Unblinking, he nodded slowly.Fuck!“I gotta go, and I need you, Army, Skull, Brutus, and Eagle with me. Fuck!”
“I’m in. I’ll go round up the others.”
Goldie called Hailey, but it went straight to voice mail. “Shit!” He sent her a text but nothing came back. Then he called the floral shop, but once again voice mail picked up. Cursing under his breath, he ran out to the main room and saw his brothers waiting. A gamut of feelings flashed through him as he saw the five brothers staring at him, in their cuts and packing their Glocks staring at him.This is why I fuckin’ love the brotherhood.Jerking his chin at them, Diablo opened the door and they all went outside.
Soon the Night Rebels were flying out of the parking lot.I gotta make sure she’s safe. I got a bad feeling. Shit! I let my damn guard down.As the wind stung his eyes, he pressed on, all his thoughts on Hailey.
He couldn’t lose her.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Hailey stretched herarms and turned off the computer, having called it quits when black spots floated on her screen. Glancing at the clock, she knew she’d be a little early for dinner, so she’d take the time to stretch out her legs and stare idly at nothing until Goldie came. She looked at her dark screen and cursed her stupidity at forgetting to bring her charger.Maybe it’s a good thing. That damn phone’s attached to my hip. I need the break.Her brain was mush. All she wanted was to relax, talk to Goldie, then snuggle next to him and sleep. She was so exhausted.
After she locked the shop, she walked over to her car that was near the park. She laughed as she remembered how freaked out she was that night when she saw that man coming out of the bushes.I’m positive it was Dan. I still can’t believe what a psycho he turned out to be. I’m so glad Goldie caught him.
She opened the trunk of her car and put her briefcase in it. When she shut the trunk, she thought she saw something.
A dark shadow disappearing behind the trees.
Silly.She had to stop parking by the park.
Shaking her head, she went to her car door.
Still….
Something made her uneasy, and waves of cold washed over her. She pushed on the remote and her door unlocked, her headlights beaming.
She stopped dead, the remote slipping from her fingers and clanking on the asphalt.
There, right before her, not fifteen feet away, stood a man. He was shadowed by the large branches of the trees. He didn’t move. Petrified to bend down to pick up her key, she stood glued to the spot.
Then he came slowly out of the darkness.
The car’s headlights turned off. Hypnotized by fear, she watched him come closer and closer.
Opening her mouth, ready to scream, she breathed a sigh of relief as the streetlight lit his face.
“It’s you,” she said. She giggled, giddy with relief. “You startled me.”
“I didn’t mean to. Working late?”
“Yeah. I’m beat though. You’re working late too. Are you on your way home?”
He shook his head. “No, I was waiting for you. I’ve been waiting for you for a long time, Hailey. Too long.”
“What? Is something going on with my aunt? You can—” Hailey took a step backward. His friendly eyes had evaporated into cold, hard ones. His lethal stare pierced her. Her heart hammered erratically as the blood drained from her face. With widened eyes, she took another step backward, but as he grabbed her wrists, his fingers digging into her skin painfully, her suspicions were confirmed.
He was going to kill her.
***
Goldie pounded onthe flower shop door even though it was dark inside, then took out a bump key he always carried in his wallet. Unlocking the door, he walked inside. Nothing seemed amiss. After checking everything, he joined his brothers on the pavement.
“Find anything?” Diablo asked.
“No. I’m going to see if I can find her car. It’s a white Mustang. Brutus and Skull, check across the street, and Diablo and Eagle, check behind the shop and the alley. I’m gonna check this side of the street.”
The brothers dispersed and Goldie walked toward the park. As he approached the area, chills scurried up his spine.Something happened here.Glancing around, he went to the bushes and rifled through them. Nothing but a few scared raccoons. Walking back to the sidewalk, the streetlight bounced off an object in the road. He walked to the curb and picked it up, his blood running cold. A silver charm of a ram and the word “Aries” etched on it shimmered in his palm.This is from Hailey’s charm bracelet.Jaw clenched, he rushed back to the shop and whistled loudly. The brothers came over and Goldie told them what he found.
