Out of Darkness Read online

  “Five weeks. Are you mad? Because that’s the last thing I want.” Denise scrunched up her nose and twisted her fingers together.

  “Not at all. Please don’t ever think I was mad at you. It was myself I was mad at, and after talking to Tyler, I realize how stupid I was being. I am so happy for you and Liam.”

  “You don’t know how happy I am to hear that. You’ve become my best friend, and I didn’t want to hurt you in any way. That day we talked about this, I never realized how hurt your feelings would be, and I realized how insensitive I was being.”

  Meredith stopped her as she held a hand up. “No, I was being insensitive. Just because something awful happened to me doesn’t give me the right to be a bitch to all others around me. I was being selfish and I’m sorry. I am genuinely so happy for you two. What’s going on with you being in here though? Is everything okay?”

  A huge weight felt like it had been lifted off of the friends, they were no longer tiptoeing around one another. Meredith scooted her chair all the way up to the bed so that they could converse without having so much distance.

  “I had horrible morning sickness with the twins, but I figured it was just because there were two of them. Apparently, I’m one of the lucky women who just has a hard time with morning sickness. They did an ultrasound yesterday, and there is only one baby and I think I’m sicker now than I ever was with twins.”

  Meredith grimaced. “I’m so sorry. Can they do anything for you?”

  “They have me on some anti-nausea medication and they are pumping fluids into me because I was dehydrated. There’s a pill I can take that might help, but it’s not always the case with every pregnant woman. We’ll just have to see I guess. They were just worried about me being so dehydrated. Thank you for making me come to the hospital when you did by the way.”

  “That’s what friends are for. I knew you looked bad and I knew you would never tell someone that you needed to. I just made an executive decision.”

  They gossiped for a little while before Denise asked about her getting her stuff out of storage. “How did that go?”

  “Alright I guess. I haven’t had a chance to go through it all. I was going to last night, but I got busy,” she muttered, her cheeks flushing a bright red.

  “Got busy doing what? Or should I say who?”

  “It wasn’t exactly like that, but I can say we’re moving closer to a normal relationship.”

  Denise smiled brightly. “Do you know how thrilled I am to hear that? I think most women that even see Tyler Blackfoot fall just a little bit in love with him. You are one lucky woman.”

  Meredith giggled. “We both are really. Our men are hot.”

  “That they are,” Denise agreed, laughing along as the door opened and the two men appeared.

  “It’s never good when we walk in and they’re both giggling.” Liam said, walking over to the cot and having a seat. He patted his belly and sighed deeply.

  “Did you eat?” Denise asked, completely ignoring his statement.

  “I did and it was glorious. Bacon, eggs, sausage, and home fries. Damn, that woman can cook.”

  “My mouth just watered, but I know if I could smell it, I would be back in the bathroom upchucking,” Denise groused.

  “Congrats by the way,” Tyler said from the doorway.

  “Thank you,” she beamed. “I think we’re pretty excited.”

  Liam nodded his head in agreement as he lay back down on the cot.

  “How much longer are you in here for?” Meredith asked as she stood and went to stand by Tyler.

  It was so natural for her to step in front of him and have his arms come around her waist. He bent so that his head rested on her shoulder, his hair tangling with hers.

  Denise couldn’t help but notice the change in Meredith as she leaned back into Tyler’s arms. It brought a smile to her face. “A couple days probably. They want to try to get the morning sickness under control. I need to be able to eat.”’

  Meredith nodded. “Well, we’re gonna go, but I’ll be back. Is there anything you need? Do you want me to bring the kids next time I come?”

  Tyler had things to do over the next couple of days, so that would mean a trip by herself. This was a huge step, that she was even considering it. The anxiety it caused was minimal, and she breathed deeply.

  “If you feel like it, I’d love to see them. I do need some more clothes if you wouldn’t mind.”

  “I don’t. I’ll be back either later tonight or early tomorrow. Take it easy,” she told her friend as she leaned down on the bed and gave her a hug.

  “I am so happy for you, don’t doubt that,” she whispered before leaning back up.

  “You don’t know how much that means to me.”

  Chapter Twenty

  “Jagger, do you think you could come help me?” Meredith yelled from the room that housed her storage materials. Tyler had set a box just a fingertip too high for her to get, and he’d left to go do a run for the club.

  She had been going through everything with a fine tooth comb, only stopping to take clothes and the kids to Denise. When the trip had gone off with only a few minor speed bumps, it had reiterated to her that this was the right thing to do. She still had yet to find anything that pointed to her attacker.

  “Yeah,” Jagger said coming into the room. “What can I do for ya?”

  “I need that box up there, Tyler put it a little too high for me to get to it,” she pointed to the box in question. “Be careful,” she cautioned.

  “The curse is over,” he pointed out as he grabbed it over his head.

  In the blink of an eye, he lost his grip and it fell, busting open. “Fuck,” he mumbled.

  “Curse is over, huh?” she couldn’t help the grin that broke across her face.

  “I thought so anyway,” he grumbled, bending over to help her pick the stuff up. “Looks like you got some mail here you never opened.”

  He held a manila envelope out to her and she took it, noting the weight of it. It was very heavy. “Thanks, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this before.”

  Jagger shrugged, leaving her alone with it. It had her old address on it, along with the correct postage it would need to be sent to her. It was postmarked from Bowling Green on the day that she had been attacked. For some reason her hands shook as she ripped open the top of the envelope. It seemed like whatever this held was important. Like it held the answers to the questions that she had. Turning it over, she poured out the contents and gasped.

  Pictures. Hundreds of pictures, all containing females connected to the club. There were numerous pictures of her, Denise, Roni, Mandy, and even Lauren. They all seemed to be taken at different places, like they had been followed. Other pictures contained male members of the club. Quickly she grabbed the envelope again, but it contained no return address. A feeling washed over her, this couldn’t have been the only thing that had come for her. Running out of the room, she caught Jagger behind the bar, singing along to a song on the radio. Any other day she would have complemented him on his voice – today though she had other things to speak to him about.

  “Has any of my mail been forwarded here?” Her mail had been the last thing on her mind for months. Since she’d broken her lease, she really had no bills save her car and car insurance. She’d never been one to have credit cards, and her school had been taken care of. There really wasn’t any reason that she’d need any of her mail. Now though, she had a feeling she’d missed something very important.

  “I’m not sure, you want me to look?” he asked, going into the room where most of the paperwork was kept.

  “Yes. I need to know if there are any more envelopes.” The panicked feeling overtook her, made her stomach cramp.

  He looked through some stuff and didn’t see anything, but then an idea struck him. “Maybe it’s at the shop,” meaning Walker’s Wheels where many of the club members worked during the day.

  “Can you call and ask?”

  Jagger made a quick ph
one call and then nodded at her. “Yeah, according to the bookkeeper, Janice, you have four more envelopes there. No one wanted to bother you with it, so she’s just been keeping them there for you.”

  Her stomach churned. She needed to know what was in those envelopes, but she was scared to find out at the same time. “I need those envelopes. When should Tyler be back?”

  Jagger checked his watch. “Not for a couple more hours at least. They were going almost to Louisville and back.”

  “Then you have to take me.”

  “I can’t take you on the back of my bike, it would be disrespectful,” he stammered, not wanting to do anything else to piss off the big man that had claimed her for his.

  “Not if I’m asking you to,” she argued.

  “Even more so because you’re asking me to. Tyler will not be happy.”

  “He’s not here and he won’t know,” she pleaded.

  “Oh he’ll know,” he mumbled, scrubbing a hand over his face.

  “Look,” she ran her hands through her hair in distress. “I wouldn’t ask you unless it was very important. I would take my own car, but it’s in storage and I haven’t driven it in months. I would take Tyler’s truck, but he’s never shown me anything besides a damn bike. I am asking for your help and I’m telling you if you don’t take me…I’m taking somebody’s bike on my own.”

  Jagger gasped. “You wouldn’t. You’ll kill yourself. You have no damn idea how to drive a bike.”

  She reached around him, grabbing the keys he kept hanging on his pocket. “You take me or I take myself.”

  “You are just bound and determined to get my ass handed to me by Tyler, aren’t you? Fine,” he sighed. “Let’s go.”

  Riding on the back of someone else’s motorcycle was an eye-opening experience for Meredith. She didn’t feel nearly as safe with Jagger, and it was weird being that close to someone besides Tyler. It felt awkward when she held on tighter to go through a curve. As they pulled up to Walker’s Wheels, she saw William talking on his cell phone. Without a doubt, she knew he was probably reporting to Tyler what he was seeing. Jagger cut off the motor and waited for her to get off before he did the same.

  “You’re treading on some thin ice,” William told Jagger as he walked up to the two of them.

  “You ain’t tellin’ me nothin’ I don’t already know. My neck is already twitchy.”

  “Should be your scalp,” one of the guys called out, laughing along with the rest of them.

  Meredith rolled her eyes. She didn’t like jokes about Tyler’s ethnicity, and at this point in time she really had no patience. “While you all sit out here and joke about whose dick’s bigger, I really need to see my mail.”

  “C’mon in, honey,” a female voice called out from behind her.

  She turned around and noticed an older woman stood in the doorway to the office. “I’m Janice. I do the books here and I’ve been holding that mail for you. Tyler thought you might want it sooner or later. I told him he should just open for you, but he didn’t want to invade your privacy.”

  There it was again, him always knowing and doing what was best for her. She wanted him here with her so badly. Whatever this was, she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be good. Janice handed her the manila envelopes, and she counted them, four in total, weighing them each with her hands.

  Jagger came in the office. “Why don’t you wait for Tyler to get here before you open those? He just called and said he’s fifteen minutes away and I should wait here to have my ass handed to me.”

  Meredith winced. “Sorry,” she told him. “I’ll talk to him and explain.”

  “Don’t you dare say a word. That’s embarrassing. I knew I shouldn’t have done it and I did it anyway because I can’t seem to say no to you. You remind me too much of my sister.”

  That was the first time he’d mentioned family, and she really wanted to know more about this new brother who had become entwined in her life but knew now wasn’t the time to question him.

  She heard Tyler’s bike roar into the lot, and her heart sped up. It was mere seconds before he made his way into the office and dragged Jagger out by his cut. “I’m gonna have a word with you,” he told Jagger and then pinned his dark gaze on Meredith. “And then I’m gonna have a motherfucking word with you. Don’t go anywhere.”

  Feeling very much like a reprimanded child, she had a seat, envelopes in her lap. Maybe when she was finally able to tell him what exactly was going on, he would calm down. Until then, she focused on regulating her breathing and not hyperventilating. She’d never made him mad before, and she didn’t like this feeling at all.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jagger had to admit he was nervous. Standing in front of Tyler, knowing that you’d pissed him the fuck off was not the best feeling in the world.

  “You know this is extremely disrespectful, my brother,” Tyler started, pacing the room like a caged wolf.

  “I know,” Jagger swallowed hard. There was no sense in trying to make excuses for what he had done. None of them would matter. Now was the time to take his punishment like a member of this club.

  The big man stalked up to him, and he could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. “I’m holding myself back from beatin’ you to a bloody pulp because I know you were just trying to do something nice for the woman I care about. For that I’m going to give you fair warning. You do it again and I will kick your ass from here to next Sunday.”

  The breath Jagger had been holding came out in a rush. He visibly relaxed. It was then that Tyler grabbed him by the sides of his cut and shoved him against the wall.

  “Anyone asks and I gave you motherfuckin’ hell. Do not—and I repeat—do not mistake my kindness for weakness. I won’t offer it again.” The tone of his voice let Jagger know that he was being completely honest with this statement.

  “Understood.”

  Tyler dropped him from where he’d held him and stepped away, taking a deep breath. Before he exited the room, he literally put his own back against the wall and took a few slow inhales and exhales.

  “She really didn’t mean anything by it,” Jagger offered softly.

  “I know, and she’s never been around this lifestyle before. That’s why I’m tryin’ to calm my out of control nerves and anger. She doesn’t deserve it, but she needs to know it pissed me the fuck off knowing she was on the back of your goddamn bike.”

  Meredith sat in the office with Janice, her nerves on edge. The only sound was the tapping of her foot against the floor and the low hum of the space heater they used there.

  “He won’t hurt ya honey,” Janice tried to calm the nerves of the other woman.

  “I’ve never seen him this pissed off before. Much less been the one who did it,” Meredith explained sticking her thumbnail between her teeth.

  Just as Janice was about to say something else to her, Tyler opened the door and stuck his head inside. He pointed at Meredith. “You, come here now,” he crooked his finger at her.

  His high-handedness really pissed her off, but she figured it wouldn’t be wise to say that to him right at the moment. Maybe that’s a conversation for another time, she thought. Silent, she followed him through the door out to the parking lot, where his bike was.

  “Get on,” he instructed her. Obviously, they were going for a ride.

  Reprimanded, she put the manila envelopes into one of the saddle bags, put her helmet on, and reluctantly got on the back of the bike.

  It didn’t escape Tyler’s attention that through the ride she didn’t hold his waist as tight as she normally did and she sure as hell didn’t sit as close. He hated that she knew his anger, but he also knew he had a right to it.

  She was surprised when they pulled up in front of his house. This couldn’t be good, he wanted to be alone. He stopped the bike, and they both sat there in the silence after he shut it off. Neither one of them made a move. Gradually, she moved her hands to his back and ran them up the muscles there, her touch so soft he probab
ly could barely feel her.

  “I don’t want to be angry with you, but we have to talk about this. You have to understand some rules if we’re goin’ to keep doin’ this,” he explained. His voice was full of gravel, like he didn’t want to have to tell her the things he knew he needed to. It was obvious he didn’t think he should have to.

  “I know and I’ll take my punishment.” Her words surprised her, but she knew they were the truth. The understanding that they had come to in their relationship was that compromise and trust went both ways. He had done so much for her, it was time for her to do something for him.

  Squaring his shoulders, he got off the bike and then held out his hand to help her off the back of it. Before walking inside, she reached into the saddlebags and grabbed out her important documents. “When we’re done with whatever this is going to be, I really do need to speak with you about this.”

  He brought his hand up to her cheek and cupped it slightly. “We will,” he promised.

  They walked inside the house, and he led her to the bedroom that she loved so much, that held such good memories for her. Maybe he wanted to put her at ease because of the memories they shared there. He had a seat on the bed and spread his long legs out in front of him.

  “You can’t be on the back of another man’s bike,” his voice turned hard. “That’s completely disrespectful to me. If I ever catch you on the back of a man’s bike besides Liam, who I trust with my life, I won’t be happy. In fact I may just kill the motherfucker right there. Hearing about you on the back of Jagger’s bike pissed me the fuck off. That seat, when you ride bitch, at least for me is my woman’s seat. I thought you understood that.”

  In reality she hadn’t. She hadn’t grown up a part of this culture. She knew that it was important, but she didn’t realize it was that important.

  He continued. “You need a ride, I’ll give you one. You need a ride when I’m not around, you take my truck, my car, you ask Denise or another woman for a ride. You don’t get on the back of another man’s bike. Are we clear?”