Chapter 6
Henley
My eyes burned as I answered the last question on my final. I couldn’t sleep at all last night, and my body literally ached from exhaustion. After turning in my exam, I headed out of the building toward my car. I was distracted as I searched for my keys that had gotten lost in the bottomless pit of my purse, therefore I almost didn’t see the two men who were leaning against my car. They were having a heated conversation and were totally unaware that I was even coming in their direction. I had no idea who they were, but there was no doubt that they were there waiting for me. Trying not to call attention to myself, I slowly turned back toward the front door of the building. Once I was back inside, I looked out the window, praying they didn’t see me. They were still talking when I grabbed my phone and called Cassidy.
“I was just about to call you. How was the final? Did you make your A?” she asked.
“I’ve been trying to call you all night, Cassidy. Why didn’t you answer your damn phone?” I shouted.
“I’m sorry, Lee Bug. I didn’t even hear my phone ringing. You know how loud it is when these guys have a party,” she apologized.
“I think I’m in trouble, Cassidy. Bad trouble,” I told her as my voice shook in fear.
“What do you mean? What’s going on?”
“These two guys … they shot one of the men from your club, and I … I saw it. I saw it all, Cassidy. I tried to call you and tell you, but you didn’t answer… and now… Oh shit! They’re here! At my school… waiting out there by my car. What the hell am I supposed to do, Cassidy?”
“Skidrow,” she mumbled.
“What?”
“Where are you right now?” she snapped.
“In one of the Biology labs.”
“Okay… stay put. I’m sending someone to get you,” she ordered. “What’s the room number?”
“Mr. Yates’ class. Room 132.”
“It’s going to be okay. Don’t move from that spot,” she assured me just before she hung up the phone.
After locking the door, I slumped down the wall and my butt hit the cold, hard floor with a thump. I felt so alone as I sat there, thinking about how stupid I’d been. I had just gotten myself into one hell of a mess, and I only had myself to blame. I should’ve just gotten in my car and followed my initial instincts. I knew better. Nothing good ever comes from poking around in the dark.
I was still sitting on the floor when the sound of footsteps approached the door. Just as I was about to have a full-blown panic attack, a man with a deep, raspy voice called out my name.
“Henley? Are you in there?” he called as he turned the handle of the locked door.
I was too afraid to speak. I had no idea who it was. By now, whoever was after me had to know my name, and I couldn’t be sure it wasn’t them.
“Henley, it’s me… Clutch. Cassidy sent us to find you. I need you to open the door,” he said in a low, whispering voice.
I quickly got up off the floor and unlocked the door. When I opened it, four members of the club were standing there, staring at me. I instantly recognized Clutch and Scooter, but had no idea who the other two guys were. It didn’t really matter… they were here to get me out of this mess, and I was grateful that they’d come. “Sorry, I wasn’t sure who it was,” I whispered.
“You did good, Henley. Are you okay?” Clutch asked. I didn’t know him very well, but Cassidy once told me that he was the club’s Road Captain, whatever the hell that was. I didn’t care about his title. I was just glad he was there.
“I’m fine. A little rattled, but I don’t think they saw me,” I answered as I fumbled with my purse. He stepped through the door, his large body towering over me, and rested his hand on my shoulder. It was a small gesture, but his touch instantly calmed me. When I looked up at him, his fierce blue eyes were filled with concern. His face was hidden behind a long, thick beard, making me wonder what was hidden beneath it. His eyes never left mine as he helped me gather up my things. There was something about the way he was looking at me that tugged at my heart. I couldn’t stop staring at him. This man barely knew me, but he was willing to put himself in danger to help me. It wasn’t just him—they were all here, putting their lives at risk for me.
Scooter cleared his throat, pulling me from my haze, and said, “We checked the parking lot. The guys were gone, but they broke into your car.” Scooter was one of the younger prospects, and was just too damn cute for his own good. He had one of those adorable baby faces, and all the tattoos in the world couldn’t make him look like the tough guy he wanted to be. He was a good guy, and I’d always had fun hanging out with him when I went to the clubhouse with Cassidy.
“Did you have anything in your car they might have taken?” Clutch asked.
“Well, shit… my laptop. Was it still in there?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope. Looks like they got it, along with anything else you had in there,” Scooter told me. “We’ll do what we can to get it back.”
“Shit… it has all my school stuff on it. Why would they need that?”
“They’re going to do whatever they can to track you down, doll, but we’re going to make sure that doesn’t happen,” Clutch said confidently. It freaked me out that those men had actually come after me, but it made me feel better knowing the club would be there to protect me. “Let’s get you back to the clubhouse. Cotton wants to talk to you.”
“Cotton? Why do I suddenly feel like I’m being called to the principal’s office?” When he didn’t answer, a feeling of dread washed over me. The last thing I wanted to do was get the President of the Satan’s Fury MC mad at me. I’d only met him a couple of times, but I knew he wasn’t a man whose bad side you wanted to get on. He was attractive, in an ominous sort of way. He was far from the oldest man in the club, but he was older than most. His white hair and goatee made him seem more distinguished, maybe a little superior to others. There was just something about him that made me feel… anxious. I’d always done my best to just be polite and avoid him as much as possible. He was the kind of man who commanded respect without saying a word, and now, I was going to have to actually talk to him—have a real conversation. What if I said the wrong thing? I didn’t even know what to call him. President? President Cotton? President Cotton, sir? Oh hell, I was screwed.
All eyes were on me as I followed the four burly men down the hallway. They didn’t fit the typical college scene with their leather vests and tattoos. I looked over at each of them and realized how differently I saw them. These men may be rough, but they had shown me nothing but kindness. I knew they would do anything to protect me, and just walking with them gave me a sense of security.
My rattled nerves slowly began to calm as we continued down the hallway. Several members of the football team scuttled out of the way as we walked past them. I watched as these tough football players unsuccessfully pretended they weren’t about to shit their pants as we passed by them. They were obviously threatened as they checked out the Satan’s Fury patch on the back of Clutch’s cut. The reaction from the females was vastly different. A couple of the hookers… I mean sluts… I mean pretty girls, smiled and flicked their long, beautiful hair as they tried their best to get the men’s attention. My lips curved into a smile when their efforts were totally ignored. Yep… even though these men were here to save me from God-knows-what, I was walking down the hall smiling like a big dork.
With people still gawking at us, I followed Scooter over to his bike. After he helped me get my helmet on, I climbed on the back and rested my hands on his waist. The engine suddenly roared to life as Scooter throttled the ignition and drove out of the parking lot. The seat vibrated wildly beneath me as we picked up speed, quickly jetting into traffic. Surrounded by the others, we sped out onto the open highway toward the clubhouse. I’d never ridden on a bike before, and I loved it. As I held tightly onto Scooter, a feeling of pure ecstasy washed over me as we glided down the highway. The freedom… the bliss of being out on the open road thrilled me. The sound and speed were overwhelming, but I felt safe riding with Scooter. These guys rode with such confidence that it made them seem invincible. I was enjoying the ride so much, I almost forgot why I was with them. Once we pulled through the gate, reality came crashing down on me. As soon as they had parked their bikes, Clutch motioned for me to follow him through the back door.
“Cotton is in his office,” he told me. My nerves jumped into overdrive when I took a step toward his office door, making it difficult to walk with my trembling knees.
“Okay,” I answered, wishing he was going in too. Dread washed over me as I tapped on the door. My heart jumped when he called out for me to come in. The door creaked loudly as I slowly opened his door.
“Hey… uh… President Cotton… sir? Clutch said you wanted to talk to me,” I stammered.
He got up from his large, wooden desk and walked over to me. Looking genuinely concerned, he asked, “Are you okay?”
His voice was low and gentle, and it instantly set me at ease. “Yes, sir. I’m fine,” I answered.
“Just call me Cotton. Come on in and have a seat,” he offered as he picked up his phone and stated, “She’s here. Come down to my office.”
Just as he was settling back down in his seat, Maverick walked in. Shit! Now I had to deal with the two most intimidating men I’d ever met. I’ll admit it, Maverick was good-looking—extremely good-looking—but damn, the man was a giant. As he made his way over to me, my eyes roamed over his large muscles that bulged beneath his tight, black t-shirt. The scowl on his face was hard to ignore as he stood there, glaring at me. Just being this close to him made me feel like I was twelve again. Without saying a word, he sat down next to me and waited for Cotton to speak.
“Henley, Cassidy told us you saw something last night,” Cotton said with a hopeful ring in his voice.
“I did. I tried to call her last night, but she couldn’t hear her phone,” I told him defensively.
“I need you to tell me everything you can remember. Everything,” he demanded. The tiny crow’s feet around his eyes crinkled as he spoke.
Without any interruptions, both men listened intently as I told them everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours. I could see the anguish in their eyes as they listened to the details of their brother being shot. I tried my best not to leave anything out, but I was nervous, and it was hard to think straight.
“Did the cop ever call you back?” Maverick asked.
“No, but I could tell he was just trying to put me off,” I explained as I clenched my hands together and rested them in my lap. “I’m pretty sure they thought I was lying. The guy said they found no evidence of a murder. I don’t understand it. I mean… they shot him. He was bleeding. There had to be something.”
“Guardrail and I went by earlier to check it out. There was no trace of blood anywhere. The place had been cleaned by someone who knew what he was doing,” Maverick informed Cotton.
Cotton looked over to me and asked, “Can you tell us anything about these men you saw? Were they wearing cuts, or did any of them have tattoos?”
“They weren’t wearing any leather, but one of them had a huge tattoo going down the length of his arm. I couldn’t really make it out… a snake maybe? He had a long, dark beard and several piercings… a big dude, but not like you. He was just fat. The other one was tall and skinny and had his hair greased back. Kind of slimy looking. And he had the same tattoo on his arm, along with another weird one on his cheek, just below his right eye. A tear or a star? I couldn’t really tell. The guy talking had a slight accent. He didn’t sound like he was from around here.” My knees began to quiver involuntarily as I remembered how those men looked at me with rage in their eyes.
“Do you think you’d be able to recognize them if you saw them again?” Maverick questioned.
“I think so. They’re pretty much burned into my memory.”
“Were these the same men you saw by your car?” Cotton asked as he reached in his pocket for his cigarettes. His eyes never left mine as he brought one up to his mouth and lit it. He took a long drag, taking it deep into his lungs. The smoke slowly rolled through his lips as he exhaled, waiting for me to speak.
“No. Those guys were different, so it was probably nothing, just a coincidence,” I explained. “I’m sure I just overreacted when I saw them at my car. I bet they were just after my laptop.”
Maverick looked over to me and said, “There are no coincidences, Henley. Clutch found a tracking device hidden in the undercarriage of your car. It was there for a reason,” he said firmly. Cold chills went down my spine as I thought about them hunting me down.
“We’re going to keep you here for a while, so we can keep an eye on you. Make sure nothing happens to you,” Maverick said.
“I really appreciate that, but I think I’ll be fine. That’s really not necessary. I’m sure that…” I started.
“It’s not up for debate, Henley. As Sergeant of Arms, it’s Maverick’s job to protect the club and anyone tied to it. You are staying here, under his watch,” Cotton demanded.
“Um… okay?” I agreed hesitantly. It was official. I was totally, utterly screwed.