Chapter 19

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An hour after Heidi shut down on him following her confession, she finally walked back into the living room and agreed to talk to him. Glen hooked her neck and held her in front of him.

"You need to give me Evan's last name, Blue." He refused to let her back away from him.

Her pulse ran fast and hard in her neck underneath his fingers. "You don't understand what I'm opening up if I do."

"Then, tell me."

"Evan's dad is a good person. A good man." She blinked the tears from her eyes. "Evan is smart because of who his dad is, and I'm nobody. There's a good chance that if the abuse gets out in the open, the only people that it'll hurt are those connected to me. My parents. You. And, even Evan's dad. Trust me, I've thought this through. There is no good outcome."

"Blue, the hardest lesson to learn is sometimes you have to put yourself above other people's happiness." His thumb stroked her cheek. "You've been paying for someone else's crime for too long. If other people have to feel the sting of what Evan has done, they can handle a few dark moments if their love for you is even a pinch of the love you have for them."

"Can you protect them? My parents? Evan's dad?" Her gaze intensified. "Can you promise me that nothing will happen to them or you?"

Fear and desperation had her grasping for any sign of hope. He'd be damned if he wouldn't make her feel secure.

"I've already texted every Notus member. Everyone is coming over and will be here any minute. I swear on my life, we will take care of you and everyone you love. But, I need a name to start the ball rolling. Can you do that?" He lowered his voice. "Can I get your life back for you?"

She shivered. Her whole body quaked under his hands, and he grew harder, bigger, stronger. He would do whatever necessary to protect her.

"Okay," she said.

He barely heard the word. "What's his name?"

"Evan Kingsley."

"Good, girl." He brought her head up. "What's your parents' address?"

"1839 South Oak St. It's off —"

"Interstate. I know where it is." He swiped the stray tear from her cheek.

"Glen, they won't know..." She swallowed. "They don't know what is going on. I disappeared out of their life. Just left. They have no idea I'm here or alive. It was the only way I could be sure they'd remain safe from Evan because I knew he'd question them about where I went when he found me gone. If he suspected they were helping me..."

"We'll deal with that later. For now, I'll put someone outside their house and make sure Evan Kingsley doesn't come anywhere close to them, okay?"

She grabbed onto his vest. "Someone needs to watch Evan's dad's house, too. He's only a few blocks from here. It's 612 North Seventh. He works swing shift and gets home a little after midnight. Evan will be able to get into his house. There's a key hidden outside."

He held on to her and grabbed his phone out of his pocket, tapping in the addresses. "Where is Evan's house?"

He felt her shake her head. "I don't know. I snuck into his dad's house the other day after Evan spotted me on the back of your motorcycle. I wanted to try and find something with his address on it. If I could figure out where he lived and what he planned, I'd be able to keep a better eye on him. But, there was nothing in the house with his new address on it. He...we lived with his dad when we were together. He moved out afterward."

The noise of three Harley's arriving shook his house. A knock came before his front door opened and his MC brothers looked at Glen for information. His first concern was Heidi. He had to make sure she stayed in the moment and wouldn't retreat back to protecting others before taking care of herself.

"Blue, what're your parents' names?" He turned her until she could only focus on him.

"Gunnar and Anna...Peterson." She inhaled deeply, leaned into him and whispered, "My name is Ingrid Peterson."

He kissed her hard and firmly, pulling back and holding her within inches. The last barrier she held on to slipped, and he said her name, rolling it on his tongue. "Ingrid."

"Yes." She mimicked his kiss.

That voluntary show of her feelings was a reminder of the connection they shared. The roles of him teaching, her learning. Mutual. Gratifying. A promise of what could happen between them.

"I'm going to get your life back for you and when it's all over...," he whispered. "I want to know the side of you that's Ingrid because I think she's the strongest woman I've ever met."

She lowered her gaze. He held on and gave her a small shake until she looked up at him again.

"Okay?"

She nodded.

"I'm going to tell the others, fill them in. We've been through this before, many times. Just hold on to me." He turned, leaving his hand on the back of her neck and spoke to his club. "This is Ingrid Peterson. She left an abusive relationship two years ago in fear. There were threats made against her parents, Gunnar and Anna Peterson of 1839 South Oak and her ex-boyfriend's father who lives at 612 North Seventh."

"What's the boyfriend's father's name?" Wayne looked up from tapping on his phone.

Glen turned to Hei—Ingrid and raised his brows. She leaned against him and said, "Stewart Kingsley."

Wayne lowered his phone and frowned. "Officer Kingsley?"

"Yes," said Ingrid. "He doesn't know. He loves Evan, and it's going to—"

"Stop." Wayne stepped forward. "We understand. The only thing you need to worry about is staying aware of what is going on around you and never be alone until we catch...what is the ex's name?"

"Evan," she whispered. "You must understand. His dad is a cop. A good cop. When he finds out, he's going to want to protect his son, and he won't know that Evan is dangerous. That Evan promised to kill his dad if he found out about the abuse."

Glen curled his arm, bringing Ingrid to his chest and wrapped his arms around her, lending his strength. She'd done well handing over the information.

"I can hit the parents' house. Thad can go stakeout Kingsley's place. The rest of you go do what needs to be done." Chuck dug out his phone. "Do you want me to call Lieutenant Gomez and give him a heads up that you're coming to the police department?"

"No." Glen held on while Ingrid squirmed to stand away from him and argue. "Ingrid has spoken of Kingsley's good standing within the department and his support of her when she was living with him and his son. We all know that any information handed over to Gomez will be shared with Officer Kingsley first, from one brother in blue to another. If he's clueless about his son, he's going to protect him. I don't want the son of a bitch to have any support."

Working with St. John's Police Department in a voluntary position searching for missing persons over the last two decades, Notus Motorcycle Club had always followed law and procedure. Often, their hands were tied. Information tied to building a case was kept from them to make sure the bad guy wouldn't walk away because he got off on some technicality. If the guilty person walked free without paying for his crime, only then would Notus Motorcycle Club step forward on their own and provide justice for the families who lost a loved one or were victimized by crime.

"Chuck, I'll take your place at the parents. I want you to go back and use the computer, make some calls if you have to, and get us an address on Evan Kingsley. Considering his family life, he won't be hard to find through our contacts." Wayne slipped his phone in his pocket. "Glen, you stay here. Once we have an address, I'll call you, and we'll go over how we'll protect Ingrid."

"You guys believe me?" Ingrid's body shook, and she looked up at Glen. "Will I be able to go home?"

He kissed her forehead. "Soon."

By morning, he hoped they'd have a location for Evan Kingsley. Once they had him secured, whether they turned him over to the police or dealt with the situation themselves, he could hand Ingrid her life back.

Wayne motioned his hand. "Come outside for a second. Thad can stay with Ingrid."

Glen kissed Ingrid and let her go. "I'll be right back."

Joining Wayne and Chuck outside, he flexed his hands, easing the tension out of his arms. Wayne had made the right call. He wanted to stay with Ingrid until more information came out. She could teeter in the opposite direction when her doubts got some foothold in her head and reality sunk in.

"Something isn't clicking." Wayne crossed his arms and kept his back toward the house. "She claims to have left Kingsley two years ago and has been surviving on her own, living on the streets, and Notus hasn't received any alert about a missing woman fitting her details. We've checked, and double checked."

Glen puckered his mouth at the onslaught of muscle spasms in his lip, stopped, and said, "Do you doubt her story?"

Wayne shook his head. "I'm keeping an open mind. We're dealing with a cop's son. That gives him more power over Heidi...Ingrid at the moment."

"I don't give a fuck who his dad is. I've seen the guy. He's an asshole that needs to be knocked down." Glen walked away, came back, and tried to keep his head.

"When did you see him?" Chuck frowned. "You never said anything."

"I didn't know until today it was him. The evening we came back from Wayne's house a guy pulled up beside me on the Harley, honking like he had a problem. He went around me and pulled over. I parked and got off my bike to find out what the deal was with the asshole, and Ingrid ran off."

"And, you think it was Evan Kingsley?" asked Wayne.

"Ingrid verified it." Glen shrugged. "She said that's why she ran when I stopped the motorcycle."

"Did you speak with him?" Chuck stepped closer.

"I asked him what his fucking problem was and he held up his hands and mumbled about thinking I was someone else. He got in his car and raced away." Glen inhaled swiftly. "If I'd known then..."

"We'll discuss what we're going to do once we locate Kingsley." Wayne swept his hair off his forehead. "If her story coincides with what we find out, we're going to need to vote. Fucking with a cop's son doesn't sit right."

Glen clamped his teeth together, refraining from calling bullshit on any decision. He'd seen the pain behind the mask Ingrid wore. The way her body shut down. She lived on the damn streets, fiercely holding on to her morals, alone.

Considering how fragile she became when talking about her ex-boyfriend and what she'd gone through, a stiff wind could blow her over. Instead, some invisible strength unknown to him kept her standing as strong as a concrete statue.

He believed her story.

"I didn't want to mention it in front of Ingrid, but we're also dealing with a statute of limitations regarding the abuse allegations." Wayne took out his phone and tapped on the screen. "We'll have to ask someone because I don't know the law well enough to move forward without knowing what is legally possible at this time. Ingrid has enough to press Evan Kingsley with assault and battery, but there's a short time limit from when she was aware of the assault—two years ago or longer— to filing a report with authorities unless she can get a tolling to extend."

"Are you saying the guy won't be arrested for what he put her through? That justice won't be done?" Glen looked away and gazed over the rooftops across the street. "How does that protect her?"

"It doesn't," muttered Chuck.

"Like I said, I'll have to ask around about it without naming names." Wayne put his phone in his pocket. "I'd feel more comfortable if Notus returned Ingrid to her parents. That's what Notus does. We bring families back together again. It's what we're good at."

Glen turned and walked back inside. No way in hell was he going to hand her back where Evan Kingsley had access to her.