Consumed: A Devil Chaser's MC Romance (6 page)

Just the mention of Bobby’s name made my heart sink. I had totally forgotten about the security system he had installed a few months ago. He was so determined to make sure the house was safe, and at the time, I thought it meant that he loved me. I wasn’t so sure anymore.

“You okay?” Maverick asked.

“I’m just tired. I think I’m going to call it a night,” I told him. I put my dishes in the sink and before I left the kitchen, I turned to him and said, “Thank you, Maverick. I really do appreciate everything. It means a lot.”

“No thanks needed, Courtney. I enjoyed it. Just give me a shout if you need anything,” Maverick said with a smile.

“Will do. ‘Nite.”

“Goodnight,” Maverick said as I walked out of the room. I got in the bed and pulled the covers over me. I wasn’t in the mood to watch TV, so I turned off the lights and tried to focus on getting some sleep. I had just gotten comfortable when my phone beeped with a text message. I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed it from my purse. It was a message from Bobby.

Bobby
:

Good night, Court. Miss you

It was a simple message, but it brought a thousand questions to my mind. Did he know that I was home from the hospital? Did he know that I was in the bed? Did he really miss me?

Chapter 6

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.

Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Bobby

It took two weeks of watching the Black Diamond’s surveillance video before we found something we could use. The next big shipment would be in Louisville, Kentucky in four days. The details were still sketchy, but we had a date and a location. Bishop called Snake and told him everything we had found out. They both agreed that Goliath, Renegade, and I would go with four of Snake’s men to intercept the delivery. It was a risky attempt, but if we succeeded, it would send a definite message to their club.

I started skimming over all the surveillance video we had. I had to find out what time they were expecting the shipment, so we’d be able to determine the best location to intercept the delivery. It didn’t take long for me to find the information I needed, but the footage gave me more questions than answers. They were up to something, but I needed more time to go through the camera footage to figure out what it was. Time I didn’t have. I had to get to the garage. The guys were waiting on me to finish putting the security systems in the cars they’d remodeled.

They finished their end of the remodels days ago, and it was my turn to upgrade the security systems. Bishop wanted the new systems to enable the owner to monitor everything from their smartphone. It was pretty badass that these classic cars would have a tracking device, remote start, and a keyless entry. One of the owners even chose to include a motion-activated voice warning when people got too close his car. It was a long process, but they always seemed pleased with it in the end. Bishop needed the cars done before we left for Kentucky, so I knew it was going to be a long night.

Several of the guys were busy working in the garage, too, finishing up their own projects. I overheard Goliath talking about Lily. He was crazy about her and JW, and now that she was pregnant, he was determined to find them a new place to live. Being on lockdown was making that difficult, and he was getting frustrated.

“Lily wants to go see the house in person, but I’m not willing to risk it. We’ll just have to wait until all this passes,” Goliath told Bulldog.

“What’s the rush?” Bull asked. “It isn’t like she’s gonna have that baby tomorrow.”

“That’s not the point. I want them in a nice place where there’s actually room to move around. Her place is just too damn small,” Goliath said with aggravation.

“I’m sure you’ll find a place, man. Just give it time.”

“That’s just it. I don’t want to give it time. I want those motherfuckers dealt with now. I’m tired of waiting,” Goliath snapped.

“We’ll get them, man. There’s no doubt in my mind that they’ll pay for what they tried to do to JW and Courtney. Bishop wants them just as bad as you do,” Bulldog replied calmly. “You’ll be set up in your new house with your kids before you know it.”

They continued to yammer on back and forth about all kinds of shit that they had going on in their lives. I had to fight back the jealousy that was beginning to eat me up inside. I wanted it to be Courtney and me that were looking for a place to live.
We
should’ve been starting our lives together and having our own kids. The whole thing was fucked up, and I was at a loss as to how to fix it. It’d been weeks since I’d even seen her, and I was beginning to lose my patience. I’d thought that if I just gave her time, she’d realize that she was wrong about us. She hadn’t, and I was starting to doubt that I’d ever get her back.

I was the only one left in the garage by the time I finished installing the last security system. Everyone else had gone to the bar to let off some steam. It was Friday, and the guys needed to get their mind off things, even if it was only for the night. I was covered in grease when I walked into the bar. I’d just planned to grab a beer and head back to my room, but that all changed the moment I saw Courtney sitting at the bar with Tessa, Lily, and Taylor. Fuck. Maverick should’ve told me he was bringing her over.

I went straight to my room to get cleaned up. I had to make the situation work to my advantage. After I got out of the shower, I grabbed the cologne Courtney had bought me for my birthday. I remembered her saying it was hard for her to keep her hands off of me whenever I wore it. I threw on some boxers and searched my closet for that button up shirt she liked so much. She’d already replaced the buttons on the damn thing twice. I smiled thinking about the last time she ripped it off of me. That girl had a wild side, and I couldn’t wait to see her face when she saw me wearing it.
I threw on a pair of jeans she liked and headed for the bar. It was time to see if I could still get a reaction out of her.   

Chapter 7

Courtney

“You look amazing. It’s like you were never even in the hospital,” Lily said.

“Thanks, sweetie. I think I lost a little weight while I was in the coma. I can actually breathe when I wear these jeans, so I guess something good came out of it after all,” I laughed. I really was feeling better, and I loved that my clothes were fitting me better. It was nice to feel good about myself again.

“Did you ever tell your parents that you were home?” Tessa asked.

“I held out as long as I could, but I finally had to tell them. They actually haven’t been all that bad. They’ve been by to check on me a few times, but they never stay long. I think Maverick might intimidate them a little bit,” I said with a shrug. Having Maverick around really did have its advantages.

“Well, I’m glad you were able to come see us tonight. We’ve missed you,” Taylor told me.

“It was Maverick’s idea. He said it would do me good to get out and have some fun before I go back to work on Monday,” I told them.

“I’m looking forward to having you back at school, Court,” Tessa said. “It’s not the same without you there.”

“I’m just relieved Bishop is letting us actually go to work,” I told her.

“They decided that the kids were under a greater risk, so they’re staying home for now. Bishop may be letting us go back to work, but he’ll have eyes on us the entire time we’re there.”

“Maverick already told me, and he said I have to call and check in every hour. Before this is all over, I’m going to end up driving that man nuts.”

“I doubt that, but you haven’t told me yet. What do you think of Maverick?” Tessa asked with a huge smile.

“He’s really nice and all, but he’s just so freaking intense about
everything
. He’s like my own personal drill sergeant,” I told her. “It’s damn near impossible to make that man smile.”

“He has a lot going on. I’m sure he’s worried about that stuff that’s going on in his club. Has he said anything to you about it?” Lily asked.

“He’s been keeping to himself lately. He’s always studying the security system at the house or looking up stuff on his computer. I have no idea what he’s actually looking at, but I can tell he’s worried about something,” I told her.

“I hope everything is going to be okay. I’d hate to see anything happen to him. I really like him, and I want John Warren to be able to get to know him,” Lily said with concern.

“Don’t worry too much about Maverick. I have a feeling he’ll make it just fine,” Tessa told her with a smile. I had to agree. Maverick seemed like the kind of guy that made things happen. I had very little doubt that he could take care of anything that got in his way.

“Enough about Mr. Serious. Tell me some good news.” I turned to Lily and asked, “Has Goliath found your dream house yet?”

“Don’t even get me started on that one. He’s absolutely
determined
to find the perfect place, and he’s driving me nuts! I’ve given up and just decided to let him have at it. Honestly, as long as we are together, I don’t care where we live,” Lily said as she passed beers over to Doc and Sheppard.
      
They all nodded, and I watched them as they walked back over to the pool table. I smiled, thinking how much I’d liked hanging out at the club with them. Sheppard always had a way of making me laugh. I loved listening to all of his wild stories, and it didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes. He had that boy-next-door look with his clean-cut blonde hair and blue eyes that drove the girls crazy. Doc seemed like the father figure around the club, giving advice whenever anybody would listen.

It felt nice to be there with everyone again. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed them until we all started talking. Just being with them made me feel so much better about everything. I’d been so worried about running into Bobby that I almost didn’t come, but Maverick talked me into it. He reminded me that I’d have to face him sooner or later. So far, I’d been lucky. There’d been no sign of him all night.

“You ready for another beer?” Taylor asked with a smile.

“Love one,” I told her. Lily reached into the cooler, only to find that it was empty.

“Damn,” she said as she shook her head. “I’ve got to go to the back to get more beer. I’ll be right back.”

Before I could stop her, Bobby came up behind me and said, “I’ll get it, Lily. You know Goliath will have your ass if he sees you trying to lift anything heavy.” He quickly turned to leave, but I could smell a hint of his cologne as he walked away. Damn it all to hell! It was the cologne I’d bought him, and he knew it was my favorite. He’d done that on purpose. I reached over and grabbed Tessa’s drink, and before she had a chance to protest, I finished it off. Tessa looked over to me with her eyebrow raised high, but I just turned my head. I didn’t want to hear it. I knew something as simple as cologne shouldn’t have bothered me, but it did, and I hated myself for it.

Lily motioned Bobby over to the end of the counter and showed him where to put the cases. The muscles in his arms flexed when he lowered them onto the counter. As he stepped away from the boxes, I noticed that he was wearing… the shirt. Holy hell! I couldn’t believe he was wearing
the
shirt. Of all the shirts in the entire damn world he’d decided to wear
that
shirt.

“Courtney!” Tessa whispered. She placed her hand on my knee and said, “Stop shaking your leg. You’re making all the bottles on the counter rattle.” I just ignored her. I was too busy looking over at Bobby. Apparently he was very amused with himself. He stood there looking at me with his sly little smile. What an ass! I wanted to clock him right in the head, but I just rolled my eyes. He was getting to me, and he knew it. I had to pull my shit together.

I slowly looked back over to Tessa and said, “I’m fine. Just a little cold.”

I heard Bobby cough behind me, but I didn’t turn around. He knew that I was getting flustered, and it frustrated the hell out of me.

I looked over to Taylor and asked, “When are you and Renegade moving into the new house? Is it finished yet?” I asked. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Bobby walked over and joined Sheppard at the pool table. I shook my head and tried to focus on what Taylor was saying.

“Just a few more weeks. I can’t wait. You should see the size of my closet!” she said excitedly. I thought it was so sweet that Renegade was building her a house out on the lake. He’d do anything for her.

“I just love the view, Taylor. It’s really beautiful up there,” Tessa told her.

The conversation became blurred as my attention was drawn over to the pool table. Several of the guys were playing, and I couldn’t stop watching Bobby as he bent over to make his shot. I didn’t know what was wrong with me. What the hell? I couldn’t stop myself from staring at his ass like some sex-starved nymphomaniac!

“Courtney, you’re making a mess,” Tessa said as she slipped my beer out of my hand. I looked down at the small pieces of the beer label that were scattered all over the table and my lap.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I told them as I stood up to leave. “I’ll be right back.”