Hadley Chapter 14

When we took the second call, we didn’t gather in Jinx’s office. We were in the clubhouse in the room they used for church. They’d educated me the other night about what church was. And it wasn’t just the five of us. The others were there, too. I had no idea why they were home in the middle of the afternoon. My puzzlement must’ve been evident.

“I sent out a text asking anyone who could come to get their asses here. I cleared it with the Patriots. The more eyes and brains we have on this the better,” Jinx explained.

“Thank you,” I told him.

“Anything for you sweetheart. Put that in my pro column,” he teased. He was still adding things he said should sway me to him. He made me laugh especially when Griffin got in on it and listed all the creative ways he could torture him.

Beast prevented me from saying anything more by bringing up a large screen on the wall with the rest of the Patriots and Dad. I saw that Sloan and Cassidy were with them, along with a woman I didn’t recognize. I knew it wasn’t Gemma. I’d seen her before.

“Okay, we’re back, and we have the security footage. Everyone, let me introduce Makayla. She’s our newest find. Makayla, this is the Ruthless Marauders MC. You know Griffin, and that’s Hadley Gerard. The gentleman with Mark is Travis Gerard, her father.” Sean made introductions.

“Hello. I wish we were meeting in person and for a more pleasant reason. Hopefully, we will soon. I know you’re anxious to see what we have, so I won’t waste your time. I got in quickly and perused the footage. At one forty-seven a.m. today, someone entered your lab. Here’s what the cameras caught.”

She tapped on a laptop in front of her. On our screen appeared the footage. A figure dressed all in black with a full ski mask entered the secure lab. The way the person moved told us that they knew the layout—no surprise there. That he or she quickly made their way to the camera recording this, and it was covered with something, was. Everyone cursed.

From there the screen kept quickly changing scenes. They were from other cameras in there, but none were directly focused on our prototype. We caught glimpses of the person moving around but not what he or she was doing. They were there for about fifteen minutes then the covering on the camera was removed and they left.

I was frustrated. This didn’t help us a bit. I still had no idea who it was. The way the figure appeared hunched, it could be a man or woman. Excluding me and Dad, there were seven others with the codes and ability to enter the lab. Retinal scans and fingerprints guaranteed that.

There was silence then Griffin broke it. “Whoever it is, they had to get past the retinal scan and the fingerprint scanner.”

“Which means it can only be one of seven. You met all of them the day we went to the lab,” I reminded him.

“I did, but that’s not the only way to get past the security. If you know what you’re doing, you can fool the retinal and fingerprint scans,” he dropped on us.

“How?” Dad asked.

“The fingerprint can be picked up with tape and transferred into a machine that will produce a replica that can be worn over your finger. As for the retinal scan, there are ways to map the retina to get a scan. Have either of you recently been to the eye doctor and had them do a retina check for glaucoma?” Gabe asked.

“How do you know that?” I asked.

“We can’t say, just know it’s possible. If anyone who works for you is tech savvy or has connections, they could do it, which unfortunately opens up our suspect pool. We can’t afford to rule anyone out. So far our background checks have shown no one with suspicious histories, emails, or unexplained large amounts of cash,” Sloan added.

“Cash?” Dad asked.

“Yes, we’re also checking that whoever came to your house wasn’t being paid to do it by someone else. Sabotage by other companies wouldn’t be out of the question. Those who want the government contracts Gerard’s has. You’ve been the primary defense contractor for years. That has to piss off people,” Undertaker said.

I groaned and laid my head on the table. “This is hopeless. This means it could be anyone. How do we figure out who, with these kinds of odds?”

“Unfortunately, unless they leave us a clue, not very fast. We have lots of manpower hours working on this. We know it’s frustrating and scary, but we will find out who it is and why, and we’ll stop them,” Griffin said confidently. I wish I had his certainty.

“And if we don’t? Playing devil’s advocate here, we can’t stay hidden away forever. We have a company to run and a project to finish. Also, this isn’t the only thing we’re working on right now. We have obligations and not fulfilling them might mean having to let people go. Our employees don’t deserve that. I’m gonna have to return to the lab soon to do more hands-on work,” I informed them.

“You can’t go back and let someone kill you! Your employees won’t want that,” Griffin snapped.

“Grif, I’ve lived under the threat of the possibility of someone kidnapping and killing me since I was nine years old. Hell, even before that. Despite doing everything Dad can to protect me, someone found out who I am. I’m not living my life in hiding.”

“You will until we catch this psycho. You hired us for our expertise. Use it. Listen to us,” he said, mostly to my dad.

“I hear you, and I agree, but I also agree with my daughter. We have to think of the employees and their livelihoods, too. I’m terrified of losing Hadley, but eventually, we will have to come out of hiding. The board is getting more and more antsy. I get daily emails asking where we’re at and when we are coming back. I won’t be able to hold them off forever.”

“Which ones are bugging you?” Sean asked.

“All of them, but especially Ansel Dewitt, not that I’m surprised. He and I have been friends for years. He’s worried about not only the company but me and Hadley.”

“Yes, Ansel has been like an uncle to me for as long as I can remember. He can be a bit abrasive, but he means well. I can’t recall a week going by that he and Dad didn’t talk or meet. It must be driving him nuts.”

“It is. Plus, our security guys are getting restless. They don’t like not doing their jobs,” Dad added.

“The security guards are reaching out too?” Gabe clarified.

“Yes, they are.” I verified.

Griffin’s head whipped around to me. “You’ve been in contact with them? I told you not to do that.”

“Hang on, I haven’t answered them, but I get their messages. Ortiz, Sanders, and Rockwell have all asked if I’m alright and when I’m coming home. They’re worried about their jobs, Griffin. Wouldn’t you be?”

“Their jobs are to keep you safe. If you staying in hiding and not communicating does that, then they should shut the fuck up. Let me guess: Rockwell has been the worst. I need to see your phone,” he snapped.

I was all for him being demanding in the bedroom, but not out here. His attitude made me get defensive. I glared at him. “I’d change my tune if I was you. I don’t take orders. Your attitude about Rockwell is why I didn’t mention it.”

“Of course, I have an attitude, as you call it. He’s not worried as your guard. He wants you, damn it. If you think for a minute I’m gonna let him get near you, then you don’t know your man, babe.”

I fought not to groan as he said the last part. I should’ve warned him not to say anything in front of Dad. And yes, Dad immediately caught on. I saw him perk up on his screen. Shit!

“Her man? Babe? Is there something you want to tell me, Hadley Marie?”

This made Grif grimace. He gave me an apologetic look. I opened my mouth to explain, but Grif beat me to it.

“Yes, Travis, you heard me right. We’d like to talk to you about it but we want to do it in private. If you’ll bear with us, as soon as we’re done with this, we’ll talk to you together.”

“Yes, we will,” was all Dad said.

The rest of the call was basically them discussing increasing their manpower to look into our people and their insistence that we had to stay hidden. I gave up arguing for the moment. When they ended the call, Griffin and I excused ourselves to go back to the house to call my dad from there. No one objected. As we headed there, he apologized.

“I didn’t mean to out us to your dad. It just slipped out. I know I get a bit crazy when it comes to Rockwell, but he wants you, and I can’t stand it. I don’t want him texting, calling, or even looking at you. I know that’s over the top, and I’m trying to work on it.”

“Good, and while you do, you need to work on not bossing me around. What I allow and even like in the bedroom doesn’t mean I want that to be my life outside of it. If you think something needs to be done, we talk it out, and you have to listen to my side and consider what I’m saying. You just dictating won’t get it. We won’t become anything other than temporary lovers, Griffin, if it’s like that.”

We’d made it to the house by then. He pulled me into his arms. “Babe, temporary isn’t in our vocabulary when it comes to us. I promise to work on it, but you have to give me some slack. I’m new to this whole relationship stuff. All I can think about is making sure you’re safe and mine. I can’t lose you. It took me years to find you.”

I sighed and put my head on his chest. “I don’t want to lose you either. All I ask is you work on it and I’ll do the same. Okay, enough talk. We have to call my dad. God, can I have a drink?”

He laughed. “No, you’re not getting drunk. Why are you so worried? Do you think he’ll hate it because I’m not like you?”

“If you mean the money, no. Will he hate it? I don’t think so, other than he’ll want to know everything about you and ask you a million questions. He’s never really been able to do that as a dad in the past.”

“I can handle it. Come on, no more procrastinating.” He tugged me along behind him to Jinx’s office. He made me sit then he pulled a chair around to sit beside me. He was the one to place the video call. Dad answered right away.

“What took so long?”

I explained, “We had to get from the clubhouse to Jinx’s house so we could have privacy.”

“Fine. Tell me, what’s going on? When I sent her with you, I didn’t expect you to start a sexual relationship with her. She may be an adult, but she’s still my daughter. That isn’t very professional. Do you often get involved with your clients? I won’t have my daughter used to stave off your boredom.” There was a bite to Dad’s tone.

To say I was shocked would be an understatement. “Dad! What in the world?”

“This is between me and him, Hadley. You and I will talk when I’m done with him. What’s wrong? You don’t have anything to say for yourself?” he asked Griffin.

I started to say something else, but Grif stopped me with a hand on my arm and a shake of his head. “Baby, don’t. He’s right. I need to talk to him. Travis, would you prefer to do it alone?”

“I would like to, possibly, but at the end. Tell me what you expect to get out of this, whatever it is. Hadley is a very rich woman and will only get richer one day. She’s smart and could have anyone. She’s going to change the world even more than she already has. What she needs isn’t someone who wants to have a good time for a few weeks and then leaves.”

“I have to stop you right there. I know she’s smart and will do great things. She’s also beautiful and giving, and she cares about people. You’ve raised a wonderful woman. However, letting any man use her is not to be tolerated. I can assure you that’s the last thing in the world I plan to do to her.”

“What then? You’re gonna see if dating works, and you can maybe have a real lasting relationship?” Dad’s tone was slightly less biting. It was so hard not to interrupt them, but I held my tongue.

“No, we’re not going to date.” I saw Dad’s face tighten when Grif said that. He continued. “This is as serious as it can get. I’m working to make sure your daughter is mine for the rest of our lives.”

“Does that mean you plan to get married one day?”

“Yes, marriage, house, kids, the whole thing. Hell, I want dogs, too, and the sooner, the better. I know it sounds too fast, but when you know, you know.”

I couldn’t tell if Dad was astonished, relieved, happy, or a mixture of the three. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, then his gaze shifted to me. “Hadley, what do you have to say to all of this? Do you feel the same? How serious is it?”

“Dad, it’s very serious, like Griffin said. We’re both on the same level about this. Yes, it’s super fast, but it feels right and in a way I’ve never experienced. You know how my past relationships have been. This is the first time a man knows everything about me, and he’s not intimidated, nor does he seem to care about those things.”

“What about you and Gerard’s and your status as my daughter and with the company? You know, once this threat is over, the days of hiding who you are are done. I won’t do it anymore. I need the world to know about you and to accept you’re my heir and that Gerard’s will be yours when I’m gone. Also, they need to know you’re a brilliant inventor and scientist in your own right and have been doing it for years. This will make you a bigger target and bring even more people into your life. Where will you live? How does he feel about you working?”

We hadn’t exactly talked about those things yet, but Griffin knew I wouldn’t give up my dad’s company. “We haven’t figured all that out yet, but he knows the company is part of me. I won’t part with it, and I don’t see him asking me to do that.”

“She’s right. I know, and I wouldn’t. As for her being a bigger target, I’ll ensure she’s well-protected. I would hope she’d be willing to move at least closer to Hampton so we could both split our time between our companies. Like her job, I’m committed to Dark Patriots. Mine may be a bit more flexible than hers. I believe I can do more remote work.”

“As long as you talk about those things and figure it out together, that’s all I ask. Combining your lives will take effort. If you’re not willing to work at it to make it work for both of you, then don’t go down this path. It’ll only end in hurt feelings and resentment.”

“Dad, I’m willing to put in the work, and I don’t expect him to do all the compromising.”

“Travis, I’m more than willing to do the same.”

“Good. Now, Hadley, would you be so kind as to leave so I can speak to Griffin alone?”

“Dad, be nice.” I made sure he could hear the plea in my voice.

He smiled. “I will, I promise.”

It was with great reluctance that I got up to leave. However my man didn’t let me go until after he gave me a kiss to take my breath away. He did it right in front of the monitor, so Dad saw it. I walked out a bit dazed when he let go of me. I think I might’ve wavered on my feet. When I got to the living room, I found Jinx there. He gestured for me to come to him. I went over and plopped down on the couch across from him.

“Talk to me. Tell me what your dad said and why Griffin isn’t out here,” he demanded, so I slowly filled him in.