Tommy Rich: Defendes MC Series Book 7 (Defenders MC Series) (6 page)

Six

Mina hated feeling haunted.  She’d talked with the officer that had taken her report and he hadn’t been able to figure it out, but decided it was definitely cut on purpose.  His conclusion was that it might be the work of kids since she had no enemies. 

Boy that made her feel safer.

She climbed out of her car and scanned the area.  The parking lot was well lit, but she felt eyes on her.

“Has to be my imagination.”  She mumbled as she walked toward her building. 

Dr. Bower had found a woman to assist Missy in the office and Missy had been overjoyed.  The woman had seemed nice enough.  Her name was Nina Chance and Mina had forced herself not to laugh.  Can’t pick your name after all.  Nina’s parents had apparently had a pretty good sense of humor.

Dr. Bower had insisted on having a mini office party to welcome the woman and Mina had volunteered to stay to help clean up after.  The extra hour had apparently been more taxing than she had anticipated and she was dreading her date with Tanner.  She thought about calling to cancel when she saw his silver jeep pull into the lot and park beside her car.

“So much for that idea.”  She mumbled and turned with a smile and waved.

“You’re early!  I haven’t even been inside yet.  You will have to come up and wait for me to get ready.”

He jogged to her, his green eyes dancing as he reached her.

“I don’t mind.”  He ran his fingers down her face.  “You look beautiful Mina.”  His finger traced just under her eye.  “A little tired tonight?”

Mina felt herself relax.  “A little.”

“We can just stay in if you’d rather.”  He kissed the tip of her nose.

“I’d like that.  You don’t mind?”

He smiled warmly down at her.  “I don’t mind.  I’ve been wanting to spend some time alone with you anyway.”  His hand slid down to her lower back and pressed her against him more firmly.

Mina squirmed away and offered a smile as she began to feel butterflies in her stomach.  She had talked to Tanner several times on the phone and they’d had a very nice first date, but she wasn’t ready to sleep with him or even make out with him really.

They stepped into the elevator and he wrinkled his nose.  “What is that horrible smell?”

“Peaches.”  Mina put in helpfully.  “It has always smelled of peaches in here.”

“Is there one of those spray air fresheners or something?”

“Not that I know of.”

Mina stepped off the elevator and started toward her apartment, but stopped short when she saw Mr. McGuire standing in front of her door holding a dishtowel to his bleeding head.

“What in the world happened?”  She asked as she rushed to him.

“Some crazy bitch tried to break into your place.  She said she was you and had lost her key, like I don’t know my Mina.  When I picked up my phone and called 911 she hit me with her twenty pound purse and took off.  The police are on the way.”

Mina forced Mr. McGuire to let her look at his wound.  It didn’t look bad, but it was bleeding.

“I’m so sorry.  I don’t know what is going on.  First my tire and now this.  It’s crazy.”

“Some woman wanting to be you.  I can’t imagine she’d the only one.  Had on a long black wig too, but she was nowhere near as lovely as you.”

“I don’t know how to thank you for this.  You could have just called the cops.”

Mina heard sirens as she spoke.

“What sort of man does that?  Not the right kind.”  Mr. McGuire’s eyes were on Tanner.

“I’m sorry.  This is Tanner.  Tanner this is Mr. McGuire, my neighbor and apparently my knight in shining armor.”

“Very nice to meet you Mr. McGuire.”  Tanner said formally and Mr. McGuire returned his greeting.

Mina let herself into her apartment and welcomed the officer who had come in answer to Mr. McGuire’s call.  Mina spent the next hour making coffee and answering questions and going over the issue with her tire again.  She explained that she had only met Tanner a few days ago and he explained that he had no one in his life that might target Mina.  It was silly to even suspect that since her tire had been slashed before their meeting, but the officer was just being thorough. 

Tanner offered to stay the night to ensure her safety, but Mina declined his offer, since she felt she would be obligated to show her appreciation in a sexual way if she accepted his offer.

So, she found herself curled in a ball on her bed, dressed in her pajamas and completely unable to close her eyes.  She decided she needed a friend.

The phone rang only twice and she heard the sweet voice of her friend.

“Mina are you alright?”

Mina laughed.  She hadn’t thought about the time and it was almost midnight.  “Physically I am.”

“That shit of a man hurt you already?  Damn it was fast.”

“No actually, someone tried to break into my apartment tonight.  My neighbor stopped her, but it creeps me out a little.”

“Her?”

“Yeah, some chick claiming to be me.  Had on a long black wig and everything, although Mr. McGuire said she wasn’t nearly as lovely as me.  He is the sweetest old guy and she hit him when he called 911.  That bitch hurt my friend.”

“Honey are you alright?  Your voice is shaking.”

“I’m a little scared.”  It felt good to admit that.

“I’m not sure how much I can tell you, but the boys are looking after you or will be in just a little while and Tommy called me to check on you.  Spec has been asking about you too, but he says club business so I don’t understand what’s what there.  I don’t want you to be scared so I’m telling you that I found out that someone is headed your way.  Should be there by now.  You may see a brother following you or if he’s good, you won’t, but you are being watched.  Ink said Preach had asked if you were coming to the party and if not to make sure you made the trip.  Whatever is going on is being handled so just hang tight.”

“That makes me a little more afraid Candy, thanks for that.”

“No!  That was supposed to make you feel better!”

Mina heard a grumble and Candy whispered that she was talking to Mina and the basics of what happened.  Then it was Spec’s deep voice on the line.

“Did she get into your place?”

“No.”

“That’s good.  We have a prospect on his way to you, should be there by now.  I’ll let him know what has happened.  Might be safe to let him sleep on your couch until this is handled.”

“Oh super.  This is going to be real great for my love life.”

“At least you’ll still have a life.”  He said seriously and Mina wanted to cry.

“Who is it?  Do I know him?”

“Am I supposed to keep up with who you know?”

“Oh please, you know everything about everyone.”  Mina laughed when he snorted.

“I don’t think you’ve met him.  He’s fairly new.”

“So I’m getting a rookie to watch my ass, nice.”

“He was in the military for four years.  Pretty sure he can do the job.”

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.  I do trust you.  I’m just a little on edge.”

“Understandable.  This is being handled.  You won’t see it and you won’t know anything and that’s best so just take me at my word.”

“I do.  Thank you.”

“He is in the elevator now.  Just let him in.  His name is Sniper.  He eats like a fucking elephant though so make him buy some fucking groceries.”

Mina laughed even as she heard a knock on her door.  “He’s here.  Thanks Spec.  I really do appreciate this.”

“Ink will hit the roof when he hears this shit and just so you know, Tommy insisted we put a man on you.  You’ve got friends here Mina and we are not friends who fuck around.”

Mina opened the door as she said her goodbyes and her eyes widened.

“Hey there gorgeous.  I’m here to watch your ass and I doubt that will be a hardship.”

Mina rolled her eyes.  “Does that ever work?”

His grin was quick and his eyes sparked.  “Nah, I don’t do lines with women.  Just goofing around.  Heard what happened, honestly not sorry about that, means I can sleep on a couch instead of not at all.”

“Come on in then and I’ll get sheets.  The couch pulls out so you will be able to stretch out.  Candy said it was comfortable, but she tends to lie so who knows.”

Sniper laughed then.  “She seems alright.”

“Oh I love her to death.  Best friend I’ve got, but she’s too sweet sometimes.  Sweetest heart I’ve ever seen.”

Mina came back with an armload of blankets and pillows.

“Let me do this.  I’m not here so you can wait on me.”

“Damn right.”  Mina grinned as she pulled the cushions off the couch.  “I think I’ll be able to sleep now and I have to work tomorrow so you will need to be up.”

“Not a problem.  I’ll follow you to work and hang out while you’re there.”

“Sounds like a cold job to me.”

“I have to earn my patch.  Could be worse.”

Mina would never understand the life of a biker.  Why did they even want to be in a club so bad anyway?  It seemed like boys playing on the playground to her, but these men were no joke and they were saving her ass so she had to give them some respect.

She fell into bed and was blissfully asleep before her head hit the pillow.  It had been a long time since she had been able to let her guard down and just relax, since living with Ink.  She had forgotten how safe it felt to have a man in the house.

Tommy fumed.  Hannah had sent him pictures of Willa tonight.  She looked terrified.  She was standing with an old man and the guy he’d seen in the other pictures and a cop.  The old man was holding a rag to his head as if to stop it from bleeding.  Tommy didn’t know what to make of it and Hannah didn’t send a message, just picture after picture of Willa.  At work, in her car, with the group in front of her apartment.  She was letting him know she was in control.  He’d called Preach and insisted on having someone sent out right away, but he still couldn’t settle down.  They had another run to make before they started home and the damned trucker was as green as grass.  He had spent the last hour in the shitter and Tommy was about ready to drive the damned rig himself.  He had to get home.  Preach had said Mina would be there under protection for the weekend and he wanted to get his hands on her again.  She needed to get a few things straight in her head and he needed her to tell him what had really happened all those years ago once and for all.  He had to decide to love her or hate her and right now the battle was undecided.  What he did know is that she belonged to him and he would be the only one to take her life if it needed taking.

He felt his dick go hard and knew he was a sick bastard.  It wasn’t the thought of hurting her that made him hard, but the knowledge that he could and she would let him.  She would walk right into his arms and let him choke the life out of her, but the slap she had landed across his face that night on Spec’s porch told him she was also strong enough to handle him.  He had never wanted a woman so much in his life.  She’d stood up to him.  He had wanted to see his mother do that more times than he could count, but she’d never had the guts.  She’d never stood up to the man that had terrorized her and her son.

Willa had taken what he had given that night because she’d wanted him as much as he’d wanted her, but she stood up for herself too.  He saw her agony and the sting in his cheek was less than he deserved.  She wouldn’t let him walk on her and she would kill him if he ever hurt her like his father had hurt his mother.

He rubbed his hands over his face and let that sink in.  It was a fear and he admitted it now.  He had pushed her away to keep from hurting her and becoming the monster his father had become.  He didn’t know if it was all true, but he wanted to believe Willa and deny her with equal determination.  How could his father have done that, but he knew the man was mean to the bone and he knew that no matter what he had done, Willa would never have hurt him that way.

His heart almost shattered in his chest as he tried to hold onto his anger at the woman he had loved and found peace in most of his life.  His father had always taken away his peace, always.

The trucker emerged from the diner and looked a little less like a fucking zombie.

“I’m ready to roll boys.  Sorry about this.  No idea what has me so tore up, I can usually eat anything.”

Tommy didn’t speak, just nodded and motioned for the boys to get ready to ride.  They would be home by the weekend and hopefully everything would get straightened out for once.

Seven

Mina was dressed in a black dress with a plunging neckline, but she had paired it with a lacey red tank top to make it more appropriate for work.  She had also worn a lacey red hem extender to bring the hem down to her knees.  That paired with her knee-high boots and a long black cape lined in blood red to match her tank and extender finished out her look.  She had left her long black hair flowing down her back in big waves and wore a pair of glow in the dark vampire teeth.  She had to admit she looked pretty awesome. 

She leaned close to the bathroom mirror to apply the black liner to her eyes before applying dark shadow to her eyes.  She kept it toned down, but planned a much more dramatic look for the party.  Her lips were blood red and shiny thanks to the gloss she slathered on them.  She used pale powder to give her the look of the undead and used a dark bronzer to shadow her cheeks.

She couldn’t help the skip in her step as she walked out of her apartment and locked the door.  Her neighbor whistled at her as he straightened from getting his paper.  Since Mr. McGuire was seventy-three she smiled and granted him a kiss to the top of his bald head, leaving a red lip mark there.

“You are the prettiest girl in town.  When will you agree to marry me and make an old man’s dreams come true?”

“I could never take you away from Annie.”  Annie was Mr. McGuire’s parrot and she hated Mina.

“I suppose we will just have to have a hot affair then, can’t give up my Annie.”

Mina just smiled.  His head was black and blue, but the cut looked better and hadn’t required stitches.  It was the usual banter and she loved it.  She loved having a neighbor that she could go on with and that she knew she could trust.  He might be old, but Mr. McGuire was a veteran and she knew he could protect her as well as any of the younger generation could with little effort.  He had proven that.

“I’m glad I have you Mr. McGuire.”  She felt tears threaten.

“Don’t get all misty on me now.  I love you and I don’t make a secret of it.  You be safe.”  He eyed Sniper who was standing behind her.  He had introduced himself the morning after his arrival and he and Mr. McGuire had hit it off like gangbusters.

“You keep a sharp eye out today.  Crazies are always out around this time of year.”

“Yes sir, I intend to.”  Sniper answered respectfully.  “I will be following her up tonight too so you don’t have to worry over that.”

“I appreciate that son, I really do.”

Mina waved one more time as she made her way to the elevator.  She took a deep breath and then another.  Then looked up at Sniper.

He shrugged.  “Hated that fucking smell.  Had an air freshener in the ceiling.”  He pointed up.  “Now it smells like mint, way better than peaches.”

Mina laughed.

She was still laughing when she climbed into her car and drove to work, happy and excited about what the weekend might bring.

“Good morning Nina.”  She said as she walked in the door.  The new secretary was proving to be more than a little helpful and she was a sweet woman, even if she had a haunted look in her eyes sometimes.

“Good morning Willa.”  Nina said and Mina looked up sharply.

“It’s Mina.  Nobody calls me…”  She stopped when Nina raised a brow.  “Oh, I’m sorry.  I saw your name and thought it was pretty.  Must have stuck in my head.  I have a hard time with names sometimes.

Nina blushed prettily.  She was a pretty woman.  Her hair was dyed black, almost blue and her eyes were light blue.  The dye job was good, but the freckles made Mina wonder if her true hair color was something a little lighter.

“Nobody calls you Willa?  I read a book and the woman’s name was Willa, I guess I just fell in love with it a little.”

Mina backed up a step.  Nina was acting odd and it was making her uncomfortable.  The door opened behind her and she felt warm hands on her shoulders.  Warm lips pressed to her cheek.

“Good morning Mina.  I couldn’t wait to see your costume.  I know you’ll be leaving after work, but how about lunch at least?”  Tanner said as he turned her in his arms.  He frowned.  “Is everything alright?”

“Yes.”  Mina tried to smile and pushed the odd feelings away.  “I would love to have lunch with you today.  Can you pick me up?”

“You bet.  I’ll be here at one.”  He bent and kissed her lips.  “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I am.  You surprised me, that’s all.”  She gave him a smile.  She really did like Tanner.  She didn’t get the heart pounding, thigh wetting sensation with him that she got with Tommy, but he was sweet to her and made her feel special.

He studied her for a moment longer while he ran his hands over her arms.  “If you’re sure then.  I’ll see you at one.”

He kissed her again and when Mina turned around she found Nina taking a picture of her.

“What are you doing?”

“That was sweet, that’s all.”

Nancy walked in with a wide smile and redirected Mina’s thoughts.  They were soon busy with the morning appointments and Mina forgot about the strange interaction with Nina.  Tanner picked her up for their lunch date and brought her a beautiful necklace to go with her outfit.  He admitted that it came from the thrift shop where he volunteered, but it was still thoughtful and it went beautifully with her costume.  The deep red stones lay flat against her chest and the silver and clear stones glittered in the sunlight.

“I love it Tanner.  It’s so pretty.”

He smiled and looked so boyishly handsome when he looked bashful like that.  Mina could really fall for a guy like Tanner.

“I thought it might help hide some of that…”  He looked at her chest and away.  Hard to think of you being so far away dressed like that.  I may be a little jealous.”  He looked up at Sniper where he was parked on the curb.  “I don’t like that guy following you either.  I can keep you safe.  I don’t care what your cousin thinks.  I don’t like that man in your place at night.”

Mina smiled, but a sliver of fear crept into her heart.  “He’s just doing his job.”

“Make sure that’s all he’s doing.”

His sharp tone made Mina step back, but he instantly smiled again.

“I’m going to miss you this weekend Mina.  I’ve grown fond of you in such a short time.  I just want you to come back to me.”

“I feel that way too.  I should be back on Sunday.  Would you like to…”

“Yes.  I would like to see you.”  He laughed.  “Can I call you Sunday morning to make plans?”

“I’d love that.”  When his arm settled around her as he walked her back to the office door she let his warmth surround her.  She didn’t think about the lack of sparks or thrills, she just accepted that sometimes warmth and security were better than fireworks.

“I’ll see you Sunday then.”  He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Sunday.”  She agreed and watched him jog back to his silver jeep.  She met Sniper’s eyes and he nodded once, just to let her know everything was all clear. 

She turned and made her way into the office and avoided Nina as she went back to her schedule.  Not much longer and she would be on her way to a Halloween party that would be far more fun than anything she’d ever experienced and then she would settle down.  She would see where this thing with Tanner could go and she would put Tommy Rich out of her head for good and just let the memories of their childhood together be just that, memories.

She went about her day as best she could.  It was a typical busy Friday, but little things seemed to constantly happen.  One of her files disappeared and later turned up in one of the cabinets.  Mina knew she hadn’t put it there, but Dr. Bower wore a scowl that said he wasn’t so sure.

“Mina, I know you are excited about your trip tonight, but I need your head here until we are finished.”

“I know I didn’t put that file in there Dr. Bower.”

His frown deepened.  “You know how I feel about being accountable for your mistakes Mina.  There really is no other explanation.  Now let’s try to get on with this day.”

“Yes sir.  I’ll be more careful.”

She knew she hadn’t made that mistake, but there was no way to prove it and arguing would only make her seem childish.

Only a few minutes later paper towels ran out in the ladies room, then the toilet paper in the men’s room.

Missy was about to pull her hair out.  It was her responsibility to make sure they had the supplies they needed and they had never run out of anything before.  By this point even Dr. Bower had to admit there was something strange going on.

Tim ran out to the store and had a flat on the way.  He’d had to change it before coming back and that had taken forever.  Even easygoing Tim was suffering from a foul mood by the time he got back.

Nothing was going the way it should.

They closed the office to patience at six and plopped down in chairs to give out candy to the trick or treaters.  Nancy left to be with her children.  Tim let go of his frustrations and put a pair of vampire teeth in his mouth.  He was a lot of fun and the kids seemed to love him.  Missy laughed as she watched two little boys race around like super heroes.  Only Nina seemed reserved.  Dr. Bower seemed to think she was shy, but Mina felt Nina’s eyes watching her as she talked to the children.  It was as if she were studying her.  Before Mina left she watched as Nina step up to take her place.  Her mannerisms had changed.  She even held her head the way Mina did.  It was so creepy that Mina shivered.  Something about that woman made her skin crawl.

She climbed into her car and started her drive to Cool Creek.  She called Tanner to let him know she was heading out and then Candy.   She was grateful Sniper was riding along behind her.  His presence made it easier for her to relax and enjoy the ride.  Spec had promised that everything would be worked out by the time she got home on Sunday and she was counting on it.

Her drive was smooth with nothing out of the ordinary.  She searched her purse for her cherry red lipstick, but couldn’t find it.  She may need to stop by the drugstore if Candy didn’t have some that would do.  She wondered what she could have done with it, she’d had it after lunch.  She shrugged.  With the day she’d had there was no telling.  She’d probably find it in the office on Monday morning.

The front door flew open and Candy rushed down the front steps as soon as Mina pulled into the drive.  Mina climbed out of her car and sent Candy a sassy smile.

“Oh my God!  That outfit is killer!  Please tell me you plan to wear that tomorrow night!!”  Candy circled her once wearing a shit eatin’ grin.

“I plan to, but maybe without the extras…”   She fingered the lacey top of her tank top.

“Hell yes!  That is kick ass.  Do you want to get laid?”  Her eyebrows shot up as if that were an honest question. 

Mina realized that Candy was totally honest.  “Um, I hadn’t thought of that.  Maybe I should leave a little…  I have been seeing someone back home… I’d hate to...”

“Shut up!  You don’t have to and I don’t see a wedding ring so that’s bullshit.  You’ve been seeing him for what?”  She laughed. 

“About a week, but he’s really sweet.”

“I’m not pressuring you.  It was a question.  I’ll go over a few no no’s just in case and maybe introduce you to the very few I would even think of leaving you alone with...hmmmm, maybe Choo-Choo…He is a big guy though.  Well, not really much bigger than Tommy...”

Candy went around Mina’s car and pulled out her overnight case and carried it up to the porch, still deep in thought about Mina’s love life.  Mina would never get used to this woman.  She was so sweet and would do anything for anybody, but she had very few boundaries.

Before she knew what was happening Candy had Mina settled in a cozy bedroom with walls the color of a robin’s egg.   The room was starting to feel like home.  She loved the beauty of it.  She hadn’t had anything this beautiful since she was a child in her home with her parents.

A pang of longing hit her like it hadn’t in years.  She missed having a home and family.  She missed those familiar things that made a house a home and she missed someone to share it all with.

Tommy came to mind and she pushed his image away.  She had lost her friend the same day she had lost her childhood.  She had lost everything that day with the actions of one jealous man.  Jealous men were dangerous.  Jealous men hurt everyone around them.  She had seen the way Tommy’s father had tormented his family.  She hadn’t understood it at the time, but it was his insecurities that drove him to hurt the ones he loved, to beat them down until he didn’t think they could get back up.  It killed her to think of Tommy living in that mess, but he’d seemed to be so unaffected at the time.
“Are you hungry Mina?  I made Spec some spaghetti and we saved some in case you hadn’t eaten.”  Candy said from the doorway.

Mina’s stomach growled before she could answer and Candy laughed.

“I’ll go heat it up.  It’s going to be just us for a while.  Spec had to run to the clubhouse for a little while, but he should be home soon.”

That sounded heavenly.  Mina loved Cady’s spaghetti and she missed having girl time with her friend.

“What about Sniper?”  She had seen him veer off toward the clubhouse when they pulled through the gates.  He had to be exhausted and hungry.