Page 44 of Colt

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Colt

Iwas becoming restless. Ember had filled us in on her plan to give fake information to Torch to keep her family safe and to throw him off track in case he suspected we were on to him. I could admit it was a genius idea. Viking and I came up with things she could tell him. We had to do it just right. He knew I wouldn’t share things with Ember, but she needed to feed him something he would believe was useful and so far, he was believing it all.

It sucked to be in this position with someone we considered a brother, but we were all confident he was up to something. This would, hopefully, buy us some time to figure it out. We were keeping an eye on the Phantoms on our own, not just relying on other chapters and tapping our police contacts as well.

Things between Ember and I were still a bit tense, but I’d driven her to and from work each day for the last couple of weeks. We didn’t talk much when we were together, but I was starting to like having her on the back of my bike.

With it being the first week of December, the temperatures had cooled considerably, so taking long rides was something all of us looked forward to. Knowing she loved to ride as much as I did had me taking the long way to and from work just so we could enjoy it.

Viking and I wanted her to quit her job so we could better protect her, but she put her foot down when we suggested it. The thing we wouldn’t budge on was her staying at the clubhouse. She didn’t fight us on that. I don’t think she wanted to return to her old place after everything that happened there.

At club events, we played our roles. A little too well. We hadn’t had sex since Fitz’s funeral, but we had to stay in each other’s rooms more often than not to keep the gig up and it was awkward as fuck. Sleeping with her had only messed with my head more, but I refused to fuck other women until this was over. It didn’t matter if this wasn’t real because appearances mattered to her—and to me.

Ember wasn’t much of a talker, and neither was I. When we were alone, we tended to enjoy the silence together or talk about anything besides ourselves or our situation. She went with the flow, which I was starting to appreciate about her. She expected nothing from me, and I owed her my respect for everything she’d gone through and what she was still willing to go through for this club.

Now that the barriers that allowed me to keep my distance from her were gone, I found myself enjoying being with her. She wasn’t the girl I knew seven years ago—she was better. That spark she’d had, it was there but with age, it’d tempered to strength and courage. She stood her ground but knew when to give in because it made sense, not because she was browbeaten into it. Being with Torch and terrified of what he could do to her and her family, I realized, had taken a huge piece of her, but now that the asshole was hundreds of miles away, she was coming out of her shell. But, my life was too complicated to get too comfortable with her, and I couldn’t drag her into my shit. Knowledge that it would be a complete disaster didn’t make it any easier to stay away.

Once again, I was thinking about Ember when I should be concentrating on work. Finishing up at The Den, I started to lock up my office when I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. Digging it out of my jeans, I groaned when I saw it was a text from Jenna.

Jenna:I’ve waited long enough. It’s time for me to meet Ember. Bring her by on Thursday at 10am.

I laughed at her audacity to demand the date and time of the meeting instead of asking, but it was probably better to get it over with. At least it gave me two days to prepare Ember for what was likely to be an unpleasant encounter.

I pulled up to the clubhouse and went in search of Ember. Her room was empty, and I didn’t see her anywhere else. After searching outside, I tried her cell phone but there was no answer. Finally, I decided to call Kate. The two of them hung out often so there was a good chance they were together.

After a couple of rings, someone finally answered. “There better be a good reason you’re calling my girl and not me.” Of course, Mac saw my name on the caller ID.

“Calm down, asshole. I’m looking for Ember, is she over there?”

“Nah, man. Haven’t seen her all day. Is everything okay?”

“I hope so. Let me know if Kate hears from her?”

“Will do. If you need anything, call me.”

With a grunt of agreement, I hung up the phone. I’d picked up Ember earlier from work and dropped her off here. She didn’t mention any plans to go somewhere, and I began to worry. It wasn’t like her to disappear like this. I hopped on my bike, unsure where I should start looking.

I drove around town, wracking my brain for any clues as to where she could be. An idea came to me, and I knew where I might find her since she didn’t really go anywhere but work, the clubhouse, or hang out with Kate or Evelyn.

Pulling up in front of the small house, I was hit with a rush of emotions. This home was the place one of my best friends spent his final moments. At the time, I wanted to blame Ember for Fitz’s death. And while I would give anything to have him back, I was also extremely grateful to him for saving her that morning.

The light from a small lamp led me to believe I guessed right in assuming she was here. Quietly, I walked up to the front door, and what I heard and saw through the open window broke my heart.

Ember was curled up in the fetal position, lying on the hardwood floor while huge sobs overtook her body.

I turned the handle, grateful yet pissed to find it unlocked. Wordlessly, I walked over to Ember, sat down, and pulled her into my lap. She didn’t say anything, but she buried her head in my chest and continued to cry.

“Baby, let me help you. Tell me what’s wrong.” It took her a couple of minutes to calm down enough to speak.

“I wanted to grab a few of my things, so I came over here. But, the minute I walked in, all I could see was Fitz lying on the ground.” She started to sob again, so I rubbed her back to try to soothe her. “I miss him so much, and I feel like it’s all my fault that he isn’t here anymore.”

I hated that she was blaming herself, and that I’d done that to her as well. She needed to let go of that guilt. “You’re not responsible for what happened.” She started to argue, but I cut her off. “None of it. We will find out what happened and we’ll take care of it.”

I wanted my words to comfort her and judging by the way she snuggled deeper into my chest, I suppose it was working.

“You really cared about him, didn’t you?” My question wasn’t accusatory although the thought had crossed my mind that they shared something more than friendship. It was another reason my feelings were conflicted when it came to Ember.