The club noticed, too. And Judge, the President knew there was no bringing him back.
But they say once you’ve let the darkness in, it’s hard to find the light again.
The Bureau offered him another job, and he took it with both hands and a sparkle of hell in his eye. I hadn’t seen him since.
I was still married. But while my husband had once been the love of my life, he was now the nightmare that wouldn’t let me go.
I reached under my bed and pulled out the small box that I’d received in the mail just that morning. They’d started about a month ago. It was one of the reasons I’d come here. I needed the kind of protection that even the FBI couldn’t give me.
They couldn’t protect me from one of their own. And even if it were possible, would they? To them he was still their top priority, he was still an agent. And we had no proof that he was doing anything other than the job they had assigned him.
I pulled open the lid of the box and stared down at the daisy inside. There were several petals missing, and the note beside it read, ‘She loves me.’ Three words that at one time had made my heart soar, but now only made me want to hurl my stomach contents all over the floor.
So far his intentions were unclear. We didn’t know why the packages were coming, or what had brought on his sudden need to catch my attention. We were just thankful that they were still being sent to my old address in Arkansas. As long as he thought that was where I was, we were okay.
I was safe.
It was strange to say that when you were thinking of someone, who at one time, you had sworn to love and cherish until death do you part.
But those words were beginning to feel even more and more real.
I slammed the lid back on the small cardboard box, crumpling it and firing it back underneath the bed with the six others. I wasn’t sure why I was keeping them. I should burn them. Destroy them or something.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up and smoothed out the little black dress I’d worn for the party that was currently pumping away just down the hall. It was a Friday night, and on Friday nights, boy did these people know how to party.
I stepped out of my room and sauntered back toward the laughter and music, hoping to find something to occupy my mind—liquor, men, both.
Stepping up to the bar, I smiled at Chelsea who made her way toward me. Chelsea was the President’s Old Lady, she had once been a club girl and the room I was in had been hers. That was until Optimus realized just what he was letting slip through his fingers and claimed her.
She wasn’t what I had expected an Old Lady to be. She was strong and protected her boys like a lioness, but she was also one of the kindest souls I’d ever met.
“Hey Hadley, you need a drink?” she called over the music.
I shook my head, deciding that maybe I did prefer something harder. In the form of one of the men. “Do you know where Kev is?”
He said he owed me a drink, but instead I was going to take that payment in the form of a mind-blowing orgasm.
She pointed to the staircase that led to the club members’ rooms. Giving her a warm, thankful smile, I quickly made my way to the stairs.
My eyes widened in surprise when I reached the top, spotting a little girl standing in the middle of the hallway looking around. She had soft, bouncy curls that sat on her shoulders and her eyes were half shut.
“Hey, sweet pea,” I murmured as I approached her. She clutched a worn out teddy in her arms, and she looked sleepy and confused. “You looking for someone?”
She was so tiny, maybe only three or four years old. “Daddy,” she whispered quietly.
I wasn’t sure who exactly Daddy was but noted the door open at the end of the hall. “Hold on, darling.”
I rushed over and peeked inside. Sure enough, there was a toddler bed against one wall with its covers thrown back. The door said, Sargent at Arms, LEO.
I did know who Leo was, but had only met him in passing as he’d been away from the club for the past ten days or so. And this little angel hadn’t been around.
I hurried back and crouched down beside her, tucking a few curls behind her ear. “How ‘bout you go back to bed, and I’ll run and find your dad?”
She shook her head so quickly I was afraid it might fall off. Tears welled and she sniffled, “Daddy.”
“Okay, sweet pea,” I whispered, holding my arms out to her. She stepped into them and allowed me to pick her up and swing her onto my hip. “Let’s find Daddy.”
Her head rested on my shoulder as I carried her down the stairs and into the boisterous room. Part of me wanted to shield her eyes, but it seemed as though when people spotted me making my way through the crowd with her clinging to my side, they froze and stopped grinding or drinking or swearing and jumped out of my way.