“You can’t do that! You can’t! I’ll kill her! I’ll kill this whole damn club!” she screamed.
I left her there yelling. The guys were outside, shaking their heads. They could hear her. We left her there screaming with three prospects watching her. No one needed to be around her alone.
On the drive back to the house, I debated on what to do. I needed to get on my computers at the clubhouse, but I didn’t want to leave Tarin alone at the house. When I got there, I’d found a solution. Bear said he was going home to check on Ilara and he’d be over to the clubhouse soon. I went inside to get Tarin. She was sitting alone. I’d texted her to say I was on my way. She must have sent Jessica home.
She got up and rushed over to me. “Did she say if she was working with someone? What’re you going to do with her?”
I sat her down. “Babe, we found a way to contain her. She won’t be able to come after you again. I’m not going to tell you what we decided, because it needs to remain a secret, for all our safety. She’s not dead, which is what she probably deserves. As for working with anyone, she denied it. She’s just batshit nuts. She was going to throw your body in a quarry and then come back. Eventually, she thought I’d turn to her.”
“What the fuck? Please tell me, wherever she’s going, she’s going to be hating life at least.”
“Oh, I can promise you she will. That means we have your blackmailer still out there. I need to get to work on my computers at the clubhouse. I want you to come with me. You can rest in my room. If you need anything, I’m right there.”
“I can do that. Let me get a couple of things.” She got up and went upstairs. I gave her a couple of minutes then I went up to help her. I laughed. She was packing her kindle and her pillow. Fifteen minutes later, she was curled up on my bed at the clubhouse, reading. I had her set up with her water and I gave her the remote to my television. As I sat down, I ran through what I wanted to check first. Before I did anything else, I needed to call and talk to Smoke.
??????
Three hours later and I was ready to punch the wall. Smoke and Everly had eliminated one more guy, but we were no closer to identifying who the blackmailer was. Tarin had fallen asleep about fifteen minutes after I got her settled in my bed. I looked at her. She looked so damn sexy and innocent lying there. I wanted to crawl in bed with her and hold her and our baby. That was after I made love to her until we were both too tired to do more than sleep. A soft knock had me getting up to answer the door.
It was Bear. He glanced in at the bed. “Is she doing okay? Do you want Ilara to go to your house, so she can go home?”
“Nah, she’s been sleeping which is a miracle with the clacking I’ve been doing on those keys. I haven’t heard anything since I sent you the last text. I wish he’d fucking text or call. It’s nine at night. If he wants us to drop it somewhere tonight, he’s running out of time.”
“Maybe he’s trying to make us sweat. He thinks if he does, we’ll screw up or something. It’s killing me too, Outlaw. I want him and every other bastard who saw those pictures or knew what he was doing to her, dead. How in the hell do men like that exist? That’s fucked in the head.”
“I know. I don’t understand it either. We’ll just have to keep searching and wait. Why don’t—” I was cut off by the dinging of a phone. It was hers. I’d set it up to have a different sound when a text or call came into it. I hurried to my desk. I wasn’t fast enough. She sat up in bed. Her eyes were glued to the phone.
I looked down at the message screen. It was another unknown number. This time the message was more threatening.
Tarin, your time is almost up. I know you didn’t get the money. You’re too greedy to part with the cash your whore of a mother stole. Mer should have gotten rid of her like I plan to get rid of you. You won’t know when or where. It might take me years, but I’ll be there when you least expect it. As for the photos, those will stay in my private collection, until I feel like sharing them. I know a lot of people who’d love to see these. Maybe I’ll send them to that biker dad of yours or that man I see you with all the time. The big bastard with the black hair. They think they’re so damn tough in those little vests. I’m smarter than all of them. Sweet dreams and teddy bear kisses.
Bear was reading over my shoulder. He swore when he read what it said.
Tarin came over to us. “I want to see it.”
I shook my head. “No, I don’t want you reading this shit. He’s just getting worse.”
“Outlaw, I need to see it. I can’t go around not knowing. Please.”
Bear and I looked at each other for several seconds then I handed it to her. I watched as she read it. Her face got progressively paler. When she got to the end, she gasped. I yanked it away from her. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you see it. Goddamn it, Tarin, I can’t have you getting upset over this bullshit!”
“That’s not why I gasped. I mean it’s terrible, and he’s scaring me, but Outlaw, I know who it is,” she said excitedly.
I grasped her arms. I didn’t squeeze, but I needed to have her focused on me. “Who? How do you know who it is? He didn’t say anything new.”
“Yes, he did. It’s the last thing he said. Sweet dreams and teddy bear kisses. There were only two people who ever said that to me. Merrill and his assistant, Wade Wagner! He used to laugh whenever Merrill would say it then he started to say it. Anytime he was at the house and I was going to bed, he’d say it and smile at me. Oh my God, it has to be him. It has to be.”
“Shit, are you sure?” Bear asked her. She nodded. He looked at me. “I’ll get the others in here. You call Smoke and see if he can get to tracking down where this fucker, Wade Wagner, is. We’re going to turn the tables and make him the damn prey. Honey, you need to lie back down. I expect we’re going to go into church soon. Do you want me to have Ilara or one of the others come sit with you?” her dad asked her.
“No, Dad, I’m fine. I’ll stay here. I’d feel better if I was in the clubhouse. I know realistically he can’t get to me here, but after April, I’m still a little freaked out.” Bear gave her a kiss and then raced out of my room.
I gathered her in my arms and gave her a deep, intense kiss. She responded immediately. When I’d thoroughly kissed her, I broke it off. “Love you, Jewel. Now, lie down. I need to talk to Smoke then get my ass into church. If I know your dad and Bull, they’ll have the rest of the guys here in fifteen minutes. Do you need me to get you anything?”
“No, I'm fine. I just need to tinkle, then I’m going to lie down again.”
I laughed at her saying tinkle. She ran into the bathroom. I sat down and called Smoke. It was time to run this bastard to the ground and then make him disappear.