corrupted and I don’t have another option, so yes, damn straight, I’m doing this. Even if it is just a way to lead the devil away from my father’s door. There are too many variables to control here—too many possible outcomes. I need a new playing field, something that will put my stalker and me on the same even footing. Or even better, something that will give me the advantage because here he always seems one step ahead of me.
I pull away, keeping my lights off in case anyone is watching, and drive to the end of the street before turning them on and pulling out onto the main road. I head to the garage and pull into the private staff-only garage bay. Parking my car, I take a deep breath before stepping out. I empty my trunk and take everything I need before loading it into a junker I had been working on earlier in the day. I lock up my GTO and head into the city with the junker.
I drive around for a while, hoping that if I’m being tailed, I’ll lose them eventually. But I have to make a stop for gas and to figure out some kind of plan. I pull in at an open all-night diner and order the first thing I see on the menu as well as a large strong coffee. When the food arrives—a massive stack of pancakes doused liberally with syrup—I make a conscious effort to eat every mouthful, but I don’t taste a thing. These could be the best pancakes in the world, but at the moment, I might as well be eating sawdust.
Finishing up, I pay and head back to the car, thinking about my next move. My brothers are the logical choice, but what’s the point? After finding me at my father’s place, it stands to reason my brothers’ homes will be where he looks for me next. They might all be capable, but they can’t be with me all the time, and despite what they may think, none of them is bulletproof. Yet I know all of them would step in front of a bullet for me without hesitation. I can’t let them do that. I refuse to let them get hurt for me, not if there is something I can do to protect them.
In the end, I call Derek, the only person I know who might be able to give me some advice that won’t be to go home and hide behind my brothers.
“’Lo,” his sleepy voice answers after the third ring.
“Derek?” I hate the fact there is a quiver to my voice. I’m stronger than this, dammit.
“Reign?” I hear the sound of sheets rustling and what I’m guessing is a door opening and closing.
“Talk to me,” he barks in his no-nonsense voice.
“I... I don’t know what to do. He found me again, at my father’s this time. I need somewhere to go, somewhere far enough away that my brothers won’t find me and bring me back,” I tell him, hearing the determination in my voice. I won’t back down and change my mind on this, so either he’ll help me or I’ll do it alone.
“You said you have your suspicions about who you think this guy might be. If it is who you think, how much reach does he have?”
“A lot. If my gut is correct, then the guy after me is Garrett James, the new police captain.”
“Fuck. Fuck, shit!” Derek yells, and I hear the sound of shattering glass as if he threw something across the room. “Okay, Reign, listen to me carefully. I want you to go to the Kings of Carnage mother chapter’s compound. It’s in Vegas. There is no way he will think to look for you there, but you’ll need to make sure you’re not being tailed.”
I pause at his words, my mouth opening and shutting before I finally settle on what I want to say. “And I’ll be safe there?”
“Trust me, love, there is no way Garrett James will find you there,” Derek reassures me
“Okay, I can do that. And no one is going to look for a cop’s daughter in a biker compound, right?” I can see the merit in this idea.
“Exactly. You’ll need to ditch your car and your cell—”
I cut him off with a smile that he can’t see. “Cop’s daughter, remember? I’m using the beat-up red Mazda from the shop that was brought in for spares and parts. I managed to get it running, although