Page 37 of Hero: Claimed

I clench my fists at my sides to keep from knocking him the hell out. Brin’smine—and that’s the crux of the problem, isn’t it? I can’t reconcile how I feel about her and how I should feel about her. Or how I think I’m supposed to feel about her—I don’t know. Nothing Chaos said is untrue. I’ve seen how a few of the brothers have appraised her, eyes fixed on her tits or ass a bit too long for my comfort. Shit, my head is a mess. Why is my head such a fucking mess when it comes to Brinley? Chaos starts to say something else to me, but I don’t stay around to listen, taking off to talk to Duke.

He’s at the tow company this time of day, which means I head there instead of the club. Fat raindrops mixed with snow falls from the darkened sky and I’m glad I’ve got the truck today, but still, I wish I could ride. Ineedto ride.

With the roads getting slick, it takes me about ten minutes to reach Ellis Auto & Towing. The bays are full—cars always pick nasty weather to quit working—but the wreckers are all out, which means lots of stalls and accidents.

Duke sits behind the desk of his office bellowing at some unlucky bastard on the phone when I enter. He looks up and waves me in, not missing a beat shouting his—“Listen, you stupid motherfucker.”

For some reason, I find this funny enough to snicker while making my way inside. I stand off to the side, leaning against the bright white wall with my arms folded over my chest as I wait for him to hang up. I don’t know how I’m able to snicker. Nothing about the situation unfolding is funny.

He glances up at me at the same moment he drops the receiver in the phone cradle, then shoots me a “what?” with his eyes.

“Might have some bad shit developing. Don’t really know for sure yet,” I say.

“Bad shit? Care to elaborate?”

I shake my head. “Advocate spotted west side of the county. Only one so far, so it could be a fluke but—”

“But we all know the Advocates are in bed with the Pythons.Godfuckindammit. Right. You good with leavin’ yer woman for a few?”

I nod because he doesn’t know how good I am. If I don’t find some perspective, I’ll lose myself. It’s coming on. I feel it. That woman has the potential to bring me to my knees. I thought I could rise up to the challenge. Brin’s worth taking a chance on, just maybe not from me, because I can’t let a woman have that power over me. I just can’t do it. My pops never recovered from my moms, her death. Never dated—nothing. What if I can’t protect her? Brin’s so deep in me now, what if the Riot get to her? I loved my dad, but I won’t become him.

“Fine. I’m sendin’ Sneak and Blood with ya. Head out. I’ll make the calls.”

15.

Brinley

I wait in the office for about ten minutes after clocking out, waiting for Levi. Normally, he shows to collect me and we head home. With the exception of last night when he had to work late, but he made sure to call to let me know to head back with Chaos.

Looking from my phone back out the window at the front of the office, I sigh and decide to make the trek down to receiving. When I get there, the lights are down to the soft yellow security lights and all the docks are empty. The men have all left for the night. Just to make sure, I walk into Levi’s office and I even check the restroom. Where could he have gone?

After spending the next twenty minutes checking every nook and cranny of the warehouse for Levi, I finally give up and walk back out to the dark parking lot, making sure to pull the locked door shut behind me. I don’t have a key to the place. An empty parking lot stretches before me. It’s dark and cold and I don’t have a stinking ride home. Where the hell did Levi go?

His behavior doesn’t make sense. Why make sure I had a bodyguard when I left the compound, only to leave me stranded in the dark now? Did something happen? Did he get called away and forget to arrange a ride for me? The man certainly was acting weird when he came into the office this afternoon.Don’t panic until you know what’s going on.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, the first call I make is to Levi. It rings three times and goes to voicemail. I hang up and try again. Voicemail again. He put thatFind My Friendapp on my phone to ensure I’d always be able to find him. I click the app icon, waiting for it to load and when I find the little cartoon Levi, I click on it. He’s not even close to Thornbriar. Can that be right? It has to be right, the app is connected to his phone, his number. Maybe he’s off doing club business?

I’m shivering enough to make my teeth chatter when I hit his number for a third time, and for a third time it goes to voicemail. Right. Time for plan B. I begin to scroll my contacts. There’s my sister. I’m not calling Levi again. I could do Blue, Blaze, or a few of the old ladies. The wind picks up, slicing icy cold daggers through my jacket. I need a winter coat and gloves. Caitlin would be the closest if she’s still in town. I press her contact and press the phone to my shivering ear.

“Brinley?” she answers. “You okay?” Shewouldask that. It’s not like I’ve called her once since Levi gave me this phone.

“A-A-Are y-y-you s-s-still in t-t-town?” I stutter.

“Yes, leaving work now. I had a delivery that kept me. What’s up?”

“L-L-Levi l-l-left m-m-me s-s-stranded.”

Caitlin’s affronted gasp is exactly what I need to hear. I feel the commiseration. “The warehouse?” she asks and I hear the rumbling of her truck in the background.

“Y-Y-Yes.”

“I’ll be there in five. My heat is cranked. Are you stuck outside?” she asks.

But all I can manage is to answer a, “Mmm.”

“I wonder what happened. This is so unlike Hero.” I notice she’s not hanging up with me and I appreciate the company. Five minutes must have passed as the brilliant brights of her headlights turn into the lot. I wave stupidly. Caitlin veers the truck my way, easing to a stop. The door pops and a blast of heat hits me. I sigh while climbing up into the seat. It takes me a couple of tries to click the seatbelt because of my chilled fingers. Being a Texas girl, I’ve never experienced bone-chilling cold like this in my life.

The dashboard is lit up on the brightest settings, highlighting a large screen for her satellite radio, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth options. The console is voice activated, allowing her to tell it to switch to the 70s station, where an early version ofOnly the Good Die Youngby Billy Joel softly booms through the speakers.

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