up Trina's sweatshirt and hanging it in the closet before he went outside.
Standing on the porch, he waited for his daughter to turn the lock. Several seconds passed, and he raised his arm to beat on the door to remind her, and a click stopped him. She was a good girl. They only needed to work out their relationship. She needed to trust him and give a little.
Losing her mother at a young age, uprooted from her home, and placed with him —someone she'd never met before—was rough for a kid her age. But he was doing the best he could trying to raise her.
He got on his Harley and rode away from the house. At the clubhouse, he stopped. Prez was outside waiting for him.
Shutting off the engine, he gazed around, making sure they were alone. "I'm taking Laurel Tower into St. Maries."
"Need a rider?"
"Nah." He pulled down his skullcap. "I'm only dropping her off, and then she'll be out of our way."
"We'll talk when you return." Prez pointed to his left. "We've got to deal with the fence."
He started the engine and rode off. The community they'd grown from the ground up into a successful, profitable business kept Avery Falls Motorcycle Club working. The businesses thrived. The tourists came and went.
The façade of a small town gave the members somewhere to train as they graduated out of the cave while giving the originals the ability to keep a sharp eye on them.
There was no space or time to bring someone new into the mountains.
Outsiders were too curious and asked too many questions. They'd watch the club, pick up on their routine, and become suspicious. While the locals no longer gave a shit about what went on around them.
He crossed the main road and pulled into the RV Park. Lifting his finger off the throttle, he signaled to Hank as he rode past and pulled beside the rental trailer. He wanted to get Laurel out of Avery Falls and be back before ten o'clock.
Getting off the motorcycle, he strode to the door and knocked. He stepped back to wait. Several minutes passed, and he was about to knock again when Laurel walked around the back of the trailer into view.
She looked at the ground as she walked toward him, only lifting her gaze as she got close to the door. Startling at the sight of him, she gasped and stopped.
"Morning." He took in the frown on her face.
Living in a trailer, away from home, and dealing with the after-effects of the crash had got to her. "I thought we'd get an early start. If we leave now, we can get to St. Maries by nine. You can check into a motel—"
"I'm not going with you." She glanced at the white envelope in her hand.
"Excuse me?"
She crossed her arms as if to hide what she was holding. "I don't need you to take me to St. Maries."
He'd heard her the first time. He wanted more of an explanation. The plan was to get her out of the mountains and away from Avery Falls.
Her refusal to leave would only force him to step up his effort to get her out of town. By tonight, she'd be gone.
"You can't stay here any longer. Hank has renters for the trailer coming in tomorrow." He gazed at her breasts as she inhaled deeply.
Her long hair hung over one shoulder, but nothing could hide the perfect curves of her body. She was a beautiful woman. He figured someone like her would have a man in her life.
The female tourists that came to Avery Falls alone were independent and seeking something on a spiritual level. They'd go home to their husband or their job energized and happy after communing with nature.
He couldn't see where Laurel fit into that group.
For one, she came unprepared for the outdoors.
"Okay." She raised her chin. "I hadn't heard about someone else needing the trailer. I'll leave."
"I can take you."
"No, you've helped me enough. I can go by myself." She lowered her arms and gave him a shaky smile. "Thank you for taking care of me after the accident and stitching my forehead."
He nodded and stepped back. "Safe travels."
Turning, he left her standing by the trailer. As long as she left town, she was no longer his problem.
Chapter Seven
Speeder rode away. Laurel hurried around the trailer, clutching the white envelope she'd found taped to the door that morning with her name on it.
The brand new truck parked beside the trailer hadn't been