The Biker's Protection - Book 3 (Motorcycle Club Romance) (Ghosts of the Prairie Motorcycle Club) (3 page)

“Okay, so history. What about the dog? Do you know if your stepmom took anything that she could have given the dog?”

“I don’t know. I really wasn’t that close to her,” said Savannah. “She didn’t exactly like me.”

“I guess I should watch my back,” said Trenton, with a raised eyebrow. “She didn’t exactly like me either. We’re going to look around your place. If I recall, this place has a little bungalow on it. A kind of granny suite down by the water?”

“Yeah,” said Savannah. 

“We still have to check that,” said Foley.

“Let’s go, guys,” said Danny.

The bikers moved through Savannah’s house out the back way. Damn! There were rippling with muscles and so handsome like modern day knights. They had such an intense presence. She had no doubt if they were willing to watch over her place, that she was completely safe.

“They’ll be out of your hair in a little bit,” he said. 

“So who has first shift?” she asked.

“I got first watch,” he whispered, his fingers lingering on her face.

She raised her eyes and laughed. “Just like that? You’re going to stay with me? You guys don’t have jobs?” she asked.

“Well, typically, people sleep at night which is when we’d be staying here. During the day, we’ll disburse. I do work since you asked. I’m a fireman with the Devil’s Lake Fire Department. I am on three, off four. That’s why I’m first,” he said with a tilt of his head.

“Oh, I see,” she said. “With the house paid for, I have the luxury of working from home. I write articles for magazines.”

 “Nice,” said Foley. “And Trenton, for example, can’t stay the night here. He’s got clients.  He could eventually, but tomorrow he has early meetings. Plus, he has a new girlfriend, Jennifer.  Probably wouldn’t want to involve her.”

“Oh, I didn’t know he had a girlfriend,” she said. “In all the time he worked for me, he never said.”

“Yes, he does. My captain just got married. Lovely girl. Love at first sight he claims,” he said. “We Ghosts. We love our women.”

Something about the way he said that made her flutter. 

The bikers stepped back into the house through the slider. 

“So I think we also should have someone staying out there, once it gets cleaned up. Doug and Mike are processing it. They’re calling out more people,” said Danny.

“Why is that?” asked Foley.

“Well,” Danny began, “it was definitely broken into and ransacked.”

Now Savannah was officially freaked out.

“But I had a security system,” remarked Savannah.

Danny grinned. “You had an alarm. Now you have a security system.”

Chapter 5

It was decided the deputies would sleep in the guest house which was photographed and processed. The activity didn’t disturb Foley and Savannah. After the excitement of the day, Savannah told herself she was going to sleep like a log that night. But the combination of having taken a nap coupled with the news that her guesthouse had been broken into, she was wired. She determined Beau was totally fine for a walk. As they were walking out of the door, Foley stepped out of the guest bathroom with a toothbrush in his mouth and stopped them. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” he asked evenly.

“I’m walking the dog,” she shrugged.

He looked at his watch.

“Not this late,” he said sternly.  

“Boy, you are strict,” she flirted. “Any other orders I should follow?”

“It’s nine o’clock. It’s after dark. I’m coming with you,” he said.

Savannah smiled.

“What?” he asked.

She thought it was awfully cute that he was talking to her and brushing his teeth at the same time. But she didn’t say that.

“Sure,” she said. “We’ll wait for you.”

Savannah’s development had no sidewalks. The roads meandering through the sweeping lots were wide and paved with smooth, shiny asphalt. The occasional street light cast a shine on them. But not much obscured the vast prairie sky. It was late September. Sweater weather at night on Devil’s Lake. But even with her hoodie on, Savannah shivered.

Foley capitalized on that. He hooked his arms with hers and Savannah thought it was sweet. Foley was so wonderfully big and tall. His body was so incredibly warm and electric. Her reaction to their chemistry was almost ticklish. It wired right to her center. She shivered again but for a different reason. He let his arm drop, taking her hand in his.

He leaned toward her a little bit, and she leaned toward him a little bit. They met in the middle, their soft, warm lips grazing one another. Just touching him, a rush of pleasure washed through her. She heard herself make a noise. He touched her jaw line with his fingertips. Soon he was raking his fingers through her hair. And she, his.

It was a little tough to reach that high because Foley was a tall boy. But it was worth it. His curls were incredibly soft and wonderful to play with. She didn’t mind that she had to rest a good portion of her arm on his massive chest. Or that she pressed her body to his to kiss him.

A moment of clarity visited them, and they broke the kiss. But they lingered. He looked every bit as affected by their chemistry as she was. Foley had wonderful, thick lashes lining his smoky eyes. She felt doped from their kiss.

It wasn’t as though there was an audience, except of course for Beau. It was just Savannah, Foley, Beau and the vast cloud and moonlight splotched sky. They were serenaded by sounds of Devil’s Lake lapping the shore. Foley gingerly touched her jaw and leaned down to kiss her. 

His hot wet tongue penetrated her mouth. Once inside her, Savannah revved up. She tightened her arms around him and kissed him back with everything she had. He was so new to her, but she didn’t feel like they just met. She let her tongue dance with his. He tasted so sweet. She drew on him and nibbled his full lower lip. He moaned with delight. He tangled his fingers in her long hair, gripping her head while he feasted at her lips.

The whir of a lone motorcycle split the air. It coursed down the quiet street. It slowed as it approached the two infatuated individuals. Savannah hoped that it would just go around them. She didn’t want to wake up from the moment. He was that wonderful. 

“I guess we better move,” Foley laughed.

He took her hand and guided Savannah with the dog to the shoulder of the road. The bike revved its engine and sped away. It was definitely a hostile gesture.

“Do you know him?” she asked.

“No, that was a Rigger. A Ghost wouldn’t act that way. We don’t really have rivals per se but if we did, they’d be the closest thing to them. They’re the guys that flooded here during the fracking boom. They’re obnoxious,” said Foley.

Savannah laughed. 

“What?” he asked.

“Well, bikers kind of have a rep for being hard-edged. Anarchists. I think it’s kind of funny that you object to his behavior,” she said.

“It wasn’t very nice now, was it?” he asked flirtatiously, wrapping his arms around her.

“No, it wasn’t,” she said. 

“Question is, what’s a Rigger doing out here?  We’re all over. Riggers are around the boomtowns. Or bust towns. Like Parshall,” he said.

“Parshall?” she said. “That’s where my stepmother is from.”

“Interesting.”

“Do you think she’s paying them to stalk me? Or maybe she’s sleeping with one of them. She’s such a whore.”

He blew out a long breath. “I just don’t know yet.”

Chapter 6

Carolyn Payton, Savannah’s former stepmother, was not happy to be in the Devil’s Lake sheriff station. Neither was Paul Kerley, the man who had been Savannah’s father’s estate lawyer. But Savannah’s guest house was ransacked and robbed, and their fingerprints were all over the place.

Foley was kind enough to give up yet another day off to help Savannah sort everything out. It was a good thing too because Carolyn Payton, though not much older than Savannah, managed to make her nervous. Still.

“I haven’t been at that property for over six months. Not since my late husband passed,” she insisted. 

“Did you take things?” asked Sheriff Doug.

“Yes,” she replied. “Paul here helped me. But at the time, I was married. Whatever I took, I was entitled to. But we didn’t destroy the place. It was in order when we left it.”

“So you’re saying the destruction in the guest house was separate from your filching possessions from Mr. Payton?” asked the sheriff calmly.  

“She’s not answering any more questions about removing possessions, and Carolyn leave the “we” out of it. For the record, sheriff, she made that statement on her own behalf, not mine,” said the attorney.

“When did you leave town?” asked Sheriff Doug. 

“You mean move to Parshall?” asked Carolyn. “I was left penniless by the will in case you hadn’t heard. I had to move back home in order to make ends meet.”

“Must have been tough,” said the sheriff.

“Know any bikers in Parshall?” asked Foley randomly.

“Are you an officer of the law?”

“No,” said Foley. “Don’t the tats answer that question? Or maybe the long hair?

“Screw off!” she said. “And quit talking to me.”  

“Then don’t ask questions,” he replied.

“Don’t fucking tell me what to do, asshole.”

“I’ll ask the question then,” said the sheriff calmly. “Do you know any bikers?”

“I know people in Parshall. What everyone’s past time is, well, I can’t account for,” she said. “Are we done?”

“No,” said the sheriff. “I want a list of all the items you removed from the guest house prior to your husband’s death.”

“I’m glad you got the house, Savannah. I bet it’s lonely in that big house all by yourself with no friends or family, or even a boyfriend.”

“The sheriff shoved a notepad her way. “Just write it down.”

“I can’t remember everything,” said Carolyn.

“Well, I have a catalog of what belongs in the guest house,” Savannah said coolly. “We can just make the list by eliminating what’s not on the list and create it that way.”

“And if we find that whatever is missing should not be in your possession, we’ll press criminal charges,” said the sheriff.

“This is a civil matter at best,” scoffed the lawyer.

“And it will be your license, at worst,” said the sheriff. “I want a date when you claim you removed items from that guesthouse, Mrs. Payton, and it better jibe with court documents. If I find you took those things after you were barred from the property, I’m coming after you.”

Carolyn Payton grinned. “I wouldn’t mind.”

Savannah was disgusted. “Oh, right in front of your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” retorted Carolyn.

“He may very well be your cellmate if I find you two are in on something,” said the sheriff.

“Wow,” said the lawyer. “Way to intimidate. If we are done here, and you don’t have anything better to do…”

“I would say we’re done here.”

Carolyn Payton and the estate lawyer stood to make a grand exit. By all appearances, Carolyn intentionally shoved Savannah’s chair.

“Ooops,” said Carolyn.

The sheriff and Foley were on their feet at the same time. 

“I have your oops, Ms. Payton,” said Foley coldly.

“Who are you anyway?” smirked Carolyn. “Are you the honey or something? I didn’t know Savannah went and got herself a biker. And you’re still around after the sex. Wow. Men usually tend to run the next morning. Poor Savannah has no luck with men.” 

Foley and Savannah were silent. 

“Oh, you are,” said Carolyn. “Look Paul. Savannah has a pet. Do you think they’re fucking yet? They couldn’t be. Or else he would’ve left her in the dust. But then again, he
is
trash. But he is delicious. Toodles.”

Savannah boiled. When they left the sheriff’s office, she could finally speak. 

“I don’t know why my dad married her. My dad wasn’t like that. He only joined a club because of her. Fortunately, most of the other people there with money worked for it. I hate her.”

Foley put a calming hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy.”  

Savannah took some deep, purposeful breaths.

“She’s right about one thing,” Foley said gravely.

“What?” Savannah said, tears wetting the corners of her eyes.

“I
am
delicious,” he replied.

The sheriff shook his head as he laughed.

“Seriously,” said the sheriff. “So that can explain why their prints are in that cottage. If you haven’t been in the cottage much or at all, then we might be back at square one. If I find either print in a more high traffic area, say a surface that has been cleaned since she moved out, then we have something.”

“Nothing on the glass?” Savannah asked.