Edge Of Fear (Arrow's Edge MC Book 4) by Freya Barker (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

who can manage a construction schedule. Have you checked with Jed Mason?”

“Not—”

“Tse, Paco, saddle up!”

Ouray comes barging out of the clubhouse, Wapi on his heels.

“What’s goin’ on?”

I get to my feet as they head straight for their bikes.

“Trouble at the Backyard.”

I’m right behind them when they hit the bottom of the drive and the first chance I get I pull ahead.

I haven’t been back to the restaurant in two weeks. Not since talking to Ouray that night at the clubhouse. I was going to, but Wapi’s bike was missing and I figured he was probably over there. Whatever he and I have to sort out, I didn’t want to do that at her place of work.

Ah, who the hell am I kidding? I chickened out. There’s no denying I want the woman, but she deserves more than a quick fuck, and I don’t know whether I have more in me to give. What if I try and mess up? I don’t want to hurt her, and not just because I’ll have to face the wrath of my brothers. This is a woman who is already woven into the fabric of our club.

But none of that matters as I weave my way through traffic, driving way too fast to get to the restaurant. To her.

Trouble at the Backyard.

Fuck. I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to her.

I see three cop cars, a fire truck, and an ambulance in the parking lot. Along with Sophia’s Jeep. I pull up as close to the back door as I can get and hop off my bike, just as EMTs wheel out a gurney.

“What the fuck happened?” I bark at the fresh-faced uniform trying to stop me.

I vaguely register the sound of motorcycles behind me, but I only have one focus.

“This is a crime scene, sir.”

The young kid puts a hand on my chest to hold me back, but I easily brush it aside and catch up with the EMTs as they start loading the gurney into the back of their rig. It’s some guy I don’t know, not Sophia. I immediately turn and head for the back door when Ramirez steps out. He’s a detective with the Durango PD and a decent guy.

“They’re fine,” Ramirez calls out to the uniformed kid, who is now trying to hold back Ouray and Wapi. “She’s in her office,” he tells me, as he steps to the side so I can get in.

She’s alone, sitting at her desk, her head resting on her arms. In two steps I’m around to her side and crouch down, putting a hand on her back.

“Hey, Fee.”

Her head snaps up and she turns my way. Then she twists in her seat and throws herself in my arms. I hear rustling at the door and just catch Ouray pushing Wapi out of the office, pulling the door shut. The kid didn’t look too happy.

“Seriously,” she mumbles into my neck before pushing herself upright. Her face is pale and her eyes large, but there are no tears. “I’m cursed. You guys are gonna regret you gave me this job. Every time I show up, shit seems to hit the fan.”

“What happened?” I ask. I reluctantly get to my feet and sit down on the edge of her desk.

Her body does a head-to-toe shiver and I reach out and place a steadying hand on the side of her neck.

“I have no fucking clue. I came in and found Bernie bleeding on the kitchen floor. Someone hit him over the head.”

The next few minutes she fills me in on what she found when she walked in.

“Anything taken?”

She shakes her head.

“No. They didn’t even come into the office. It was still locked when I got here.”

The door eases open and Ouray peeks inside. Seeing Sophia is not having a meltdown, he steps inside.

“You okay?”

“I’m so sorry.”

Ouray snorts. “Hardly your fault, darlin’. I was gonna suggest we call Chris and put a notice on the door.”

“But we have a bunch of reservations for tonight.”

“We’ll call them. Comp them with free drinks for the inconvenience when they’re next in. It’ll take some time before the cops are done here and then we’ll need time to clean up the mess.”

She seems to ponder that and finally nods, moving her chair back. I get to my feet and out of her way as she rounds the desk, pulling open a file drawer.

“Okay, I’ll make the calls but then I need to get to the hospital. Detective Ramirez said he would get in touch with Bernie’s next of kin, but I think someone should be there.”

“I sent Wapi after the ambulance,” Ouray informs her.

I can see from the stubborn set of her chin; she’ll still be heading to Mercy first chance she gets. That’s fine, I’ll be right behind her.

Forty minutes later all staff is contacted, reservations cancelled, and Sophia is heading for her vehicle.

“She’s not going home, is she?” Ouray observes beside me as we stand by the bikes, watching her get in the Jeep.

“Nope. I’m gonna stick with her until we have some idea what the hell happened.”

“Figured you would,” he says with a shake of his head. “Tell Wapi to head back here. And for fuck’s sake, try to use some tact. Last thing I need is you two getting into it in the middle of the hospital.”

“I’ll be gentle,” I mock, as I swing a leg over the seat and start my bike.

He snorts. “Yeah, right. And, Tse?”

“Yeah?”

“Make sure you see her home safely.”

I mock salute him.

Then I follow Sophia off the parking lot.

CHAPTER 4

Sophia

I GLANCE IN my rearview mirror and clench my jaw.

He’s still stuck to my bumper. Has been since I pulled away from the Backyard. I should’ve guessed as much.

These men, they don’t ask if you need or want help, they simply take over. All of them: Brick, Ouray, Tse, and even Wapi, although he’s less annoyingly in-your-face about it. They assume the role of protector; never mind I’ve looked after myself for the past fifteen-or-so