Page 16 of Skid
THE NEXT MORNING, Idrove to Eddie’s after checking that Grace was still sleeping peacefully. I slept with the laptop opened to her bedroom door every night, needing to make sure she was okay. A few times, she’d had nightmares and it killed me to not have her in my arms, to soothe her pain. Seeing she slept soundly through the night, I drove quickly, wanting to glean as much information from Eddie as I could.
After seeing the two of them together at the bar, as close as they were, I started digging into Eddie, and I still couldn’t find a connection between the two. How did a sixteen-year-old runaway from Missouri end up closer than family with a Gulf War Veteran from Alabama? It made no sense, and I hoped I could ferret the information from him, or at least a direction to refine the search.
He was waiting on the front porch when my headlights rolled across it, and he stood from his seat as I turned the bike off and placed my helmet on the seat. He walked inside, and I caught the door before it closed, following him into the kitchen.
Seeing the delicious desserts on the counter, I heard my stomach grumble. Eddie glanced over his shoulder as he poured me a cup of coffee, and when he turned around, he had two forks in his hand. I took my coffee from him, picked up the chocolate cake that tempted me last night, and carried it to the table.
“Good choice,” he remarked and sat down across from me.
We both took a bite from the cake, knowing it would be gone soon as we began to talk. I glanced at his weathered face and could see in his stuttered eyes that he had painful secrets he kept buried as well. Most people did, but there was those few who, when they made eye contact, you knew they’d seen more than most.
“I checked you out,” Eddie remarked, and I looked up quickly, fearful he knew the real reason I came looking for Grace. He held his hand up to stop me before I started making excuses, and I leaned back, pursing my lips, and waiting. “I needed to know what kind of man was pursuing Grace, so I called a friend over at the Army base.”
I didn’t show any outward sign of distress, but knew if he dug too deeply, he could cause problems for not only me but the Death Hounds and Callahan Cyber. I was back dooring my way through too many lettered government agencies to need that kind of attention.
“Before you freak out, I didn’t ask him to dig through your entire life, just skim the surface.” I exhaled and ran my hands through my hair.
“There are aspects of my life that don’t need to see the sunlight, and other areas that have to remain hidden in the darkness. Nothing about my life would ever touch Grace, but I need you to stop digging.”
“Funny, that’s what he said too. Off the record, of course. What he did tell me is you’re a man of your word, you’re honorable, and most importantly, you would kill anyone who tried to hurt Grace. Am I right?”
“Without a doubt, I would kill anyone who thought they could cause her pain. And they would never find the body. I promise you that, and if I can’t protect her, my club, my family, and my closest business associates would ensure her safety.”
He stared deeply into my eyes, and I never faltered, letting him look into my soul. Grace was mine, and it was time for Eddie to fill in some of the blanks. When he got whatever answer he was looking for, he sat back and lifted his fork to take another bite of cake.
“Ask your questions but realize I won’t tell you if Grace promised me to secrecy. My loyalty is to that sweet girl who got a raw fucking deal in life.”
He chewed on a bite of cake and washed it down with coffee while I formulated where I wanted to begin. Deciding the beginning was the best place, I took a swallow of coffee then asked, “How long have you known Grace?”
“I met her five months after her sixteenth birthday.”
“How did you meet?”
“Mutual friend who I won’t bring into this,” he explained and stood from the table to retrieve the coffee pot.
Pouring us both another cup, he placed it on the table and lifted his eyebrows.
“How did she come to live here?”
“She needed a place, and I gave her a room until she was able to afford her own place.”
He was better at this than I expected, so I changed tactics, “When did she come to work for you?”
He smiled and sat forward. “She’s been working with me for close to eight years. Started out stocking coolers and sweeping the floor, but eventually, she wanted to pour, so I kept her behind the bar with me.”
“How would you handle it if I took Grace away from here?”
“If you were giving her a loving, supportive, safe home and not going to drag her to your club to turn her into a trophy, I’d be supportive. If you just want her to hang off your bike and follow you around like some kind of love-struck fool, then leave her alone.”
“Do you know the bond between an old lady and her man?” He shook his head, so I explained, feeling a little insulted by his accusations. “She is coveted by her man to the point of worship, she is respected by every member of the club, she gains a network of support, family, friends, and an unbreakable bond that will follow her until the final days of her life.”
“And that’s what you want from her?”
“I want whatever will make her happy. I don’t know what it is, but something happened to her that dimmed the light in her eyes. I saw the same thing in my sister’s eyes after . . . let’s just say, she survived and is stronger because of it, but it broke a part of her that never healed the same,” I looked down at the table, shaking my head slightly at my memories of Sadie after her attack.
I knew in my heart that something had happened to Grace. The same man who spentsix visitswith Aubrey all those years ago in the shed was the man tasked with taking care of Grace for close totwelve years. I know deep in my soul something happened to her, and I only hate I can’t kill him myself. Not that I could tell Eddie any of this. Hell, he might not even be aware of that part of her life.
“Are you in love with Grace?” I blurted out, and he leaned his head back, laughing from deep in his belly.
