didn’t ask me any questions. Again, I knew those would come later. He was due to relieve me soon. I hated taking him away from Mackenzie and Max, but I was desperate.

While I hung out outside the bakery today, I called Smoke and asked him to find out everything he could on Cassia. I had her name, address, but that was about it. I knew it wasn’t much to go on, but he’d found people with less. He promised to get started on it right away and to let me know as soon as he had something.

The roar of a motorcycle drew my attention. Capone was early. It was only as the bike got closer that I realized it wasn’t Capone. It was Jake. Shit, I guess he’d waited long enough to question me and probably to reprimand me. As a prospect, he had no right to say a word to me about anything I did, but as a police officer, he did. I had been technically breaking the law in more than one way with Cassia. Stalking, false imprisonment and possible assault charges could be brought against me. He parked next to me and shut off his bike. He didn’t say anything. All he did was stare at me intently. After a minute of silence, I spoke.

“I know. I fucked up big time. I shouldn’t have been spying on her and the whole locking her up and holding her against her will was over the line. I know it, Jake, but I honestly couldn’t help myself. She’s been practically the only thing I thought about for the last month. I had to find a way to get her to talk to me. Every time I saw her at the bakery, she hid or said two words then ran away. On Tuesday, I got to have a conversation with her and I asked her out. She said no. I got scared when I realized she wasn’t home this morning. I was worried something had happened to her.”

“How did you know she wasn’t home? Did you go by in the middle of the night and knock on her door?”

“Because during the week, I come by right before she usually leaves and I make sure she gets there okay. She goes into work in the damn dark. She’s alone there until someone comes in at six. I have to make sure she’s safe. When I got here and found her car gone, it scared me. I thought she might have left town, so I went to the bakery first. I saw her car, and I knew I had to talk to her. It was time to get some answers. Well, you know how that went. She freaked out, and I knew she was going to run. I couldn’t let her do that. She’s hiding from someone. She accused me of trying to take her back to him. I knew she’d been hurt. I have to know how and by whom. She’s it, Jake. She’s my future. Without her, there’s no hope for me to find happiness.”

“Jesus Christ, Blade, this is a tough spot to be in, but what’s new? Story of my life. I get it. I do, but if she wants to leave, I can’t let you kidnap her and hold her prisoner. She has free will. We all should be allowed to make our own choices.”

“True, but she’s not thinking clearly. Her past traumas are coloring her perception of the present. If she would give me a chance to prove that what she said about love isn’t true, I know I can prove to her that we’re meant to be together. If she runs, who’s to say whoever she’s hiding from won’t find her. At least here, we can protect her.”

“Did you ask Smoke to investigate her? Because I can tell you, what I have on her isn’t much. She’s been here in Dublin Falls for three years. Before that, she didn’t have a driver’s license. She has no outstanding warrants. I have her address and her date of birth. I didn’t find anything in my search of missing person reports here in Tennessee or the states surrounding us. Doesn’t mean she’s not from any of those places, just means no one reported her missing. I didn’t have time to look further than that.”

“Thanks for doing that much. Smoke and Everly will find something, I’m sure of it. My gut is telling me she’s been hurt badly, is hiding, that at least one man is at fault, and she’s sure whoever he is, that he’s still looking for her. We’ve seen too much shit over the years not to know how this kind of thing usually ends. I’m going to do everything in my power to protect her, slay her demons and make her mine.”

“I don’t blame you. You know that I lost my Frankie several years ago. It seems like a lifetime ago, however, there is one thing I do know. If by some twist of fate, I ever found another woman who I fell in love with, there would be nothing I wouldn’t do to protect her and make her mine. I get it. Just calm down the whole locking her up shit. If she calls the station and reports you, I can’t promise I’ll be the one to get the call. They’ll throw your ass in jail, even if Nyssa did work for them and I still do. Some of them don’t trust the club. They’ll always believe the Warriors are an outlaw club and that we all deserve to be behind bars.”

I nodded my head. We might not be a one-percenter club who deals in all the illegal things like running guns, dealing drugs, prostitution and a ton of other things, but we weren’t lily white either. We’d put more than one person in the ground who’d deserved it. The law frowned on vigilante justice, which had become somewhat of a business for my club and a few others. We dispensed justice when the law couldn’t or in a few cases wouldn’t. It had never been our intent, it just evolved into that over the years. Standing back and watching innocent people get hurt wasn’t something we could do.

“I’ll try my damn best not to overstep too much. How did you know where to find me?”

“Lucky guess. You weren’t at the compound, so this was the only place you could be. Do you intend to sit out here all night to be sure she stays? You have to sleep sometime, man.”

“I know. Capone is coming to relieve me. I asked a few of the brothers to help me out, although I didn’t explain why. I know I’ll have to. Terror will probably be chewing my ass tomorrow. Fuck, I don’t know what else to do.”

“Have you thought of what her secret might mean?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, if she is running and has been hurt like you say, she might be too damaged to trust anyone again. Not everyone recovers enough to go on and have a happy life. The old ladies we know have been fortunate, but they don’t represent everyone.”

“I can’t think like that. I have to believe that she can be healed. I’ll do whatever it takes to help her achieve that.”

“What if what she needs is to be left alone? What then?”

“If that’s the only thing that will help and make her happy, then I’ll leave her alone. But I won’t stop watching out for her, even if she doesn’t know it.”

He didn’t say anything else. He sat there with me in silence as I thought over what he said. I kept sending up prayers that he was wrong. The thought of a life without her made my chest hurt. It made it hard for me to breathe. My chaotic thoughts were soon interrupted by the sound of another bike. This time it was Capone.

When he parked beside us, he gave us both a searching look. “I’m here, brother. I’m not going to ask what the hell is up tonight, but you owe me an explanation. I want to know what’s going on with this woman and what part Jake plays in it?”

“I promise I’ll tell you and the rest of the club everything, just please, for tonight, keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t leave. She usually leaves to go to work at the bakery around three-thirty. Don’t interfere with that. If she tries to go anywhere but there, then call me.”

“Okay, this once I’ll do it. I want you to know Mackenzie might kick your ass for having me come out tonight. Max is fussy. We think he’s cutting his molar teeth and those hurt like a bitch.” He smirked as he said it. He knew Mackenzie could kick my ass for real. She had been a competing MMA fighter until she met him. She might not compete anymore, but she still kept in practice.

“I’ll make it up to her. Tell her I owe you both a babysitting night.”

“Deal. I’d love to take my woman out on a date and have some alone time. I'll let you know when.”

I’d watched Max a few times in the past. It wasn’t a hardship like some guys might like to pretend. He was my little buddy and I liked kids. Hell, I liked all the clubs’ kids and would watch any of them if needed. Neriah, Tiger and Thorn’s old lady, was doing her best to hog them all. She loved kids and as a teacher, she knew how to entertain them no matter what age they were. She was about to have one herself come July.

Seeing Capone was set, I gave him a fist bump and started my bike. Jake did the same, and I had an escort back to the compound. I tried to tell myself it was because we both lived there, but a part of me knew even if he didn’t, he would’ve followed me anyway.

In the common room, we parted ways without a word. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I knew I had to get some sleep, if I wanted to be any good tomorrow at work. A hot shower helped my tense muscles to relax a little. I lay on the bed, staring at the wall, trying to quiet my mind. By the time I finally slipped off, I had no idea how long I’d been drifting. All I knew was, she hadn’t left my mind at all.

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