Chapter 34 Going To See Her
Grayson
I pushed my bike as hard as it would go, weaving through the late-night traffic and ignoring the red lights because all I could think about was the fear in Aria's voice when she told me about the men outside her house. I didn't want to go at first because of the curse, the more I was around Aria the more i felt the curse and in as much as I wouldn't admit it, I was starting to like being around her. I shoved the feeling down and focused on the road while the rain blurred my vision through the helmet visor. I reached her street in less than ten minutes and saw the black sedan parked exactly where she said it would be, so I didn't slow down as I roared past it and pulled my bike right onto the sidewalk in front of her apartment building.
I left the engine running and kept my helmet on for a second so I could scan the area, and I saw the two men in the car sit up straight when they saw me, but they didn't get out or try to move. They knew who I was and they knew better than to pick a fight with a Nightfang Alpha in the middle of the street, so I turned off the bike and marched toward the entrance of the building. I didn't bother using the intercom and just used a master key to get inside, then I took the stairs three at a time because the elevator was too slow and I needed to see for myself that she was okay.
When I reached the third floor, I stood outside her door for a second and listened, and I could hear the faint sound of a television and a woman humming, so I knocked firmly on the wood.
"Aria, it's me, open the door," I said, and I heard the sound of multiple locks being turned before the door swung open and she stood there, looking pale and holding her phone like a weapon.
"You're actually here," she whispered, and she looked like she wanted to collapse, but she stayed on her feet and stepped aside so I could walk into the small apartment.
"I told you I was coming, and I don't say things I don't mean," I replied, looking around the room and seeing an older woman sitting on the sofa who must have been her grandmother. The place was small and smelled like old books and soup, and it felt too fragile for the kind of trouble that was sitting out on the street right now.
"Grayson, this is my Nana," Aria said, gesturing toward the woman who was looking at me with curious eyes.
"Nana, this is the man I told you about, the one who is helping me with the company stuff."
"You're a very big man, Mr. Hart," Nana said, squinting at me while she kept her knitting needles moving.
"And you look like you're in a hurry, so I suppose we aren't just sitting down for tea and cookies tonight."
"No, ma'am, we aren't," I said, turning back to Aria and keeping my voice low so I wouldn't scare the old woman.
"You need to pack a bag for yourself and for her, and you need to do it right now because those men in the car aren't going to just sit there all night and I can't protect you in a place with this many windows and a thin wooden door."
"Wait, we're leaving?" Aria asked, and she looked panicked as she looked around her living room.
"Where are we going? I can't just take Nana out in the rain in the middle of the night, she has a weak heart and she needs her rest."
"She can rest where we're going, but if you stay here, you’re sitting ducks for the Iron Fangs or whoever Jess has sent to watch you," I explained, and I walked over to the window to see that the black car was still there, only now the driver was on his phone.
"They’re calling for backup, Aria, and I’m not going to let you be here when it arrives, so go get your things and be fast about it."
Aria looked like she wanted to argue, but she saw the look on my face and realized I wasn't joking, so she hurried into the back rooms to start grabbing clothes and medicine. I stood in the middle of the room and felt awkward, especially when Nana stopped knitting and just stared at me with a knowing look in her eyes that made me want to look away.
"You're worried about her," Nana said, and it wasn't a question.
"I'm worried about the trouble she's in, ma'am," I replied, but she just shook her head and went back to her knitting.
"She's a strong girl, but she's got a soft heart, so don't you go breaking it while you're trying to save her life," she whispered, and before I could answer, Aria came back into the room with two small suitcases and a plastic bag full of pill bottles.
"I have everything, but I don't know how we're going to get Nana down the stairs and into a car without those men seeing us," Aria said, and she was biting her lip so hard I thought it might bleed.
"We aren't taking a car, I have my bike, but I called Jax and he's pulling up in the van around the back of the building in two minutes," I told her, and I reached out to take the heavy suitcases from her hands.
"I'll carry the bags, and you help your Nana down the service stairs so we don't have to go through the front lobby where they can see us from the street."
We moved quickly and quietly through the dark hallway, and I kept my ears open for any sound of someone following us, but we made it to the back alley without any trouble. A plain white van was waiting there with the engine idling, and Jax poked his head out of the driver's side window and gave me a nod before hopping out to help Nana into the back seat.
"Is this the place, Alpha?" Jax asked, looking at the two women and then at me.
"Yeah, take them to the clubhouse and tell the guys to set up the spare room in the living quarters," I ordered, and I saw Aria's eyes go wide when she heard where we were going.
"The clubhouse? You mean the biker place? Grayson, I can't take my grandmother to a biker bar," she protested, but I just put my hand on her shoulder and looked at her until she stopped talking.
"It's not a bar, it's a fortress, and it's the only place in this city where I have fifty men who will die before they let anyone touch either of you," I said, and the intensity in my voice seemed to finally settle her down.
"I’ll be right behind the van on my bike, so just get inside and stay low until we get past the gates."
Aria climbed into the van next to her Nana, and I watched as Jax pulled away into the rainy night before I hopped back on my motorcycle. I didn't care about being subtle anymore, so I revved the engine and pulled out onto the main road, trailing the van