“Jessica, I realize this is all new to you,” Talon says, his voice softening.“But I promise, you’ll be safe with us. You won’t have to face this alone. We’ll protect you, no matter what. That’s what we do. We take care of our own.”
The sincerity in his eyes is impossible to ignore. And deep down, I know I can’t face this stalker alone. I need help, even if it means leaving my comfort zone and placing my trust in a motorcycle club.
“All right,” I say finally, my voice barely above a whisper.“How do we get Loki there?”
“I’ll call Reaper. We’ll handle it.”
“I should get going,” Sienna says.“I have an early meeting tomorrow morning, and if I don’t get some sleep, I’m going to blow it. This could be a huge account for me.”
“What do you do?” Talon asks.
“Interior design.”
“Huh.” He looks at her thoughtfully.“Interesting.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks defensively.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe you ran guns for the Bratva or something.”
“We don’t have ties to the Mafia.” Sienna rolls her eyes.
“You brought it up, not me.” He smirks.
“Tell your parents hi from me,” I interrupt to stop a potential argument. Sienna’s very touchy about what her father does for the government. I don’t even know exactly what he does as a diplomat.“I promise I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Be careful.” As Sienna pulls me into a tight hug, I can feel the tension beneath her poised exterior. This situation frightens her as much as it does me. She whispers so only I can hear her,“If something feels off about this guy, run.”
“I will.”
“Take care of yourself,” she says before leaving. I go to the window and watch her get into her car and drive off. My gaze darts around to various points in the yard. I don’t feel like someone’s looking in at me, but I don’t know what to think anymore. I keep searching for any sigh of someone lurking outside, but I don’t see anything.
Talon pulls out his phone and dials a number.“Reaper, we need a cage at my location. I’ll send you the address … Yeah, now. Good. See you soon.”
“Is the cage for Loki?” I ask hesitantly.
“Oh, no. It’s not that kind of cage. In the club, we refer to cars as cages because we don’t feel free when we have to ride in one. We prefer our bikes, but we don’t have any dog seats, so Loki will have to ride in the car with us.”
“Wait, there are dog seats for motorcycles?” I ask, surprised by the revelation.
“Of course,” he chuckles.“We’ve got a few guys in the club with dogs. They wouldn’t dream of leaving their pets behind, so they make sure their bikes are equipped for them.”
A small smile tugs at my lips, despite the situation. The image of tough bikers riding with their dogs somehow softens the intimidating aura surrounding Talon and his club.
“Reaper should be here soon. Stay away from the window for now.”
“Do you think the guy stalking me is still out there?” I drop the curtains and they fall back into place.
“He could be. I would be.”
“What?”
“I try to get inside the minds of criminals to figure out what they’d do next. If I were stalking you, I’d be hiding outside, ready to follow you again. I don’t know how he found you here. I trailed behind you guys all the way from your house to here.”
“You did? I didn’t see you.”
“Because I’m careful. The club protects people in trouble who have nowhere else to turn. We’re used to this stuff. That’s why I’ve got to get into this guy’s mind. Eventually, I’ll be one step ahead of him, and that’s how I’m going to catch him.”
Lights cuts through the darkness, splashing light across the curtains. I peel one edge back as a sleek black SUV pulls into the driveway. As the driver-side door opens, I take an involuntary step back. A mountain of a man emerges. His intimidating stature and heavily tattooed arms make me instinctively reach for Loki’s leash.
