“No, I feel great. Let me go get changed then we can go.” That’s how we ended up fighting, making up and then going out to eat while setting a wedding date in the span of two hours. Wow, I hoped this didn’t happen again soon. I’d be getting whiplash if it did.
??????
We were almost home when Outlaw’s phone rang. He answered it. His face instantly got angry looking. I tried to hear what was being said, but I couldn’t. He was giving mostly grunts as answers. I was trying not to interrupt and ask what was wrong. Finally, he barked out, “I’ll be there in ten minutes.” He hung up.
“Honey, who was that? What’s wrong?”
“Tarin, if I asked you to go to the house and not ask me that, would you do it?”
“It would depend on why you don’t want me to know. Is it club business or does it involve me?”
He sighed. “It involves you, but I don’t want you to be upset. This will upset you.”
“Is it about whoever sent me the note and the pictures?” He grimaced, confirming I was right. “Damian, it’ll be worse for me if I don’t know. All I’ll do is worry. Please tell me what happened?”
“There was another picture sent to your phone.” I’d given him my phone the other day, so they could try and trace it. I had no idea what he’d done with it.
“How do you know? Who was watching it?”
“I had Smoke and Everly remotely running one of their programs on it. While we were out, they got a notification that something was sent to your phone. They checked it and it was another photo and message. They called me as soon as they saw it. I don’t want you to look at that shit, Tarin. You already lived it. You don’t need to see it. As for the message, it’s more of the same shit.”
I was quiet for the remainder of the drive. He kept glancing at me with a worried look on his face. I thought about what he said. Did I need to see the photo? No. Did I need to know what the message said? That I thought was a yes. I’d been trying to think who would have been Merrill’s confidant. I was coming up blank. When we pulled into the compound, I answered him.
“I don’t need to see the photo, but I do want to know what the message said, Damian. Let’s stop at the clubhouse. That’s where you have the phone, isn’t it?”
He sighed and then nodded. He parked outside and came around the truck to help me out. Inside, the place was only slightly busy. A few of the guys were playing pool. They all greeted us with smiles until they saw his face, then they got serious.
Payne came over to him. “What’s wrong?”
“Smoke called. Her phone got another photo and message. I need to check it out. She wants to hear what the message is.”
Payne swore then he looked at me. “Are you sure you want to do that, darlin’?”
“I need to, Payne. I’m trying to think of who it could be. Maybe they’ll say something that I’ll recognize.”
“Okay, how about I come with you guys? Afterward, we’ll see what we find out.”
I nodded. It was the three of us who entered Outlaw’s room. Outlaw went over to one of his desks and picked up my phone. He scrolled through it and then read the message off.
“Have ten million ready by the end of the week. I’ll send you further instructions on where to leave it. You should have known with Mer gone, someone would make you pay for what you and your whore of a mother did. You tried to ruin him. A part of me hopes you won’t pay, so I can show the world what you’re like.”
I fought not to get sick. It wasn’t because of the threat. It was because of the name Mer. Only a select few people ever called Merrill, Mer. Mom had hated that nickname. She asked him why he let them call him that, and he just smiled every time and said it was special between him and his best friends.
“Oh my God, Outlaw. It's one of them,” I cried out.
“One of whom, babe?”
“There were five men along with his assistant, Wade, who all called him Mer instead of Merrill. Mom hated that name and asked him why he let them call him that. He would get this funny smile on his face when she asked. He told her it was between him and his best friends. I never understood it. The two men he’d known the longest and I would have called his best friends never called him that. It has to be one of those six.”
“Give me their names and anything else you know about them,” Outlaw said urgently. I quickly gave him their names and where I remembered them living, if I knew it.
“They were always there on weekends and he took several business trips out of town with at least a couple of them several times a year. I never liked any of them. I always thought they watched me and judged me. But what if they were like him and they were checking me out for another reason?”
“It could have been. Let me get these names over to Smoke and Everly. Also, I have Petrillo down in Atlanta. I sent him back to see if he could find out anything. It’ll help if he is right there and can follow or do something with at least one or two of these.”
I was a little taken aback when he said Petrillo, but I couldn’t fault his logic. Someone there would likely find something before we did remotely. I nodded. I sat there for the next hour as he made calls and typed away on his computers. I finally left when Dad came to get me. He told Outlaw he was taking me back to his house. When he was done, he could come there. I wanted to stay, but Outlaw insisted I needed to rest. After a kiss goodbye, I let Dad take me to his house. I knew I wouldn’t sleep until Outlaw came, but I could rest.