Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3

Striker

At the sound of Athena's laughter, I shoot her a quick glare before focusing on the doors once again. I brought Lila in here because she'd asked me to. Her car was at the garage getting some repairs, and she wanted to come in after talking to Athena last night. I didn't expect to see Autumn wearing a Devil's Nirvana shirt.

For that matter, I didn't expect her to look so damn good wearing it.

I also didn't expect her to call me a jerkface.

Once both she and my sister are through the doors, Athena fills my vision, a grin firmly in place.

"What are you doing?" I demand, knowing her all too well.

"I'm not doing anything," she says, holding her hands up. "Well, I am working, so I'm doing something."

"You know what I fuckin' mean." I narrow my gaze and watch her carefully. Athena is a tricky woman to read. Only Brass has ever been able to figure her out. "Why all of a sudden is my sister looking to make money to save for while she's at school?"

"Lila can't just want a job?" Athena counters, cocking a brow.

"Babe, I know you," I state. Calling Athena babe is something I've done since I've known her. "Also talked to Brass last night. You're up to something, and I'm not buying it. I'm callin' bullshit here."

Athena watches me for a split second. I'm sure she's assessing and weighing her next move, finally, she nods. "Fine, you want to know, come to the apartment building tonight. Meet Brass and me in the offices."

"Got work to do at Devil's Nirvana." I'm not about to be pulled into something that'll just piss me off. I've got enough on my plate, as it were.

"I know that. So does Brass," she says. I swear if she were the type of woman to do it, she would add in a ‘duh'. "Come when you guys finish up."

"Fine," I remark, hoping it'll get her off my back. I'll go over there and then go home and be done with whatever it is she wants me to come over for .

"Great." Athena beams that smile of hers that gets her out of trouble with Brass in my direction. "Now, how about I get you something to eat and a treat while you wait? My treat."

"Sure." I hadn't eaten yet, so that would work for me. Turning away from the counter, I look at the different selections and see a roast beef and Swiss. I nab it, and Athena reaches over the counter with her hands stretched my way.

"Here you go. A treat to go with it."

Rolling my eyes, I snatch the little container, and move to one of the tables.

"You ready to explain to me why the hell we're meetin' in here right now?" Brass demands, giving his woman a disgruntled look.

"Because of this," Athena says, holding a remote in her hand and nodding to a set of screens along a wall off to the side.

For an apartment building, it's a damn secure one, and nothing goes on that Athena nor Lark don't know about. She presses a button on the remote, and the screens turn on. She does something else. "This was two days ago. Check the time. "

I look in the corner of one screen she indicates. Nine thirty at night. "Okay, what about it?"

"Just watch," she says.

I do so, and seconds later, Autumn comes into view, going to her apartment. She looks exhausted and ready to collapse at any second. She makes her way into her apartment, and that's it.

"Each night, she comes home around the same time. Now, watch this," Athena remarks and fast forwards a bit. "Listen."

It's muffled, but you could hear screams. Blood-curdling screams.

Athena moves forward in the feed and stops again. The time stamp registers barely two a.m. Seconds later, Autumn steps from her apartment, dressed and looking like she's heading to work.

"Each night, it's the same," Athena admits. "Lark looked at this video. He enhanced the audio so he could head the screams and if she said anything else. She cries out her sister's name."

"What about her sister?" None of us bothered to look into it when we found out. She wasn't a part of the club, just a friend of the ol' ladies. It wasn't our business. As long as it didn't affect the women.

"Her sister was killed in a murder-suicide while Autumn watched, unable to get to her," Athena answers, not beating around .

"How did no one know about this?" Brass asks, sounding pissed.

"Cops kept it quiet on behalf of the family," Athena explains. "Supposedly, Avery's ex, Rick, was a jerk and stalkerish. According to the report, he shoved his way into the house Autumn and Avery owned, forced Autumn through the front doors, leaving the solid oak door open for her to see inside and locking the glass paned storm door. Autumn reportedly yelled and screamed for him to let her in the house. To let her sister go. Then he killed her. Reports from neighbors said Autumn had banged on the storm door and yanked up on handle to get in, but she'd been beside herself unable to do so. All she could do was scream for her sister and the man to let her inside."

"Oh fuck." No wonder she sold the house and moved, but she hadn't lived in the apartment that long. If I remember correctly, she moved in around the time Athena started working at the café. "Where did she live after that?"

"My guess? The café or her car. She might have gone to the house to shower and change, but I doubt it." Athena takes a moment to take a breath and I twist to see she's closed her eyes to get her bearings.

"What is it?" I ask.

Athena nods to the screens again as she opens her eyes. "Yesterday, Lark decided to put some cameras and audio in her apartment while she was at work. After her kidnapping, he figured it could have triggered her somehow. That and that she could be targeted again."

"How do you figure again?" Brass asks cautiously.

"She was taken from outside her café. Someone had to know her schedule for them to get her. They had to watch her. And you two might have missed it, but I haven't, Autumn is stunning."

I hadn't missed it that day. Her wearing that shirt with the club's logo on it. The way it fit her tits, yeah, I didn't miss it.

"And?" Brass speaks up before me, waving a hand, motioning for her to keep going.

"Well," Athena takes a breath and lifts the remote, pointing at the screens, "this was this morning after we left."

On the screen, two men moved up the steps and to Autumn's door. One seems to be on the lookout while the other unlocks and opens her door. I glance at another screen that shows the inside of Autumn's apartment. For the most part, the place looks bare, with only essentials. But my attention sticks to the men who were in her apartment. They were looking around, and I saw one pick up what looked like a vase. He reaches into his pocket, pulls something out, and then puts whatever it is in the vase.

"What did he put in the vase?" I find myself asking, eyes glued to the cameras. My gaze shifts to the other guy who was in Autumn's bedroom. He opens a drawer, pulls out a pair of Autumn's underwear, a thong, and brings it to his nose, sniffing it. "Fuckin' hell."

Athena fast-forwards until it's playing live. "She's up and in the shower," she says, turning the camera off to the bedroom. "I went in and got what was planted in that vase. It was a listening device. I also was able to get a still image of them. I sent the image to both Gadget and Lark just a bit ago. I'm guessing they work for ‘Marionette' guy. He up and disappeared when we got those girls back."

That he did, he all but vanished. "You're thinking he's back at it?"

"A hundred percent so, and I think he's after her," she says, nodding at the cameras.

I nod and watch the screens, seeing her come into view as she leaves her room, then leaves the apartment.

"She needs help and doesn't even know it. More so, she needs to heal," Athena remarks softly.

"She's the only one who can heal herself," I tell her, not liking the way she's looking at me.

"She's into you, Striker. You could help her. If anything, maybe you can keep her safe. "

"We're not talking about this." I'm not about to discuss something like this with Athena. She's out of her mind if she thinks she can play matchmaker. I get Autumn needs protecting. This shit with ‘Marionette' guy, it's serious business and can't be dismissed. "We need to talk to Twister and Horse about this. They need to know what's up."

"Agreed," Brass nods curtly. "We'll do it later today after we both get some sleep."

"Meet you at the clubhouse at noon?" I suggest.

"Works for me," he agrees.

"Good, I'm outta here." I look to the cameras and watch as Autumn makes her way out of the building and into the night.

Something twists inside me, not liking the fact she's leaving so early. If she were in my bed, there's no way in hell she'd be going to work this early. She'd be too damn exhausted. I'd have her worn out to the point she wouldn't be able to have nightmares.

I leave the office and make my way out of the building. My mind going over all of this new information about a woman I didn't even want to know at first.

Now, I find myself wanting to know more.