Page 59 of Jagger
“Chad Laskey. L-A-S-K-E-Y. His wife’s name is Monica.”
I dropped a kiss on her forehead, before stopping to rest my head against hers. “Thank you. I’ll get Bull started on tracking the bastard down. Now, call your people and I’ll make some calls of my own.”
I took a deep breath and forced myself to take a step back, then turned Molly around and gave her a gentle pat on her curvy ass as she headed over toward the sofa with her phone. I reached for my own phone in my back pocket, then hit the contact for my dad as I stepped around the counter into the kitchen. I opened the fridge to grab a beer, then popped the cap off and tossed it into the trash as he answered.
“I’m at Molly’s, Prez, and we’ve got a situation,” I began heatedly. I quickly explained what had happened, and King was cursing by the time I’d finished. “I got the fucker’s name from Molly, and I’ll send it to Bull to have him look into the guy. The cops are looking for him, but I wouldn’t mind finding him first,” I bit out, and heard my dad snort on the other end of the line.
“I wouldn’t mind helping you, Jag. That sonofabitch doesn’t deserve to live after laying hands on a kid. Threatening your girl just puts the final nail in his coffin,” King agreed. “Keep me posted when Bull finds him. You aren’t going after him alone. Are you two staying at her place tonight, or heading to your house?”
I ran a hand over my face, scratching the scruff along my jaw as I sighed. “I’m going to have her pack a bag and come home with me, just in case this asshole knows where she lives.”
“I’ll send a prospect around to keep an eye on your place overnight, then. An extra set of eyes on the situation won’t hurt.”
“Send Lincoln,” I replied, referring to my cousin, Cowboy’s son, who had been prospecting with us for about six months or so. “He’s got good instincts, and I trust him to actually watch the house, not just play on his damned phone all night.” I stretched my neck from side to side to try to ease the tension building there.
“Agreed. Take care of yourself, son, and give that woman of yours a big hug from me. We’ve got this,” my dad said gruffly before disconnecting the call. I took a minute to send a text to Bull with the pertinent details and got an immediate response from him that he was on it. I smiled in satisfaction at the fact that he didn’t ask questions or hesitate to jump in to help. The bond of brotherhood in our MC was tight, and we always had each other’s back.
I walked out of the kitchen and watched as Molly hung up her phone and looked up at me. I was pleased to see that her color was back, and she looked angry rather than scared now.
“Malik, our resource officer, is letting the detective know about the threat. He said they will be in touch to get my official statement, but it may be tomorrow morning before that happens,” she informed me with a pained grimace. I dropped down next to her on the sofa, then reached for her and pulled her close, needing to feel her near me – both for her comfort and for mine. I wrapped my arms around her, running my hands up and down her back to try to soothe her. In truth, I needed her in my arms to comfort myself every bit as much. Every instinct I possessed was screaming at me that Molly was in danger, and the very idea of it sent a dark chill through me.
It wasn’t often that I had to get my hands dirty, and although I’d delivered more than a few beatdowns over the years, when necessary, I’d never taken a life. I was more than willing to make an exception for the piece of shit known as Chad Laskey. I would gladly sacrifice a sliver of my soul if it meant keeping my Angel safe.
“You need to pack a bag. We’ll stay at my place until Laskey is taken care of,” I told Molly gruffly as I shifted to stand. I held out my hand, inwardly groaning at the stubborn look on her face as she sat there staring at me. “Come on, woman. Let’s get moving.”
“Do you really think that’s necessary? I mean, I don’t give my address to parents, plus this building is secure, and I have an alarm system.”
“Your building door was being propped open by a rock again when I got here tonight, and your alarm has to actually be set to work, Molly,” I pointed out with an aggravated eye roll. “Just pack a bag and stay at my place until this guy is caught. I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to your well-being. Please,” I added when she still seemed resistant.
I took her hand and led her into the bedroom, ignoring her grumbling about all the crap she was going to have to take to my house.
“You don’t need your shampoo and lotion stuff. I bought some for you for the nights you stay over. Where is your suitcase?” I asked, opening her closet door. Before she could answer, I spotted it sitting in the corner of the closet, so I picked it up and set it open on the bed. I turned to look at her, only to find her gaping at me.
“You bought my shampoo and lotion?” she asked in confusion.
I grinned at the adorable way she had her nose crinkled up at me, then tapped my finger on the very tip.
“Yep, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion, plus some bubble bath and body wash that matched.” I dipped my head to the crook of her neck and inhaled, running my nose alongside her collarbone before flicking my tongue against her skin. “I love that peaches and vanilla scent that always surrounds you, Angel.”
I felt the shiver that worked its way through her body and enjoyed the sight of the slight flush on her skin.
“Now, are you going to pack your shit, or am I? I’ll warn you now, if I pack for you, I’m not including any panties.”
Molly laughed and smacked my arm, then ducked around me to open her dresser drawers. She very deliberately grabbed a handful of colorful lace, then tossed it into the suitcase before reaching into another drawer which apparently contained her bras. I watched closely as she tossed several on top of the scraps of lace, then frowned as she reached for those fucking T-shirts of Brad’s that she habitually wore to bed.
“Nope, Angel. I know he’s your best friend, but I draw the line at you wearing another man’s clothes in my bed. You can wear the shirts I gave you, or sleep naked,” My tone made it clear that this was not negotiable, and Molly put the shirts back into her drawer with a huff and a roll of her eyes. I saw the grin she tried to hide, though, and reached out to swat her ass as she headed toward the closet. She laughed outright at that, and I caught her around the waist and pulled her close.
“You have ten minutes, then we’re out of here. What can I help you gather up?”
A loud knocking on her front door interrupted me, and I hurriedly set Molly aside and rushed past her out of the bedroom, silently cursing myself for leaving my gun in my saddlebag. I rarely carried more than my knife on me, but usually had my gun either in saddlebag or my glove compartment just in case the need arose. Molly followed me, and I turned to her to tell her to stay in the bedroom, but stopped when I heard a woman’s voice calling through the door, just before she knocked again.
“Molly? It’s Miranda. I just saw some guy slashing your tires, and I called the cops.”
Molly gasped as I swore and walked over to open the door, with Molly right on my heels. I looked through the peephole and saw her neighbor, who I had met in passing in the hallway a few days earlier. I opened the door to the frazzled woman, who appeared to have just come home from work judging by the nursing scrubs she was wearing.
Miranda took a step back as she saw me filling the doorway, then the tension eased on her face when I stepped aside so Molly could greet her.
“Oh, my God, Molly. I’m so sorry,” she gasped as she took hold of Molly’s arm and stepped inside the apartment. I shut the door, taking a second to flick the deadbolt in place, and led them over to the sofa, since both women looked decidedly shaky. Miranda took a deep breath, talking quickly as her adrenaline rush continued, “Some guy slashed your tires – they’re all flat - and he bashed in at least one of your windows, I think. I saw him swinging a bat as I pulled into the parking lot, and honked my horn at him until he ran off. I called the police, and they said they were sending an officer immediately. I gave them your apartment address and cell number, too, since I wasn’t sure if you were actually home or not.”
