Alicia’s Vengeance by Lila Fox
Chapter Thirteen
Stone took her hand and pulled her down the hallway and then the stairs.
“I’m hungry, woman. Come on.”
“Wait,” she said and tried to yank her hand from his hold.
He turned to her as he stood two steps down, making them more at eye level. He forgot what a tiny thing she was at times.
“I can’t face them.”
His brows snapped together. “Who? The club?”
“Yes. I went a little crazy. I had to have looked demented.”
He snorted. “Babe, one of the good things about living here is no one judges each other. We’ve all done shit we regret or looked crazy a time or two, and they don’t think anything of it.”
When she started down the steps again, he nodded. He wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked into the kitchen.
“Fuck, yeah,” he said when he spotted the pizza. He grabbed two plates and watched Kristina come around the island and hug Alicia. She murmured something to Al that made her smile and wiped a tear that slid out of her eye.
Kristina released her and went back to serving the guys.
“Do you need any help?” Alicia asked.
Kristina shook her head. “No. Go relax. We’d love your help tomorrow, though.”
“I’ll be here.”
Stone handed her a plate.
“I’m not hungry,” Alicia said.
“Try to eat one piece. You haven’t eaten a lot today.”
She grabbed a slice and followed him out to the backyard.
He wasn’t worried about her hearing any sounds he didn’t want her to hear, like if his prez was with the woman in the shed right then asking his questions. They’d made sure the places they used for just this sort of thing were soundproof.
They might be able to hear a gun go off, but Striker rarely used one this close to the club.
They sat at a picnic table and listened to people milling around or sitting by the firepit.
“Do you want to stay out here or go up and watch a movie before bed?” he asked her.
He watched her put her half-eaten piece of pizza down and wipe her hands on a napkin.
“Can you find out what’s going on with … that woman?”
He shook his head. “Not tonight. Striker will call us down if something happens. Come on, I can see you’re tired, and I’ve got some things to do later.”
She looked at him. “You’re going out after I go to sleep?”
He reached for her hand. “Yeah. But I’ll be back before you wake up.”
“Where are you going?”
“You don’t need to worry about it.”
“If it has to do with the Demons, I need to know.”
He hated to lie to her, but she was just starting to calm down. “No. Nothing’s happening with them tonight. I just have to deliver some things.”
“I can go with you.”
Fuck. “Babe, you can’t. It’s club business.”
“Oh.”
He watched as she mangled the rest of her pizza. Taz got his attention and tipped his head to the side before he mouthed, “Let’s go.”
Fuck. He thought he had a little more time. “Hey, Al. Let’s go on up to the room. I’m going to have to leave earlier than I planned.”
Her gaze jerked up to his. “Can’t I stay down here?”
“No. I don’t want you out of the building until I get back.”
“Why?”
He gritted his teeth. He was trying his hardest to sound calm, but he wasn’t used to anyone, especially a woman, questioning him. “Because it’s not safe.”
She looked away. “Fine.”
He stood, grabbed her plate, and stacked it on his own before he pulled her up.
He threw the things away on their way through the kitchen. “Hey, Al is going to our room. I want her to get some sleep.”
Kristina looked at her with concern. “If you need anything, just call.”
Alicia nodded and let him maneuver her up the stairs and to their room. He sat her on the bed and then walked into the closet.
He came back in all black a minute later: a black long-sleeved shirt, jeans, and boots.
“Why are you dressed like that?” she asked.
“I don’t want to be spotted while I’m transporting things. They’re not exactly legal.”
“When do you think we’ll know more about the Demons?”
“Soon.”
He could feel her frustration but couldn’t give her specifics.
“Do you know how long I’ll have to wait before you guys take them out?”
“You need to be patient, babe. Let us take care of it.”
She shook her head. “I can’t be patient anymore.”
He grabbed her chin. “Listen to me. You will do what I say and trust that it will get done.”
“I’m not sure I can trust anyone.”
God, he hated to see the tears in her eyes.
He squatted down in front of her and took her hands. “You’re going to have to trust me. You don’t have a choice.”
“People always have choices,” she said snidely and tried to pull her hands from his grip.
“Guess what? You don’t. You’ll stay in this room until I get back, and you’ll let me take care of the Demons when it’s the right time.”
She shrugged her shoulders.
He sighed in frustration. He didn’t want to leave her, but the prez needed him, and he frankly didn’t want to miss those bastards being blown to smithereens.
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Watch a movie or read, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
“Fine.”
Stone nodded. “Bye,” he said and walked out the door. He stood there for a long moment after closing it. He had an awful feeling about her staying and wished he didn’t have to go. He’d do what he could to protect her while he was gone.
He went looking for a few prospects he trusted.
“Hey, Sharp,” he called out the back door.
“Yeah?” he said as he walked up to Stone.
“I need you and Runner to keep your eyes on Al. I have a sick feeling that she’s going to try something.”
“We can do that. We’ll keep you updated by text.”
“Good. Thanks.”
Stone took one more look up at his window, turned, and walked to his bike, where everyone waited.
“Problems?” Striker asked him.
“I hope not. I’ve got guys watching Al. I just have a bad feeling.”
“Man, if you need to stay, we’ve got plenty of guys.”
Stone shook his head. “Naw. I want to be a part of this. I want to watch them all blow.”
“Then let’s go.”
