Page 8 of Echoes of Temptation
I hate fucking liars.
“Who are you calling?” I ask. “We need to get rid of your phone.”
She pulls her cell from her ear and hits a button.
“Woman, you know good and well that I don’t get my ass out of bed until noon,” someone says through the speaker. “Not that I’m not happy to hear from you. It’s been over a week since you called. Molly and I were planning a trip to Harborbrook to come and visit for a few days. I miss you, Shortcake.”
“I miss you too,” she tells the man. “There’s a lot that I need to tell you and you’re not going to be happy I didn’t tell you sooner. But that’s not why I called. I need you to state your real name, your road name, your club’s name, and your rank in the club.”
“What the fuck, Maddy,” the man shouts. With the sleep out of his voice, he sure does sound familiar. “What aren’t you telling me? Are you okay?”
“What’s going on?” a soft female voice says.
“Something’s wrong with Maddy,” the man answers.
“I knew we should have gone out there sooner.”
“Guys, please stop talking,” Maddy sighs. “Please, just say what I need you to say so that I can shove something in someone’s face and I promise to tell you everything.”
“Fuck. Fine. My name is Dillon Brown but everyone calls me Blackhawk except for my wife, Molly, and my secret-keepingbest friend, Maddy. I’m the enforcer for the Wounded Souls MC and if you do not tell me what the fuck is going on I swear on all things holy that I will fly out there, kidnap you, lock you in this house, and never let you eat another Slim Jim for as long as you live.”
“You wouldn’t?”
“Try me, woman.”
Feeling fully chagrined, I decide to take charge of the situation.
“Blackhawk, it’s nice to hear your voice, brother.”
“Brother?” Maddy says, her mouth wide open.
“Who the fuck… King? What are you doing with my girl? Wait, she isn’t your target, is she? Damnit King, if you so much as harm a hair on her head I will find a way to fucking kill you.”
“Relax, brother,” I smile. “Her father hired me to protect her. Listen, I’ll call you later and we can fill you in on the situation. Just know that Madeline is safe. I need to get her inside and update my club.”
“Maddy, I’m coming down,” Blackhawk says. “I don’t know what’s going on but you’re clearly in trouble if your father hired a fucking killer to protect you. I’ll be down in two days. You better not fucking die before I get there.”
“So, it’s okay if I die after you arrive?” she smiles.
I growl my own warning along with her friend. I may not want this woman in my life but I really fucking hate the images that flash behind my eyes of her dead body.
“Where will she be, King?” Blackhawk asks.
“Undecided,” I admit. “That’s one of the things I need to talk to my club about. I’ll update you later this evening. Talk soon.”
“Bye, Dillon. Bye, Molly. Love you, both.”
“Love you, too, Maddy,” the woman responds. “Stay safe.”
“Damnit, Shortcake, I can’t lose you. Do as King says. I’ll see you in a couple of days. If not sooner. Love you, little sister.”
With that, the call ends.
“So, you know Blackhawk,” I say. “Why not tell him about the threats? He’s more than capable of protecting you.”
“At first it was because I wasn’t too worried about it,” she tells me. “Then it got to the point that I was fearing for my life and I didn’t want to put him and Molly in a situation where they could get hurt. The only reason my parents knew was because daddy walked in on me one day when I was having a panic attack. I wouldn’t have told them either if that had never happened.”
“Were you expecting the threats to simply go away?” I ask, incredulously.