CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Knight
Lake and I spent a good part of the day going through the shipping containers. We were hot and the air around us was muggy.
We’d gone through half the ones on this side of the lot. And what did we find? Nothing that helped us with why someone was sniffing around. Dirt, dead critters, trash, and a few of them seemed to be someone’s home at one point. I would have said it was wasted time going through and clearing them all out, but in reality, it was something that needed to be done anyway.
“So, is there anything I’m supposed to keep an eye out for?” Lake asked, wiping his brow with the green bandanna he’d had tied around his wrist. For now, I’d decided to keep things about this quiet. If it turned out to be nothing, I didn’t want people to get alarmed for no reason.
“Nope, just something we should have done a long time ago.”
“Right,” he said as his head bobbed up and down and I could tell that he didn’t one hundred percent believe what I’d said, but he also knew better than to question me.
When we’d gotten there, I found the spot where the intruder had been caught by the security camera. I’d sent the container numbers to Prez, then did my best to follow the tracks to see where the person had escaped. I found a small break in the old, sagging chain link fence that looked fairly new, given the fact that all the overgrowth had been cut away and hadn’t had the chance to grow back. I slipped outside and scanned the area. There wasn’t anything. Just an empty, grass-filled area that stretched on beyond what I could see. The tracks led down to the water and disappeared there. Whoever it was either had a boat or was smart as fuck. I had a hunch that it was the latter and I imagined that whoever it was trudged along the river line until they thought it was safe.
“How much longer you want to go for?” Lake asked bringing me back to the here.
“We’ll do a few more, then we can head out. I’ll come back in the morning and continue on.”
“Sounds good. I’ll be ready first thing in the morning after Mouse relieves me.”
“Thanks, man,” I said with a nod. I liked that I didn’t even have to ask him.
Lake was on the younger side. I would have guessed around Gwen’s age. He must have prospected for the club at a young age considering he’d been at Moon Hill for a bit before this. But from what I’d seen, he had a good head on his shoulders. He wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and he was always one of the first people to step up for a job. Sometimes it almost seemed like he was still trying to prove himself.
“Hey,” I said, making him pause mid-stride and turn to face me. “Uh, Gwen’s cooking for me and some of the brothers tonight, you wanna come?” I thought that I needed to get to know him more, bring him into the fold a little. It wasn’t anything huge, but it was a start. By the smile that lit up his damn face, I knew I’d made the right move.
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
We worked another hour then called it quits. We both were hot, sticky, and smelled like fucking ass. I headed to the apartment to shower while he headed back to the club. I knew his room there was his home and I got a sense that he wasn’t in any rush to change that. I understood that to some degree. Maybe I would have had a different feel if I hadn’t grown up in the club.
When I moved down here I felt that I needed a place of my own. Some days I was glad for it, and now, some days I wish I hadn’t had that option. If I didn’t have my own place, I wouldn’t have been in the predicament with a roommate that was probably more damaging than not. But there was nothing I could do about that now.
As soon as I walked into the apartment my nose filled with the warm aroma of rosemary and lemon. Fuck! I knew exactly what she was making and I’d be damned if it didn’t gut me for a second.
Lemon chicken.
One of my favorite things.
The very one that her mom used to make me on special occasions. Like my birthday. Sometimes she even made it when I brought home a good grade. Or when I’d done something big.
I fought the lump in my throat as my head was thrown back to the years when I was a kid. I had the same feeling when I’d walk into Gwen’s house when I was younger. It was almost as if Mindy was right there, smiling at me and opening her arms to me for a hug. I could almost hear her soft, light voice asking me how my day was. All these years, and I still hadn’t gotten over her death. I could only imagine how Gwen felt even after all this time.
“Hey,” Gwen’s voice broke through my memories. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be home, but B-ry said he and the guys would be here in like less than an hour. So…I started dinner.”
“You,” I cleared my clogged throat. The emotions were too thick but I did my best to try and hide them. “You could have called, ya know? Or shot me a text. I would have answered.”
“Yeah, um,” she looked at me with sad eyes and I wondered what the hell was going on. “I don’t have your number. I mean, I guess I could have asked one of the guys but…”
Her voice trailed off and I knew exactly what she wasn’t saying. She had hoped that I would be the one to give it to her. I swallowed hard, knowing I’d hurt her again. My feet carried me closer to her. The scent of the chicken mixed with hers and became an intoxicating combination. I couldn’t even begin to explain how she smelled. It was sweet and sexy and uniquely her. I’d never smelled anything like it. And damn if my dick wasn’t stirring in my pants right then.
“Give me your phone,” I said in a strained whisper.
I’d spent so much time trying my best to keep distance between us. It was hard enough just being in the same room as her, but this, being so close that I could lean down and kiss her, was pure fucking torture. I couldn’t, no matter how hard I felt a pull to do so. No matter how many hours I’d spent wondering how she would taste. Or how many nights I’d lay in bed thinking how soft she would feel. I fucking couldn’t. And it killed me.
In a daze, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. Not taking her eyes off of me, she unlocked it then handed it over. Reluctantly, I broke eye contact as I added myself to her contacts.
“There,” I said handing it back. Her fingers brushed over mine and she inhaled sharply at the static charge that ran through us at the contact. Like she’d been burned, she pulled her hand and phone away quickly.
“Thanks,” she said with a shake of her head like she was clearing her thoughts. “Um…what the hell have you been doing all day?” Her face scrunched up as she took a step back and scanned my body from head to toe. It was cute as hell and I couldn’t help but smile.
“What?” I cocked my head as my lips twitched. I had no doubt that I not only looked gross, I smelled it too.
“You should shower. Yeah. You smell like a hamster's ass. I can’t eat with that odor you’ve got going on.” She waved her hand in front of her face like it would somehow get rid of the stench.
I couldn’t help it, my head tilted back as I let out a loud laugh.
“Got it. I’ll be out in a min,” I said as I backed out of the kitchen. Her smile was warm and playful and I didn’t want to take my eyes off of it.
“Take your time,” she called out once I’d rounded the corner. “Scrub everything, like, twice.”
Her giggle followed me all the way to my bathroom.
After my shower, I left my bedroom to find the living room full already. I thought I might have gotten a few more moments with Gwen alone, but that was not my luck. Maybe it was a good thing though.
“Lake!” Gwen’s voice rang out over the conversations that surrounded me. I knew she was at the front door and I wondered how the hell she knew who he was. But then again, she worked at the bar and I had no doubt that she’d probably met most of the brothers by now, and the enthusiasm was just her. She was always one to make everyone feel welcomed, so it didn’t really give me any hints as to how well she knew him. But as I made my way to view their encounter, I noticed she pulled him in for a hug. My hairs stood on end and I was frozen in place feeling like an angry asshole.
“I didn’t know you’d be here,” she said as she ushered him further into the apartment.
“Hey, man,” Lake said as he caught my eyes. “Thanks for the invite. Smells good in here.”
“I’m making my mom’s famous lemon chicken.” Her head turned my way and her eyes met mine as she said it. Just like that my anger faded. She’d made that just for me and that thought was confirmed when she gave me a soft smile and tucked her hair behind her ear.
“It’s amazing stuff,” I said, my eyes never leaving hers. Though she’d never made it for me, I had no doubt that there would be as much love in it as her mother had made hers with.
“Make yourself at home. There’s beer in the fridge and the guys are…well, I’m sure you can hear them.” She gave him a smile and then ducked into the kitchen.
The night rolled on easily. The food was amazing, and if I closed my eyes, it was like I was right back there with Gwen’s mom sitting down to dinner. I tried my hardest to hide my emotions, but as Gwen stared me down, I knew she understood and knew what I was feeling at that exact moment.
I blinked and looked around. None of them knew. None of them understood. None of them had that bond with her that I did. I only wished that I could let her know how deeply I felt. But for now, all I could do was bask in the small things and secrets we shared but wouldn’t dare say out loud.
“You remember that one night?” She had made her way across the room and sat on the arm of the chair I resided in. Everyone else seemed too engrossed in their conversation to notice our moment. “When you brought that report card home with all A’s and she made this?”
I nodded because of course I fucking did. That was a night I’d never forget. Like so many others.
“And she made my dad and your dad drop everything and come home to eat with us,” Gwen said with a wistful sigh. “They were all so proud of you. I was too, but then again, I always knew you were smart.”
“Your mom was always telling me how I could do anything if only I applied myself a little more.” I paused and chuckled. “She was forever telling me that I shouldn’t wait until the last minute to do things and that the future me would be grateful if I put a tiny bit more into it.”
“She always believed in you. So did I.” Gwen’s fingers brushed my arm and I wasn’t even sure she was aware that she had done it. “I know she would be happy with the man you turned out to be. I know I am.”
That meant so much to me. The fucking world. And it was all I could do to choke back the fucking tears. I wouldn’t have said that I agreed with her, but it warmed my heart that she had said that.
Gwen slipped away before the moment could get any more intense. I was thankful for the break but at the same time, I felt cold with her so far away.
Not long after that, Gwen said her goodnights and slipped away to her room. The night carried on and I toyed with the idea of taking the party to the clubhouse. I needed to get away, I needed some space to breathe. But in the end, I decided to stay put. I was a mess and I knew it was starting to show.
“Now that the fire pit is done we need to celebrate with a barbecue or something,” B-ry said snapping me out of my daze. I had no idea how long I’d sat there lost in my own head while the conversations continued around me. “I’m thinking this weekend.”
“Really?” Mouse deadpanned. “You will find any excuse to party.”
“Hell yeah. Don’t act like you don’t agree.”
“No, I think it’s a good idea. I’ll run it by Iron but I’m sure he won’t say no,” I said with a nod.
We all had been working hard and it was time for a break. It was also a good excuse to get everyone together to hang out. We needed more unity and this was a start.