I shake off my thoughts and Top and I silently move further down. When we get to the door we look out and Toi is standing in front of an empty field.
I frown. Maybe whoever is behind this shit with Weasel saw my men move into position before dawn this morning. I doubt it, my men are damn good at reconnaissance, but I suppose anything is possible. I know her father said she had to walk to the old dirt road at the edge of our property, but I figured if the fucker was going to pull anything, it would be here.
Guess he’s smarter than I gave him credit for.
I have more men in place on the old stretch of road. If that’s how this is going to play out, then it is. I watch as Toi walks away.
I guess I better get used to that view. When she disappears into the trees I know that Ride and Ghost have her in their sight. So I motion to Top and we speed back up the stairs to go to our bikes.
Adrenaline feeds through my body, because I know the time for confrontation is close. I just hope I did the right thing in letting it play out like this. If Toi gets hurt because I didn’t protect her enough, I’ll never forgive myself.30ToiI’ve never really had a home before and as strange as it sounds—even to me—Marcum and his club felt like a home. That’s the overwhelming feeling I experience as I leave them behind. I do need to go, though; there’s no getting around that. I know it. To stay would be insane. Marcum’s moods shift with the wind. And now…with my attraction to him in the mix—it’s really just too dangerous for me to stay.
I don’t think I could handle seeing him with one of the club women. Not after having felt his gentle touch. I’ve dreamed about him. I’ve kissed him—even if it was mostly chaste. I couldn’t handle not having that and watching another woman get it in place of me.
Then there is the club itself. I’ve lived most of my life with a dangerous man. I don’t need to be living in a clubhouse full of them. I need to get away, to start over far away from everyone here in Crescent City. Even as I say that, I know. I have to leave Florida all together. That’s the only way to see peace from my father… and to not risk running into Marcum again.
The longer I walk, the sadder I get. I rub the sides of my arms. I keep getting the feeling someone is watching me. When I look around, I don’t see anyone and again I just mark it down to nerves. As I near the old road I can hear a vehicle running. This is almost over. Once I get away and put Florida—and Marcum—behind me, everything will be better.
When I make it through to the clearing there’s an older woman sitting behind the wheel of a red convertible. She’s really pretty. Her red hair falls in waves with just enough curl that it looks beautiful. She’s got long slim fingers that have red painted nails that match her lipstick. She’s looking around nervously and then she spots me. She studies me for a minute and then smiles.
“You must be Weasel’s girl Toi,” she says.
I swallow, but nod my head.
“Well, come on. We need to get going if we’re going to make it to the Greyhound station in time.”
A sense of disbelief hits me. I expected a double cross. I came prepared to fight for my life and there’s nothing…
Could it be possible that my father didn’t lie?
My legs are frozen in place for a moment, so great is my shock. Then when I do start walking it’s to hear the ringing of motorcycle pipes. I can’t hear the woman, but I can read her lips when she yells.
“Shit! Hurry!”
I stumble, but I’m at the car door when a hand slaps against it, stopping me. I turn around to see Ghost standing there. He followed me. There’s no other explanation.
“I don’t think so, Toi.”
I might have tried to respond, but the motorcycles arrive that we heard and there’s Marcum and he’s looking right at me. Fear flutters through me at the look on his face. I think it might all be directed at me, but it’s not. I know that absolutely when he stops by the car and looks at the other woman.
He knows her.
I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does.
“Well, I sure as fuck didn’t expect this,” Marcum growls. He looks over at Topper. “Don’t let her leave,” he orders, his voice low. Then he walks around the car to me. Ghost moves away and there in front of me is the man I desperately needed to leave. The man I didn’t want to leave. The man whose anger I can almost reach out and touch right now.