“Where is she now?”he asked.
“She had a doctor's appointment, and I had Cutter take her.”They all looked confused.He’d just said she was doing well.“She had it scheduled a week ago.”
Race’s chin tipped up.
“What are we going to do about that motherfucker?”Jackson wanted to know.“He’s definitely set his sights on Sadie.Does anyone know why?”
“She shot him down at Bottoms Up, but other than that?”Dagger responded.
Race was thoughtful for a moment, running his thumb back and forth across his bottom lip while watching Jed.“Does he know you have an interest in her, Jed?”
His head jerked back.Was that it?Was that why Tinker was fixated on Sadie?Because Jed had an interest in her?Was he going to use Sadie to hurt Jed?“I don’t know.Other than him seeing me check on her at Bottoms Up after he manhandled her, I can’t think of any time he would’ve been around.”
“That could be enough of a reason for the fucker to target her.”Jackson ran his hand through his hair.
“Well, fuck.”Jed pounded his fist on the table.
“Are you two a thing?”Trick asked.
Jed wasn’t sure how to answer that.“We’re seeing each other, and we agreed not to see other people while we’re doing it.”
“Are you claiming her?”Race rocked back in his chair, his gaze assessing and shrewd.
Jed squirmed a little in his chair.“I mean, it is what it is until it isn’t anymore.That’s what we agreed to.”
Race’s shoulders dropped like he was disappointed in his answer.Dagger’s mouth pursed, and he shook his head.The rest of them all looked at him like he was an idiot.
Leaning forward, Race settled his arms on the table.“Okay.Here’s what’s going to happen.Whenever you can’t be with Sadie, someone else needs to be with her.We can’t take a chance that Tinker will get his hands on her.The ones of us who knew him from before know what he’s capable of doing to women.Jed, if there’s ever a time you can’t be with her, give us a heads up, and I’ll put someone else on her.Does everyone agree to this plan?”
Everyone agreed.
“All right.Everyone keep scouring Redemption.He shouldn’t be this fucking hard to find.”Race slammed the gavel, ending the meeting.
Jed followed everyone out, grabbing his phone from the box he had left it in before church.He checked for messages and saw that he had one from Cutter.They were back at her apartment, and something was wrong with Sadie.He immediately dialed Cutter’s number.
“Jed.”The prospect sounded relieved to be hearing from him.
“What’s going on?What do you mean, something is wrong with her?”He continued cutting across the common area, heading for his truck.He hopped in but didn’t start it up, afraid he’d miss something Cutter was saying when the phone took a second to connect to his Bluetooth.
“I don’t know.She came out of the elevator like she was in a trance.Her face was pale, and it looked like she might have been crying.She didn’t say anything on the way back to her apartment.I followed her up, and she went straight to the bathroom.She’s been in there since we got back.”He was starting to sound a little panicked at this point.“I knocked on the door to check on her, and she said she was okay, she’d be out in a minute.That was twenty minutes ago.What should I do?”
“Don’t do anything.I’m on my way.”He disconnected with Cutter and started his truck.
10
Sadie
Sadie stepped up to the counter of the receptionist’s desk and noted that the name plate declared her name to be Jean.The dark-haired woman greeted her with a warm, friendly smile.“Hello.How can I help you?”
“Hi.My name is Sadie Swallow, and I have an appointment with Dr.Johnson.”She’d found his name online and checked his reviews.Everyone stated that he was a wonderful family practice physician, with most people giving him five out of five stars.
Jean checked on her computer to confirm the appointment.“Yes.I see you right here.I need you to fill out some paperwork for me, and I’ll need a copy of your driver's license and insurance card.”She handed over a packet of papers on a clipboard with a pen.
“I’m self-pay.I spoke to someone last week about it.”She hoped the receptionist knew what she was talking about because if it cost more than what she was originally quoted, she might have to reschedule.Normally, Sadie would have gone to a gynecologist to get on birth control, but with no insurance, a specialist bill would be way more than a regular family doctor.
Again, Jean checked the computer.“Oh, yes.I see there’s a note right here.We’ll collect your payment after your visit.”
“Okay.Thank you.”She handed the woman her driver's license, then surveyed the half-full room to find a seat.She crossed the room and took a seat near a corner, next to a fake tree that looked like it could use a good dusting.She set her purse on her lap, then balanced the clipboard on top of it and began filling out what felt like an endless stack of papers.It took about fifteen minutes, but she finally managed to finish them.She took the forms and the clipboard back to the reception, who said that she would be called back in a little bit.
