Placing my phone back down on my desk, I try to regain my focus on the project I’m currently working on. Plus, Sam will have some things for me to look over and double check in a little while. She does amazing work but really doesn’t have confidence when it comes to designing book covers and other graphics. We’ll have to keep working on it.
Anyway, Rusty has always given me the creeps. Until court I’d never seen him in person. All of our interactions were through social media messages or emails. Somehow he found my number and eventually address. I’m not even sure what exactly gave me the creeps about him. There was never really any one single thing. It started out as him trying to talk to me longer and not about the projects. Then it turned into him messaging me on a daily basis about nothing at all. While some might be flattered, he didn’t stop when I told him I was seeing someone. I really wasn’t, but he didn’t have to know that tidbit of information.
He turned into a guy who was my client to someone I wanted to avoid at all costs. Especially when he started calling me babe, sweetheart, darling, and a ton of different other pet names. Names that don’t belong in a business relationship. That led to him showing up everywhere I was. Yeah, I had a routine down for a while and that shit all went out the window once Rusty started showing up. I went from trying to let him down easy to turning into a complete bitch. Even that didn’t deter him from everything he was doing to me.
There is no way I can concentrate on the work I have to complete today. My mind is firmly stuck on Rusty and the shit he’s pulled in the past. Now, I’m also thinking about what he’s going to do this time. There’s no point going to the cops because he knows exactly what to do so they don’t do anything to him. Not once did they ever talk to him when I filed a complaint. I was told to change my number, block him on social media, and not respond to any of his emails. Their actual suggestion was to change my email. I’m a small business and can’t just change everything because of one person.
Closing my laptop and making sure everything is put up, I head into the living room to watch some mindless TV. At this point, I won’t even be able to concentrate on reading a book. That’s the shittiest part of this whole situation. Plus, I want to call Fox and have him come home. Then I’ll have to explain everything to him. I don’t want him to know what happened in the past and that Rusty’s back once more. This is my burden to bear since he’s got so much to do at the clubhouse or for members of the club. Plus, he fills in at the different businesses whenever he’s needed.
My phone rings as I sit down, and I jump out of my skin. Looking down, my hands are shaking, and my heart is racing. This is how I always am whenever Rusty has any contact with me. I look at my screen and answer Fox’s call just before it goes to voicemail.
“Hey, babe,” I say into the phone. “How are things going?”
“I’m ready to come home and be with you. How’s your day?” he asks as I hear him typing away in the background.
“Um, it’s going okay. I just stopped working for a while. Hopefully, I can get back to it in a little bit,” I answer him, not being able to keep the tremor from my voice.
“What’s wrong?” Fox questions, immediately on alert.
“Nothing. It’s nothing. Just can’t concentrate on work today,” I respond, evading his question.
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” he asks me, not believing a word I tell him.
“Yeah. You sound busy,” I deflect.
“Workin’ on gettin’ things set up for the new business,” he responds. “Slim wants to open up another garage that’s strictly for bike customizations.”
“That will be good for you guys. I’ll let you get back to work. Anything you want for dinner tonight?”
“No. I’m good with whatever. You know this baby,” he responds. “I love you and I’ll see you soon.”
“I love you too,” I respond hanging up the phone.
Fuck! Fox doesn’t believe me. That only means one thing; he’s going to search everything until he figures out what’s making me nervous and jumpy. Thankfully, he only called and didn’t come home to see me a nervous wreck. Setting my phone down again, I turn my attention toward the TV and try to get lost in whatever program is on. It’s my default coping mechanism. It doesn’t always work, but here’s to hoping it does today.
Fox
It’s taking everything in me not to dig into Kim’s records to find out what’s going on. She’s not telling me the truth about why she sounds jumpy even over the phone. I’m literally forcing myself to sit here and work on pulling up the records for possible locations around town for the new bike shop. I’ve been working for two days trying to find the perfect spot for what we want.
For the next few hours, I look at what different realtors have available. I print off the details for all the locations I believe will work for us. Once I’ve got them all together, I shut my system down and make my way to Slim. Hell, I don’t even know if he’s still here. If he’s not, I’ll just leave the papers on his desk to look over when he gets back to the clubhouse.
Knocking on his office door, I hear him tell me to come in.
“Fox, what’s up?” he asks, sitting back to relax in his chair while pushing his own paperwork aside.
“Got the listings for you,” I respond, handing them over. “If you don’t need anythin’ else, I’m headin’ home. Somethin’ is goin’ on with Kim.”
“What?” he deadpans, looking up at me.
“I don’t know. She says it’s nothin’, but I heard a tremor in her voice. She’s not tellin’ me what’s wrong. I need to see her and try to talk to her,” I answer him.
“Get home to your woman. When you gonna claim her ass?” he asks me, as I turn to walk out the door.
“I’ve got her rag sittin’ here in my closet. Just waitin’ on things to settle down.”
“That may never happen. Just pick your spot and claim her ass already,” he states as I nod while walking out of his office. “We’ll be havin’ church in the next day or two. Still need to figure out who the rat is and smoke them out. That will be a meetin’ for the officers only. I don’t want to take any chances and let whoever helped Neil know we’re onto them. For now, we’ll keep that shit sealed and be on the lookout for anythin’ suspicious.”
“Got it, Pres. I’ll keep diggin’ into everyone’s backgrounds. See if I can find either a connection to Neil or anyone who’s had anythin’ happen in the last few months or so. There’s a lot of different reasons for someone to turn their backs on us,” I inform him before walking out of his office.
Walking through the common room of the clubhouse, I don’t stop to talk. When someone calls my name, I simply nod in acknowledgement while continuing on my path. Once I’m outside, I straddle my bike and put my helmet on. Turning the key, I start the engine and leave the clubhouse. The night air whips around me as I fly through the streets until I get to the edge of town. Then I slow down because of traffic. It’s not long before I’m pulling in my driveway.