“Were these the same men you saw by your car?” Cotton asked as he reached in his pocket for his cigarettes. His eyes never left mine as he brought one up to his mouth and lit it. He took a long drag, taking it deep into his lungs. The smoke slowly rolled through his lips as he exhaled, waiting for me to speak.
“No. Those guys were different, so it was probably nothing, just a coincidence,” I explained. “I’m sure I just overreacted when I saw them at my car. I bet they were just after my laptop.”
Maverick looked over to me and said, “There are no coincidences, Henley. Clutch found a tracking device hidden in the undercarriage of your car. It was there for a reason,” he said firmly. Cold chills went down my spine as I thought about them hunting me down.
“We’re going to keep you here for a while, so we can keep an eye on you. Make sure nothing happens to you,” Maverick said.
“I really appreciate that, but I think I’ll be fine. That’s really not necessary. I’m sure that…” I started.
“It’s not up for debate, Henley. As Sergeant of Arms, it’s Maverick’s job to protect the club and anyone tied to it. You are staying here, under his watch” Cotton demanded.
“Um… okay?” I agreed hesitantly. It was official. I was totally, utterly screwed.
Chapter 7
Maverick
?
“How do you think it went? Do you think she has anything we can use?” Guardrail asked me.
“Yeah, but she was still pretty rattled. Hopefully, more will come to her later,” I explained.
“You know she’s under your watch until we get our hands on these motherfuckers. She’s the only link we have to Skidrow’s murder,” he said, taking a drink from his beer.
The bar was quiet behind us. The news of Skid’s death was hitting us all hard. It was always tough when we lost one of our own, but not knowing who killed Skid was only making it worse. His murder had blindsided us. The need for revenge filled the air, making us all on edge.
“I won’t let anything happen to her,” I assured him. As the new Sergeant of Arms, I knew her safety would fall to my hands. That didn’t mean I was happy about it.
“That’s all I needed to hear,” he said as he stood up. “I need to go see about Dallas.”
Just hearing Dallas’s name made my chest tighten. The news of Skidrow’s murder had just about broken her. They’d been together for as long as I could remember, and everyone knew they had something special. Skid was crazy about Dallas. Hell, he couldn’t keep his damn hands off of her. He was always holding her and kissing her, every chance he got. He spent his life showing her what she meant to him, and he never once thought about straying. When their son Dusty was born with Down’s syndrome, they never skipped a beat. They loved both of their children, and their love for them seemed to make their relationship stronger, bringing them closer together. Skidrow brought them to the club several times a week, sharing his life with his children in every way possible. We all had a special place in our hearts for Dusty. There was something about seeing the world through his eyes that always brought a smile to our faces. He’s a great kid, and I knew he was going to be devastated by his father’s death. We’re all going to have to do our part to make sure he never forgets how much his dad loved him.
“Allie’s been with Dallas all afternoon trying to help her out,” Guardrail explained. Allie was his Old Lady. They met when Guardrail set out to find her brother, Tony. Guardrail’s plan was to use Allie to get to her brother, but he never thought he’d actually fall for her. He did, nonetheless, and Allie is the best thing that ever happened to him.
“Dusty doing ok?” I asked.
“I don’t think she’s even told him yet. She still needs some time to wrap her head around all of this. Hell, we all do,” he answered.
“No doubt about that.”
“Call me if anything comes up. I’ll be back later tonight to check on things.”
“No need for that. I’ve got it. I’ll call you if we need you,” I told him.
“Thanks,” he said as he crossed his arms. “Maverick?”
“Yeah?”
“Henley isn’t like the girls around here, and being at the club full time is going to be different for her,” he said.