Leave a Trail (Signal Bend #7)(4)
When she’d visited in January, he wouldn’t touch her at all. Not even a friendly hug. Heck, not even a handshake. She’d been in town for four days, and she’d seen him one time, and they had not touched even in passing. She’d left heartbroken, thinking that he didn’t even want to be friends any longer.
And then, a couple of weeks later, he’d called her. Sobbing—and very clearly wasted out of his head.
He’d been almost impossible to understand, but he’d rambled on about nightmares and pain and blood and…Adrienne had thought he’d had some kind of hallucination, because half the things she’d been able to make out from his garbled ravings had been too horrific to be real—too nightmarish even to be nightmares.
Except when she took into account Show’s back. And Len’s eye. And Havoc. And Badger, who was just…broken.
He’d seemed to come out of his fit a little at the end of the call. Panicking about what he’d disclosed, he’d sworn her to secrecy. Not sure exactly what secrets he’d revealed, she’d promised not to say anything to anyone. And she hadn’t. But then he’d cut contact completely. Until last week, when she’d threatened to tell Show. At least then, she’d gotten a text back.
Something was really wrong. And even though he’d pulled away—or maybe because he’d pulled away —Adrienne couldn’t just sit in her father’s house in New Paltz, New York and wonder. She had to know.
Without breaking her promise, she had only one option: see for herself. So here she was, getting out of her car in the Night Horde clubhouse lot.
The night air was chilly and a little damp on this March night, so there were only a few people milling around outside, none of whom she recognized. They all watched her go in, though, their curiosity whetted.
She smiled at their stares and opened the door.
The room was redolent with sounds of country music and chatter, and the smell of weed, cigarettes, and booze. Except for the country music, it wasn’t that different from the few frat parties she’d attended at Columbia. Stopping just inside the door, she took it all in. Not a bad crowd, though not really a wild one.
Some people were playing video games. Others were playing pool. Everybody was drinking. A couple of girls were dancing in a vaguely sexy and clearly drunk way. But the scene felt a lot more subdued than she’d been expecting. Show was standing at the bar, his back to her. Len stood next to him, and he saw Adrienne. He cocked his head and said something to Show, who turned around, his brows raised in surprise.
Then Show grinned and walked over. “Hey, little one.” He bent down and folded her up in his massive arms. It was like being hugged by Mt. Everest. “What’re you doing here? Not supposed to be in until tomorrow, right?”
Still snugged into his chest, she hugged him back as hard as she could. He wasn’t her father—she had a wonderful father already—but she’d come to really love this giant, gentle man. When she’d first met him, he’d beat a man unconscious practically right in front of her, but he didn’t scare her even a little. “I didn’t want to stop again. Motels give me the creepies.”
He set her back and looked down at her. “Well, I’m glad to see you. Shannon’s not here, though, hon.
She’s at home.”
“Is she still feeling gross?”
“Not so bad as she was. Just tired a lot. She’s probably sleeping, but I can give her a call and let her know you’re in early.”
“No—no. Let her sleep. Can I hang here for a little? Is Badge around?”
He looked around, and Adrienne could see his hesitation. He didn’t want her here. But when he turned back to her, he was smiling. “Sure. Don’t wander much. I’ll be heading out in an hour or so, and I’ll follow you home. Sound good?”
“Yeah. Sounds great. Is Badge here?”
Again, there was some hesitation. “Think so, yeah. You want a drink? Beer?” He put his huge hand on her back and pushed her gently but with determination toward the bar. She let him, because she got it.
Badger didn’t want to see her, and Show knew it, somehow. She’d always gotten the impression that he wasn’t thrilled with their friendship, but not in any kind of aggressive way. He didn’t get between them; it was more like he just preferred her away from the club. Maybe that was all his hesitation tonight was—her first time in the clubhouse during a party, coming in and surprising him, made Show just generally reluctant. But it felt like more.
“A beer for the lady, Double A.”
Double A, wearing a Prospect kutte, poured her a beer from a tap. He was pretty cute, and when he smiled as he handed her the glass, he was gorgeous. She smiled back, but then his eyes shifted to Show, and his smile disappeared. As she took a drink, she turned to see Show glaring at him. So maybe his weird vibe truly was just him not really wanting her in the clubhouse after all.
For a while, she sat between Show and Len, drinking her beer and chatting about her drive, her father and brothers, Shannon, the house Len was building—a lot of aimless chitchat, but nice. This was not at all the party she’d expected to walk in on. There was no sign of Badger yet; maybe Show had been wrong, and he wasn’t around after all.
Nearing the time that he wanted to leave, Show headed off to the bathroom. Then she happened to look down the bar, and she saw Badger walking into the Hall.