It was impossible not to notice how anxious Tally was the next day when I drove her to her apartment. Located downtown in a busy, crowded neighborhood, I had trouble finding a parking spot—one of the many difficulties of living in such a hectic area. Finally, after circling the block several times, I managed to find one, and I parked the car. Following her, I saw the tense set of her shoulders and the way her head moved back and forth as if searching for danger. I stepped to her side, drawing her close.
“No one will touch you.”
I felt her shuddering breath and squeezed her waist. She looked better this morning, her coloring returning to normal, and more rested. The bruises showed up on her creamy skin, but her voice wasn’t as raspy. She would heal—I would make sure of it.
I looked around her tiny place, trying not to show my distaste. One room with a bathroom in the corner, hidden by a door. A makeshift kitchen with a toaster oven and hot plate. Her bed pushed against the wall, piled with cushions to act as a sofa as well. A dresser beside it, chipped and worn. A tiny table with one chair tucked under it. The solitary chair spoke to me, its singleness a reminder of how alone in the world she was. A small rolling metal rack served as a closet.
I looked around and made a decision. She wasn’t coming back here. Ever.
Tally looked at me. “What?”
I had spoken my thoughts out loud.
“Nothing.” I knew she’d fight me on it, and I didn’t want to fight with her today.
“I heard you.” She slammed her hands on her hips, glaring at me. There was a spark in her eye and a defiant scowl on her face. Color saturated her cheeks, and she was determined. Furious at my unsolicited decision. She was extremely sexy when she was pissed at me. My cock thickened at her incensed beauty.
Maybe I did want to fight.
“Take what you need for now. I’ll come get the rest later.”
She stepped closer, the pissed-off kitten becoming a lioness.
She poked me in the chest. “I don’t think so, asshole. You can’t just walk in here, make a decision based on your snotty ideas, and expect me to fall in line with it.” She poked me again. “You’re not the boss of me.”
I took her hand, lifting it to my mouth. I kissed the palm, then turned it over, kissing the knuckles.
“I think you’re wrong there, Tally. I am your boss.” I tugged her a little closer. “And you like it.”
“You can’t tell me what to do,” she hissed, trying not to give in. But I saw the way her eyes darkened, and her voice wavered a little.
I kissed her wrist, letting my tongue graze over the tender skin. “You’re coming home with me, and you’re not coming back here.”
“Maybe I don’t want to stay with you.” Her voice wobbled a little.
I dragged her to my chest, lowering my head and kissing the edge of her mouth, feeling the way her lips trembled. “I think you do.”
Her fingers flexed on my shoulders.
“I think you want to come home with me. But first, I think you want me to toss you on that little bed over there and fuck you,” I whispered in her ear, nipping at her lobe. “Give you one good memory of this place.”
She whimpered, and I covered her mouth with mine, kissing her until she was shaking in my arms. I stumbled back, falling on the bed, taking her with me so she was on my lap. Her legs splayed wide, surrounding me, and I groaned at the heat of her. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.
But the sudden weight on the bed proved to be too much, and before I knew what was happening, the frame gave away and we were on the floor, jolted and stunned. She was over me, shock registering on her face as our eyes locked. Then she began to giggle. I started to laugh. She buried her head into my neck, her amusement getting louder. I held her tight, sharing it with her.
Finally, she lifted her head, and I cupped her cheeks. Her eyes were sparkling in humor, she was relaxed and at ease, and my breath caught in my throat at her beauty. I wanted to see her like this all the time.
“Come home with me, Tally. Stay. I don’t want you here. I want you with me.”
“Was that so hard to ask?”
I lifted one eyebrow, waiting until she nodded.
“Fine,” she breathed out. “But I’m not giving up my lease. I just paid for this month.”
That was fine. I would make sure by the end of the month, she had no desire to come back here. I already knew by the end of the month, I wouldn’t let her go.
The next morning, secreted in my hidden office, I watched Tally. She wore one of her pretty dresses, her hair down today. An artful scarf was draped around her neck, covering the bruises. The sleeves of her outfit hid the ones on her arms. The only things still visible were her movements, which were a little slow, but most people wouldn’t notice. A small grimace of pain would cross her face if she tried to lift her arms too high. It was already easier for her, but I still hated to see it.
Yesterday, after we’d picked ourselves up off the floor, I put the old frame back together while she gathered some clothing and personal items. On the way out the door, I swiped most of the clothing off the metal rack she used as a closet and put it in the trunk with the bag she had packed. I was amused when she carried out a pile of cushions.
“Your place is so sterile,” she said by way of explanation. She added the blanket from her bed. “My gran made me that.”
I didn’t really care what she brought, as long as it meant she was there. Watching her arrange the cushions on my leather sofa had been amusing, though. In the end, she had put them in the guest room, deciding they didn’t “go at all.” I promised her we could pick other cushions together.
I flicked off the monitor and turned to the task at hand. Using an untraceable line, I had a face-to-face call with Matteo and Marcus. It was later in the day in the part of the world where they lived. We exchanged pleasantries, and I had to smile at the sound of children’s voices in the background and Evie calling to them. Matteo grinned, not at all apologetic.
“Bedtime.” He chuckled dryly. “Always a production. I never knew how imperative a glass of water could become. Any delay, actually.”
Not wanting to take up much of their time, I asked some questions about biker gangs and their thoughts and any dealings they’d had with them. Matteo frowned, shaking his head.
“Most of them are lower-level crimes. Drugs seem to be their thing, not slavery or selling women and children, so they were never on our radar. The RCMP are usually on top of them. The worst ones are given priority. Why the sudden interest in a biker gang?”
I hesitated then told them. They exchanged a glance, then Marcus spoke.
“You have a personal interest in this woman?”
I scrubbed my hand over my face. “Yeah, I do.”
“She is, ah, important?”
I hesitated. “Yeah, she fucking is.” Then I couldn’t shut up. “I hired her even though I knew I shouldn’t. It was as if someone else had taken over my mind and body. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I felt like a fucking stalker. And it’s only gotten worse.”
I rubbed my eyes and told them what had occurred on the weekend. How she cared for me. The attack. My reaction. The intensity of what I felt for her. The gist of her story.
Marcus grinned. “Lightning again, Julian?”
I met their eyes, serious. “I would kill for her. Without thought.”
Matteo’s eyebrows shot up. “Then keep your head in the game, Julian. Find out what you can, but if they aren’t a threat to her, leave it alone. Don’t start a war you don’t need to. Leave them to the RCMP and their fate. If they’re a danger to her, then you know what to do, but do it properly.”
“I can’t stand the thought of any threat to her,” I admitted. “Jesus, how did the two of you handle this shit? I feel as if I’m going to come out of my skin. I want to lock her up in a room and never let her out.”
They both had the nerve to laugh. “Now you understand our reactions.”
Matteo leaned closer to the camera. “Bring her here. She would be completely safe. Evie and Missy would befriend her.”
“And what the hell am I supposed to do without her?” I snapped without thinking.
Marcus shook his head. “It’s simple, Julian. If you love her—and I think you do—you give up that life and make a new one with her. Here.”
I stared at the screen in silence.
“We all find our reason,” Matteo said. “We all reach that point where we want more than we can get from fighting a never-ending battle. We have to let others carry on while we choose a different path. If you aren’t ready now, you will be soon. Think it over.”
I nodded, still silent.
“Bring her here for a vacation. See how it feels. You would be welcome.”
Damien entered the room and stopped to say hello to them as I sat, my mind racing. I ended the call, their words echoing in my head. I shook it to clear the thoughts and focused on Damien.
“What did you find?”
He shook his head. “They’re a bunch of scum. Drug dealers, into loan-sharking, prostitution. The women all appear to be of age, though.” He lifted a shoulder at my inquisitive stare. “I can’t say if they’re willing or not. The club keeps a pretty low profile. They’ve been raided, charged, let off, got a slap on the wrist, and done it all over a few times. Nothing seems to stick much.” He rubbed his chin. “But there’s something there. I can feel it. I need to dig more.”
“Any information on Tally’s brother, Dean?”
He tapped on his keyboard. “Well, since their online security was for shit, I was able to get right into their system. They keep lousy records, although I found a few things. There is a Dean Bedford. Long list of charges. He’s the leader of the group. Usurped the old one.”
Damien looked up. “Funny enough, the old leader has never been seen since Dean staged a coup.”
“Has to be a different Dean. Her brother’s dead.”
Damien spun his laptop. “Is he?”
I stared at the picture on his screen. The picture of the biker wouldn’t have caught my eye except for one thing. The wild copper hair. Even with it brushed back and wrapped in a bandanna, Dean’s bright hair color was still visible. I narrowed my eyes, studying the picture. That was the only similarity. It had to be a coincidence. This man was rugged, with a heavy beard. Cold, dark eyes. Again, my gaze went to his hair. It set him apart from the other bikers.
Something was wrong. Something didn’t add up in this story. It had felt odd when Tally told it to me, and now something was screaming at me.
“Find out everything you can on him. I don’t want to chase shadows.”
He nodded, his eyes focused on the screen. After a while, he looked up, his gaze serious. “He isn’t a shadow, Julian. Tally’s mother was married to a man named Trevor Bedford. Her father was Wells. I can’t find an official death certificate for anyone by the name of Dean Bedford.”
“Tally read of her brother’s death in the paper.”
“And we all know everything you read in the paper is true,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe he planted it, knowing she would see it.”
He was right.
“This makes no sense.”
He cracked his knuckles. “It will when I’m done.”
I nodded, knowing he was right.
How was I going to tell Tally?
Three days later, it did. The entire sordid story made sense. Dean wasn’t the nice guy caught up in the wrong crowd Tally thought him to be. Her trust and love had been misplaced.
Dean had a long string of crimes against him. Including swindling. The “bit of scrub brush” he’d told Tally it was had been worth a lot of money. Over a million bucks. Her grandmother had owned all the land around her house, not just the piece the house sat on. He’d obviously had people lie about the value. He’d made up the whole story about gambling it away. The gang coming after her. Protecting her. The greedy bastard had frightened her into running and living in fear for years. Mourning his death.
And he was very much alive.
And he ran a dirty, criminally active bike gang. Drugs and prostitution were rampant. Unsolved murders were attributed to them, including that of the ex-president of the club, but never proved. It had been a fairly low-level club until Dean took it over. Now the members were a law unto themselves. We studied the records, the revenue. All the top members were wealthy. Living high.
It took Damien and me an entire day to realize how often the top members of the club changed. And each time, Dean became richer when they disappeared.
Her half brother was a piece of work. And he needed to be stopped.
I sat with the evidence surrounding me. RCMP had done nothing. They were never able to make charges stick.
“Inside man,” Damien mused.
“Feels like it.”
“What do you want to do?”
I scrubbed my face. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think Tally is a target still?”
I tapped a picture of Dean. “He doesn’t leave loose ends. I fear Tally is alive because he hasn’t found her. He told her to go to Alberta. If he isn’t looking here now, he will be soon. If he does…” I trailed off, unable to say the words.
“He could have killed her instead of making her scared enough to run.”
“She’s his sister. I think a few years ago, that counted for something. The man he’s become, I’m not so sure.”
“A great deal of missing women are linked to his club.” Damien met my eyes. “I think he’s starting to dip his toes into dangerous territory. Territory we can’t ignore. I’ve been watching video surveillance around his clubhouse. There’s an awful lot of activity for some bikers meeting for beers and to discuss their rides. The money they control is scary.”
“Maybe it’s time we step in. I need to ascertain if she’s still in danger.”
“Will you tell her?”
I barked a laugh. “That the man she thought of as her big brother lied, cheated, and stole from her? Allowed her to live in fear for the past few years without a second thought?” I shook my head. “If he’d handed her the fifty thousand he’d told her was her share of the house sale, she would have left. Never bothered him except a call or Christmas card. But the greedy, selfish bastard wanted it all, so he made everything up. I bet he even sent the bikers to rough her up and scare her—add credence to his story. The lowlife gave her a few grand and sent her off on her own, scared and thinking she was all alone. I want some answers from him, then I’ll tell her.”
“You’ll have to tell her about Hidden Justice, then.”
“I know. When I’m ready.”
He stood. “Don’t wait too long, Julian. Sometimes things happen and our decisions are taken away from us. Omission is another form of a lie. She’s had enough of those.”
I nodded. “I know.”
“Give me some time to dig into everything. Then we can figure out our plan.”
“I’ll bring in the local team, and we’ll join them.”
“Not until I know everything. The setup, the escape routes, what I think we’re dealing with.”
He was right. We weren’t going to rush into this. Tally was safe, and we needed to be sure of everything before we stepped in. “I’ll call the team leader in Montreal and fill him in. You can link up with their guy and get us everything we need. We’ll get eyes on them.”
He left, and I shook my head.
When I thought Tally would be trouble, this wasn’t what I was thinking. I’d had no idea.
But I would make her safe, no matter what.