"Take it whatever way you want, but your contact with the motherfucker ended today. I told you before, I don't like sharing, especially when it comes to things that belong to me."
Before she could answer, he was at her side, pulling her to her feet. He took hungry possession of her mouth, his tongue slipping in through her parted lips. She moaned and leaned in to him, her arms circling his neck.
He pulled back, looked intently into her eyes, and whispered, "And you, sweetheart, definitely belong to me. Don't ever doubt it."
Then he was gone. Baylee stood in the doorway, staring at him as he swaggered along the corridor. Before he exited the lobby, he looked over his shoulder and winked at her, put on his sunglasses, and left the building.
Baylee touched her lips, the intense current that was always between them hot under her fingertips. Her insides were still tingling from his kiss and declaration that she was his. That was what he said, wasn't it? He said she belonged to him. Do I want to belong to him? Hell yeah, I do.
She smiled then looked at the flowers, wishing they were from Axe. She picked up the phone and buzzed Tina.
"Would you like to have the flowers in my office? I'm allergic to them."
"The beautiful ones that came this morning?"
"Yes."
"I'd love to. I'll be right down."
"You can also have the roses."
"Thank you."
Focusing her attention back on her computer, Baylee smiled when her phone pinged, anxious to see what Axe had written.
Unknown: You cannot escape me.
Baylee's stomach shot to the floor. She glanced around the room, went over to the window, and looked out. Everything seemed normal, like any other day.
Baylee: Stop it!
Unknown: Why? Aren't you enjoying our little game?
Baylee: I don't remember anything. My mind is still foggy. Leave me alone!
Unknown: It's not that simple.
She sat at her desk, stunned. The psycho enjoyed taunting her, and he was trying to drive her over the edge.
Unknown: You look pretty in your white dress.
Baylee threw the phone across her desk, glancing down at her white linen dress. He wanted her to know he was aware of her every move, and it didn't matter if Puck or Axe were with her-he was in control.
Baylee picked up the phone and called the police, who basically told her what Axe had-there was nothing they could do at that point. No crime had been committed and, as far as she knew, it could be a crackpot with nothing better to do than taunt her.
Axe had been right-the police weren't going to help her. She'd rely on Axe and his club, and on herself, to beat the killer. With tightened fists and a set jaw, Baylee agreed with Axe.
The asshole just declared war.
Chapter Twenty
Axe sat on the ripped vinyl chair and listened to the squeaky click of the oscillating fan on top of a scratched filed cabinet. The portly gentleman behind the paper-strewn desk spit as he spoke on the phone, his fingers drumming on the desk every few seconds.
The man looked at Axe and rolled his eyes while he pointed at the phone, shaking his head. Axe tilted his chin. He'd hoped this guy could help him. Cara said she used him for most of her cases, that he was a top-notch private investigator. Coming to the PI's office was huge for Axe since he didn't like asking for help outside the club, but he figured he needed someone experienced in investigations. The moment the killer revealed he knew Axe was involved, that was when Axe decided to bring in someone who wasn't in the Insurgents.
The slam of the receiver startled Axe, and he looked up into the man's crinkled face. The PI extended his stubby-fingered hand. "Dean Wesley." His voice sounded like he'd been smoking for a long time.
"Axe." He shook back, then wiped his hands on his jeans.
"Sorry for the sweat. Fuckin' air conditioning never works. All that damn fan is doing is circulating hot air." Dean wiped his face with a tissue. Reclining in his chair, he smiled. "What can I do for ya?"
"I need some information about someone who's stalking my woman."
"Okay. Do you know who it is?"
"I'm sure it's the fucker who killed her mother years ago."
Dean whistled. "Was he caught and released?"
"Never caught. It's a cold case, but he's in Pinewood scaring the shit outta her. He's aiming to kill her."
Axe explained the whole situation to Dean, who took notes on a legal pad. After he was finished, he looked at the PI and asked, "Can you help with this? Cara said you're gold."
Dean laughed as he wiped the sweat from his face again. "She's a nice lady. Pretty, too. I can try to find out who he is, ask some questions. He must've had someone do his dirty work at the hotel. I want to find out who let someone in your girlfriend's room, so I'll need to get in there. Chances are high the room's been bugged."
"I've thought the same thing. I'm one step ahead, though. I changed Baylee's room."
"Good move. I still want in there. I can stop by today. Is there any chance your girl can stay at your place?"
"She won't go for it, but if things get too intense, I'll insist she stay at the clubhouse."
"No doubt the stalker is using burner phones to contact her. They're hard to trace ‘cause a person doesn't need to sign anything to get the phone. A true cash-and-carry transaction. Everyone thinks calls from pre-paid can't be traced, but they can. Calls made on burners are generally transmitted over existing networks. I can check the records of the towers around the areas when the correspondences were received." Dean finished his bottled water in one long drink.
"Cara's on board with getting whatever you need."
"She's a great gal. Pretty, too, but I already said that, didn't I?"
Axe nodded.
"Cara can get the subpoenas I'll need. I'll keep you updated, but since this guy probably has someone tailing you-"
"No one's following me. Believe me, I'd know it."
"Yeah, you coming from the biker world gives you a real edge here. The guy's probably got some high-powered binoculars. It's best we meet away from Pinewood."
"You can come to the clubhouse. It's secluded, and we know exactly what's down."
"Sounds like a plan. Is your girlfriend gonna pay for the services? I ask for fifty percent down, and the balance after the job's done."
"I'm picking it up," Axe said.
They finalized the price for the investigation, and Axe left the office. Having Dean Wesley on the job eased some of the pressure he'd been feeling the past few days. When he sat in the PI's stuffy, suffocating office, he realized he couldn't lose Baylee. He wanted to keep her close to him, but he didn't know how she felt about him. In less than five weeks, she'd no longer need to be in Pinewood Springs; she'd be able to work virtually from Denver. But Axe didn't want to think about Baylee leaving.
As he straddled his Harley, ready to switch on the ignition, his phone rang. Unable to see the screen because of the sun's glare, he answered.
"Yep."
"Hi, Michael. This is your mother."
He cursed under his breath. "What do you want?"
"I want to know how you are and-"
"I'm good. I'm in a hurry. I have something I gotta do."
"We never talk. You can give me a few minutes."
"Go ahead."
"I'd love to see you. You rarely come around anymore. I'm getting married-"
"What'll he be? Number six?"
"I just had bad luck. You'll like him. He's so good to me, and he's rich. His name is-"
"Save it, I don't wanna know. I gotta go."
"Wait! You're coming to the wedding, aren't you?"
"No."
"You have to come. You're my only child, and I want you there."
"It's bullshit, and I'm not wasting my time. Gotta go."
"You have to come. I could die, and then you'd be sorry you didn't come."
"Don't lay that guilt trip on me. I'm not a kid anymore, it doesn't work."
"Okay, but remember that you and me are all we have. You have my blood in you. We're all we got." She sniffled. "Please? I want my son with me at my wedding. Can you just think about it?"
Axe clenched his jaw. Whenever his mom wanted him to do something, she'd start the ‘family blood' shit, and if that didn't work, she'd throw in some sniffles and tears. That got to him every time. He should've just told her to fuck off, that she'd been a selfish, shitty mom and he was done, but he never did. He'd freeze her out for a time, but he'd never cut ties with her completely. He couldn't do it.
"Okay, I'll think about it," he gritted. "Will you let me get off the fuckin' phone now?"
She chortled and blew her nose. "Thank you, honey. You've made me so happy. I thought it'd be nice if you, me, and Stephen go out to dinner before the wedding. I want you to meet him."
"No way. You got me thinking about coming to your hook-up. Don't push it. You know it isn't gonna last, anyway."