Paul

“Hurry the fuck up!”

“I am. I can’t see shit in here. Turn on a light,” Tyler whines. He sounds just like the little bitch I knew he always was. He fucked up my plan and now I need to hurry before Savannah takes off again with my baby girl.

“No, dipshit. Do you want someone to see us?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Just trash her bedroom. I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Right, boss,” Tyler replies as he rushes down the small hall.

“And make it look good! Try to find any money or weapons she has.” I know Savannah deals in cash. I’ve been tracking her since she took Ena. And I’ve had alerts on her social security number so I would know if she had a bank account, which she doesn’t. No bank accounts, no credit cards, nothing. It has been difficult keeping up with her.

I walk to open the front door just a crack. I want Savannah to know I was here as soon as she steps foot on the porch. I hope terror slips down her spine and engulfs her whole. It’s a part of my plan. A plan she keeps fucking up. I’m surprised she’s been so elusive since she’s a fucking idiot. The bitch is worthless so I’m shocked she’s been able to stay hidden all this time. She didn’t even change their names. Rule one when you want to stay hidden, change your name. What she doesn’t know, is her last boyfriend, Tyler Huntington, was planted in her life by me. He had one job, make her fall in love with him, propose and marry her. Then he would hand her over to me to keep in a safe place. A place where she will never see the light of day again. I need to make sure she pays for what she did to my Mary.

But he fucked it up. And Savannah left him. She has only spoken to him once since they broke up and now he has to help me get Savannah and Ena.

Savannah to kill.

Ena to bring home where she belongs.

“I couldn’t find anything. She doesn’t have much. Just some old clothes and a few shoe boxes.”

“Fine–” The sound of a motorcycle pulling into the driveway draws my attention away from Tyler.

“What is that?” he asks.

“Shut the fuck up!” I whisper. “Go out the back door.”

Tyler moves through the kitchen to the sliding door and I follow him out, turning on a light before exiting. I watch as Savannah, looking too much like my wife who she murdered, and a big fucking biker move up the small walkway.

The soft glow of the streetlight illuminates the back of the biker’s cut. Savannah is with a member of the Havoc Motorcycle Gang. And I fucking hate that it has changed all my plans, again.

* * *

Savy

Just when my present and future begin to look bright, my past slams back into my life reminding me of who I truly am. Walking up the walkway to the door, I notice that the lights in my living room are on. Slowing my pace, I nervously look around; maybe the guys left them on by mistake. The front door is open.

What the hell?

Panic sets in as I advance to the door knowing Caleb’s brothers would never leave it open. Ena is at her friend’s house tonight, so there shouldn’t be anyone inside. Ena would have called or sent a text if she came home early. It’s just after ten thirty, and the pace of my heart is insane, the sound of my blood is rushing in my ears. I’m afraid of what I will find.

Has he found me again?

Reaching out to grab Caleb’s arm is of no use, he’s already on alert. He motions for me to stop where I am, so I do immediately, letting Caleb take over. I wouldn’t listen to anyone else, but I trust him. He sensed that something was wrong and is helping me without me having to ask, again. Stepping up the two porch steps on silent legs, he pushes the door open and slips inside. What if someone is in there?

God, please don’t let Caleb get hurt.

He walks back out the front door, returning to his previous demeanor, but not one hundred percent normal. He’s still aware of his surroundings. His eyes sweep over the neighbor’s yards to make sure everything is normal.

“It’s okay, Savy, no one is in there, but your back window was smashed. New doors won’t stop a rock. It looks like someone went out the back door and trashed the place.”

The color drains from my face. He’s found me. This I already know and we need to get out of Sage right now.

“Oh my god,” I say.

“Come inside, Savy. I don’t want you outside.” Climbing the steps takes forever. My legs feel like they are made of lead. I enter the house, and the vice in my chest tightens. It’s so tight this time I can’t breathe.

All the pictures of Ena and I are littering the floor. Sweeping my eyes from one end of the living room to the next, glass and paper are strewn about the floor. And my heart aches at the life we’ve built that has been destroyed. Violated. It’s worse than I thought. I walk to the single picture frame on the mantle. The thick silver frame usually holds a picture of my mother, but the photo it holds is not my mother. It’s a picture of The Monster.

It is much worse than I thought. Deep down, I hoped it was kids who broke in for some fun or maybe Tyler, still pissed about our fight. Instead, The Monster that has haunted and tortured me since I was a little girl is back. The blood in my veins turns to ice, and I shake. I’m in more danger than I thought.

The Monster has haunted me since I was fourteen. And he is back to continue his torture. This monster is so much worse than Diablo, much worse than outlaw bikers who may or may not have rapists and murderers among them. I have to get to Ena and get away, from this house, this town, and although it hurts my heart, from Caleb too.

Why do thoughts of leaving Caleb hurt so much?

“I need to go. Now!” Turning to run back out of the house, Caleb catches me around the waist. I struggle to loosen his grip, but I’m no match for his easy hold. Despite the futility of my effort, I keep fighting and screaming for him to let me go. I need to get Ena, and we need to leave, right now. I have little money, but I have enough to get away. I always have an escape plan. I save a little money every week in case he finds us. And it will be put to use tonight.

He has found us before, but we were able to leave town before he got too close. I saw him on a busy street in the last town we called home. The minute I saw him, we ran. I got Ena in the car, and we drove west then north and back east. Continually changing directions until we got out west and as far away as we could get. That time, we didn’t take any clothes or belongings. I keep a grab bag for Ena and myself in the trunk of the car that contains the essentials. That was four years ago, and he’s found us again. This can’t be happening.

“Wait, baby. Talk to me.”

“Please, please. Let me go. I need to get Ena!” I beg. Pleading with Caleb while still fighting him. Tears sting my eyes as I fight to be freed from the arms of the man I am falling for.

“Stop!” Hollering his command, I still. “You need to tell me what the fuck is going on, Savannah. What are you running from and where is Ena?”

“Paul.” The blood in my veins runs colder as I utter his name. I shiver. Caleb keeps his arms wrapped around my waist, but his warmth does nothing to warm my coolness. “Ena is at a friend’s house.”

If I were another girl, at another time, I would enjoy his embrace. But I am not another girl, and this is not another time. I am Savannah Mae Riley, a broken girl, a weak woman, who has been running from a monster and trying to keep her baby sister safe.

I hate that Caleb is seeing me this way. I can’t control the fear as it inches down my spine, and wraps around my heart. My only worry is Ena and making sure Paul doesn’t get to her. I won’t ever let him take her. I can’t let him hurt her the way he hurt me.

“Who is Paul?” Confusion and sincerity written across his face, but his eyes hold an intensity that steals my breath. No one has ever looked at me this way. No one has ever cared for me this way.

I pause as I glance up into his chiseled face. So handsome, and concerned. For me. Concern for me is not an emotion I’m used to seeing on someone else’s face. I cannot understand why he cares about what I’m running from. Why would someone like Caleb care about what happens to someone like me? His black eyes hold an intensity I’m unfamiliar with. He doesn’t understand my reaction, and he wants to know what is going on. He’s probably wondering why I’m reacting this way to a break in. He probably thinks I’m crazy. He certainly thinks I’ve gone off the deep end. He does not understand the demons in my past.

“My father.”

* * *

Savy

“Get what you need. I’ll call some prospects and have them come clean this up,” he says in a hushed tone. He’s trying to keep me calm. I’m thankful he’s here with me, and taking control of the situation. I don’t know how I would have reacted if I were alone. But his presence does not stop my need to flee.

“No, I need to leave. Just leave it all. We can’t come back here. I need to get Ena. Please, you don’t understand,” I plead.

My answer pisses him off. “You will get the shit you need, and we are going to the Compound.” The look on his face tells me I’m going to the Compound, even if I think it’s a terrible idea. I can’t bring this kind of trouble to Havoc’s doorstep. They don’t know what kind of man Paul is. He won’t stop until he kills me and gets his hands on Ena.

“Caleb, you don’t understand. I can’t let you do this. You cannot get involved. Paul will kill you. Don’t you understand that?”

“Savannah, don’t you understand that I’m already involved?” His admission is like a declaration. He’s in this even though he does not understand what he is getting himself into. “You don’t have to run. You think I’m afraid of some pussy that threatens his own fucking daughter?”

“No, of course not!” How can he think that? I know he is not afraid of Paul, but he doesn’t understand the type of man Paul is and what kind of power he has.

“Good because, baby, you have a choice. You like a life on the run? You want that for Ena?”

“No! I only want the best for Ena.” The ferocity of my reply vibrates off the walls of my tiny living room.

“Then you need to be brave, baby.”

Standing among the littered memories of my mother, tears fill my eyes. I love Ena more that I love myself and I want the absolute best for her. I know we can’t keep running, but I’m afraid. How can I protect Ena when I wasn’t even capable of protecting myself? This is something I struggle with daily, but never say out loud. I have always been the strong one and I need to remain strong for Ena.

“Shh, baby. Don’t cry,” he says as he strokes my back and I let the years of pent up frustration flow. I haven’t cried in front of anyone since my mother’s funeral, not even when I got the worst from Paul. He always wanted me to cry, but I was too stubborn to give him the satisfaction. As my tears ease, Caleb runs his calloused fingers through my curly hair. His rough pads stroking my scalp in the process.

Once my tears have stopped, he asks, “Okay baby, what will it be? I will respect your decision, but you need to be the one that makes it.”

Pulling out of Caleb’s arms, I say, “I will pack some things for Ena and I.”

“Good choice,” he says with a sexy grin.

I smile to myself as I move to the back room, causing the vice to tighten more. Everything I own is ruined. I run down the small hall to the first door to see Ena’s room is mostly untouched. The drawers are all open, but nothing is broken.

Thank God for small favors.

I already know what I’ll see once I step into my room. Everything is destroyed. I stride to the closet, my heart beating faster than a minute ago. The initial shock wearing off allows me to assess the situation more carefully. Paul didn’t pull down the shoeboxes. Reaching for the first one, I pull out my thirty–eight revolver.

Hopefully, I’ll never have to kill anyone, again.

I will kill though. If it comes between Ena and Paul, he’s a dead man. My vow from years ago still firmly seated in my heart. Ena and I come first, the way it always should have been.

Pulling down the next box, I grab the stash of money I’ve been saving. Just in case we needed to disappear, again. Which we need to do now, but Caleb, the hardheaded biker, won’t let me. I want to cry and scream and plead, but I know Caleb won’t let me go, so I don’t. I don’t want to go either. I’m tired of running.

“You ready, little bird? We need to go.”

“Fuck!” Whipping around to face Caleb with wide eyes. “You scared me.”

Narrowing his eyes, he says, “Let’s go. You can tell me about Paul once we get to the club.”

“Te–tell you about him?” Clearing the huge rock in my throat, I say, “There’s nothing to say. He’s a monster, and I’ll die before I let him get his hands on Ena.”

“You ain’t dyin’. You hear me?” His voice raising, he says, “I will help you, Savy. You just have to trust me.”

I know he’s frustrated with me, but I haven’t had to trust anyone except Ena in years. Last time I tried to trust a man, he turned out to be a jerk. Tyler was an asshole, but Paul is the beast who has been haunting me since I was a child.

“The prospects are on their way, leave them your bag by the door, and they will bring it to you once they finish here. Hurry and pack a bag for your sister too. She’s not coming back here. I’ll send someone to get her.”

“I should be the one to get her, Caleb. She will be afraid when I tell her what happened.”

“Savy,” he sighs. He’s trying not to lose his patience and slowly losing the battle, “Listen, go pack two bags. I’ll deal with getting your sister. Stop fighting me and just listen so I can get you the hell out of here. I won’t let anything happen to her.”

Searching his eyes, I see the truth of his words. He won’t let anyone or anything harm Ena. I rush to grab the escape bags I already have packed and send Ena a text message letting her know she can’t come home.

I’m not surprised when I get a series of texts back immediately.

Walking into the living room to meet Caleb, I say, “I need to be the one to go get Ena. She’s scared.” My emotions are running high. I want to trust Caleb, but last time I trusted a man...I shake my head to rid myself of those thoughts. Caleb isn’t Tyler. I turn my attention back to Caleb.

“You’re with me, babe. I’m sending Skull.” Pulling out his phone to make a call to Skull. I respond to Ena’s text.

“I need you to go pick up a package. Yeah. Ena. Let me know. I’ll text you the address,” Caleb says.

Hanging up the phone and looking at me, he asks, “Address?”

I rattle it off, my voice quivering.

“Come on, babe. We’ve been here too long.”

That kicks me into gear. I don’t want to be here if Paul comes back.

“Okay,” I whisper. I feel the vice tighten. You would think the way I left things would be enough for Paul to leave us alone forever, but no, not Paul. He’s back, and he’s gunning for Ena. I’ll be damned if he hurts her how he hurt me. He will have to kill me before I let that happen.

* * *

Paul

I’ve been in California for six months following Savy and Ena. I have known where they have lived the whole time, but I haven’t tried to make contact because the last time I did, Savy ran and I had to track her down again. She’s careful, never using a credit card and working at shitty bars that pay in cash. She’s not as smart as she thinks though. She didn’t change their names. That would have made it harder to track them, so I’m glad she didn’t. With my police resources and connections, I found her in a few days of her running.

I never contacted her because I didn’t want her to know I knew where she was. I wanted her to feel safe before I turn her life into a nightmare, like she did mine.

After the Policeman’s Ball, I did a background check on Tyler Huntington. He’s the perfect candidate for my plan. I need someone to woo Savy so I can exact my revenge. She’s the reason my Mary is dead, and she took my Ena from me too. It’s time I end her life, but I need to make sure my pawn is in place. I need to make sure there is someone that can take the fall if things go south.

“Nice of you to meet me, Tyler.”

“It’s not like you gave me a choice, man,” he fumes.

“Now, now. No need to be angry,” I say. “I just want to talk to you. I have a proposition for you, and if you decide what I’m offering isn’t worth your trouble, that is fine. You can walk away.”

He doesn’t reply, just gives a blank look, so I continue.

“I know you have some financial trouble, Tyler, and if your father finds out you blew your trust fund on whores, he won’t be too happy, will he?”

He raises one eyebrow, and clenches his teeth, but he doesn’t say a word. We both know I’m right.

“I need you to date, my daughter,” I say. “You must get her to fall in love with you and then you will help me get her out of the picture. She took something precious to me, and I want it back.”

He finally speaks, “You expect me to get rid of her? You mean, kill your daughter?” he asks.

“Yes.”

“No.”

“Before you make your final decision,” I draw out, “I want you to consider the other information I came across.” Sliding a thick envelope across the table, Tyler reaches out and opens the envelope.

His sharp inhale of breath tells me I hit my mark. Inside the envelope are several contracts, emails and text messages between Tyler and his father’s biggest competitor. Tyler has been making deals behind his father’s back to outbid Huntington Industries.

Tyler will do everything I tell him to do. He doesn’t want his daddy to know he’s been a bad boy. He is my puppet now, and as long as I am controlling the strings, he will do whatever I tell him.

“I’ll do it, but only on one condition,” he says.

“You’re in no position to make demands, Tyler.” My muscles tighten in annoyance.

“Please,” he says with a distressed reply. “You can’t let this get out. Please,” he continues to beg, “I will lose everything.”

“I know,” I say with a devilish smile.

Tyler blanches at my words. He knows I control his future. He will do anything I tell him, or he will suffer his fate.