Forgiving Nancy (Last Hangman MC Series Book 5) (13 page)

CHAPTER 18

Nancy

“Regretting your decision to live with Bennett yet?” Viv asks me.

“Not really but it’s been a very interesting experience so far.” I shake my head and start giggling.

“What do you mean?” Line asks.

“Well, he seems to constantly need to be around me or touching me. It’s a bit weird, like he has separation anxiety or something.”

“Well he has spent the past five years thinking that he had lost you forever. He finally has you back and can be around you without being worried about being seen, he’s bound to want to spend as much time as he can with you. Don’t be so hard on him, I know what I’m talking about unfortunately,” Ayden tells me with a sad smile. It sounds like she’s been through something similar. I don’t know much about the girls and how they came to be a part of this lifestyle, but from the sounds of it, they’ve all been through their fair share of fucked up drama.

“Have a bit of a crush on Bennett, do we?” Nicole teases her.

“No, but don’t you think a man is incredibly hot when he’s in love and isn’t afraid to show it?” Ayden says with a serene look on her face, like she’s happy Bennett can finally have his happy ending, pun not intended.

“Amen to that.” Line agrees.

“Okay, I can’t deny that. It’s just so weird to see Bennett acting like a love sick puppy.” Viv chuckles.

“Tell me about it.” I grin.

“Was he like this when you first met him?” Line asks.

“Yes and no. He was to a certain extent, but we couldn’t spend that much time together because my parents were judgmental bastards but the time we had to ourselves though, he was all over me.” I grin as I remember how we spent some of our evenings in the park. “I had to lie to my parents when we wanted to spend the night together, I was quite lucky that I had one friend who always had my back, she’d cover for me whenever my parents checked up on my story.”

“With what happened it’s not surprising he is the way he is. That’s all I’m going to say,” Ayden shrugs and grins like an absolute loon.

“You’re probably right actually.” I smile and grab the phone Bennett gave me when I moved in so he could reach me at any time just as it pings.

Bennett: Thank you for last night, it was fucking mind blowing my Gorgeous Girl.

Me: What are you on about, Bennett? Been huffing the bike fumes?

Bennett: Nah, had to masturbate because you drove me wild with your booty shorts, my thoughts were of you.

Me: You fucking pervert!

Bennett: You love it. Don’t deny it.

Me: Maybe…

I burst out laughing at our conversation and the girls all stop talking around me.

“Who’s that?” Line asks.

“Bennett.” I sober up and tell them about our text exchange which leaves us all in fits of laughter.

“Typical Bennett.” Viv giggles.

Even though I haven’t spent any time with him for five years, Bennett is exactly the same; he’s still my joking, loving and caring Bennett.
My Bennett
. I just wish I had the guts to tell him how much I still love him.

Tonight was my first full night shift at Viv’s bar and I’m knackered. My feet and legs are killing me from standing all night, I have a banging headache and I now have to walk home. Good thing it’s not a long journey because I don’t think my feet could make it. I literally walk ten minutes down the street and I’m at Bennett’s.

As I’m walking down the quiet street, an odd feeling comes over me and I feel like I’m being watched. I look around but can’t see anyone or anything suspicious. I’m guessing with all that’s happened my mind is working overtime. It’s no surprise really that I’m so paranoid. In hindsight, I should have accepted Gabe’s offer to drive me home. The other guys were out on club business and Gabe was the designated ladysitter for the night but I could see that he wanted to get Viv home. I’m not sure where Bennett is, Gabe said he was moping around somewhere because he was forbidden to participate in any of the business with the MC they have beef with at the moment.

I jump as I hear a loud noise from a small alley just behind me. I don’t know what it was, but I’m not about to go investigating, that’s when people get their heads cut off in horror movies. No thank you. I start to speed walk down the street and instantly regret my decision considering the length of the street.

The lights in this street are sporadic and it makes this whole situation seem a lot creepier than it actually is. In the distance I hear the rumble of a vehicle that’s slowly getting louder as a car approaches. I don’t think twice and start sprinting. I run as fast as I can, but the car soon catches up to me and the headlights light my path. I hear my name being yelled, but I don’t stop, I keep running as fast as I can. Annoyingly this causes my feet and head to hurt even more.

“Nancy! Stop!” I hear before I see a bike speed past me and stop in the middle of the sidewalk in front of me. I see red when I see who’s on the bike.

“Bennett I’m going to kill you.” I groan and walk to him, punching his arm.

“Oi! What was that for?” He moans and rubs his arm.

“Like I actually hurt you,” I scoff. “That was for scaring the living hell out of me! Why would you do that?” I half shout at him, I would really shout at him but my voice is hoarse and I’m really out of breath.
My God I need to get to the gym!

“Gabe told me that you left the bar without waiting for me, I had to catch up with you but you started running when you heard my bike. I had to get your attention somehow. Why in the hell would you walk home on your own?” He looks at me and I see the worry in his eyes.
Okay, now I’m starting to feel a bit bad.

“I had no idea you were picking me up. It’s not that far, I figured it’d be okay to walk.” I shrug.

“Get on, we’ll finish this at home.” He takes off his helmet and puts it on my head.

“What if I don’t want to get on your bike?” I ask defiantly.

“Let me put it this way. You can get on it yourself or I’ll make you and then you’ll get a spanking when we get home. It’s your choice.” He looks at me with a stare so intense that I know I have to does as he says.

“Fine.” I mumble and climb onto the back of his bike. I know what Bennett’s like, and I know damn well that he’d go through with his threat. Not that I’m not into a bit of spanking, but I know it would lead to other things and I’m not ready for that yet. When we have sex, I don’t want it to be just a quick fuck, I want it to mean something to the both of us.

“Spoil sport.” He chuckles and helps me on the back of his bike. The ride home takes literally two minutes compared to the ten it takes to walk the same distance. He parks in the garage and we walk inside the house through the inside garage door. I walk straight into the kitchen and grab a bottle of water, draining it immediately.
I’m so out of shape.
Running has never been my strong point, even less so after being locked up for five years without a chance of a proper work out.

“Someone was thirsty.” Bennett chuckles as he follows me and gets himself a beer.

“That amongst other things. You don’t have any painkillers, do you?”

“I do, why? What’s wrong?” he asks.

“I have a banging headache.” I sigh and face plant his chest.

“I’ll take care of you, my Gorgeous Girl.”

“Thanks, Bennett.” I cuddle into him, drapping my arm and leg over him and burrowing my face in his chest.

“My pleasure, but you know it’s going to be quite hard to get you those painkillers while you’re holding me like you do your pillow.” He snickers.

“How do you know how I hold my pillow?” I look at him and his smug grin. “Oh my God, you’ve been in my bedroom whilst I’ve been sleeping!”

“I just wanted to make sure you were still breathing and hadn’t suffocated in the covers.”
Oh how I want to wipe that smug look off his face
.

“You’re a fucking creep and you’re lucky my head is killing me or I’d be kicking your ass right now.” I glare at him and grab another bottle of water from the refrigerator before stalking up the stairs.

“Love you too, Nancy.” I hear him yell and chuckle from the kitchen.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I mumble and walk to my room. As soon as it’s within reach I face plant the bed without changing my clothes.

I don’t know if I dozed off or if I was about to, but next thing I know is feeling Bennett’s hands on me. He rolls me onto my back and I groan at the unwelcomed movement. He efficiently strips me out of my clothes, leaving me in my underwear. His hold on my waist tightens slightly and I’m guessing that he’s seen a couple of my scars from clients that were too rough. I’m too tired to do anything to hide them from him.

“Sit up, Baby,” he says as helps me sit up.

“What?” I mumble as I sleepily comply.

“Painkillers,” he says in an amused tone and gets something from the nightstand. “Open.” It takes me a second to realize what he’s on about. I open my mouth and he pops two pills into my mouth before passing me my bottle of water. I take a couple of sips and swallow the tablets. It’s a good thing I trust him or this could turn into a repeat of my last client.

“Thanks, Bennett.” I sleepily thank him and lie back down on the bed. He pulls the duvet out from under me before covering me. “Stay with me,” I whisper softly, already half asleep.

“Are you sure?” He hesitates and I extend my hand in his direction, it doesn’t take him long to grab a hold and kiss the back of it. He lets go of my hand and I hear him fumble with his belt buckle before he’s in bed spooning me. Not two seconds later, I’m asleep in Bennett’s arms and it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had.

CHAPTER 19

Bennett

Last night was a turning point for me and Nancy. She asked me to spend the night with her and whilst it might not seem like much to most, it meant the world to me. I got to hold my Gorgeous Girl and watch her sleep all night long. I’m not being creepy, I needed to reassure myself that she was safe. Last night, when I caught up to her, I did notice someone following her and it scared the shit out of me. I didn’t mention anything to her because I didn’t want to her to worry and she was exhausted. It might be a bad idea to keep it from her, but I’ll do all I can make sure she’s safe and stays that way, even if it means losing a bit of sleep.

When we got home and she went upstairs, I took a waited of minutes before following her to call Callum and get him on the case.

“What do you want?” Callum greets me, ever so politely. Usually I’d give him shit for being, well, fucking Callum but there are more important things at the moment.

“Someone was following Nancy when she was walking home from work,” I say, not beating around the bush.

“Why was she walking home?”

“Because she’s Nancy and didn’t wait for me to pick her up.” I sigh.

“Okay, any details on who it was?”

“Not really, he was on the other side of the street and ducked every time she looked around. When she heard me she started running so I figured I’d go straight to her instead of going after the guy. Now I’m thinking I should have gone after him.”

“Leave it to me, I’ll take a look around and see if anyone’s there hanging around or anything that could help identify him.”

“Thanks, Brother. Still not willing to tell me wh-”

“Don’t start. If I’m not telling you it’s because I have a fucking good reason not to,” I can hear anger building in his voice and I make a mental note not to ask when we’re both worrying about Nancy’s safety.

“Alright.”

“Keep her safe,” he says, his tone is weirdly soft. Worried Callum. Creepy.

“You know I always will.”

“Yeah, noticed that, years ago.”

“Low fucking blow, Brother.”

“Sorry, she means a lot to me, not in the same way as she does to you but she still does.”

“Are you in love with her?” I have to ask because at this point I’m so confused by their relationship.

“No, don’t worry I love her but I’m not in love with her, I’m not going to try to steal her from you, she’s yours, always has been and always will be. I’ll go hunt that fucker now,” he says before hanging up without giving me a chance to say anything else.

I haven’t heard from Callum yet, but I hope he managed to find the fucker who was following Nancy home and beat him into the ground.

Nancy is still sound asleep next to me and I hate that I have to leave her, but we have a club meeting that I can’t miss. Even if I’m banned from going on location, I need to be kept up to date with what’s going on or I’ll go crazy.

I slowly and quietly get out of bed after kissing her shoulder. I sigh as I straighten up and feel my heart break a little when I see the scars scattered across her perfect body. She did mention that some of her clients were rough but she assured me that she wasn’t beaten. I’m not sure what those scars were made with, but it’s messing with my head trying to figure out what the hell happened. A part of me wants to know, but the other doesn’t want to know exactly how she got them. I felt sick last night when I first saw them. I didn’t want to mention anything to her because she was half asleep and I don’t know how she feels about them, but knowing that people hurt her for their own sexual gratification is fucking killing me.

I pull the covers over her and leave a note on the nightstand by her phone.

My Gorgeous Girl,

Need to attend some club business. I’ll be back ASAP.

Stay safe. I don’t know if you can use it, but I’m leaving you a gun just in case you need it. I fucking hope you won’t need it.

Ryan will be outside keeping a look out for you. If you need anything just message him, his number is in your phone. He knows the alarm code.

I love you my Gorgeous Girl.

Bennett aka Sir-Dicks-A-Lot

I smile to myself as I imagine her reaction to the nickname I’ve given myself, she’ll either laugh or cringe. I place my gun on the nightstand and dress quickly, making sure I don’t wake her up. Once I’m ready, I take a last glance at her sleeping form before going downstairs. I grab my keys and walk out the door, making sure I rearm the alarm before I leave.

“She’s still asleep?” Ryan asks noticing I’m on time and perfectly dressed for once.

“Yes,” I say through gritted teeth which has the little fucker snorting. “Fuck off. I’ve left her my gun and told her to message you if she needs anything. Keep her safe and don’t try anything funny.” I glare at him.

“You know me.”

“That’s why I’m saying it. Keep her safe or you’re dead.” I look into his eyes for a few seconds before disappearing in the garage and climbing onto my bike.

“Ye of little faith.” He shakes his head.

“When it comes to Nancy, I don’t trust anyone.”

“Fair enough.” He nods and makes sure the garage door is closed before I drive away.

It feels like I’m leaving my whole heart behind in that bed as I drive away. I hate the feeling as much as I love it. Considering a fucker was sent to follow Nancy and do fuck knows what, I’m dreading today’s meeting. Usually my gut feelings are spot on and I really wish I’m wrong for once.

I drive the short way to the compound and park next to Gabe’s bike. I walk straight to the Chapel and see that most of the guys are already here.

“You look like shit,” Gabe kindly informs me.

“Didn’t sleep.”

“Why not? Something happened?” Ant asks.

“Someone was following Nancy last night when she was walking home from the bar.”

“Fuck.” I hear a few of them say and I nod in agreement. The Chapel fills quickly with the rest of the members and Lewis and soon after, the meeting begins.

“We have some more information about what’s been going on and why Nancy might have been targeted.” Ant keeps his eyes on me as he addresses the room, no doubt trying to make sure I don’t lose my shit.

“What makes you say that?” Aleck asks.

“I did some research last night; it was bugging me that they would target Nancy when she’s never done anything wrong. She’s innocent in all of this, but her parents did piss off a lot of people, the wrong people. Before Nancy was born, her parents were accused of fraud in the Pinehurst area. I couldn’t figure out who they were dealing with exactly, but that’s where the Infernos are located. I have no idea if it’s linked but it’s worth looking into further. I’m not sure if there has ever been some tension between you and the Infernos at some point, but that could be another reason why Nancy might have been targeted since Bennett and his parents moved next door to her and they started dating,” Lewis says which makes me feel like shit. I wonder if things would have been different if I had stayed away from Nancy. Would she still have been taken?

“Get those kind of thoughts out of your head Bennett. It is
not
your fault that she was taken. I’ll beat it in your thick skull if I have to.” Gabe glares at me and I nod.
Fucking mind reader.

“As far as I know, the club has never had any problem with the Infernos. Ayden’s father never mentioned them when I took over,” Ant informs us.

“It would be worth checking with him just in case. It’s just a possibility, I don’t have any proof of that and I’m not even sure Nancy’s parents were ever in contact with the Infernos. It’s all speculation at this point but we need to explore every avenue at this point,” Lewis suggests looking just as determined as the rest of us to get to the bottom of this.

“That could be why her parents hated me so much and wanted Nancy to stay as far away from me as possible. They were incredibly judgmental the moment we turned up in our moving truck.” I sigh, feeling defeated.

“We’ll get to the bottom of this.” Gabe tries to reassure me, but it just makes me angry.

“You know who’s behind it. You must know what the link between Nancy, me and those fuckers is!” I raise my voice, suddenly losing my patience with this bullshit.

“Calm down, Brother,” Ant shouts as he looks between me and Gabe, readying himself just in case we start to brawl.

“I’m out of here.” I push my chair away from the table and leave. I might be acting like a spoilt kid but I need to get out of here, I feel like I’m suffocating. I want to trust my brothers, but they know things I don’t and they refuse to tell me anything. How can I protect her if I don’t know who the threat is?

I get on my bike and take a long route home, I need to calm down before I see Nancy. The last thing I want is for her to suffer because of the mood I’m in.