Page 17 of Coyote
I cupped her face in my hands and gazed into her dark eyes. “You had a nightmare that terrified you. There’s no shame in that. It’s clearly unresolved trauma and it happens to the best of us.”
She placed her hands on my chest and slid them upwards. “Thanks Coyote, I just hate that it happens.”
I tilted her head up to look into her eyes. “Just remember, I’ll always be here for you.”
The way she looked at me gave me hope that maybe we could get close again. We chatted about the grand opening for a bit because she needed to change the subject. When we were finished, I walked her back to her car.
Watching her drive away, I rolled around in my brain what she’d told me about being raped. That’s when I knew she left me because I didn’t protect her like I should have. She liked me, maybe even loved me, but she didn’t quite trust me to be the protector she needed because I let her down last time. Because surely if she trusted me then she’d have come for my help? Same as when she found herself falling on hard times back when we first met. That was a tough pill to swallow.
Well, I wasn’t about to make the same mistake twice. I called Storm.
“Hey, Coyote. What’s up?”
“I’ve a got a problem and I need help.”
Storm’s voice turned serious. “What’s going on. You know you can always count on your club brothers to have your back.”
“Remember Bethany?” I asked.
“Hell, yeah. Of course I do. The two of you were a thing for a nice long while. She’s the only woman I’ve known you to be exclusive with. I’m sorry it didn’t work out between you. She seemed like a really nice lady.”
“She left me. I want her back.” Rather than disclosing her personal business, I explained. “Right now, she’s got a stalker. I caught him harassing her and gave him a little tune up, but I don’t think he’s going to take no for an answer. She has a kid and that makes her vulnerable.”
“You want to get our security firm involved? We can definitely do that.”
“No. Rufus isn’t worth breaking out the big guns over. He’s weak and stupid but unfortunately, he’s also persistent. I was wondering if I could get a couple of prospects to keep an eye on her when I can’t, for a few weeks. I figure the three of us can keep her covered.”
Always one to parse out the details, Storm asked, “Do you know if he’s packing? Are the two of you spending evenings and weekends together?”
“We’ve only just reconnected. I don’t think he’s carrying a weapon. He didn’t have one when I confronted him and doesn’t seem like the type to carry a handgun. She lives in her employer’s pool house and I doubt he would show up there. I’m more worried about protecting her at her work, because he approached her there, and has been inappropriate. I roughed him up pretty bad. I don’t know for sure that he’ll come sniffing around again but I had a bad feeling about this guy. He’s persistent and not to smart.”
“Would two prospects be enough to cover the hours you need?”
“Yeah,” I responded with relief. “That should do it. My new shop is halfway between Griffinsford and Patterdale, which is the town she’s living in. I can set up a place for them to crash and make sure they’re fed and pay them some cash for their trouble.”
“The club pays the prospects a stipend, as you probably remember from your time prospecting. You can give them a few bucks for incidentals related to staying offsite, but you certainly don’t need to pay them.”
“Any idea who you’re going to send?” I asked as I paced back and forth.
“Probably Mace and Cooper. They’re both experienced and dependable.”
Mace was an older guy, I didn’t know too much about his backstory, but in the time he’d been prospecting with the Slayers, he’d been solid. Cooper, thought with his cock—pretty much like I did when I was his age—but he wasn’t afraid of hard work or getting stuck into a fight, so they both seemed like good choices. “How soon can we have them in place?” I asked while hoping it would be within the next twenty-four hours or so.
After a short pause, Storm responded, “Look, I know things are hectic with you right now. Getting your new business set up is a time suck. As for when I can get them in place, I’ll have to talk to them, but I can probably have one with you by this afternoon. Will that work for you?”
Relief lanced through my chest. “That would be perfect. Thanks, Storm. I appreciate this more than you know.” I really needed my club’s help right now if I had any hope of keeping Bethany and her kid safe.
“You know your club will always be there for you, just like you’ve showed up for your club brothers in their time of need. It’s what a brotherhood is all about.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and responded gratefully, “That’s true. I’m glad the Slayers took me in when Breaker made my sister his old lady. It’s made a world of difference in my life.”
“You’ve proven yourself to be smart, dedicated, and brave, Coyote. The Dark Slayers was fortunate you decided to prospect for us. Patching you in was one of the best decisions your club brothers have made in a long time.”
I felt warmth unfurl in my chest. It was pride, I told myself. “Thank you, prez. Bethany has had a hard life, and I just can’t take a chance on anything else bad happening to her.”
“I trust you to do whatever it takes to see to her safety. If you need anything else from the club, just ask.”
Before I could respond, he disconnected the call. I took a minute to make sure the notification for Beth’s tracking app was turned on. I noticed she was already on the interstate heading in the direction of her home. While she was sleeping, I’d installed the app on her phone, I was feeling a bit conflicted about doing it, because any decent man would have just come out and asked. But Bethany had this crazy idea that she attracted bad men and if I wanted to prove to her that I could look after her properly this time, then I had to stay in her good books. Asking to put a fucking tracking app on her phone would probably look like a giant red flag and she’d think I was trying to control her—not that I was trying to protect her.