Page 32 of Gluttony

Despite his annoyance at Shannon’s bullshit, Red couldn’t help but smirk; the man had gone full on stalker over Nadia, after the woman had found out that Frost had ordered Locust to get close to her to pump her for information. No one had banked on them falling in love with each other, especially Locust, who found himself out in the cold after Nadia overheard him spilling the beans to the fuckhead Cluster. Now, Locust and Nadia were tight, and Red wanted the same thing for himself and Val, which was why he was putting off dealing with Shannon’s bullshit—a-fucking-gain—and picking Locust’s brain about surveillance on Val’s place.

“Alright, what’re are your options—I take it that you’ve come to me because you want to keep eyes on your woman when she’s at home.”

“Yeah, but….” Fuck, he’d never been so goddamn uncertain in a decision before. In the Marines, a split-second decision was the difference between going home with all your limbs, or going home in a box—so he’d had the wishy-washy trained out of him over his six years of active duty. Now, though, it was like his training had taken a shit on his face and high-tailed it.

Locust pinned him with a look, one that said he understood. “I get you, brother; you want eyes on her, but you’re dealing with the knowledge that, if she catches you, you’ll be in even deeper shit.”

Heaving a sigh, Red leaned back in the seat and stared at the full glass of pilsner in front of him, the condensation running in rivulets down the sides.

“The woman is as sneaky as fuck when it comes to cyber security, but I don’t think she’s ever changed the locks on her doors.” He’d remained in the truck, watching her house, well into the night until her lights went out. Once he was sure she was asleep, he got out of the truck, and did a quick lap around her house. There was no fence, just a small square of grass edgingthe small house. The back door had a deadbolt, and so did the front door, however the deadbolt was anchored in the doorjamb and not in the wall behind the doorframe, which meant all it would take was a strong kick to bust the door in. Also, the locks were corroded from years of wear, so picking them would be as easy as using a bump key. “I could break in without breaking a sweat.”

Locust took a swig of his Bud, and then offered, “Honestly, brother, I don’t think spying on her is going to win you many points in the long run, and if you’re lookin’ to get in there quick and get her to forgive you, wasting time watching her on a camera feed isn’t going to do you any favors.”

“Fuck,” Red grumbled; Locust was right. Also, he had a feeling that if anyone could detect hidden cameras in their home, it would be someone who did contract work for the fucking government. “My other options are break in and tie her up, or kidnap her.”

Locust grunted, his lips pursing as he considered Red’s words.

“The kidnapping is out; all the rentals we own areoccupado, my brother, so you’d have to take her to your place or the clubhouse, and I can guarantee the old ladies would have a problem with that second option.”

Red rolled his eyes. “Emily and Stephie would stage a breakout, and Cilla and Nadia would be the distraction. I’d never see Valentina again.” And he couldn’t take her to his place; his neighbors were too close, and he’d already had several complaints about the “crude noises” and the rumble of his Harley too late at night. Unless he soundproofed his whole house within the next few days, taking her to his place was out of the question. “Those women scare the shit outta me,” he finished, his mind circling back to the old ladies and their penchant for cutting their men off at the knees.

Locust, chuckling, waved down a waitress for another beer. “You got that right; my woman would probably set something on fire…or deflate all the tires in the parking lot.” He’d grumbled that last bit, though the slight smile on his face was one of pride and humor.

That made Red laugh—Locust’s woman, Nadia, was notorious in the club after she evaded Locust by deflating his bike tires with a screwdriver and making her getaway when he couldn’t follow her. And Cilla, Patriot’s woman, was all sugar and cream, but the woman had an insidious cleverness she hid well; it would be no trouble for her to come up with something that would keep Red from getting his woman back. And Emily, the club queen, would have Frost all up in his shit, which was problematic since Red was using club resources and duty time to basically stalk Valentina.

“So my only option is breaking in and restraining her?” Red pondered aloud, knowing full well how completely deranged he sounded, talking about restraining someone like he was commenting on the weather.

Locust nodded, grabbing the beer Tina, the waitress—thankfully someone Red hadn’t fucked—placed on the table, and taking a swig. “I’d be careful about that too, though, since no one likes to wake up to a stranger in their house.”

That was a fucking understatement.

But what else could he do—she wouldn’t fucking talk to him, and she cut off all paths of communication. It was like she’d cut him completely out of her life without a single thought, without hesitation, and that was like a goddamn cannon ball to the chest.

How could she just drop him like that, like he didn’t mean anything to her, like what they had meant nothing to her? Was what they felt for one another, the future they’d dreamed of, just a joke to her?

“I can smell you thinking over there, brother, and it isn’t a pleasant smell—like burnt hair and microwaved fish,” Locust remarked, making Red glare at him. Locust waved it off with a shrug. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re at your rope’s end, dangling over heartbreak and soul death, so I’ll help you however I can…as long as what you plan isn’t going to hurt her.”

Red curled his lips in distaste. “I’d never hurt her, asshole—she’s my motherfucking life!”

Locust broke out into a smile, his eyes glimmering in the low light of the bar. “Fucking right, she is, which means we’ll have another old lady soon.”

That made Red grin, his chest expanding with pride at the idea of Valentina standing beside him in the clubhouse, wearing his property kutte…and his ring…her belly swollen with his kid.

Fuck. Apparently, he had a breeding kink, newly discovered, and only for and with Valentina. She was the only one he’d ever imagined knocking up—because she was his future. Porch swing, backyard water balloon fights, family BBQs, family movie nights where they watched Disney with the kids but thenScreamwhen the kids went to bed…. It was all there, playing out in his mind like a daydream made of all his hopes and heart songs.

Suddenly desperate, his chest aching with longing and fear, he tossed back the last of his drink, slammed the glass on the table, and tossed some cash beside it for tip.

Red really needed to make things right with his Daisy, and that meant leaving the fucking bar and getting back to that little house on Forand St.

“Okay, asshole, I’m out of here,” Red announced, sliding from the booth. At Locust’s knowing smirk, Red grinned back. “I’m off to get my woman.”

After some careful planning….

In his office at the clubhouse, Red put the finishing touches on a report for Frost who wanted information on one of the local cops who seemed a little too interested in Emily. Apparently, the pig was sniffing around Emily’s flower shop, Flower’s Blooms, and making sure to “run into her” when he was on patrol. Both Red and Frost called bullshit on that, and Frost ordered Red to do some digging.

Report in hand, Red headed to Frost’s office down the hallway, a skip in his step. It was impossible not to be fucking giddy; he was going to see his woman tonight—and not just see her, he was going to touch her, scent her, press his lips against her flesh, and they were finally going to have the conversation they should have had over a week ago. No more running and hiding for his Daisy; she’d be trapped like the little rabbit she was, and he’d take his time getting her to see what she meant to him.

She means so much you still fucked around on her after promising to commit to her.

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