Page 25 of Carver’s Crusade

He pushes off the truck and steps closer. “Saw something yesterday when I went to Kobey’s. I was looking around for a deal on tools and found two teenagers selling just what I needed.”

I stare at him. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. They had our shit. I didn’t say anything to them, thought you would want to see for yourself.”

A slow grin tugs at my mouth. “You figured right.”

CHAPTER 12: RAVEN

“Wait. So Jinx is living at the clubhouse as a Kutte Bunny?” I ask in surprise. As Athena’s office manager and receptionist, I’m not privy to many details about her patients. However, since Athena specializes in treating women who have experienced trauma, I’m not clueless. “I would think living in a clubhouse full of men would be the last place she’d want to be.”

Athena shrugs. “I can’t go into detail about her experience, but we discussed it this morning, and I can understand why she feels safe there. They are good men. They won’t take advantage of her, and they’ll keep her safe.”

I haven’t had as much interaction with the Demon Dawgs as Athena has, but I know several of the women who are involved with the club. They all have positive things to say about the men, especially about how focused they are on keeping the women safe. I’m friends with Kingsley, who was once a Kutte Bunny before Grimm claimed her. She told me the story of how she wound up at the clubhouse and under their protection.

“She’ll be safe with them,” I agree.

“She will. I don’t know how she’ll feel about our personal lives bleeding into our professional relationship. I’ve told her that I could help her find a new therapist if she feels uncomfortable staying with me. She said she’ll think about it. I want you to put together a list of therapists around here who are taking new patients, just in case she decides to make a switch.”

I nod as I pull up the list of therapists to start making calls. Before our first patient arrives, I have a list of 10 who are willing to take on a new patient for Jinx to choose from. I can find more if she doesn’t find a match in the first set. After that, I get started on the billing.

When lunch rolls around, I debate whether to go out and get it myself or have it delivered. I know I’m hesitating because of what happened yesterday. I’m not ready to deal with Tony if he decides to harass me again. I need to be better prepared if he approaches me again. So, I ordered a delivery from the local Thai place and continued working. Patients came and went until I forgot about the possibility of Jinx calling.

“Oh, Jinx, hello,” I say when she calls. “Athena told me that you might be calling. She had me put together a list of therapists you might feel more comfortable with, unless you’ve decided to stay with her?”

Jinx chuckles. “It’s nice of Athena to have you look for new therapists, but I considered the situation and realized that I’m okay with staying with her. I know she’ll be at the clubhouse occasionally. The guys already know that I’m not interested in sex. If they realize that I’m seeing a therapist, they’ll likely make assumptions. They probably won’t be too far off the mark. I think I like the idea of seeing a therapist who is familiar with motorcycle clubs.”

I find her statement interesting, but I don’t dwell on the meaning. However, I feel the need to manage her expectations. “Athena has only been with Ranch for about a week. However, she’s been working with Caitlin at Crossroads for longer.”

“As long as she’s aware that they’re good men, I’m fine. I don’t want to go to another therapist and convince them that I feel safer living and working in a biker’s clubhouse.”

“Good point. I’m glad you’re staying with Athena. I’ll see you next week for your appointment.”

I didn’t get a chance to tell Athena the good news until we were preparing to leave.

“Jinx called, and she wants to keep you as her therapist,” I tell her as I finish my filing.

‘Oh, good. I was hoping seeing me this morning didn’t cause her to rethink therapy.”

“She said she wanted to stay with you because she didn’t think you’d try to talk her into leaving the clubhouse. She thought you’d understand that she feels safer there than anywhere else.”

Athena chuckles. “If she had come to me a few months ago, I would have been the one telling her to run. But I understand where she’s coming from now. The guys will never hurt her, and they offer a level of protection she wouldn’t get if she were living on her own, speaking of living on their own. How are you doing after the attack? Have you been having trouble sleeping?”

I thought about the nightmare I had had the previous night and shrugged. “I had a nightmare last night, but other than that, I’m okay.”

“Did you dream about the attack? Did you remember something that you could tell Shield?”

“Oh, no. Actually, the nightmare had very little to do with the attack. At least I don’t think it did. It was just weird. I was running through the streets, and someone was chasing me.”

Athena pauses as she picks up her briefcase. “Could that be what happened? Maybe someone saw you walking and chased you into the parking lot?”

Rather than deny her suggestion, I nod and pretend that I’m seriously considering it. “You may be right. Maybe my subconscious is telling me something.” I don’t say that I think my subconscious is warning me about how much more dangerous Tony Martin is than I originally thought. He’s more dangerous because he’s not alone. I shudder at the memory of the dream as I open the bottom drawer of my desk to remove my purse. I have some shopping to do.

“Do you think I should contact Shield about my dream? It seems weak.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. It can’t hurt.”

“I’ll think about it. Have a good weekend.”