Page 3 of At Last

“Let’s assume it’s something, what would that something be?”

Elise moves in closer and drops her voice. “When you come here do you, uh, do you ever get the feeling of being watched?”

What?“No. Not that I’ve paid attention. Have you?” It’s been less than a year since she’d been kidnapped by Houdini and buried alive. The choice came down to saving Elise or catching Houdini. Boss saved Elise. That means that psychopath is still out there somewhere.

“Well yeah. When I leave the compound and sometimes when I stand out here for too long. It’s just leftover anxiety, I’m sure.”

“Have you told Boss?” I ask.

“No,” she says way too quickly, almost a whispered shout, startling the baby. “He’d freak. He’d come back. He’d tell the other brothers.”

“Yes, but Elise.” I pause. My turn to lay a hand on her arm. “You were kidnapped. He needs to know.”

“Beau is off trying to find Liv. I want my friend found. And more than that, I want him home. We’ve spent so much time apart, I want my family back together. Under one roof. It’s selfish, I know. But if he comes home now, he’ll only have to leave again. Plus, I never leave the compound without a guard, so I’m cool, you know?” She tries to sound unaffected, but I can see through her façade.

I open my mouth to tell her what I think of that idea when she cuts me off. “Please don’t say anything.”

Do I agree to that when I don’t agree? But she’s my friend, I think. Or at least starting to be my friend. I can’t betray her trust, even if for a good reason. Letting out a slow breath, I decide on how to answer. “Okay, for now. But you need to tell him. If not for you, think of Gun.”

This answer seems to appease her, she smiles a genuine smile, even if it doesn’t reach her eyes. Then she nods and steps back. I take that as my cue to climb inside my car and actually leave.

A prospect stands out front by the fence, he pushes open the gate for me and shoots off a two-fingered salute as I pass through. This new crop of prospects is something to behold. If I were a few years younger and didn’t have a child, I’d work him like a stripper pole, not that I’ve ever worked a stripper pole. But I’d heard the saying numerous times from Elise and her friend Maryanne Doyle, and it seems apropos here. His small name patch, the one on the front of his vest stitched just above his heart, says Jesse. Though, I believe his mother did him a disservice with that name. She should have called himEye Candy.

They must like him. Gate duty is pretty important, especially in their world. From the way Elise explained it, all prospects start off doing the shit jobs that no one wants. Unclogging toilets, cleaning up vomit after a party, cleaning up after the party. Making a four a.m. food run when a member has a sweet tooth. They like you, trust your loyalty to the club and the brothers, they’ll move you up to the gates. From gates, it’s protection. You prove your grit, then you get patched in. There’s no timeframe.

You might be cleaning puke for two years, you might only be on the gate for a month.

The whole dynamic is pretty fascinating.

Jesse looks like he’d show a girl a good time. Too bad there’s only one man I’d honestly consider going biker for. And I have to remind myself that he can’t stand the sight of me. God, that gritty voice gets me every time. Not blood, but liquefied want courses through my veins. Pumping through my erratically beating heart. No other way to describe it.

Plus, and this is important, it has beenso longsince a man has done that to me. Not since Aiden, Jade’s daddy, left Jade sad and me broken hearted for a new life and a new woman he’d been talking to online in Australia.

What kind of man leaves his toddler daughter to move to another continent?

But we survived.

I hope Mr. Sexy Biker won’t be there tonight. Seems since I first took Elise on as a patient, I close my eyes and dammit if it isn’t him, those lines, probably from his years of smoking, surrounding a pair of gray, bordering on silver, eyes that stare back at me.

Apparently, I’m more obvious about my attraction to him than I mean to be. Usually Elise drops little tidbits of information about him when I’m at the compound and he’s around, trying to peak my interest. “He’s only like, thirty-eight years old. That’s a lot of good years left to uh, do whatever one might do with a man like Duke.” Or “He likes his pieces, but Duke hasn’t been in a relationship since his wife died. He’s very loyal.”

I actually never thought she’d try to coordinate a meetup where Duke and alcohol were involved. I mean what else could that FYI of hers mean?

A shiver runs the length of my spine just from thinking about thinking about him.

“Mama!” Jade rushes to me, slamming her tiny body against my legs and wraps her arms tightly around my knees, which me being five foot nine and all legs, is where she reaches.

Scary how the mind can wander so much that a person can lose consciousness to the world around them. I don’t remember driving here. I don’t remember getting out of the car. I don’t remember walking through the parking lot or inside the building. None of it.

My girl and her preschool were my destination, but holy cow, I need to be more careful.Andto stop lusting after someone I’d never stand a chance with. I’m no biker babe.

Shaking my head, I chuckle at that thought. Me, as a biker babe? The idea is even too ludicrous for my imagination.

Get your act together, girl.

After disengaging Jade from my legs, I take her hand and we walk back to get her bag and sign her out.

“Miss Jenny, I’m going to a sweepover at my fwiend Macy’s house. It’s her birfday.”

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