Page 47 of Seizing Mack
Chapter Twenty-One
~ Nick ~
The past week had beena busy one. Nick had stayed at the hospital with Jesse and his mom after spotting a Necromancer skulking around the ER. The guy wasn’t one of the major players, just a low-level wannabe trying to work his way up. Didn’t matter. Nick had memorized the face and bios of all of them.
As soon as the doctor released Jesse the next morning, Nick picked up the supplies Gail had ready and drove Jesse and his mom up to Sam’s cabin. It really was ‘God’s country’ up there, and probably the safest place for them until things calmed down. He got them settled in and ensured they had everything they needed before heading back to Covendale.
On his way, all he could think of was how much Mack would enjoy the area. Big, tall trees filtered the sun into dappling shafts of light. Varying shades of green stretched out as far as the eye could see. Stunning vistas appeared and re-appeared as he worked his way up and down the mountains. During their conversation at Ground Zero, Mack had mentioned several times that she liked the outdoors. Perhaps, if things continued to go well, he’d suggest a brief getaway. They could go hiking. Camp out under the open skies. Maybe share a sleeping bag...
He cooled those thoughts when his pants grew uncomfortably tight. As much as he wanted to know how far her voice would carry as he made her scream in pleasure, he wouldn’t rush things. He wanted more than just her naked body beneath, above, and beside him; he wanted to see her smile. Hear her laugh. Feel her hand in his as they discovered things together.
It was scary stuff for a guy who’d only recently decided to move forward with his life.
Which was yet another reason for him to take it slow and let things move forward at a natural pace. It would give him time to find his footing, and give them both a chance to get to know each other better and build a solid foundation.
It had been a couple days since their coffee date. Nick figured enough time had passed for him to contact her and ask her out again without seeming too eager.
Or desperate.
With luck, she’d agree to another coffee date, or maybe more. Was it too soon to ask her to dinner, maybe a movie? Nick decided that after getting some much-needed sleep, he’d grab a quick shower and shave and head over toSeizeto get his Mack fix and play it by ear.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way.
When Nick got to the precinct to give his report to the chief, he learned that Jesse’s house had been hit. Thankfully, uniformed patrols had been keeping an eye on the place and managed to apprehend those responsible: two guys, both affiliated with the Necromancers MC.
Once again putting his plans on hold, Nick spent as much time as possible trying to get information from them before they lawyered up. One of the guys was in his late-twenties, heavily tatted, pierced, and muscled. He had a rap sheet a mile long. Unsurprisingly, he had nothing to say.
The other guy was younger, barely out of high school. He acted tough, too, but he hadn’t been tempered the same way his buddy had. He hadn’t done hard time outside of a few stints in juvie. Nick concentrated his efforts on him. He didn’t get much, but what he did get was a possible lead on ‘Zeke’.
By the time he was finished, Nick was running on fumes. As much as he wanted to see Mack, he needed a few hours of sleep and some food first. Bleary-eyed, Nick fired off a quick text to Mack and crashed.
He’d only intended to sleep for a few hours, but when he woke up, it was morning. The first thing he did was check his phone to see if Mack had responded. There was a reply, but it wasn’t the one he’d hoped for:No, you can’t see me tonight, asshat. I’m busy.And you’re not my type.
Nick groaned and palmed his face. Apparently, he’d texted his old partner, Max, instead of Mack.
Sorry, not meant for you.Nick tapped out the text and hit send, then retyped the original message and sent that, confirming that this time, he sent it to the right number.
Nick’s phone rang as he was shaving. It wasn’t Mack, but Max. “Missing me, huh?”
“Like I said, not for you.”
A deep, rumbling laugh. “So you said. Got yourself a woman already, huh?”
Nick smiled, imagining Mack’s reaction to being called ‘his woman’. “I’m working on it.”
“Good for you, man. Listen, I was going to call you anyway. I got some information on that MC you were asking about. Word on the street is that the club is ramping up their activity on the east coast. They hit up these small-town chapters as suppliers to the locals, absorb them into the bigger organization behind the scenes, and hook them up to the bigger network — for a percentage, of course.”
“Any idea who’s running the expansion?”
“Nothing definite, but it’s big enough that it’s in the DEA’s crosshairs. Sounds like what you’re dealing with is right up their alley. You might want to give them a call.”
“Got a name?”
“Yeah. Special Agent Greg Bartholomew is the one taking the lead on this.” Max rattled off the number.
“Thanks, Max.”
“Anytime. And hey, good luck.”
After hanging up, Nick considered texting Max again, then decided against it. He needed to see her instead.
It seemed as if the universe was conspiring against him, though. He went into the station house first and filled the chief in on what he’d learned, then put in a call to Special Agent Bartholomew. While he was waiting for the agent to return his call, he took care of the small mountain of to-do’s that had accumulated in his short absence.
It was late afternoon before he made it over toSeize. It didn’t take him long to find Mack, but once he did, he had to blink several times. She didn’t just look good. She lookedamazing.
The changes were subtle, but there nonetheless. Her ponytail was about two inches shorter and sported streaks of light and dark that hadn’t been there before. Her skin practically glowed with radiance.
Her clothes were different, too. Still workout appropriate, but sexier. Dare he hope that he might be part of the motivation behind the changes?
Mack hadn’t noticed him yet. He watched, transfixed, as she moved over toward the rack of silver and black hand weights. He wasn’t the only one. Plenty of other male (and some female) eyes were looking her way, too. An irrational surge of jealousy rose up inside him.
