"You didn't ask, Alex."
His mere presence was all-consuming, and having him so close was making it impossible for me to think. I was trying to come up with a viable reason why I couldn't accept his offer when one of Shadow's brothers appeared at the bottom of the steps. He looked up at us and shouted, "Hey, I hate to interrupt this little lover's quarrel you two have going on, but can I make a suggestion?"
"What?" both of us grumbled simultaneously.
"You seem to have yourself a nice setup here, and from what I can tell, you seem to like it here. So, why don't you just do like Shadow suggested and come back to the clubhouse with us for a few days? Give him and us a chance to help you get some of this shit sorted, and if it's something we can't see you through, then you can go. Then, when it's all said and done, you've bought yourself a little time."
I hated to admit it, but he was right. I needed a minute to collect my thoughts and make sure I was truly prepared to leave the city. I looked up at Shadow and said, "Okay. I'll go with you, but only for a couple of days."
Without responding, he picked up the second box and followed me downstairs. When we entered the bookstore, I was surprised to see that Berny was missing. As I locked everything up, I glanced around the room, searching for any sign of him. Shadow's friend must've noticed my concern and said, "Don't worry. I took care of him."
"Umm … okay." I had no idea what he'd meant by that until we walked outside. When we reached their truck, I spotted Berny in the back, bound and gagged, and he was still unconscious. I didn't know what they planned to do with him, and I honestly didn't care. I wouldn't mind if I never laid eyes on him again. When Shadow opened the passenger side door, I remembered that my car was still parked across the street. "What are we going to do about my car?"
"Where are the keys?" I reached into my pocket and pulled them out, dangling them in front of him. Shadow took the keys from my hand and then tossed them over to his friend and pointed to my car, which was parked up the street. "Follow us back over to the clubhouse."
With a quick nod, he turned and started towards my car. Seconds later, I found myself inside the truck with my belongings carefully stowed away in the back seat. I quickly glanced over at Shadow, and as I watched him pull out onto the main road, it hit me: By going to his clubhouse, I was about to enter the world of Satan's Fury-a place I never dreamed I would ever step foot in. Jason's earlier warnings came racing back to me, which made me even more anxious. Until that moment, I hadn't even considered that I could be rushing from the flame only to jump into the fire. I tried my best not to think about it and turned to look out the window. As I sat there staring at the people walking along the city street, I heard Shadow ask, "You okay?"
"No. Not really." I let out a deep breath as I said, "I'm just so tired. I knew this day was coming. I've tried to prepare myself for it, but now that it's here, I can't seem to think straight. I just want it to be over. I want to stop looking over my shoulder and just live my life."
His voice was low and tender as he asked, "Can you tell me what's going on? It would make it a lot easier if I knew what we were up against."
"I know, and I will. I promise, but can you give me a little time?"
"Yeah, I can do that."
"Thanks. I just need a minute to wrap my head around it all."
I felt the warmth of his hand on my thigh as he added, "I want you to know that you can trust me, Alex."
While I'd always liked the name I'd made up for myself, hearing him call me Alex only made me feel worse. I'd just given Shadow a hard time about not telling me his real name, which was totally unfair considering I hadn't told him the truth about mine. I knew I should tell him, but I simply couldn't. I was scared. I was worried that Shadow would change his mind about me when he discovered who I really was, and I couldn't take that risk. He made me feel treasured and protected -and even if those feelings were just something I'd concocted in my head, I wanted to hold onto them for just a little longer. Without turning to look at him, I placed my hand on his and whispered, "I know I can, and thank you for that. Thank you for everything."
"Nothing to thank me for. I'm doing this as much for me as I am for you."
I was about to ask him what he meant but got distracted when we pulled up to a large metal gate. As it crept open, I leaned forward to get a better look at the clubhouse, and it was nothing like I'd expected. It was a beautiful, old brick building. "Is this the clubhouse?"
"It is."
"Wow. It's nothing like I would've expected. This place is amazing."
"I'm glad you like it. At one time it was one of the city's largest train depots." It was obvious that they'd done a great deal of work remodeling the lighting and some of the windows, but it still had that vintage vibe to it, making me feel a little less anxious about going inside. Once Shadow parked the truck, he turned to me and asked, "You ready?"
"I guess." Just as we were getting out of the truck, Shadow's friend pulled up next to us in my car. "I need to get the duffle bag."
"I'll get it." Shadow walked over to the back of my car and shouted, "Hey, Gunner. Open the back door."
Once he'd grabbed my bag, he motioned for me to follow him inside. As we walked by the back of the truck, I noticed that Berny was no longer unconscious. "Um … What about him?"
Before Shadow could answer, Gunner replied, "I've got it handled."
"What are you going to do with him?"
"Do you really want to know?"
Realizing that I didn't, I replied, "Um … No. No, I don't."
"Didn't think so," he snickered.
When I saw that Shadow was already well ahead of me, I rushed over and followed him inside. As soon as I stepped through the door, I noticed the beautiful, ornate light fixtures that cast a serene glow along the long hallway. I wanted to stop and take it all in, but Shadow kept walking forward. As I followed behind him, I noticed how the dark wood and exposed brick gave the place a masculine feel to the décor, but it was perfect for such an old building. We passed doorway after doorway before finally stopping at one of the rooms at the end of the hall. I had so many questions floating around my head, but I kept them to myself-or at least I tried to. When Shadow opened the door and led me inside a large bedroom, I couldn't hold them back any longer. He tossed my duffle bag onto the king sized bed, and I asked, "What exactly is this place?"
"The clubhouse. Why?"
"I know it's the clubhouse, Shadow, but what's all here? Is this where you have your meetings, where you live, or just a cool place for you guys to hang out?"
"Yes, to all … at least for the most part. Not all of the brothers live here. Most of them have their own places, but each of them have rooms here for when they need them. There are also conference rooms, a playroom with TVs and stuff for the kids to mess with, and a full kitchen."
"Kids?"
"Yes. Kids. Like I told you, we are all family here. Many of the brothers have ol' ladies and kids, and some even bring their extended families by from time to time."
"Wow. I had no idea." I glanced around the room, making note of the large oak desk in the corner and the flat screen TV mounted on the wall. While it was a nice room with its own bathroom, there were no pictures scattered around, nothing of color or interest that made the room feel inviting. Instead, it felt cold, like it didn't belong to anyone. "So, whose room is this?"
"It's mine. It's not much, but it's home."
My eyes made their way back over to his bed-the bed where my duffle bag had landed, and I suddenly started to feel anxious. "So, um … where will I be staying?"
"In here … with me." He cocked his eyebrow as he asked, "That gonna be okay with you?"
As soon as the words slipped from his mouth, I glanced over to his king-sized bed, and my mind went to a place it had no business going, especially considering my present circumstances. I should've been focused on my father and the wrath he would bring when he discovered I'd slipped through his fingers, but I wasn't. In fact, he was the last thing I was thinking about as I answered, "Yes. It's more than fine."
He opened the drawer to his dresser and started moving things around. Once he made some room, he turned to me and said, "You can put your stuff here when you get ready."
"Okay."
"You want a hand?"
The adrenalin that had been pumping through me was starting to diminish, and I needed a minute to catch my breath. "No, thanks. I can do it."
"Alright. I'll leave you to it, then."