Oh shit!She pulled her stun gun from her bedside table, and on swift, silent feet, she hurried to Oliver’s room.She pushed the door closed, careful not to make any noise, hoping not to draw the attention of whoever was trying to break in.
Moving swiftly to Oliver’s bed, she picked him up and hurried to the closet.She pushed his shoes and some of his toys to the side with her foot, then climbed inside.She settled him on her lap and reached for the closet door, holding her breath as she pulled it closed.What if the intruder got into Oliver’s room and checked the closet?She couldn’t afford for her nephew to get hurt, and she couldn’t deal with this on her own.She lay him on the floor next to her and woke up her phone.She scrolled until she found Jed’s number, then hit send and prayed he answered quickly.It rang four times, then went to voicemail.She tried again and got the same results.She pulled up Race’s number and hit dial, crossing her fingers that he answered.
“Sadie?”
“Race,” she whispered.“Someone’s breaking into my apartment."The blaring sound of her alarm being triggered indicated someone had gotten the door open.The noise was almost immediately silenced.She was frightened of what that might mean.How had they disarmed the alarm?
“Are you and Oliver somewhere safe?In the bathroom with the door closed or in a closet?”Race asked.It sounded like he was on the move as he spoke to her, giving her instructions.
“We’re in a closet,” she whispered back.
“Okay.I want you to stay quiet, but keep your phone on so I can hear what you hear.”His voice sounded muffled, like he had his hand over the speaker as he spoke to someone with him.“Sadie, we’re on our way.Hang tight.”
“Okay.Please, hurry.”
She pulled clothes from the hangers above her and covered Oliver, hoping that if the intruder made it this far, they would overlook her nephew.Just the thought of something happening to him brought tears to her eyes.She would die for him, no question.She lost her brother; she would not lose her nephew, too.Her breath caught in her chest as she listened to heavy footsteps moving around her apartment.She gripped her stun gun tighter as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, telling herself to call down and focus.
“Sa-die,” someone sing-songed her name.“Come out.Come out, wherever you are.”
She slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp of surprise.She thought she recognized that voice.Was that Tinker?
“Sa-die.”He’d sounded closer.He was getting off on terrorizing her from the sounds of it.What the hell was he doing here?What did he want?Did he want payback for what went down at Bottoms Up?Should she slip out and hope he didn’t come looking for Oliver?What if Oliver woke up and came looking for her?Would Tinker hurt him, too?Then a thought hit her.Was he the one who’d been in her apartment before and left the mess on her bed?
“Sadie?”Oliver’s small voice jerked her attention to the side.He was trying to sit up.She quickly leaned over and whispered in his ear.“Stay down, buddy, and be very, very quiet.Someone’s in the apartment.Race is on his way.”
Her nephew’s small body started to shake where her hand rested on his chest.
“Sa-die?”Tinker moved past Oliver’s room, heading toward hers.Shit!After he found her room empty, he would have to check the bathroom and Oliver’s room.When he did, she was sure he’d find them.There was nowhere else they could be.Damn it.Where was Race?
She scrolled through her phone until she found the app for her car and crossed her fingers.Please, God.Please, God.Let this work.She entered the password and hit the alarm.The sound of her car alarm going off was music to her ears.She had no idea if it would make Tinker leave or if he’d continue looking for her.She moved Oliver behind her and held her stun gun in front of her, ready to zap him if the door came open.
Where was Race?
* * *
Tinker
He hurried down the stairs and down the alley to the truck he borrowed from Lyle.With Sadie setting off the car alarm, the police would be there in no time, if the Sons didn’t beat them to her apartment.
He smiled to himself as he pulled out onto the main street.He could picture Sadie cowering in her apartment, scared out of her mind.He bet her fear level was through the roof after finding the present he left on her bed the first time he broke in.
It had been a simple matter of picking a lock, something he had always excelled at.He wished he could have seen the terror on her face when she found the panties he’d used to jack off with.
He’d known how the club would react once they realized someone had broken into her apartment; they’d be hellbent on making sure it never happened again.He was proven right as he waited down the alley in the truck he borrowed from Lyle.He’d watched as Jackson carried up a box full of stuff, then stepped out onto the landing to install a camera.
Once he was finished, he brought the boxes downstairs and threw them in the dumpster.All Tinker had to do was wait for him to clear out, then slip in to retrieve the boxes.He got the name of the security system along with the model number.It was a matter of an internet search, and he had all the information he needed to circumvent the system.He’d learned a lot of things while in prison, both from fellow inmates and from the classes they encouraged them to take.And what morons they were for allowing a convicted criminal to take classes on security systems.
Tonight had been so easy.He kept his face averted from the camera as he ascended the stairs, then covered it with his gloved hand and yanked it off.Because of his foresight, he immediately found the wires he needed to cut to disable the security panel.
His smile slipped from his face as he thought about how she’d thwarted his efforts by setting off her car alarm.The woman had brains; he had to give her that.Too bad he didn’t like smart women.All he required of a woman was her pussy.He didn’t care about her thoughts or her feelings or any other bullshit.All he needed was for her to suck his cock or spread her legs.That was it.
Taking the side streets to Lyle’s house, he was glad he’d packed his things before leaving the clubhouse yesterday.The few meager possessions he owned fit in one duffel bag.After tonight, he didn’t plan on ever returning to the Sons clubhouse.It wasn’t the club he and his buddies had built, and he could no longer pretend that he was conforming.He had half a mind to burn the place to the ground.
One side of his mouth hitched up again at the thought of how the brothers would react when Sadie told them she’d recognized his voice tonight.They would be out for blood.That was fine by him because he was out for theirs.
* * *
Jed
