“Everything about me is well honed, Locks,” he murmured, entirely too close to my ear.
“I’ll take your word for it,” I retorted and shoved a bite of food into my mouth. Damn him and his good cooking for making a moan of appreciation escape from me.
I looked up to find him frozen mid-step, staring at me. I looked down my body and back up to him. “What?” I asked, unsure of what his deal was.
He shook his head and slowly made his way to the bar. “Nothing.”
Okay, then. I’m not sure when the dynamic between us changed, but there was an almost palpable tension in the air. I was a firm believer in communication. So, instead of ignoring the issue and allowing it to fester, I asked, “Have I done something to piss you off more?”
He snorted and shook his head. “I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
“I thought I sensed some tension between us. I guess I was wrong,” I said.
He laughed as he stood to take his plate to the sink. “No, Locks, you weren’t wrong.” With that, he rounded the corner and disappeared.
7
Iwas headed for the shower after leaving a stunned Kayla in the kitchen with the intent to relieve some of the tension she was referring to when my phone rang. Phoenix’s name flashed on the screen, and I quickly answered, “Phoenix, what’s happening?”
He chuckled, “Not a lot. I spoke to Luke last night and sent him the picture. He called this morning and asked for a better picture, closer and with her eyes open. When he ran the one you sent through the database, he got a few hits, but said he could get a more definitive answer from one with her eyes open. He said the closer the better—something about matching color and striations.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I don’t exactly want her to know what I’m doing,” I replied. “Regardless, please thank him for me.”
“Will do. Oh, almost forgot. He did mention none of the hits he got were named Kayla. There was a Layla and a Kayleigh, but those were the only two similar to Kayla that matched the picture. Are you sure she gave you the correct name?”
“No, man, I’m not. Thus far, she’s proved to be a crafty little thing. Wouldn’t surprise me if she gave me a fake name.”
“All right, man, send that picture to me if you can manage to get one. Talk to you later,” he said and disconnected.
That woman was going to cause me to have a stroke before all was said and done. I didn’t know if I should be pissed off or proud of her giving me a fake name. I hadn’t confirmed it yet, but I knew in my gut that Kayla was not her name, and there was no time like the present to find out.
She was in the kitchen washing our dishes from breakfast when I approached her from behind. Keeping my body out of her line of sight in case she turned around, I softly said, “Kayla.” Her head came up, like she thought she heard something, but she didn’t bother looking around. I waited a few beats and softly said, “Kayleigh.” Again, she lifted her head, this time looking to the side before going back to the dishes. After a few more beats, I said in the same tone and volume I used for the previous two names, “Layla.”
Her head whipped up, and she looked to her left, then right, before turning around to look behind her. Could she have turned around because she thought she was hearing things and the third time was the charm? Yes. Did I believe that? Not for one second.
I silently backed away and returned to my room. All thoughts of a tension-relieving shower had vanished into thin air. I didn’t want to get myself off to images of a woman who I knew was lying to me. No, I was going to wait for an hour or so and try the name game again. Only this time, I was going to start with Layla to see what kind of response I got. In the meantime, I needed to figure out how to get a decent picture of her without her knowing.
The opportunity presented itself sooner than I thought. The cabin’s floor plan was somewhat open. From upstairs, the living room and kitchen were in clear view. She was still in the kitchen, staring out across the living room, seemingly lost in thought. I pulled out my phone, zoomed in, and quickly snapped a picture of her. It looked like a decent picture to me, so I quickly sent it on to Phoenix.
At that point, I was debating whether I should wait to hear back from Luke or forge ahead with my name theory. On one hand, I was dying to know the truth. On the other, I didn’t want to spook her and have to deal with her trying to run away again. Especially after she admitted having nowhere to go.
I spent a few hours in my room, mulling over what to do next, before I ventured downstairs for something to eat. Expecting to see Kayla curled up on the couch or sitting at the bar in the kitchen, I was surprised to find her outside on the deck. She was leaning against the railing, gazing at the breathtaking view. Upon closer inspection, I could see the pain and despair on her face. She had a story, and I had no doubt it was not a pleasant one.
I approached her, making enough noise to ensure she heard me coming, and placed my hands on the railing on either side of her, effectively caging her in. She stiffened, but made no move to extract herself. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”
She exhaled slowly. “Yes, it is. It’s so quiet and peaceful here. I haven’t had a lot of that in my life, and I think I’m going to miss it.”
“I can understand that. It’s the same reason I come up here for a few days whenever I have the time.”
I don’t know how long we stood in a comfortable silence, enjoying the serenity only nature can offer. It could have been mere minutes as easily as it could have been hours. At some point, she relaxed and leaned back against my chest. I forced my hands to stay on the railing, even though I desperately wanted to wrap my arms around her.
She was maddening, even more so because it was unintentional. One moment I wanted to strangle her, and the next I wanted to smother her body with mine.
Our quiet moment was interrupted by my phone ringing. Expecting it to be Phoenix with an update from Luke, I was surprised to see Judge’s name on the screen. Suddenly, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. The boys knew not to call and interrupt my brief hiatus. The only one who should call was Bronze, my blood brother and my VP, and only if it was an emergency. I stepped away from Kayla and answered.
“Prez, you gotta get your ass back here now! The clubhouse was attacked. It’s bad, brother. The place is swamped with cops and first responders,” Judge shouted into the phone.
“Fuck!” I shouted. “I’m heading out now. Was anyone hurt?”