Page 12 of Property of Raider
Erin Rose watches my face before smiling softly.“Sounds perfect, sweetie.I look forward to hearing from you.”
I give a soft smile before making my way towards the door, only to find it blocked by the man of my nightmares.
“Excuse me, please.”I mumble, looking at my feet.
He steps out of my way not saying anything.As I step out of the door, I place my phone to my ear.
“Hey, love, what’s wrong?Why are you calling me from practice?”I question as I make my way to the door.
Rusher gives me a list of things he needs, or he can’t do practice.My nerves calm with the normalcy of it.I fall back into mom mode.Completely putting that man out of my mind.
Okay, I spend the rest of the day lying to myself about it.
Chapter Four
Raider
The phone call from the fucking senator’s assistant has me seeing fucking red.This is the fourth fucking time we’ve been called in to solve his problems for him.At the rate this man is going, the club is going to have so much fucking dirt on him we’ll be able to do whatever the fuck we want to do in this state.What makes my blood fucking boil is the fact that this motherfucker keeps hurting innocent people.
I slam through the back door with Medic and Anvil hot on my heels.
“Satchel,” I yell when I don’t see anyone.
Marching through the building, searching for anyone.I’m just about to the front office when Erin Rose steps out, scowling at me.
“Damn you, Raider.Why the hell are you screaming the walls down?”she snaps.
Stopping in my tracks, I level my angry gaze on Satchel’s Ol’ Lady.“We got a call about a high-priority cleanup.”
“Still doesn’t explain why you’re yelling like a madman,” she sasses, matching my stare.
Growling in frustration, I throw my hands up.“Fine, I’m sorry.Can you please tell me where I can find Satchel so we can get the things we need to get this fucking job done?”
I watch as she relaxes at my not so angry words.“The last I saw him, he was out back spraying out the vans.Try starting there.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I mumble like a chastised child as I step forward to press a chaste kiss on her cheek.
As I do, the movement to my left catches my attention.I snap my eyes to a figure sitting in one of Erin Rose’s office chairs.When our eyes land on each other, everything I thought I’d buried in the past explodes wide open.I stand straight, trying to stop the tilt-a-whirl that just took over my brain.
She stands so quickly she stumbles.Stepping forward, I reach out to steady her.My heart stops when she throws a hand up, halting my steps.I am so fucking dumbfounded that Anastasia is standing here that I can’t string a single thought together.Erin Rose steps around me, seemingly not grasping that my entire world just stopped spinning.
“Oh goodness sweetheart, are you okay?”Erin Rose asks, placing her hands on Anastasia’s shoulders.
She doesn’t say anything, just keeps staring between Erin Rose and me.Without looking away from us, she reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone, checking it before she speaks again.
“I will get your number from Auntie Lynn and check in with you tomorrow on when or if you would like me to start,” she stumbles over her words.“This is my boy, and he’s supposed to be at practice.So, I need to take it and run.”
The way she said “my boy” causes something deep in me to go quiet.The smallest spark that I didn’t even know was still burning is just … gone.Burning out so fast, I can feel the chill in my soul.The last piece of me that cared about something is completely dead.
Erin Rose’s voice is soft when she speaks.“Sounds perfect, sweetie.I look forward to hearing from you.”
Anastasia moves towards me, looking at her feet as she moves around me.“Excuse me, please.”
I step out of her way, watching her as she moves through the door to the front office and right out of my life for the second fucking time.As she steps through the door, she places the phone to her ear, and I nearly fall to my knees.
“Hey, love, what’s wrong?Why are you calling me from practice?”I hear her say just as the door swings closed behind her.
“The answer is fucking no,” I force through clenched teeth without looking away from the door my very own poltergeist just walked through.
