She smiles, but it’s wobbly and terrified. “I have someone who can help me. I’m going to him. He’ll sort this out for me.”
“And if that biker gets hold of you first?”
“He won’t.”
“How are you getting to this person who can help you?”
She walks over to the couch, zipping up her suitcase. “He’s organized a car for me. I just have to get to it.”
“Open your garage. I’ll put my car in and take you in that. I’ll make sure no one follows us.”
She nods. “Thank you.”
I walk over, pulling her into my arms and hugging her close. “You need to ring me often, Autumn. I need to know you’re okay.”
She nods, holding me tight. “I swear.”
I don’t feel good about this. Not at all.
~*~*~*~
It takes me three hours to get Autumn to the car waiting for her. I see a bike following me, so I have to stop off casually at the gas station, making out like Autumn isn’t hiding in my back seat. I even stop at a local milkshake bar, getting a shake and parking at the beach. Eventually, the bike speeds off. I put my foot on it then, hurrying Autumn to the car. When we get there, I barely get a minute to say goodbye before she’s speeding off with a stranger. Well, a stranger to me anyway.
Tears tumble down my cheeks as I watch her go.
I don’t like any of this, not for a damned second.
I hope my friend is okay.
~*~*~*~
My phone rings and I force myself off the couch to reach out for it, hoping it’s Autumn. I’m worried for her; terrified something bad will happen. I see Reign’s number on the screen, so I answer it with a croaky, “Hello?”
“Tia?”
“It’s me.”
“Shit, babe, you cryin’?”
At his words, my lip trembles. “Ah, no.”
“You’re cryin’. What the fuck happened?”
“It’s,” I swallow, calming myself, “Autumn.”
“She okay?”
“I can’t say on the phone. It’s okay, I’m just being a whiny brat.”
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
“No,” I say quickly. “It’s okay. I’m just going to get some work done.”
“I’ll be there,” he says, hanging up.
Okay then.
I lift myself off the couch and plod into the kitchen. I pull out a carton of orange juice and pour myself a glass, and then I sit up on the countertop and think.
I’m so worried about Autumn. I honestly don’t like that she’s off, alone, scared and in trouble. There must be something I can do to help. Maybe Spike, or Cade, or Jackson can help. They might know the man I saw. Perhaps they can tell me how to get her out of this mess.
She’s the only family I have, aside from my parents. If I lost her . . .
I’m jerked out of my thoughts when my front door opens and Reign steps in. He’s still in a suit, but the first two buttons of his shirt have popped open. He’s not wearing the jacket and his sleeves are rolled up, showing me the mass of muscles cording up his forearms. He lets his eyes scan over me and then he walks forward.
“Hey,” he says, stopping in front of me, placing his big palms on my legs.
I smile. “Hey, yourself.”
“What’s goin’ on?” His eyes are intense, watching my every movement.
“Something is up with Autumn; I just don’t know what. When I showed up at her house today, there was a strange biker outside. He left without a word, but when I got inside she was beside herself, packing her bags and running. She told me she got herself into some trouble a few years back and put a man in jail. Now that man wants to make her pay and has hired this biker to bring her in.”
Reign’s eyes narrow. “Was the biker part of my security team’s club?”
I shake my head. “No, at least, I don’t think he was. He had Wings MC on the back of his jacket.”
He runs his hand over his jaw, and then pulls out his phone.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
He gives me a onceover before muttering, “Callin’ Jackson.”
“No, you can’t do that. Not until I know that she’s not going to get hurt.”
He leans in close. “She’s run off. There isn’t time to fuck around on this, Tia.”
I bite my lip as he presses the phone to his ear.
“Yeah, Jackson, it’s Reign.”
Silence.
“Got a bit of a situation, would you mind heading over?”
More Silence.
“I’m at Tia’s house.”
He prattles off my address, and then hangs up the phone. I put my head in my hands, groaning. “This can’t be good.”
“If anyone is going to know who that biker is, it’ll be Jackson and the boys.”
What if this is a mistake? What if they’re somehow involved? What if I end up getting Autumn hurt, or worse, killed?
“Hey,” Reign says softly, taking my chin in his hand and tilting my face up. “We’ll find her.”
“She’s in danger, Reign. I don’t like not knowing.”
“We’ll work it out.”
I hope he’s right.
~*~*~*~
I stare at the group of bikers standing in my living room. Reign said one, not four. I blink a few times, recognizing only Cade, Spike and Jackson. The other man has dark, red hair and, surprisingly, is extremely attractive, like the rest of them.