She turns to me with a raised brow. “Everything?”
“Well, no… not everything but enough for now.”
“And how did he take it?”
“Not well,” I admit, remembering our lengthy shower this morning where he held me and promised to exact his revenge on Oliver. It was the safest I’ve felt since the last moment he held me in his arms seven years ago and it has me considering the options for our future when only forty-eight hours ago, I was dead against it.
“Does that mean the two of you are official again?”
I shake my head. “No… I don’t know… Maybe…”
“Well, that’s helpful. Thanks.”
“I don’t know what to tell you, Han. Do I love him? Yes, but being with him terrifies me. Oliver is a fucking lunatic and I can’t go back to the apartment. I can’t go back to being a prisoner.”
She stares at me for a second before wrapping her arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. “Noah’s not going anywhere this time. Have faith, babe.”
Easier said than done.
Chapter Twelve
Noah
“Have a good day at work, baby,” I tell her, pulling her into my arms and kissing her. I swear each time I kiss her now, it’s like the first time all over again. My body gets all tingly and my fingers itch to find a bare piece of skin I can touch, which is probably how we ended staying up half the night lost in each other. Not that I’m complaining. She pulls back and I release her so she can climb into her car. “Love you.”
Annoyance flashes across her face as she rolls her eyes and I can’t help but laugh.
“You’re a pain in the ass.”
I shrug. “Yeah, but you love me anyway.”
“No, I don’t.”
Nodding, I close the car door once she’s behind the wheel and lean in through the open window. “Sure, keep telling yourself that, darlin’.”
“I could murder you and bury you in the backyard. No one would ever find you.”
“Yeah, you could…but you won’t ‘cause, you know you love me.”
She narrows her eyes as she starts the car. “Keep pushing me, LeBlanc. See what happens.”
“Text me when you get there so I know you made it safe,” I instruct through my laughter and she nods, relief cracking through her tough exterior. My girl is so damn strong but if her breakdown in the shower earlier is any indication, she’s been holding onto too much for too damn long.
I tell her good-bye and give her one last kiss before walking to the porch as she backs out of the driveway. As her car crosses the threshold of the driveway, an alarm sounds from inside the cabin and I glance over my shoulder.
Huh.
So that’s how she knew each time I showed up here.
I cross my arms over my chest as I look around, wondering what other security measures she has here - other than the shotgun she pointed in my face on that first day. Whatever it is, it probably wouldn’t hurt to add a few cameras around the property and I definitely need to install a stronger deadbolt on the front door. Actually, what I really need to do is talk to Smith. He’s the Sergeant at Arms for the club and he was just telling me about the security he put around someone else’s place the other day.
Plus, I should inform Blaze and Streak about everything I learned this morning. My mind drifts to Kady’s confession and my blood boils as I think about her locked in that apartment for a year at the hands of that motherfucker. Clenching my fists, I grit my teeth and start off down the driveway toward my truck. As much as I would love to hunt him down and flay him alive, I need a plan of action if I’m going to go up against Biche. When I knew him, he was a low-level dealer who had a powerful father but now, he’s running the show and getting to him won’t be an easy task.
He will pay for what he did to my girl, though.
I’ll make damn sure of that.
As I pull away from the cabin and head in the direction of the clubhouse, I imagine what else Kady hasn’t told me yet and wonder how much worse it can get. Truly, all she’s told me so far is that he held her captive for a year but I know there’s more - based on the way she clammed up when I pressed for more information and just the fact that he had her for a whole year. Biche was fucking unhinged when I knew him and there’s no telling what putting me away and kidnapping my girl gave him the confidence to do. What she went through during that time is eating away at me and I can’t help but hate myself for all the stupid, selfish decisions I made back then.
When she confronted me with the truth that I’d hurt her so much all those years ago, I was shocked and pretty damn pissed off. Everything I did, I did to for her. My main drive was making enough money to give her everything she deserved, so how could she not see that? But knowing what I know now - it all makes sense and it’s so clear to me how my actions led her directly into Biche’s grasp. Who knows, maybe he still would have held a grudge against me and taken her if I hadn’t been outshining him in his father’s eyes but, either way, I would have been there to keep her safe. In that way, I failed the only woman I’ve ever loved and it kills me.
Pulling into the clubhouse parking lot, I spot Storm crouched down by his bike and I nod to him as I pass by. After I park the truck, I hop out and he walks over to me, holding his hand out to me.
“Hey, brother. How’s the search going?”
“Uh…” I start. “Complicated. Blaze and Streak around?”
He nods with a laugh. “Blaze is in his office and I’m pretty sure Streak never leaves his cave.”
“Cool, thanks. Actually, you should probably join us.”
“Everything okay?” he asks, studying me. I shake my head as we reach the door of the clubhouse and pull it open.
“No, not really.”
“What’s up?”
I glance around the room, spotting Smith by the bar, talking to Streak. “Actually, we should probably round up everyone that’s here right now.”
“On it,” he says before whistling to get everyone’s attention. Smith and Streak turn to us with brows raised.
“Yeah?’ Smith asks.
“Church, two minutes.”
Streak scowls. “It’s gonna take longer than that to call everyone else in.”
“Naw,” I say, shaking my head. “We can fill them in later.”
They both shrug and as they finish off their beers, Storm turns to me. “I’ll grab Blaze and meet y’all in there.”
He walks off to the office while Streak and Smith join me with a look of concern on their faces. “Everything okay?”
“No, not really,” I answer, shaking my head as we reach the back room. We all file around the table and sit in our usual seats despite the fact that everyone else isn’t here and a second later, Blaze walks into the room with Storm on his heels. Meeting my gaze, he nods a greeting and sits at the head of the table.
“All right, Henn. This is your show today. What’s going on?”
Sucking in a breath, I rub my hand over my face. “On the night I was arrested, Kady was kidnapped.”
All four of them suck in a breath.
“What?” Blaze breathes and I can see the regret shining in his eyes. “Does she know who he is?”