She nods and leaves, the door closing behind her.
Like she’s broken the seal, I get a steady stream of customers over the next few hours, mostly keeping me too busy to think, which is just as well. It’s hard enough keeping Legs outta my head on a good day, let alone when every other customer asks where she is.
Finally, when the last person leaves, I flip the sign to CLOSED, I take a deep breath, and lean back against the door. A knock on the door has me looking over my shoulder, ready to turn them away, until I see it’s Lil. I quickly open the door and pull her inside.
“What are you doing here? Is it Legs? Is she okay?”
She looks up at me in surprise, and that’s when I see her pale face.
“Lil—”
“It’s not Legs. A prospect was supposed to pick me up but he wasn’t answering his phone, and?—”
I press my hands to her shoulders. “Take a breath and tell me what’s wrong.”
“I think I’m going crazy,” she whispers, her eyes filling with tears. “I swear someone’s following me.”
My expression hardens. I pull my gun and yank the door open. “Stay here. Lock the door. Only open it for me.”
Before she can say anything, I step outside and close the door behind me. I head to her car, scanning the area for anything suspicious, but everything seems quiet. Too quiet. I pull out my phone and call Ambros.
“Midas? Not to be a dick but can you make it quick? I’m running late to pick up Lil?—”
“Come to Au. She’s with me.” I hang up as he starts cursing.
I knock on the door and wait for Lil to answer. When she does, I step inside and lock it behind me. “Come on.” I take her arm gently and lead her to my office. I clear one of the chairs and ease her into it before pouring her a shot of whiskey. “Drink this.”
She downs it like a pro and hands me the empty glass.
“Alright. Start from the beginning.”
“I felt like I was being followed, but I never saw anyone. It was just a feeling. I mentioned it to Hannibal, and he arranged for Kruger to meet me at the shelter when I’m working and follow me home, or a prospect would cover me if something came up. Tonight, I couldn’t get hold of anyone. I was gonna stay, but then there was a gas leak, and we were evacuated and told to go home.”
She swallows. “I thought I’d be okay. But then this car started following me. Every turn I made, it followed. If I sped up, so did they.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“A dark Ford Bronco. Black or navy blue, maybe. One of the older models.”
“You get a look at the driver?”
She shakes her head. “I couldn’t even tell if they were male or female. I was trying to make it back to the clubhouse, but then I remembered Sunshine mentioning she was run off the road, and you were the closest person, so I came here.”
“You did the right thing. I called Ambros. He’s on his way here to get you. But we need to bring this up with the club. A car tailing you is more than a feeling, Lil. It’s proof.”
Her shoulders slump, but she nods. “Okay.”
“We’ll keep you safe.”
“I know.”
“You have any idea who this asshole might be?”
She shakes her head again. “I don’t have a clue. I don’t know if I’ve pissed someone off, if its someone from the shelter or something completely random. I really don’t know.”
“Alright, don’t worry about it. But just to be safe, we need to let the others know, in case it’s club-related.”
“Okay, I’ll let the girls know to keep their eyes open, and I’ll call Legs when I get back to let her know too.”
