Where was I? Right. Tomcat.
He’s going to be livid, but he has to understand that I have to protect him. I actually know what we're dealing with whenit comes to Damon’s specific brand of sickness. Tomcat doesn’t. I’ve put a bullet in Damon before. I can absolutely do it again.
But I can’t kill a ghost if he refuses to show his face.
I can literally feel him out there somewhere in the city right now, watching, waiting, breathing in the ocean air.
Last night, the bastard crossed a line. So much so that it's physically impossible for me to stay quiet anymore. Impossible for me not to actively seek him out. The horrific message he carved into the body of that poor tourist down at the marina was meant entirely for me. I know it. He knows it. Hell, the entire club knows it. It’s the exact reason why Tomcat has had a rotating detail of heavy muscle on me around the clock while he and the rest of the brothers are out there tearing Coral Cay apart by the seams looking for him.
I lazily eye the two big Outlaws currently patrolling the perimeter of my property, trying to mathematically calculate exactly how I’m going to escape them. It won’t be easy, but easy is incredibly boring anyway. It’s always much more fun when the risk of getting caught is higher. I honestly kind of miss the intense adrenaline rush of stalking my lover through the night. I might just have to do that to Tomcat again for pure fun once I get rid of Damon for good.
A sudden itch tickles the bridge of my nose, and I deliberately raise my hand to scratch it using my middle finger.
Just in case Damon is watching right now. You really never know.
One of the club brothers crosses in front of my porch again. His sharp eyes cut to me, then aggressively sweep our surroundings for threats before he continues his slow pace down the perimeter.
I could always just spike a couple of refreshing drinks with some fast-acting sedatives and hand them out.
No, Marigold. Bad girl.
That would probably be highly frowned upon by the club, and then the guys might not like me anymore. They just wouldn't understand that I’m only drugging them for their own protection.
I let out a heavy sigh, dropping my chin into my palm and kicking my feet against the floorboards to keep the porch swing moving. Seriously, who knew it would be this difficult to find creative ways to sneak past bikers literally roaming around my house?
Right on cue, my phone vibrates in my pocket, Tomcat’s name flashing across the screen. I snap the line open before the first ring can even finish.
“Oh, my goddess. Finally! I am so completely bored. Did you find him yet?”
His deep, gravelly chuckle brushes along my senses, sending an instant, delicious shiver straight up my spine. “No, baby. Fucker is hidden deep.”
“He’s always been a literal worm. Burrowing deep underground until it’s time for him to surface and do some shady shit.”
“We’ll find him eventually, Goldie. This is our goddamn city. We just have to pin down whichever hole he’s chosen to camp out in.” There’s the rowdy sound of laughing, heavy rock music, and beer bottles clinking together in the background. “Gonna let the guys out front know you’re about to head over to the clubhouse so they can get ready to lead and tail you.”
“Wait, can I ride my bike?”
“I’d prefer it. It’ll get you here quicker. Need to fucking see you, little shadow. It’s been entirely too long.”
I snicker, a warm feeling blooming in my chest. “Axton, it’s literally just been this morning.”
“Like I said,” his voice drops into that rough, possessive register that melts my insides, “too fucking long.”
One of these days, I am going to take a selfie the exact second he speaks to me like that, just to prove to the world that those stupid, cartoon hearts actually float above my head when he makes me swoon.
“Fine,” I sigh dramatically. “I guess I can grace you with my breathtaking beauty.”
He huffs a dark laugh. “‘Preciate it, baby. Don’t forget your leathers. Fucking love you.”
“Fucking love you, too.”
It doesn’t take me long to gear up, and then I’m practically skipping out to the garage where my girl sits waiting. The guys are already mounted up and idling in my driveway the second I back the bike out into the sunlight. I haven’t met Storm and King many times yet, so I’m not quite as familiar with them as I am with the rest of the inner circle. They’re always around the compound, but they lean on the quiet side, so I’ve just spent less time speaking to them over the others.
Storm flips up his visor, looking at me seriously. “I’ll ride front, King will take the rear. Tomcat warned us how you like to speed off and drop your tail. I’m asking you to please not do that today, Marigold. It’ll make it a hell of a lot harder to protect you if shit goes sideways.”
“Understood,” I reply, sliding my full-face helmet on and clicking the strap.
The coastal scenery flies past us in a blur of blue and grey as we cruise through the city . Storm leads us through a series of winding backroads to clear our tails before smoothly guiding us back onto the main highway. I’m completely enjoying the absolute peace of the asphalt and the wind against my chest when, without a single second of warning, the entire world explodes into a violent supernova and turns completely upside down.
