“I was waiting for you outside the diner. He saw me when he drove up, so he came over and waited with me. Then he got hungry and asked if I wanted a cheeseburger. I told him no. Then he said they had chicken nuggets,” he explained.
“Chicken nuggets are your favorite.” I couldn’t believe that this complete stranger went out of his way to make sure Wyatt was safe. I couldn’t imagine what he must have been thinking, waiting out there with such a young child at night.
“Yeah. And they were really good. We should go eat there again tomorrow night,” he said with a bright smile.
“We’ll definitely go back.”
“Maybe Griffin will be there,” he said optimistically.
“Yeah, you never know. Either way, it was really nice of him to stay there with you. I wish there was something I could do to thank him.”
“You could make him one of your pecan pies like you made for the neighbor when she watered your plants.”
“Maybe so,” I told him, even as I knew there was very little chance of that happening. I didn’t know anything about the man, and I knew it was unlikely that I would ever see him again.
“Night momma,” Wyatt whispered as he turned to his side.
“Night sweetheart.” I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss before heading back to my room. With my mind still racing over everything that had happened tonight, I slipped into my bed. Just as I was turning off my bedside light, I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine roar to life outside my window. I almost got up to check, but decided my mind had to be playing tricks on me.
Chapter 4
Stitch
?
I was late. Cotton was expecting me hours ago, but my little detour set me back. My mind should’ve been focused on the club and everything that I’d found out from Victor, but I couldn’t get them out of my head, either of them. That worried look on Wren’s face was burned into my memory, making it impossible for me to forget her. It reminded me of Emerson and my grandmother when I was being dragged to the barn.
I thought if I just followed them home and made sure they were safe, that I’d be able to let it go. Unfortunately, being there only fueled my need to know more about them. I watched them walk into that little house, half the size of my own, and I found myself wondering what they were doing inside those walls. I’m not sure what compelled me to stay as long as I did, but I couldn’t leave until all the lights were off, and I knew they were safely tucked away in their beds.
When I finally made it back to the clubhouse, Cotton was drinking a beer at the bar. He spotted me coming in the front door and roared, “Where the fuck have you been?”
“Had something I needed to take care of.” I had no intention of explaining where I’d been or what I’d been doing. He’d have all kinds of shit to say if he knew I’d been sitting outside some woman’s house for the past hour, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“From now on, take care of your shit on your own time. The club comes first, and I hate fucking waiting,” he scolded.
“Let’s talk in the office,” he ordered as he stood up to leave. I reached into the cooler, grabbed myself a beer and followed him down the hall.
After shutting the door behind us, he went over to his desk and sat down, pulling his cigarettes out of his shirt pocket. As soon as my ass hit the seat, Cotton snapped, “Tell me.”
“There’s more of them holed up at one of the warehouses at Port Angeles Mill.”
“How many?” he asked while lighting his cigarette.
“Three or four. Maybe more. He said they’d been gathering intel on us for weeks, could be longer,” I clarified. “Everything’s on some computer in the warehouse.”
“Gonna need to see what they’ve got.”
“Absolutely. Victor’s disappearance is going to have ramifications, as well. They’ll know something’s up.”
“We’ll need to make a move before they have a chance to get back up. Plan to head out before daybreak. I’ll call in Guardrail and Maverick.”
“Won’t need ’em,” I clipped.
“Maybe not, but they’re going with you along with a couple of the prospects,” he said. Even though I knew it would be easier to go in alone, I also knew better than to try to argue that point with him.
“Ready to bring these motherfuckers down, Prez. No dicking around. They’re already making plans to start distribution.”
“Yeah, well… they’ll have to get through the club and you first,” he snickered. He was right about that. Cotton knew that I would do whatever it took to protect the club and my brothers, and I intended to do just that.
“I need some shut eye before we leave. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” I told him.
When I left his office, I went straight to Big Mike’s room. It was late, but I knew he’d be up. He was always working on something. Hacking, rerouting, I don’t even know what the hell he does in that room, but he’s a genius with a keyboard. Big Mike just had a way with computers that I couldn’t even begin to understand, so I knew he’d be able to help me without drawing any unnecessary attention.