Brett Page 5

  “Minnesota,” I told him. Logan had found that much out, at least.

  Damon hummed. “Where’s your girl from, Brett?”

  I frowned, following his train of thought. I was falling hard and fast for Olivia, but I wasn’t the kind of man to let my emotions cloud my judgement either. If a brother thought something was suspicious, I would follow up on it. There’s more here than just me to worry about. There were kids, other members, not to mention all of the women that stuck around the clubhouse, and Copper’s wife.

  I stood up from my chair, going to find Olivia. She was reading a book to Jayla, but she looked up when she noticed me coming towards her. “Brett?” she asked. She frowned, worry and concern flooding her pretty eyes. She looked down at Jayla. “Sweetheart, go to your mom, okay? I need to talk to Uncle Brett.”

  Jayla obediently got off of Olivia’s lap and dashed into the kitchen. “I need you to come in the chapel with me,” I told Olivia.

  “Brett, what is going on?” she asked me as she stood up. “You’re freaking me out.”

  I sighed and grabbed her hand in mine, pulling her towards me. “I just want to talk to you, as do Damon and Copper.” I pressed a light kiss to her forehead. I didn’t feel like she had betrayed the club, nor did I feel like she had kept anything important from me. It was a gut feeling I had, and ninety-nine percent of the time, my gut feelings were right. I had a feeling she and our shooter were connected somehow.

  “Did I do something wrong?” she asked me. She pressed the heel of her hand to her chest as she walked beside me towards the chapel. “Fuck, Brett, I don’t do good with anxiety.”

  “Easy, sweetheart,” I soothed. I gently squeezed her hand. “I just need to talk to you – that’s all.”

  I led her into the chapel and closed the doors behind us. After pulling out my normal seat and gesturing for her to sit in it, I took the one on her left, which was normally Logan’s chair. She looked over at me, uncertainty flickering in her pretty, gray eyes.

  “Olivia, where are you from?” I asked her.

  “Minnesota,” she answered, frowning at me. “Brett, I am so fucking confused right now. What’s happening?”

  Damon sighed, drawing her eyes to him. “The asshole that shot up the supermarket you worked at is from Minnesota as well.”

  Olivia’s face paled. Her eyes shot to mine, panic in their depths. I gripped her face in my hands, forcing her eyes to stay connected with mine. “Breathe, sweetheart,” I coaxed.

  “I didn’t bring him here.” She trembled. “Brett, I don’t even know the man. I’ve never seen him before in my life.”

  I leaned forward and gently soothed my lips over hers, calming her down. “Easy now.” I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks. “We’re not accusing you of anything, Olivia. But there may be a relation between this man and you that you’re not aware of.” I cupped the side of her neck with my right hand, and with my left, I grabbed her hand, holding it in mine. “I know you’re running from something.” She closed her eyes and nodded her head. I stayed calm. I’d had the suspicion all along – had plenty of time to prepare myself for the confirmation. “Tell us what you’re running from Olivia.”

  “My parents were murdered when I was fifteen,” she said quietly. Rage pulsed through me on her behalf, but I tamped it back down, forcing myself to remain calm for her sake. “The trials went on for almost four years, and their murderer got off. They weren’t able to convict him – said there wasn’t enough evidence against him though I saw him that night.”

  I tightened my grip on her hand, a silent reminder that she wasn’t alone. I was right here with her.

  “I don’t know what happened.” She opened her eyes. “I swear that I don’t, Brett. I even got hauled into jail for it, but they couldn’t pin anything on me.” She drew in a shaky breath. “Samuel – their murderer – he was found dead in front of his apartment – single gunshot wound to the forehead. It was apparently a very clean shot, as if someone had been standing in front of him when it happened. Security footage only showed a hooded figure with a body type similar to mine – could have been a man or a woman. Police just assumed it was me because I pinpointed him as the killer.”

  Jesus fucking Christ.

  “When I was released, I waited for them to close the case. They found Samuel’s supposed killer, and I left. I didn’t want to be there anymore. There were too many bad memories, and I just wanted as far away from it as I could get.”

  Copper stood up and moved around the table, taking a seat in one of the chairs across from us. “Olivia,” he called, drawing her eyes to him, “I want you to picture that man, and then I want you to picture the asshole that shot up the supermarket that day. Do they look alike?”

  She closed her eyes, and a sob ripped from her lips a moment later, quickly followed by her tears. I drew her onto my lap, holding her tight in my arms as she began to cry. “Yes,” she whispered, her voice breaking on the single word.

  Copper’s eyes met mine. “The shooting is related to her.” He shook his head. “Fucking hell, brother.”

  “I’m sorry,” Olivia apologized, her voice breaking.

  “Nothing to be sorry for, girly,” Damon spoke up. “You were innocent.” I grunted in agreement. “Obviously, these two men are related in some way. I just need Logan to do more digging for us before we know for sure. But I’ve got a damn good gut feeling that this mother fucker thinks you’re the reason a family member of his is now dead despite the police already having the true murderer in custody.”

  I tightened my arms around Olivia. “I’ll slaughter anyone who fucking tries to hurt her,” I snarled.

  “Easy, brother,” Copper warned me. “You know you’ve got this entire club to back you up in this shit. You’re not standing alone in this, Brett. She will be protected, and if the police don’t do their job first, you better believe, we fucking will,” he promised.

  “I’m going up to my apartment,” I told him when Olivia’s body trembled in my arms, her chest wracking with another sob. “I don’t want to be fucking disturbed.”

  “Noted, brother.” Damon inclined his head to me as I stood from my seat. “Take care of her, Brett.”

  Nodding once at my VP, I strode from the room and past everyone’s prying eyes, quickly moving towards the stairs. I pressed my lips to the top of Olivia’s head as I ascended the stairs. “I’m here, sweetheart,” I whispered. “You’re not alone. Not now and not ever again,” I swore.

  Olivia

  My eyes felt swollen and puffy when I woke up a few hours later. Brett was sitting at the desk in the room with a laptop open in front of him. He turned to look at me when I rolled over onto my side to better look at him.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked me.

  I shrugged. “Like hell,” I roughly admitted. My throat felt dry and scratchy. I slowly sat up and scrubbed my hands over my face. “I could use a shower.”

  He pointed to a closed door. “My bathroom is through there.” He looked back at his computer screen with a sigh. “I’d join you, but unfortunately, fucking club shit calls.”

  I stood up from the bed and walked over to him, leaning down to press a kiss to his cheek. “It’s okay; I understand it.”

  He grabbed my hand in his and squeezed it before dropping it again. “I’ll text Penny and see if she or any of the other club women have some clothes you can borrow.” He tapped my hip. “Now, go. The longer you stand here, the more I’m imagining you naked, and Copper is going to be pissed with me if I don’t get him these damn reports.”

  I pressed another quick kiss to his cheek before I began walking towards the bathroom. My phone pinged on the bed, and with a small frown, I walked over, grabbing it off the mattress. No one should have had my phone number. I’d changed it after moving here, and the only people who’d had it were the people I worked with at supermarket.

  I’m going to make you fucking pay.

  The phone fell from my hands. I felt all the blood drain from my
face, making me momentarily lightheaded. Brett shot up out of his chair, rushing over to me. The room was beginning to spin, and I couldn’t remember how to suck air into my lungs. Hot, panicked tears slid down my cheeks.

  This couldn’t be happening. He couldn’t have contacted me so easily, could he?

  Brett caught me in his arms, and his knees loudly hit the floor beneath us. Grabbing my face in his hands, he dragged my eyes up to his. “Breathe!” he barked down at me. He gently shook me. “Goddammit, Olivia, breathe!” he shouted.

  I sobbed as I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart pounding in my ears and making my teeth ache. I collapsed against his chest. Brett’s strong, warm arms wrapped around me, securing me against his body. “I’m here, sweetheart. I won’t let a fucking thing happen to you,” he soothed. “Just breathe.”

  “What the fuck happened?!” Copper roared as he stepped into the room. I jerked in surprise, and Brett tightened his arms around me, holding me so tightly that it hurt, but I felt safe.

  “Where’s Logan?” Brett demanded.

  “On his way here,” Damon answered as he stepped in the room as well. “Brett, what the fuck happened?”

  “He fucking contacted her,” Brett snarled. I squeezed my eyes shut again, my body trembling as I tried to contain my fear. Brett ran his hand over my hair. “Get that phone and fucking give it to Logan. I want that shit tracked. He’s fucked with the wrong one, Copper.”

  Brett grabbed my face in his hands and pulled my head up, forcing my eyes on his. “I’m going to get you out of here, okay? Do you trust me?” At my nod, he continued. “Good. Up,” he ordered.

  I slowly stood to my feet. He grabbed my hand in his and looked at Copper. “Tell Grim I’m riding down and have a room prepared. We’ll be there until this shit is taken care of.”

  Copper nodded once. “You want protection on the ride down, brother?”

  Brett shook his head. “No. The less attention that I draw to us, the better. I’m leaving my phone and taking a burner. I want that fucker to think we’re both still here.”

  “Got it.” Copper pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Do you need anything from your place, or are you leaving directly from here?”

  “Directly from here,” Brett answered. “Whatever we need, we’ll get it in Hope. I want to get her the fuck out of here as soon as we have the cover of darkness.”

  Brett turned to face me as Copper and Damon left the room. Everything was happening so fast that I felt a little winded. “I’m going to protect you from this son of a bitch,” Brett promised. “I just need you to trust me on that. Can you do that for me?”

  I gripped his cut in my fists as I swallowed thickly. “I trust you more than anything, Brett,” I told him honestly. I drew in a deep, shaky breath, but it calmed me down some. “I’m sorry that I panicked.”

  He sighed and drew me into his arms, his hand coming up to hold the back of my head. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. You’re scared of him. It’s a normal reaction. Just know that as long as I’m around, there’s no reason to be afraid. I’ll never let anyone hurt you, and I swear that on my fucking life.”

  I wrapped my arms around his waist, nuzzling closer to him. “I’m so happy you were there that day, Brett,” I confessed. I hated that he had been in danger, but I would have died that morning if it weren’t for him.

  A chill raced down my spine at that thought.

  He pressed his lips to the top of my head. “I am, too, sweetheart.”

  Brett tucked my braid into my jacket so my blonde hair wouldn’t be visible once I put my helmet on. “It’s going to be a bit of a long ride,” he warned me. “And it’s going to suck after a couple of hours. You’re not used to riding that long. I’ll try to stop as frequently as I can so you can stretch, but I don’t want to spend too much time on the roads without protection.”

  “I’ll deal,” I assured him. I didn’t care how uncomfortable I would be. I just wanted to be safe.

  Penny handed me a pair of leather gloves. “You’re going to want these,” she told me. “It’s going to get cold after a little while.” She drew me into an unexpected hug. My throat closed up with tears. “Just do what he says. He’ll keep you alive.”

  I quickly wrapped my own arms around her. “Thank you so much for everything you and your family are doing for me,” I said quietly, meaning every word.

  She leaned back and grabbed my upper arms, a warm smile on her face. “You’re family now, Olivia. Everyone here is your brother, and I’m your sister.” A tear slid down my cheek at her words. Brett’s hand silently settled on my lower back as a silent offer of comfort and support. “And we’ll throw a huge fucking welcome home party for you and Brett when you guys are finally safe enough to ride back home.” She drew me into another hug. “You two need to get on the road. Be safe.”

  “We will,” I promised her. And I knew that promise wasn’t a lie. Brett wouldn’t allow anything to happen to me.

  Brett gently turned me to face him. “You ready?” he asked me.

  I drew in a deep breath. “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I told him honestly.

  Copper drew Brett into a one-armed hug and clapped him on the back. “I know you said you don’t want protection, but Logan is . . . commandeering . . . his mother’s car to give you protection for the first hour of your ride – just to make sure you guys don’t get any tailers.”

  Brett snorted. “I swear, that man never stops doing dumb, illegal shit.”

  Copper snorted. “Don’t worry about the cops, brother.” Brett rolled his eyes. “He apparently gave his mom something to put her to sleep for a few good hours.”

  I gaped at Copper. “Logan drugged his mother?!” I asked incredulously.

  Brett snorted. “Babe, there’s a lot you have to learn about Logan. He’s a man of many illegal talents.” He pressed his hand to my lower back. “Come on. We need to go. We’re losing darkness with every passing second.”

  Copper gently squeezed my shoulder. “We look forward to you coming back home with Brett, Olivia.” He looked at Brett. “You two be safe. Make sure Grim lets me know when you two make it,” he ordered.

  Brett nodded his head. “Will do, Prez.” He grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together, gently leading me out of the clubhouse. When we got to his bike, he grabbed a helmet, holding it out to me. “It has a face guard, and it’ll keep your face completely covered. Someone has to get extremely close to you to see who you are,” he informed me. “You’ll be wearing this when we ride until this shit is taken care of.”

  I took the helmet from his hands. He cupped my face in his hands and pressed his lips to mine, kissing me so savagely that it literally stole the breath from my lungs. “I will keep you safe, Olivia. Don’t fucking forget that.”

  With that, he grabbed his helmet and strapped it to his head before he straddled his bike and turned the large machine on, the beast snarling beneath him. Drawing in a deep breath, I slid the helmet on my head and slid on behind him. I pulled the gloves on my hand and wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my body to his back.

  With a gentle squeeze to my hands, he pulled out of the lot, tearing off down the road.

  Brett

  Grim was leaning against one of the awning poles when I finally pulled into the lot late the next day. I was damn tired of riding, and I knew Olivia was stiff as hell. It would take her legs a couple of days to go back to normal. Riding a bike for that long sure as fuck wasn’t for a newbie, but my woman hadn’t complained a single time.

  She was strong as fuck, and I was so goddamn proud to call her mine.

  I slowly brought the bike to a stop. Olivia slowly released me, a low groan of discomfort falling from her throat as she slowly slid off of the bike, using my shoulders to steady herself.

  “Easy, babe.” I grabbed her hips as I swung myself off the bike, supporting some of her weight for her. Once I was on my own two feet, I pulled my helmet off and then slid hers off for her, setting them both on my
bike. Then, without any warning, I slid my arms beneath her knees and lifted her to my chest, carrying her towards the clubhouse. Walking would be a damn feat for her right now.

  “Upstairs, last room to the left,” Grim told me without having to be asked. “I told the club to keep shit quiet so you guys can get some rest.”

  “Need to talk to you before that,” I told him. “Just let me get her upstairs and situated in bed. Does Katyushka have some clothes she can sleep in and also some that she can wear tomorrow?”

  Grim pulled his phone out. “I’ll shoot her a text – have her bring some up.” He nodded his head towards the clubhouse doors. “Get her on upstairs. I’ll be in the chapel.”

  Nodding once at the Texas charter president, I strode into the clubhouse, nodding in greeting to Hatchet, Thor, and Scab as I walked towards the stairs.

  “My legs have never been so stiff and funny feeling in my life,” Olivia groaned as I stepped into the room Grim had directed me to.

  I laughed softly. “I told you it was going to be a rough ride, sweetheart.” I settled her onto the bed. “Katyushka – Grim and Scab’s old lady – will be bringing you some clothes here in a little bit.” I pressed my lips to hers. “Try to get some rest, yeah? We’ll shower in the morning.”

  She whined. “But I feel so disgusting.”

  I shook my head with a small smile playing on my lips. “I know, babe; I do, too, but I really need to go downstairs and talk to Grim about what’s going on. It can’t wait, and I don’t think you’re going to be able to stand and bathe in the shower by yourself.”

  Katyushka knocked lightly on the open door. We both looked at her, and she smiled at us. “I can help,” she offered.

  “I’m not even ashamed of taking the help,” Olivia instantly replied. I shot her a playful scowl, and my beautiful woman smiled back up at me. “Please. I need a shower or at least a bath.”