Pursuit: Blood Bandits MC (7 page)

***

“Mama? Did you quit your job? Did I quit school?”

“No, baby. Why do you ask?” It had been five days since Eric’s insane string of phone calls. He’d stopped calling since then, relying on text messages instead. The thing was, no sooner had I blocked one number then he’d started texting from another number. We’d played that game for the first two days, until I gave up. Still, he’d left us alone—physically, at least.

I looked up at my daughter, where she worked on a page in her coloring book. I looked forward to the weekend—at least then I wouldn’t have to feel guilty for keeping my child out of school. I did, however, feel guilty about calling out of work all week. I wasn’t sure how much longer our savings would last.

Emma kept her eyes on the page she colored while she spoke. “I was just wondering. I didn’t go to school anymore this week. I didn’t get to say goodbye to Mrs. DeSilva. It was her last day before she has her baby.” I heard tears in my daughter’s voice, and the sound tore at my heart. I’d been praying she wouldn’t pay attention to the calendar, that Friday would come and go without her remembering that her teacher was leaving for months.

“I’m sorry, honey. Do you not like the time we’re spending together? Like I said, I thought it would be fun to have a vacation, just the two of us.” I did everything I could to make things sound as fun as possible, but even I knew how terribly I’d failed. Emma, at least, tried to make me feel better.

“I love vacation, I just don’t know why we took it. You didn’t say anything until Tuesday morning.”

“It was a surprise, like I said.” My patience was quickly wearing thin, and I told myself to stay cool for the sake of Emma. None of it was her fault. I couldn’t take it out on her.

“Will you get fired from your job?”

I slid off the couch, lying on my side on the floor beside my daughter. “How come you care about so many grown-up things, huh? That’s the sort of thing Mamas worry about, not their little girls. Okay? You let me worry about that. You just color in your book, and we’ll put on a Disney movie in a little while, and I’ll make popcorn. Okay? And tomorrow’s Saturday, and then Sunday. Hopefully by Monday, we’ll have things worked out a little more, and vacation will be over. Okay?”

“Okay.” Emma went back to coloring in her book. I bit my lip, watching her. No way I could extend our “vacation” past Monday. I had a choice to make. Either I could pull her from the school, which wasn’t mandatory, or I could find some way to get Eric out of my life for good.

How could I manage that, though? Aside from murder—which I’d considered many, many times—there was no realistic way of getting rid of him. I couldn’t very well run even further away. I didn’t have enough money in the bank to fund a big move, and without my mother, I wouldn’t have anybody to watch Emma when I needed help. I didn’t think I’d be able to afford a babysitter or daycare—that was why I’d put her in school, even though I didn’t think kids needed to be in school so young.

I sighed, rolling over onto my back. I stared up at the popcorn ceiling, with its faint glimmer of glitter here and there. Why had anybody ever thought that was a good idea?

“What are you thinking about, Mama?”

“Hmm?” I looked at Emma, who watched me carefully. She was always doing that, watching when I least expected. The wisest little girl I’d ever known. “Oh, I don’t know. I was just thinking about bad choices. Like the paint on that ceiling.”
And so many other things.

By Sunday afternoon, it seemed clear that I would have to remove Emma from school. I couldn’t risk leaving her there all day when her father could come swooping down at any minute to take her away from me.

My stomach turned at the thought, but it was a very real fear. I couldn’t dismiss it.

When I dared turn my phone on for a little while after dinner that night, since leaving it on only meant having to hear Eric’s texts coming through one after another, I called my mom. She needed to know what was up, if only because it would affect her over time.

“What do you mean you’re not sending Emma to school anymore? Did something happen there?”

“No, Mom. Not there. Promise me you won’t freak out when I tell you what’s been going on. Okay?” I pulled my feet up onto the couch while Emma worked on a puzzle I’d spread across the living room floor. I smiled when I saw the way she poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth when she concentrated. I knew the puzzle would keep her busy enough that she wouldn’t listen in on the conversation.

“Oh, Jesus, Kara. I thought we talked about this, you and me. About not keeping things from me anymore. After all the time you never told me about Eric…”

I closed my eyes, sighing. “I know, Mom. But you don’t understand how hard it is. I never wanted to worry you, just like I don’t want to worry you now. I don’t know. Maybe I’m stubborn. Maybe it’s really hard for me to admit when I need help. I always want to solve my problems on my own, without bothering you. You have enough to deal with.”

“Never too much that I can’t help you when you need it. Please, honey. It’s better to tell me now than it is to hold it all inside and tell me later. Like when you called to say you had moved into a new apartment without even telling me you were going to leave your husband.” There was no missing the accusation in her voice, as though I had hurt her in some way by not making her privy to my plans. Like she felt slighted. It amazed me that she could take it personally.

“Eric’s been calling and texting for almost a week—ever since last Monday, after he came into the diner.”

“Kara! You didn’t say anything?”

“Mom, we just talked about this. I mean, he’s only calling and texting. No big deal.”

“All right. What else?”

“Well…I haven’t been to work since then.”

“And you say no big deal? Kara. What do they think about this?”

“Charlie understands. I mean, he was there when Eric came in. He knows what I’m up against. He would never fire me. Darlene and the other girls have been covering my shifts. Darlene even showed up here the other day with groceries. She knew I didn’t want to take the time to leave the apartment and walk around the store. She wouldn’t let me pay her back for them.” Again, I reminded myself to do something nice for her as soon as my situation turned around. If anybody ever deserved it, it was Darlene.

“That’s good of them. I’m glad you have good people in your corner.” Her voice changed. “What about Emma? I guess this is why you haven’t needed me all week?”

“Yeah, I was lying when I told you I kept her home because she didn’t feel well. I kept her home because I’m afraid to send her to school.” I cupped my hand around the phone, speaking low. “I’m pulling her from the school.”

“Oh, honey. Do you think this is a good idea for her? She’s already been through so much. Her whole little world has shattered, you know? Away from her father, her home. Now her friends?”

My jaw clenched and my nostrils flared as I breathed heavily. “You make it sound like this is all my fault. Like I decided to get up one day and ruin my kid’s life.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I just think you have to take her into consideration.”

I let out a short, barking laugh. “What do you think I’ve been doing all this time? The reason I can’t send her to school is that I’m scared to death Eric’s going to show up and take her from me. I can’t let that happen.”

“Kara, do you think he would stoop so low as to kidnap her? I mean, he doesn’t know where she goes to school.”

“You always underestimated him,” I said, laughing bitterly. “Like he can’t find her in a heartbeat. Like he couldn’t call up one of his friends in the Department of Education. Like he couldn’t show up there, tell them he’s her father and watch as she ran to him. She misses him, Mom. She would go in a heartbeat. And nobody would stop him from taking her because Emma would tell them he was her daddy.” I laughed again. “Like I haven’t stayed up late at night just thinking about this over and over.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to underestimate him. I guess if anybody knows what he’s capable of, it’s you. And you’re sure that’s what he’s after?”

“Mom, if I read some of these texts out to you, it would chill you to the bone. He talks about how he’s going to take his daughter from me no matter what. I won’t be able to do anything about it. I don’t have to wonder too hard about what that could possibly mean. I’m pretty sure he wants to kill me.”

“Kara! Don’t even say that.”

I shrugged. “It’s true. If it were between me and her, he’d kill me to get to her. I really believe he’s that obsessed. If only you could have heard the hatred in his voice in the only voicemail I listened to. I deleted the rest—I couldn’t bring myself to listen to another word of it. Believe me. He sounded capable of just about anything. He hates me now.”

“Oh, honey. What do you need from me? I mean anything. I’ll do anything at all to help you.”

I smiled. “I appreciate that. Maybe visit tomorrow? I know Emma would like that—she needs to see another face beside mine.”

“I will. What about him, though? What are you going to do about him? You can’t lock yourself in your apartment forever.”

I looked at Emma, playing happily on the floor. “I don’t know. I really don’t. One day at a time, right?”

Dom

“Where have you been all week?”

I sat at the table in the clubhouse, with the rest of the club staring at me. We were taking a vote on whether or not to bring in another member. Rat was a good kid. He’d proven how valuable he could be time after time. I had no problem letting him in. I just couldn’t make myself concentrate on anything that used to be important to me. According to Spike, who glared at me from the seat next to mine, it had been a problem for more than just that night.

I ignored him. “I vote aye. Let’s bring him in.”

Chase pounded the gavel on the table, signaling the end of the vote. “The ayes have it. Rat’s an official member.” We brought him into the room, and Chase presented him with a brand new patch for his kutte.

“It’s time to party!” The rest of the guys filed out to the bar area. I stayed behind—because Chase’s hand gripped my arm, holding me back.

“What’s really wrong with you?” he asked, sitting me down. “I mean, Spike’s not the sharpest, and even he sees it. What’s happening? Something on your mind? Anything I can help you with?”

I knew Chase saw himself as sort of a surrogate father to me, and I measured my words carefully. I didn’t want him to think I wasn’t grateful for everything he’d done to keep me safe over the years. I wanted to tell him to fuck off and mind his own business.

“I’m okay. Just distracted. That’s all.”

“You still thinking about that waitress?” He grinned.

“What’s she got to do with anything?”

“Oh, come on. Ever since that night at the diner you’ve been different. I figured you’d get her outta your system and everything would be okay. I guess I was wrong. What is it about her that you can’t get her outta your head?”

I wanted to tell him how wrong he was, that I didn’t have her in my head. I wanted to tell him she didn’t mean anything to me. It would have all been a lie.

“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know why I can’t get rid of her.” My shoulders slumped. I wanted to put my head on the table, I was so fucking tired. I hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep all week.

“Shit, man. That’s rough. But you’ve gotta get rid of her sometime. You know that, right?”

“Of course I do.” That time the anger came out in my voice, and I didn’t try to hide it. I didn’t need him talking to me like I was some kind of child. “Like I don’t know that. Like it’s not fucking killing me inside that I can’t stop thinking about her.”

“So why don’t you go and do something about it?”

“Like what?”

“Like going back to the diner, dumbass. Talk to her. Figure out what it is about her that you can’t let go of. You never even told me what happened between you guys that night. If I knew more, maybe I would be able to help you.”

I hadn’t told anybody, mainly because I didn’t think anybody needed to know. Maybe Chase was right, though. Maybe he would be able to talk me through it without me having to go back to the diner, which was the last place in the world I wanted to go to. If she saw me there, I didn’t know what she’d do. I remembered the way she’d pushed me away, and all I knew was I didn’t want to see that look on her face ever again.

I told him about her asshole ex-husband, the way he’d been hurting her when I walked into the kitchen, the way he’d threatened her. Chase listened to everything with a blank face, eyes hidden like they always were. Then I told him about the kiss. His mouth curved into a smile, and I knew what he was thinking. He stayed quiet, though. I had to give him credit for that.

“So that’s what happened. Beginning to end. She told me to go to hell, and I left, and there you were, and we came here. End of story.” I sat back in my chair, shrugging. “So, doctor. Tell me what my problem is.”

He grinned, shaking his head, but the grin disappeared pretty fast. “Okay, here’s the thing. I didn’t think I was gonna be able to help you—not really. I mean, I could give you a little advice, tell you there were plenty of fish in the sea, yadda, yadda, whatever. That ain’t the case here, though. Not after what you just told me.”

I leaned forward, arms crossed on the table. “Well?” I asked, waiting for him to go on.

“You might not like what I’m gonna say. I don’t need you getting all pissed with me or anything.” His old, weathered fingers tapped on the table. He had the same callouses I did, except the hair on the backs of his fingers was white, while mine was still dark.

“I think I’m a big boy. I can handle it.” I braced myself and reminded myself he was only trying to help.

“Okay, here it is. It’s natural that you can’t stop thinking about her. There’s nothing weird about it. You wanna save her. Plain and simple.”

“That’s it?” I asked once he had stopped talking. “That’s your big wisdom? I wanna save her? What, I have some hero complex?”

“I don’t know nothin’ about hero complexes. You got further along in school than I did. All I know is she’s in trouble. You wanna help her. Any of us would wanna help her, I think, if we walked in on her shithead ex hurting her like that. Shit, I wasn’t even there and I wanna shove the bastard’s head through a wall.” Chase’s fists clenched.

“I know. You have no idea how bad I wanted to do it, too. I kept thinking, if I could only tighten my arm around his throat…”

Chase grinned. “Yeah, I can see how you’d wanna. A stronger man than me for not doing it. So you’re worried about her. Hell, I’m a little worried myself. How’s she gonna get out of it? How’s she gonna move on with her life with him threatening her? You said it sounded like he was serious.”

“Oh yeah. Real serious.” I could hear his voice in my head like he was standing in front of me. Telling her she would be sorry.
You’ll get what’s coming to you
.

“So, yeah, you’re worried. Okay. Even more reason for you to go back there, find out what’s up. Maybe even see if you can help somehow. I’m not sure how…though we have our ways…”

“Don’t think I didn’t already think about that.” I had been thinking about ways to kill him all week. We knew people who specialized in things like that. Real professionals. In and out in no time, with no evidence left behind. “The only thing is the owner of the diner saw the whole thing between us in the kitchen. So there’s a witness who could testify that I once met him.”

“Well, hell.”

“I know.” We both sighed, thinking.

“You should go,” Chase decided. “Even if you think she’s gonna spit in your face, you’ll know she’s safe and still able to spit in your face. Sometimes that’s all a man’s got in the world.”

I had to laugh. “Spoken like a man who’s had a lot of women spit at him.”

“And I deserved it every time.”

I laughed again, standing. Then I stopped laughing when I remembered something she said to me. “Remember when I told you it was trouble that happened back in the kitchen that night? I never told you what I mean. She thinks he’ll make trouble for us. He’s super connected or something. Eric Cantrell.”

“Oh shit.” Chase sat back down with a heavy thud. “Yeah, he could be a real pain in the ass. Oh shit. You had to go picking a fight with him.”

“Me? I didn’t pick a fight. Besides, you just say here saying you wished you could put his head through a wall.”

“I still do, only now I’d make sure there were no witnesses when I did it, and no way to identify the body when I finished the job.”

“Who is he?”

“He’s a super-rich asshole with everybody in the city in his pocket. I mean it. You name ’em, he’s got ’em. Judges, lawyers, politicians, everybody.”

“Oh great. So she wasn’t just making that up. He could start shit with us.”

“Hell yes. If he hasn’t already, we don’t know it yet.” Chase looked up at me, his wrinkled forehead even more wrinkled than usual.

“I held off from hurting him because I wanted to do what was right for the club. I didn’t know doing anything at all would be bad for us.” There I went, fucking everything up, just like I always did.

“Calm down. It might not be that big of a deal. We’re guessing at all of this. He probably didn’t even get a good look at you, or any of us. This was all coming from her, right? He didn’t threaten you or the club?”

“No, it was all her.”

“Don’t worry about it, then. Go ahead, find her. See if she’s okay, see why you can’t forget her. Get it out of your system, okay? Because the club needs a vice president with a good head on his shoulders. You’ve got a good one—or you did, before you lost it. Get it back.”

“I will,” I promised.

***

The ride to the diner was familiar not because of the trip we took there the week before, but the times Mom had taken me there when I was a kid. I wasn’t joking when I told the guys I wasn’t sure if the place would be open anymore. It had looked ancient even when I was five years old. Twenty-five years hadn’t done it any favors, but there was something to be said for the memories that came up when I saw the neon lights from the sign in the distance. The few good memories I had of my mother before the drugs took over everything that used to be good about her.

I couldn’t think about that while I rode, though. I could only think about Kara. Would I screw things up with her, too? Would I make her life even worse, the way I had ruined Lauren’s? Was her ex even angrier with her because of me? If he took it out on her, I would never forgive myself.

The diner’s parking lot wasn’t very crowded, but it was Sunday afternoon. I couldn’t imagine who would be there for a snack. A Friday or Saturday night, sure. Lots of people went in to soak up the alcohol with greasy food. When I was a kid, I could drink all night long, eat a double cheeseburger with bacon and a full side of fries, go to sleep right after and wake up feeling like a new man. At thirty, I had to take a Zantac before eating anything spicy. That kind of drinking and binge eating might have killed me.

I pulled up out front, looking in the windows as I walked up the ramp to the front door. I didn’t see her, but I guessed she could be in the kitchen. I did see that other waitress, that Darlene woman. She’d be able to tell me something, even if Kara wouldn’t.

Darlene’s face showed surprise and a weird sort of understanding when I walked in alone. “Just you tonight, hon?”

“I’m not here to eat, but thanks. I was looking for Kara. Is she here?”

Darlene’s face looked just the way it did when Eric was in the kitchen with Kara, and she didn’t want to tell me anything about it even though she knew she had to. “What is it?” I asked, looking in that direction. “Is she back there?”

“No, she’s not. She’s not even here, actually. She hasn’t been here all week.”

I stared at her. “All week? Not once? Is that normal?”

“No, of course not. She needs the money like crazy. She’s…no. I can’t tell you. It’s not my place.”

“Darlene.” I followed her as she walked to a table to drop off a check, then stood in front of her when she turned around so she couldn’t get past me. She huffed. “Please let me by.”

“Not until you tell me what’s up with her.”

“I don’t know all the details, and that’s the truth. Okay?” She finally gave up and took me by the arm, leading me to the counter. There weren’t any customers sitting there, so it was pretty private. “She hasn’t been in all week because of him. Okay? She won’t tell me why. She won’t tell Charlie why. She just says it has to do with him. I mean, I went to her apartment this week to drop off some groceries…”

“You went there? And she was okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, she seemed fine. So did the kid.”

“That’s good to hear.” At first I thought maybe he had one of his girlfriends call, pretending to be Kara, calling out of work, when he had done something to her.