SANDRA
The alarm was going off, cutting into her dreams. Sandra pulled herself from sleep. She had no idea why she was so tired. It felt like she’d only been asleep for a few hours. She worked early, but normally she wasn’t so exhausted that she couldn’t open her eyes.
When she unglued her heavy lids, she sat upright, staring into the dark of her room. She blinked, confused. Her phone sat on the night stand where it always was and it wasn’t her alarm going off.
“Mom?” Alex appeared in her doorway, a tall, thin shadow. “Why is someone ringing the buzzer? It’s four in the morning.”
Her alarm was set to go off in fifteen minutes, she realized. It wasn’t that early and she wasn’t actually that tired. Just out of it. Balling her hands into fists, Sandra rubbed at the remaining sleep that clung to her eyes.
“I’m not sure, honey.” She blinked. “It’s probably just someone who has the wrong apartment number.”
“But they’ve been ringing it for the past five minutes.” Alex paused and the buzzer rang through the house again. “And they aren’t going away. It keeps ringing. I don’t think they have the wrong place. I think they want in.”
Sandra shoved back the covers. “That’s sure as hell not happening. Don’t worry. They can’t get in. If someone does end up letting them in and they knock on the door, I’ll call the police. They won’t be able to get past the locks.”
Alex’s face paled, even in the dark and Sandra was sorry she’d scared him. “Sometimes people just drink too much and come and ring buzzers because they’re too drunk to know the difference. That’s probably all it is.”
Alex sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you think that we should call the police anyway?”
“They’ll probably stop. Just wait a minute.”
They both paused. She glanced at her bedside clock, which read four minutes past four. The buzzing continued straight through for two minutes.
“Maybe someone got kicked out. Maybe they’re just buzzing trying to get back in.”
“Then maybe the police are already on their way.”
“Maybe.”
They both sat there, listening to the incessant buzzing. It didn’t stop and finally Sandra stormed through her room. She grabbed her phone, turned off her alarm before it went off and added to the noise, threw on a robe over her t-shirt and shorts that she wore to bed, and stomped to the intercom. She slammed her finger down on the talk button, silencing the buzzer.
“Look. Whoever you are, you have the wrong apartment. Please stop ringing our buzzer.” She paused, her finger hovering over the button that would let her listen to whoever was out there. Finally she pushed it.
His voice, the voice she’d never forget, cut through the apartment. It was crackly over the shitty intercom, but it was unmistakably Trace’s. “Please. Sandra. You have to let me in. This isn’t about us at the moment. It’s about your safety. Don’t send me away. Don’t call the police. Just open the door and wait for me and I’ll be up in a minute.”
She closed her eyes while her breaths grew shallower with every passing second. The hair at her nape stood on end. Her heart beat out a hard, unsteady pattern in her chest. A tremble started in her feet and spread up her legs, up her spine, into her arms and down her hands so that even her fingers were shaking.
“Mom?” Alex appeared behind her, his face creased with worry. “What’s going on?”
“I…” Oh god. There’s so much that I haven’t told him. “I’ll explain to you, I promise.” She swallowed down the panic that threatened to lodge itself in her throat. “For now, honey, can you please go into your room and lock the door. Put on your headphones or your video games and don’t come out. Can you do that for me?”
Alex stared her down and for a minute, Sandra thought that he was going to refuse. She wouldn’t have blamed him one bit. He finally nodded slowly, turned and walked off down the hallway. She couldn’t hesitate after that. Not when the note of panic in Trace’s voice both tugged at her heart and set her teeth on edge. He wasn’t the kind of man to show weakness. When he came to her door basically begging her to let him in, telling her they were in danger, she believed it. It wasn’t some ploy just to get inside her apartment and beg her for another chance.
At least she hoped not. After Trace dragged her off into the shadows for no reason whatsoever other than to talk to her, she had no idea what he was actually capable of.
If this was a joke, she knew that she’d never forgive him and by the end of it, he’d know it too.
Her hand wavered as it hovered over the button to buzz Trace in. She let out a shaky exhale and pushed it. Her heavy feet carried her to the front door. She unlocked it and had only a few seconds to wait before Trace appeared in the peephole’s vision. She pulled the door open and there he was, as large and dangerous and darkly handsome as ever.
There was something wrong with his eyes. They glistened with a feral sheen. He shoved inside roughly, pushed her out of the way and slammed the door shut. He did up the locks and pressed his back against it like there were someone outside waiting with a battering ram to break it down and he could stand between her and the invasion.
“What the hell?” Sandra breathed. “If you wanted to scare the hell out of me and Alex, then you definitely succeeded.”
“I didn’t want to scare you.” Trace reached out and she shrunk back. She had nowhere to go. Her spine literally pressed up against the hard wall. He gripped her upper arms so hard that she winced. Even through the cushioning of her thick robe, it felt like her skin was going to be bruised from the hard hold. She winced and he released her. “Fuck,” he breathed, face cramping. “I’m sorry. I- you have to listen to me. I don’t have a lot of time. Shit went down at the club. Bad shit. I don’t think there’s anyone coming after me, but I’m not going to take that chance. It wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything, I need you to know that, but our Prez is dead. He tried to kill me first.” He jabbed a finger up to his neck, where she noticed the harsh red and purple marks there for the first time. She gasped.
“What the-”
“I’ll explain later. I promise, I did nothing. I have never killed anyone, I need you to understand that. I’ve done a lot of shit in my life, but I never actually pulled the trigger or sunk that knife in. Please, I need you to believe that.”
“Okay,” Sandra agreed hesitantly. Trace was acting completely crazed and it froze her blood. She couldn’t remember a single time in her life when she’d been so scared. “I believe you.”
“Good. I- the club is a mess. This is the only time I’ll ever be able to get out. Most of the guys wanted to leave anyway. No one is going to hunt me down. They have their own lives to lead, but I’m not going to risk leaving you behind. It’s far safer if we all disappear.” He blinked hard and his voice softened. “I couldn’t leave you behind if I tried. I wanted to start over because of you. I’m sorry it took me so many years to realize that. I’m sorry that I’ve fucked everything up so badly. I don’t care if you hate me at the moment. I don’t care if you never want to see me again after this. No, that’s not true. Of course I care. It would kill me, but I’ll live with your decision. I just need you to come with me right now. You and Alex. Pack a bag. We have to leave as soon as possible.”
“But- but- I have a life- this place, my job- Alex’s school.”
“None of it is going to matter if someone comes looking for me. They won’t find me and if they get pissed off about that, my enemies or guys who used to be my brothers, there is going to be hell to pay. You’re not safe here, Sandra. One of them already knows that Alex is mine. It’s not difficult to find you or him. I can’t take that chance.”
When black spots danced in front of Sandra’s eyes, she realized she’d been holding her breath to the point of nearly passing out. She drew in a long, shaky breath in an attempt to fortify herself.
“I’m sorry.” Trace swore under his breath. “I never wanted to get you mixed up in this. In any of it. It’s why I went away the first time. I wanted you, Sandy, more than anything in the world. I just- I was stupid. I made the wrong decision and once I made it, I was done. I couldn’t risk endangering you by being with you. I couldn’t have you as my old lady. Our Vice Prez, last year he didn’t agree with Bone and Bone hunted him down, killed him and his old lady. He sent me to kill the daughter. I- I didn’t do it. I helped her and the guy she escaped with fake their deaths. I told Bone that they were dead. I swore to him. I betrayed my own club to save their lives since- since she saved mine.” Trace swallowed so hard his poor bruised throat bobbed with the movement. “That’s not important though. What matters is that we get you both out of here so nothing like that happens again. It’s not probably or likely, but I’m not taking any chances.”
“I- where would we go?” Sandra’s head spun with the reality of what was happening. She was going to have to leave, leave everything she knew behind. When would she even be able to contact her parents again? She and her mom never had the best of relationships, but she loved her family and it hurt to go long periods of time without seeing them.
“Anywhere as long as it’s far enough away from here. At least while things settle down. After that, you might be able to relocate close to your family. They won’t be bothered. They’re too far removed from me. After the club disbands, which is going to happen, and I find out there isn’t a threat, you can probably move within an hour of the city. I don’t want you closer though.”
“And where will we go in the meantime?”
“Wherever you want. Europe, Mexico, Canada, Florida, California or something. Anywhere. We just have to go soon.”
“How much time do we have?”
“Not much. Enough to pack a bag. Only grab the things that you can’t live without. Everything else can be replaced. I have a truck parked a few blocks away.”
“H-how?”
“I’ve had a few vehicles in storage for a while. I just went and got one. I have different plates that I alternate. I use them for tracking or I just have them for emergencies like this.”
“But- but Alex… I- I haven’t told him-”
“No. Of course not. Tell him what you have to and we’ll explain later. Or not. You can choose how much you want to let him know.”
“You won’t tell him?”
Trace sighed. “Of course not.” He shifted so that the angry marks on his neck were hidden. “I think he’s going to be overwhelmed as it is. He doesn’t need any further complications. Tell him I’m a friend of yours. Or someone who wants to look out for you both. Tell him that I’m someone from the past.”
Sandra went to move away, to pack up her things, to hurry. She’d never imagined her life like this, it coming down to this, leaving in the cover of darkness with only what they could carry and the clothes on their backs like a wildfire raged on the perimeter, chasing them from their homes and livelihoods, away from everything that was safe and familiar.
Trace stopped her. He set his hand gently on her arm, though he never applied any pressure. “Sandy?”
Her eyes flicked to his and she saw the pain and uncertainty in their depths. There was something else too, but she couldn’t admit to herself that it was there or she’d be lost. “What is it?” Her voice was little more than a strained whisper.
Trace’s features softened and his eyes lost some of their wildness and gentled. “It’s going to be okay. All of this. I’m sorry that it has to happen, but I promise, it’s all going to work out. You’re going to have to trust me, but I swear to you that I will protect you and Alex.”
“I know that, Trace.” She pulled away gently. She had so many things she had to do. She forced herself to walk away, down the hall to Alex’s room, where she’d have to think of something to say to him. There were no words for what they had to do. She’d just have to figure out a way to make him understand that everything would work out, just like Trace said. She knew he’d keep them both safe. She’d always known it, deep down. He’d give his life for them. Trace wasn’t built to do any less.
She had to trust the one man she vowed she’d never let close to her heart again.
That was far more terrifying than packing up and leaving everything they knew behind.