Property of Drex (Book 2)(12)
“What happens if Ben tries to come to her?”
My jaw tenses. “If Ben comes anywhere near her, I’ll handle it. But I’m not worried about him right now. I roughed him up enough to send a warning. I’ll do more damage when the timing is right. Can’t strike against him too soon with Benny being such an issue.”
“You sure you don’t want to at least say goodbye?” he asks me quietly, propping his elbows up on his handlebars.
“Nope. It’s better I don’t. I’d rather not see how fucking thrilled she is to be returning home.”
“Yet we’re waiting on her to return home,” he points out. Ass.
“Can’t see the excitement in her eyes from here,” I grunt. “I just want to make sure my talk with her mother worked. I won’t leave until I know Eve will be taken back in. You didn’t hear how pissed her mom was that day Eve called her.”
“Still can’t believe you told her the truth,” Dash groans. “What if the mom goes to the cops? The feds will be all over her the first chance they get as it is.”
I shrug, wishing I could give a damn. “I trust Eve to handle it.”
Blowing out another harsh breath, I lean up on my handlebars, matching his stance. But breathing becomes impossible when I see the black SUV riding by.
I dip my head, trying not to be too recognizable as they pass, and I watch them pull into the short driveway. Axle steps out and opens the back door, grabbing a pretty pale pink bag.
Eve walks around the front of the SUV, and I grow thankful we’re far enough away for me not to truly see into her eyes when her gaze zeroes in on me like a magnet. Her footsteps pause, and she just stands and stares. I’m forced to look away when loud squeals of excitement ring out. The two boys race toward her, tackling her legs in death-grip hugs.
She laughs while bending and hugging them back, and they almost knock her to the ground when she does. The front door opens as Axle places the bag on the porch. The mother eyes him, seeming pale and hesitant, but Axle just walks away without saying a word.
As he backs out of the driveway, Eve’s eyes find mine again, but I crank up my ride, letting the engine roar to life. As soon as the mother embraces Eve and clings to her, shaking as she sobs, I drive away.
If Eve cries with her, I don’t want to see it. In fact, I never want to fucking think about her ever again.
Chapter 11
EVE
He’s right across the street, watching me but not making any move to say goodbye. I can’t believe he’s sending me away without so much as a goodbye.
It pisses me off and breaks my heart at the same time, and I’m still working on processing how I feel about any of this. Home. I’m supposed to be home. But it feels anything but like home.
There’s a void in my chest, and it’s leaving me with an aching feeling that unsettles me.
Mom’s arms are suddenly around me as Drex’s bike roars to life. My eyes stay on him as I hold her. She’s crying. Why is she crying?
Drex drives away without so much as looking back, and the first tear falls from my eye and rolls down my cheek as finality sets in. This is really happening. I’ll never see him again, and he won’t even tell me bye.
Mom sobs and speaks incoherently, but I don’t want my brothers seeing this.
“Let’s go inside,” I whisper to her. I’m not even sure why she’s crying since she hated me the last time I spoke to her.
She nods, and pulls back, wiping at her tears. Fortunately, neither of my brothers seem to take notice, and they go back to playing, chasing each other while giggling. Mom leads me inside, and I look back just in time to see Dash walking into the house across the street.
I’ll worry about questioning that later.
“I can’t believe how I spoke to you when you were going through so much. Sweetie, what were you thinking?”
That confuses the shit out of me.
She shuts the screen door, but leaves the front door open so we can keep an eye on the boys.
“What are you—”
“He told me everything. About Ben. Ben Highland is in a biker gang?” she hisses. My lips twitch with the biker gang notation.
“He is, but he isn’t like them.” A sick feeling unfurls in my stomach. “At least I didn’t think he was.”
Then her words register.
“Who told you about what was going on?” I ask, feeling even more confused.
“I have to find a way to pay that money back. The last thing we want to do is be in debt to criminals. I can’t believe your father worked for them. That asshole! How could he keep that a secret? He could have endangered us all!”
I stumble back as though I’ve been slapped.
“How… Mom, slow down. How do you know all this?”
“That tall guy. The one with all the arm tattoos. He came here and told me all about what happened. Even told me you’d been through enough so to be easy with your return. What did that mean? It sounded like a threat, Eve. And what have you been through? Did someone hurt you?”
I’m not sure what details she has and what details she doesn’t have. And hearing that tall guy with the arm tattoos does not narrow down the source of her information.
“I’m not hurt,” I tell her, avoiding all the details. “Drex took care of me. And things could have been bad. But—”
“What were you thinking?!” she explodes, throwing her hands up.
For the next ten minutes, I have to hear her tell me all the horrible things that could have happened to me and all the shitty ways I could have died. I also hear an in-depth tribute to my stupidity for all of this.
Good to be home.
“And now… Now I have to pay that back, even though that guy told me I didn’t. There’s no way we can risk owing them money. And we have to go to the police. We need their protection. Oh no. I should get the boys in. They shouldn’t be outside.”
I grab her arm, halting her ramble and rant.
“Across the street is some protection,” I say on a sigh. The four pristine bikes that are sitting in the garage of the house across from us are proof Drex is somehow linked to that house. And they must be there for a reason.
“Who? Those guys on motorcycles?” Her face pales. “They’re part of the biker gang?”
Shit. This turns into a twenty minute rant from her.
“Drex won’t let anything happen,” I sigh when she has to take a breath. “But I won’t be staying here regardless. It’s safer for you and the boys if I don’t.”
She covers her mouth with her hand.
“And you can’t go to the cops.”
“So you are in danger?” Her lip trembles, and I run a hand through my hair.
“Not from Drex. Just… Well, Ben and his dad could be an issue. It’s a long, fucking complicated story.”
She gasps, mostly because I said fucking, and more tears start to stream from her eyes. I wish no one had told her anything.
“The cops can handle this,” she hisses. “You’re not leaving. I’ll take the boys to Laura’s. She’s been helping me out and I’ve been helping her.”
No clue who that even is, but I’m sure it’s one of mom’s work friends.
“No, Mom. Those guys across the street will keep you safe. But you won’t need to be kept safe if I’m not here.”
At least that’s what I hope.
She leans against a chair, slowly lowering herself into it.
“Did you pay off the house and get the car back?” I ask her.
She nods slowly. “Do you have enough to support you?” I go on.
She nods again.
That means I can use the small amount of money I had saved for a rainy day in case we got kicked out and needed something to get us by on until we could find a solution. It’s not much, but it’ll be enough to rent a small motel room for a month. One that’s closer to Drex, just in case Benny comes to collect. There’s one place that is cheap to rent by the month. I can find a job from there to support myself and—
“Why can’t we go to the police?” she whimpers.
Sighing, I bend down so that I’m almost eye level with her.
“Because the last thing you need to do is make yourself a target or a loose end. I’ll contact you as often as possible until this all blows over. If Ben calls, I want you to call Drex’s number immediately. If he comes over, I want you to scream across the street. Understand?” I ask, grabbing a piece of paper and scribbling Drex’s number down on it.
“And only answer the door if you see Death Dealers cuts… I mean… vests that say Death Dealers. Anyone else, don’t answer at all. The guys are watching, so I doubt anyone will make it to your door who doesn’t belong.”
Her face is a mixture of terror and horror, and I blame myself. I did what had to be done, but I never foresaw the true possibility of so many consequences. Naivety at its best.
“Where are you going?” she asks me quietly as I pick my bag back up and head to my room.
“Somewhere farther away. Trust me. Don’t call the cops, and don’t trust any bikers besides the Death Dealers. I’ll find out how long they’re sticking around,” I call over my shoulder, fighting off tears that want to fall for so many reasons. Drex won’t put anyone over there he doesn’t trust personally.