Annabelle
The next morning, I realized I had some serious shopping to do. When I agreed to come home with Phoenix, I packed my bags with the essentials needed for two weeks. What I did not do was pack anything appropriate to wear to my daughter’s bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner, and wedding.
Phoenix wasn’t crazy about letting me out on my own, but he had too much work to catch up on with the club and the farm to come shopping with me. He did, however, assign two giant man-children to drive me to Cedar Valley and guard any shops I entered.
After scaring the pants off the little old lady working in the first boutique I entered, I considered giving up and telling the guys to take me home. Before I could find the words, Prospect Kellan reassured me, “We’re used to it, Annabelle. You go to whichever stores you want to and don’t worry about us.”
Well, okay then. The next store was much better. The staff was younger and seemed to be fascinated with the two bikers standing at the entrance. The clothes were much more my style, too. I grabbed a few dresses I liked and headed to the dressing room.
I liked the first dress I tried on, so I stepped out of the room to see how it looked in the 3-way mirror. I turned to get a look at the back of the dress and froze at the familiar voice. “Annabelle? Is it really you?”
I whirled back around and came face-to-face with Macy. “Hey, Macy,” I said shyly and gave her an awkward little wave.
“Annabelle!” she shrieked and pulled me into a fierce hug. “What in the hell happened to you? The whole town was looking for you for over a year! Hell, I think some never stopped.”
There was a loud commotion in the store and seconds later the dressing room was filled with two bikers ready to attack.
“Step away from Annabelle,” Edge commanded, looking far more lethal than I ever thought he could with his baby face.
Macy held her hands up in the air like she was being held at gunpoint and backed away from me. She looked terrified. “Guys, it’s okay. She’s a friend from high school,” I explained. When neither of them looked like they were going to relent, I continued, “She used to be Aaron’s, I mean Badger’s girlfriend.”
Edge kept his eyes on Macy while Kellan stepped out of the dressing room, pulling his phone from his cut. Moments later he returned holding his phone in his hand. “Phoenix said it was okay to leave her in here with Annabelle,” he said to Edge.
Edge nodded. “We’ll be outside if you need us.” With that, they went back to their original posts.
Macy was several feet away from me, still holding her hands in the air. “I’m sorry about that, Macy. Um, a lot of shit’s happened and Phoenix felt like I needed to have my own personal bodyguards while I was out shopping. They didn’t know who you were,” I tried to explain. When she continued to stare at me, I offered, “Would you like to go somewhere and talk?”
“Yeah,” she said hoarsely, “I would really like that.”
Forgetting about the dresses, Macy and I left the store and headed for the coffee shop on the corner. The guys sat a table far enough away to give us privacy while still being close enough to intervene if trouble came my way.
As soon as we had our drinks and were seated, Macy started. “So, what happened? I was supposed to pick you up from work one afternoon, but when I showed up at the shop, Phoenix’s grandmother said you didn’t show up that day and they couldn’t find you…”
“It’s a long story. Do you have time to hear it?” I asked.
“I’ve wanted to know what happened to you since the day you disappeared. Even if I didn’t have it, I would make the time to hear it.”
So, I told her everything. Every single heartbreaking detail from the day I was taken to the farm to the day Phoenix found me in California. By the end of it, we had both shed more than our fair share of tears and had gone through two extra-large cups of coffee.
“Enough about me. Tell me about your life. Do you still live in Cedar Valley?” I asked, trying to change the subject to something lighter.
“Uh, I recently moved back in with my parents,” she said, fidgeting with the napkin on the table. “I met a man when I was in college. He was from a wealthy family and had a good job, so I let him talk me into dropping out of college. I married him and we moved to Texas.” She paused and picked up another napkin to shred. “We just got divorced. So, here I am, 36 years old with no experience in the workforce and not a dime to my name, hence why I’m living with my parents,” she said with a sniffle.
“Oh, Macy. I’m so sorry. Have you had any luck finding a job?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, not yet. I was actually in that store trying to work up the nerve to ask if they were hiring. I’m not sure how many more rejections I can take.”
I pushed to my feet. “Come on. I know a place that’s hiring,” I said, smiling proudly.
“You do?” she asked.
“I do. Let’s go!” I ordered.
She followed me out to the SUV I was being carted around in and eyed the boys warily before climbing inside.
“Where to, Annabelle?” Edge asked from the driver’s seat.
“We’d like to go visit Ember.”
Macy and I continued to catch up during the 45-minute ride to the farm. Life had really done a number on her. She wasn’t the same vibrant, live-in-the-moment girl she once was. Then again, I guess the same could be said about me.
I had to practically drag her to Ember’s office. Knocking loudly, I waited a few seconds before pushing the door open and entering. I was still developing a relationship with Ember and I didn’t think walking in on her and her fiancé doing it on her desk would do either of us any good.
“Mom! What are you doing here? I thought Dad said you were out dress shopping,” Ember said while crossing the room to hug me.
“I was, but I ran into a friend from high school while I was out.” I pulled Macy, who was still in the hallway, into Ember’s office. “Ember, this is my friend, Macy. Macy, this is my daughter, Ember.”
“Hi, Macy. It’s nice to meet you. Please, come in and have a seat,” Ember said and gestured to the sofa in her office. “So, what brings you by, Mom?”
I smiled. “Well, I heard you mention you were looking for an office assistant and Macy mentioned she was having trouble finding a decent job and here we are.”
Macy shifted in her seat and began explaining. “I’m a recently divorced housewife. I moved back to Cedar Valley to live with my parents while I get back on my feet. I don’t have any job skills to speak of, but I did help organize a lot of charity functions and handled the donations received when I was married. I’m a quick learner and I’ll—”
“Relax,” Ember interrupted. “While the businesses and projects around the farm do operate at a profit, I started them because I wanted to help people. You sound like you need some help. If you want the job, it’s yours. Oh, since we’re located in the middle of nowhere, we provide our employees with a room on the property, sort of like a hotel suite.”
Macy’s jaw dropped and she stared at Ember. I nudged her with my elbow and stage-whispered, “Say something.”
Macy snapped her mouth closed and nodded. “Yes, I want the job.”
“And the room?” Ember asked with an arched brow.
“Yes, please! I was seriously considering living in a cardboard box down by the Red River Bridge just to get away from my mother.”
Ember chuckled and walked behind her desk. She pulled out a huge binder and started flipping through pages. “Ah, here we go.” She jotted something in the book and pulled a key from her desk drawer. She held it out to Macy. “This is the key to your room. Take the next few days to move in and get settled. Be here at 8am Monday morning. We’ll get your papers filled out and then you can get started. Does that sound okay?”
Macy got to her feet and hugged Ember. “It sounds wonderful. Thank you so much.”
Ember smiled. “You’re very welcome. Edge or Kellan can show you and Mom where your room is. I would, but I’ve got to get down to the barn to check on our newest employee and make Duke isn’t trying to scare her off like he’s done to the last three.”
“Thanks, again,” Macy said.
I hugged my daughter, so very proud of her. “Thanks, sweetie. Are you and Dash coming over for dinner?”
“Not tonight. He said he had something to do at the club, so Reese and I made plans to pig out and binge-watch Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix.”
“Okay, you girls have fun.”
Edge and Kellan drove us over to Macy’s new building. I still wasn’t completely comfortable being on the farm property, but it got a little easier each time. We took the elevator to the third floor and found her room at the end of the hall. Macy opened the door and gasped. “Annabelle, look at this place! This isn’t a room. It’s a freaking apartment!”
I shoved Macy out of the way and stepped inside to get a better look. She was right. We were standing in what appeared to be a two bedroom apartment. Make that a furnished two bedroom apartment. We went through the place, oohing and aahing over every little thing. It was far nicer than anything I had ever seen on the farm when I lived there.
When we were finished oohing and aahing over the apartment, the boys drove us back to Cedar Valley. Macy had left her car parked there and I needed to finish dress shopping, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.
“As a thank you for your help today, I’m going to help you finish shopping. Unless something has drastically changed, I’m guessing you still hate clothes shopping,” Macy said.
“You are most certainly correct. I don’t know what it is, but I just hate it, especially when it’s for a special event. The whole thing stresses me out.”
She giggled. “You just relax and I’ll have you fixed up in less than an hour.”
She wasn’t kidding. Less than an hour later, I was waving goodbye to her and climbing into the SUV with three dresses, three pairs of shoes, and accessories for each.
Phoenix was at the clubhouse and asked the boys to bring me there instead of taking me back to his house. I chuckled to myself and our obsessive need to see each other as often as possible. I was planning on asking them to swing by the clubhouse so I could see him before going to the house.
He stood and came around his desk to greet me with a kiss when I walked into his office. A long, mouth-watering, panty-melting kiss. “Hey, doll face, how was shopping?”
“Huh?” I dumbly asked, still reeling from his magical lips.
He laughed and arched a brow. “Shopping? Did you find a dress?”
“Oh, yes, I did. Well, I didn’t so much as Macy did, but that’s neither here nor there. I have three dresses and all the shit I need to go with them.”
He leaned against the edge of his desk. “Tell me about Macy.”
“Not a lot to tell. I ran into her in the dressing room. We talked over coffee. She’s recently divorced. She moved backed to Cedar Valley and was living with her parents, but Ember hired her and she’s moving into one of the rooms on the farm property tonight.”
“What?”
“Uh, she was having a hard time finding a job and I knew Ember was looking for some help. It seemed like a win-win situation,” I explained, not liking the sudden tension in the room.
“It probably is for Ember and Macy, but I don’t know how Badger will feel about it.”
“Why would it matter how he feels about it?”
“Badger and Macy didn’t exactly part ways on friendly terms. She crushed him, Annabelle. I mean, she really did a number on him. I know it’s been years, but I don’t think he’ll be happy to see her.”
“What happened between them?” I asked.
“I have no idea. He didn’t want to talk about it after it happened and he never did.”
“Phoenix, he was probably just butt-hurt about being dumped. If he never said anything else about her, he’s probably been over it for a long time.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ve got a few things to finish up here. Do you want to stay and wait for me or go on to the house?”
“I’ll see you at the house. I want to hang my dresses before they get wrinkled.” I raised up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss before I left him in his office.
As I was putting my new dresses and accessories away, I decided I would drop by to check on Macy the following morning. Phoenix may not have been able to get Badger to talk, but I knew I could get Macy to tell me what happened. Besides, they were going to have to see each other sooner rather than later, seeing as how I already invited her to the wedding.
The phone ringing interrupted my thoughts. “Hello,” I answered distractedly.
“Doll face, is everything okay?” Phoenix asked, sounding tense.
“Everything’s fine. Is everything okay with you? I just left there.”
“Yeah, I know. I need you to come back over to the clubhouse. I was just calling to let you know I was sending Coal to bring you over.”
“Okay…you know I could’ve just walked over.”
“Humor me, okay? I’ll see you in a few.” With that, he disconnected the call, leaving me with an uneasy feeling.
Coal and I walked to the clubhouse and if my son knew why I was being summoned, he didn’t let it show. He led me to Phoenix’s office, kissed me on the cheek, and disappeared down the hall.
Anxious to know what was up, I pushed the door open and stopped dead in my tracks when my eyes landed on a face I’d never seen before, but instantly recognized because he looked just like his sister. “Luke,” I whispered as tears welled in my eyes.
“Hello, Annabelle,” he said with a soft smile. “It’s nice to officially meet you.” He stood and extended his hand to me.
I pushed his hand away and pulled him in for a hug. The man saved me and my son from a horrible existence; a handshake wasn’t even on the table. “I never had the chance to thank you for everything you did for me and Nathan.”
He returned my embrace, despite the low rumble coming from Phoenix. “I was happy to help, but now, I wish I’d known more about your situation. If I did, I could have—”
“Don’t. If I’ve learned anything through this entire experience, it’s that the ‘what if’ game does more harm than good. You did what you thought was the right thing at the time and I will forever be grateful for your help,” I told him honestly.
Phoenix tugged me away from Luke and held me against his chest like a damn caveman. Luke snorted and I giggled. I tilted my head back to look at Phoenix. “Is this why you called me over here?”
He grimaced. “No, it’s not. Luke has some information to share.” Phoenix sat in the chair behind his desk and placed me on his lap.
“What information?”
Luke leaned forward in his chair and clasped his hands together. “Phoenix asked me for help tracking down your parents. I haven’t been able to find anything on your father, but I may have something on your mother. Both of your parents went off the grid approximately 20 years ago, consistent with the time they would have started working off their debt with Octavius. Later that year, a significantly decomposed female body was found in a field on the outskirts of Croftridge. Efforts were made, but the body was never identified. It’s possible the body belongs to your mother. Would you be willing to provide a DNA sample for analysis?”
“Uh, sure, I think. I mean, how would that work exactly? For all intents and purposes, I’m Taylor Davis, not Annabelle Burnett.”
“Right, but your DNA is still your DNA. I can run the analysis under the radar if you prefer. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but this would basically be just for your knowledge. The body has long since been buried or cremated,” Luke explained.
“How did she die?” I asked.
“The medical examiner’s findings were inconclusive due to the advanced decomposition. I’ll spare you the details, but the report suggested she may have been beaten and died from her injuries or it could have been from a drug overdose. There were drugs in her system, but the technology at the time couldn’t produce accurate results based on the age and state of the tissue samples.”
“Okay, I’ll do it if you can keep it under the radar,” I finally decided.