She went to the other door that led into the lobby, hesitant to open it as a silent warning shivered down her spine. She had felt the same way the night in the parking garage when she found the note. Her instincts were screaming not to go into the lobby, while the blaring alarm was creating an urgency to get out.
Backing away from the lobby door, she tried the outside door again, hoping it would open. It didn’t.
Battling back the hysteric urge to pound on the door, she hobbled back up the steps, going to the next landing. She was terrified she was wasting precious minutes.
She shakily reached for the metal doorknob, relief rushing through her when it opened. As fast as she could, her kneecap protesting with every step, she went down the hall to the stairs on the other side of the building.
Fear once again intensified in her stomach when she came to the door that led outside, afraid it wouldn’t open like the other one.
Pressing down on the metal bar, a rush of wind greeted her as it flew open at the strength she used. A crowd of people that she recognized from the building was standing around in small groups, talking, as firemen in their uniforms rushed past them to go inside the building.
“Zoey! Are you okay?” Penni and Grace called out to her, immediately running to take each of her arms.
“I’m fine. I lost my footing on the steps and twisted my knee,” Zoey explained, calming the two upset women.
“We were out to lunch, and when we came back, we saw firetrucks but didn’t see you. We tried to go inside, but the firefighters wouldn’t let us.”
They helped her to a low concrete bench, sitting down next to her and reaching for her hands as if she was about to disappear from their sight.
“You should never go inside a burning building,” Zoey chided them. The thought that they could have been trapped inside while trying to help her filled her with sick dread.
“We would have been okay. One of the firefighters said it was a false alarm. When they find out who it was, I hope they go to jail. Someone could have been seriously hurt.”
Zoey tightened her hand in Penni’s. “No one was hurt. That’s what counts. We’re all safe and sound. You can’t ask for more than that.”
Penni and Grace didn’t agree, but they weren’t able to argue as the sound of motorcycle motors filled the air.
The three women turned to look over their shoulders as a massive wave of motorcycles filled the street.
“Uh…” She was astounded by the multitude of bikes, having stopped counting at thirty. “Grace, how many men belong to your husband’s club?”
Grace took in Ice’s foreboding features as he and the six daunting bikers surrounding him stalked toward them.
“I don’t know. I’ve never asked. Do you know, Penni?”
“A couple hundred, give or take. That’s not counting the ones they could ask for backup from my brother’s MC, the Last Riders. And then there is Hennessy’s club in Arkansas.”
“Are there any motorcycle clubs you don’t have ties to?” Zoey had no idea that the two women’s husbands were in a real motorcycle club.
Grace had told her that she used to be a professor before she moved closer to be with Ice before they married. Each of her words and actions were so gentle and refined with her ladylike mannerisms. And Penni’s sometimes scatterbrained, exuberant personality had never led her to believe that the boys’ club that enjoyed riding motorcycles as a part-time hobby was a real-life MC.
“Grace said Ice worked security for a business in town. And Penni, you said Jackal works as a bouncer at the Purple Pussycat.”
“They do… technically,” Penni answered, sharing an enigmatic gaze with Grace without further explanations as the men came to stand over them.
“What happened?” Ice focused on his wife, waiting for Grace’s reply, while Jackal sat down next to Penni, taking her other hand.
“It was a false alarm. How did you know?”
“Jackal heard it on the police scanner. Do they know who pressed the alarm?”
“Not yet.” Grace’s brow knitted with her frown.
“Jackal.”
Ice’s cold order had Jackal leaving Penni’s side.
Zoey watched as Jackal went to a small group of firefighters who were talking to a police officer.
“Thank God you’re okay!”
A frantic voice had her turning back to see Marc, who knelt down in front of her, taking both of her hands solicitously.
“If anything had happened to you after you told me to go ahead, I would’ve never forgiven myself.”
“Marc, I’m fine.”
“I should have stayed when you wanted to make sure the office across the hall was empty.”
“You were the last one out because you thought we were in our office?” Grace shook her head in dismay.
Zoey flushed under the scrutiny of all the men. “I just wanted to make sure. Marc, you did what you were supposed to do.” Focused on her client, she ignored the troubled gaze of the man behind Ice.