Bear by Lily J. Adams

Chapter Fourteen:  The Move

 

Delphia

 

That afternoon, Bear had his friend Ink drive his truck over to my house, so I could pack up what I needed. After I got that done, Ink loaded my bags up and headed off back to Bear’s place. I hated that this interfered with Bear’s life so much.

Bear had demanded that he would watch over me and now, I was leaving my own shelter. All because of one man and his greed.

I hated all of this.

I stood in my bedroom, feeling lost. My house would be empty for a while. How long? I wondered. How long would Rocky be running loose while I had to move and be protected by someone? I paused and looked down at my faded jeans and the rubber soled shoes I always wore. Nothing fancy. I scrubbed my face and put my long hair up in a ponytail. I’d lost a little weight since the robbery, but Bear forced me to eat so I didn’t fade away.

The resounding roar of Bear’s bike interrupted my little pity party. I slipped out of the front door, closing it behind me. Every time I saw him my body reacted in emotional ways that were foreign to me. I didn’t know what to do with my feelings for him.

“Ready.” His broad, inviting smile and full row of glistening white teeth astounded me. He was able to smile through everything going on.

But Bear was stronger than me. I wasn’t a soldier. I was this normal, average girl from Holbeck, Mississippi, that wanted to enjoy her life fully and not live in fear.

As I reached his bike, I expected to get on the back and take off, but Bear slipped his large hand around my waist as I received the pleasure of inhaling the hint of soap, mingled with his masculine scent. My heart skipped a beat, feeling like it was just me and him in our own little bubble as he zoomed in on my lips and dropped a soft, wet kiss on them.

“I got you covered. Come on, let’s get the princess to the castle.” He patted his hand on the seat behind him.

I got on and wrapped into the snugness of his back and to his tight abdominals that I could feel even through his motorcycle jacket.

Bear’s presence in my life seemed to be my only saving grace at the moment, and if I didn’t have him, Rocky would have won. The Holbeck wind whooshed over my face as the familiarity of the houses passed by, and the raw power of his Harley provided the only welcome thrill in my life.

We reached his house and if I could have just tapped him on the shoulder and told him to keep on riding right out of Holbeck into a tangerine sunset, never to return, then I would have. Not to be. I was about to get off the bike on a mild weather day in Holbeck and hope to stay alive for the duration of the day. Or maybe the week?

Bear took his helmet off and looked at me. “Hey, the guys are coming in the next day or so. When they get here, I’m taking them on a ride with me. I can get one of the guys from the club to come by while I’m gone. It’s only temporary. What do you think?”

I faked a smile and looked at him. “I think that’s great. I don’t know if you need anyone to do that. If I get stuck, I can call the police station. I don’t think Rocky is going to come after me straight after he tried to rob the gas station. And especially at your house.” I didn’t believe a word exiting my mouth. Rocky was unpredictable and had shown his boldness too many times. He would and could do anything he wanted to do.

Bear folded his arms over his shiny, chrome handlebars as he shook his head. “I thought you didn’t want the cops involved?”

I raised a hand to the top of my slicked back ponytail. “I mean, hey, I have to deal with what’s going on, and you’re riding with your boys. So you should, it will be fun—sounds like.” I formed another fake smile.

Bear watched me intensely, a resounding refusal in his eyes. “You’re not telling me the truth right now. I can work something out with them.” His forehead creased.

“No,” I replied with firmness. “I really want you to go. You had this planned already.” I kissed him with a passion that made him reel back as he let out a low groan. I loved the feel of his beard grazing over my face. Finally, I pulled back to look into his eyes and soaked in all of Bear.

He got off his bike and took me into his house.

I stood and looked around, his neat and tidy, great smelling home, hit me again.

He had been talking on his cell. “Yeah. Thanks Ink.” He swiped his phone, then looked up at me. “I have Ink coming. He’ll be around. Watching, okay? If you need him he will be out in his truck, okay? I have to go to a meeting with Bones. I will only be gone for a couple of hours but no longer than that.”

I bit at my lip as I nodded.

“You do know that my house is yours,” Bear stated. “Food is in the fridge and drinks too. You already have your stuff in the bedroom.” He tugged me close and kissed my forehead. “This will all pass, sweetness. I promise.”

I nodded and took in his scent. I moved in and stood on my tiptoes to kiss him so hard, so deeply that we both couldn’t catch our breaths. This man meant so much to me. Too much and it scared me. I pulled away from him and tried to smile. I’d been so low and grumpy and he didn’t deserve that. I then took a step back.

Bear hesitated as his warm, leather-gloved hand reached to me for a moment and then he let it drop. “Lock it up behind me.” He went out.

I went over to lock the door and moved to the window to watch him leave.

He kicked over his engine and I waved to him as he sped off. I then spotted Ink arriving as they waved at each other.

A half hour later, Bear called to check in.

Time crawled. I hated this. I should be working. I should be…I sighed. Living a normal life. But Rocky wouldn’t allow it.

Then Angie called to check in. “Hi, I wanted to come over and tell you some news about the article,” she informed me.

“Sure, come on. It’s not like I’m all that busy anymore.” I tried to make my voice sound as chipper as I could, but the lie was there. The article was the last thing on my mind. It wouldn’t do any good. Rocky had stolen my ability to fight.

My mother called and I spoke to her as if my whole life hadn’t changed. Everything was spiraling out of control. I didn’t want to be this burden to everyone I knew. I felt like… like I was stuck on the Ferris wheel up at the top. The one I rode all the time at the fair. A flash of my childhood ran through my mind. Growing up in Holbeck, running in my pigtails to the Ferris wheel with my brother. I used to tease him because he was afraid of it when he got on and I wasn’t.

“You big scaredy cat! It’s just a Ferris wheel. Why don’t you wanna go on it?”

“What if it gets stuck at the top? What do we do then?” He had whined.

I smiled ruefully to myself because my brother turned out to be a big, bad thug, nothing like the weedy little thing he was when he was little. He redeemed himself by getting on the Ferris wheel years later. My parents—they were pretty normal and wanted me home with them.

My mother was in my ear constantly wanting me to come and live with her, but no matter where I was, when the article comes out Rocky would come after me.

Angie arrived.

I unlocked and opened the front door. Her sailing into the house ripped me from my nostalgic trip down memory lane.

She approached me with a paper in her hand. She held it up with a big grin on her face and a supremely confident walk. “Delphia! We are about to make history here in this town, let me tell you!” It was super hard to feel enthusiastic, but I put on a good show and even flashed some teeth. “We are about to get Rocky, and I’m telling you, nothing will matter. This case will be re-opened. The old investigator Robert Clarke is pulling out all the stops and has my article to work from. He’s talking to the cops as we speak. You are going to be a free lady. Nothing and no one will be able to stop you. I’m telling you. We have this case blown open. If we don’t get Rocky for the original murder, we are sure as hell going to pin him for the robbery.”

Her delivery was so hyped up I was scared when she didn’t take a breath. “How? The tapes? Could they see something?”

“Yes, they saw a tattoo. Rocky has one near the curve of his hand and they identified it. Aren’t you excited? This means they can arrest him.” Angie’s eyes were boring into mine, seeking validation.

My shoulders hitched. My response was lukewarm at best.

She saw through it and put the paper right in front of me. “Read it. It’s going to change your mind. Is there anything else I can do to convince you?” Angie was pleading.

I knew already that pleading wasn’t her usual style, so I wanted to make her feel a little better. “I’ll read it, Angie, thanks. Thank you for all the work you’ve done on the article.” I could tell she had more to say to me, but she took the hard hint from me seriously, for once. 

“Well, I saw Ink outside checking everything around the house, so at least you’ll be safe till Bear gets back. She breezed out the door.

I locked it behind her. Then I tossed the papers onto the table by the door. I didn’t want to read it. It would do nothing but tell me yet again…My life wasn’t mine anymore. It also meant Rocky would be double the monster when he came after me this time. He wouldn’t leave without putting a bullet in my head. I paused and realized that Bear would be between him and I. Wouldn’t that keep me safe?

But Bear might not be. I suddenly envisioned the nightmare that could happen. Rocky would shoot Bear instead to get past him to me. He could even ambush him while he was too busy protecting me.

I would be the one who had a hand in Bear’s demise.

My skin went cold. My breathing nearly stopped as the image of Bear on the ground bleeding out appeared so strongly in my mind that I could even smell that metallic scent of his blood.

I thought I might puke as I staggered over to the couch and sat down hard. No. I couldn’t allow that to happen… No. He would be dead just like my brother. Bear was the only man besides my father and my brother that I had ever trusted.

Ever…loved.