Текст книги "Arrow's Hell"

Автор книги: Chantal Fernando

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Текущая страница: 14 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

 TWENTY-SIX 

WHEN I’m safe at Lana’s, tucked into the guest room bed, I check my phone. Fifty-two missed calls and twelve messages. Not wanting anyone to worry, I send out a message to Rake.

With Lana. I’m safe.

He replies instantly.

Thank fuck! I was worried, Anna.

Another message.

I’ll come and get you.

Yeah, that isn’t happening.

No, I’ll come back tomorrow, I reply.

Fine, love you. We need to talk.

Love you too, bro.

I don’t read Arrow’s text messages, or check my voice mail.

I also don’t sleep.

*   *   *

Lana sticks her head through the doorway. “Morning!”

“Morning,” my voice thick with fatigue.

She frowns, opening her mouth, then shaking her head. “Did you know that Arrow is sitting on my front porch?”

I sit up. “What?”

How did he even know where Lana lived?

“Yeah, no idea how long he’s been there. Mother saw him when she was on her way to work and sent me a text.”

I blink slowly a few times. “Did he scare her?”

Lana smirks. “No. Apparently she was worried about him because he looks like hell.”

Typical.

Lana’s mother was a saint—and she definitely passed on her kind and gentle nature to her daughter.

With a frustrated puff of breath, I get out of bed and walk to the front door. When I open it, I see Arrow sitting there, back against the wall, his head lowered. He looks defeated, and I hate it. He looks up when I clear my throat.

“What are you doing here, Arrow?”

He wets his lips. “You wouldn’t return my calls.”

“And for good reason,” I snap. “I didn’t want to talk to you. How did you even get here? You better not have ridden, because you were drunk as hell!”

He winces, and I wonder if he’s still a little drunk.

“Tracker dropped me off,” he says, running his hand through his hair. “Can we talk?”

I look around. “Why didn’t you push that woman off your lap?”

He swallows. “She just came and sat there. I was so busy feeling fuckin’ sorry for myself that I didn’t even think. She was just sitting there, Anna, it’s not like we were fucking. You know I’d never be unfaithful to you.”

“And how do I know that? You weren’t even faithful to Mary, and you loved her.”

His expression is etched in pain and guilt. “Who told you that?”

“Is it true?” I ask him.

“Not exactly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Mary knew I wasn’t exclusive with her,” he says, pushing himself off the ground and coming to stand in front of me. “When she died, I knew I’d screwed up. I should have treated her better. But I also learned my lesson, to never take someone for granted. Which is why I would never do that to you.”

“Janet told me,” I say. “And then I walked in and saw that woman get comfortable in your fuckin’ lap while you just sat there, like it was a daily occurrence that someone else’s ass was pressed against your crotch!”

Arrow curses and lifts his hand to my cheek. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to hurt you, Anna. I never did.”

“Don’t be sorry, just tell me why you didn’t think that I deserved to know about my father. Or that Talon is my stepbrother, or that . . .”

I trail off.

“Or that I murdered your father?” he says in a broken voice. “Fuck. I wanted to tell you, Anna. I was going to tell you.”

His voice breaks. “But how the fuck do you tell someone that? Especially someone you love?”

He loves me?

“I don’t know, Arrow, but I know that I wish you’d told me,” I reply, looking away from him. I sit down on the porch steps, defeated.

“I didn’t want to lose you, Anna. I can’t lose you. I need you to know that if I knew . . . if I knew, I wouldn’t have done it. Fuck, Anna. I didn’t know. I didn’t even know you then . . .

“Fuck,” he mutters, going to his knees before me. “I do love you, Anna; do you know that?”

My heart grips on to his every word.

“I wanted to say it back to you when you said it to me, I wanted to . . .”

“Why didn’t you?” I ask.

Why now? I want to ask. Is he just telling me because he thinks he’s going to lose me?

“Because I knew I didn’t deserve to say those words, and I don’t deserve to say them now, but I’m selfish when it comes to you.”

Arrow hugs me, wrapping his arms around me tightly and telling me how sorry he is, how he never knew, how if he could change it he would.

I believe him.

“You didn’t know, Arrow,” I tell him. “But I need some time alone, okay? I just need to work through all this.”

He looks like his heart is breaking, but I need to fix me now. I can’t fix anyone else when I’m feeling so broken.

“Anna, don’t ask me to leave you alone. I fuckin’ can’t.”

“Just give me a few days, Arrow,” I tell him. “Please.”

“Okay,” he whispers, kissing my forehead, then swooping down and kissing my lips once.

The gentle kiss feels final.

Like he’s saying good-bye.

I can feel the want, the need for me, pulsating off him.

I want to tell him everything is going to be okay—but I can’t right now.

I’m too confused.

Blade picks Arrow up, and I get back into bed.

I roll over and bury my face into the pillow, crying for the father I’d lost but never had in the first place, and for the man I loved but didn’t know if I could forgive.

*   *   *

The next morning, a large bouquet of flowers and a huge plush tortoise arrive at Lana’s front door.

I know they have flowers for every occasion, but I didn’t think there was one for finding out the man you love murdered a father you’d never met. Orange tulips, however, were beautiful and my favorite.

The note reads:

Don’t give up on me. I love you. —Arrow.

 TWENTY-SEVEN 

THE next day, Rake enters my temporary room at Lana’s, coming to sit next to me and pulling me into his arms. “How you feeling?”

I shrug. “I don’t really know, to be honest. Numb, I guess. You?”

He sighs. “I never knew him, Anna, and he obviously didn’t care about getting to know us. He left us with our bitch of a mother, and he had to have known she was drug-fucked. Arrow, on the other hand, has always had my back, is my brother, and will always be there for me.”

“Do you not care that Dad is dead because he was president of an enemy MC?” I ask him, frowning. It was obvious the club meant more to him than a father we never knew. How come I am having a harder time looking at it that way?

“Sometimes you got to make your own family, Anna,” he says, smiling sadly.

It is a sad truth. I don’t want to think about Arrow having killed my father, but I’d never even known the man. I love Arrow, and he’s always been good to me.

“When did Arrow tell you?” I ask him.

“After the two of you spoke. He’s devastated, Anna,” he says, looking upset.

“What are you going to do about Talon?” I ask him. I couldn’t think about Arrow right now.

His eyes harden slightly. “Nothing. He kidnapped you, Anna, and he knew you were his stepsister. That speaks louder than any words could. He’s not even blood related to us anyway—just because that bastard raised him doesn’t mean shit. And it’s his mother’s fault we never had a father in the first place.”

“That’s not true. It was our dad’s fault he wasn’t there for us, not Talon’s mother. Although she sounds like a bitch too. Wow, our dad had really bad taste in women,” I say with a bitter laugh, then continue. “I wish Talon had just told me the truth instead of putting everything on Arrow’s shoulders.”

No matter how wide and broad they are.

“I think he wanted to put it on Arrow, revenge for killing his father. He laughed in Arrow’s face and told him that now he was going to lose someone he loved.”

I lift my head off his bicep. “He said that to Arrow?”

“Yeah. Arrow feels like shit, Anna—I’ve never seen him like this in his life. Not even when Mary was killed.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

He killed my father. Shouldn’t I want nothing to do with him? But I don’t feel that way. I can’t imagine my life without Arrow.

“I’m so confused right now,” I tell Rake. “I don’t know what to do, or how to feel.”

“Do you love Arrow?” he asks.

“Is it that simple?” I ask, sniffling. “Of course I love him.”

Rake smiles kindly. “I think it is.”

“Love isn’t always enough.”

Rake nods. “I suppose so. But think about this—our father never bothered to see us, to check on us, to see if we were alive or dead. What has Arrow done for you?”

“Taken care of me, always.”

Rake kisses my cheek. “I’m not telling you what to do. I love you no matter what, you know that.”

“You’re taking this a lot better than I am.”

Rake chuckles. “My man didn’t kill our father.”

I slap his arm. “No, but your brother did.”

“Arrow is my family, Anna, not this Samuel guy. Nothing will change that,” he says, standing up. “Do you want me to get anything for you?”

“No, I’m okay, I just want to be alone for a while.”

Rake’s jaw clenches, but he nods once before leaving the room.

Two questions play in my mind.

Can I live with the fact that Arrow killed Samuel?

And can I forgive him completely? He doesn’t deserve to have me throw it in his face whenever I am angry or upset.

It’s all or nothing.

I don’t sleep a wink that night, my mind filled with Arrow.

SEVEN DAYS LATER

“Get out of bed, Anna,” Lana says, pulling the sheets off me.

“Why?” I ask, still half asleep.

“Because you can’t sleep all day; get your lazy ass up!”

I open one eye. “Did you just yell at me?”

She grins. “I did, so now you know I’m not messing around.”

I force myself to sit up and throw Lana a dirty look.

She just smiles.

“So I got a phone call from Faye today, about starting as Clover’s nanny.”

“Are you considering it?” I ask her. “It’s good money.”

“I know,” she replies. “Really good money, but there’s one problem.”

I sit up straighter. “What?”

“I’m going to have to be around Tracker and Allie. I don’t know if I can handle that, to be honest,” she whispers, looking down at her feet. “The thing is, I could really use the money and I could help Mother out with some of the bills too, so I want to take it.”

When I’d suggested Lana to Faye, I didn’t even think about Tracker.

Crap.

“You don’t have to do it—”

Lana sighs. “He’s just a man, right? Maybe someone new will catch my eye.”

I didn’t want to tell her that if she felt for Tracker anything like what I felt for Arrow . . . well, I doubted those feelings would be going away any time soon.

“It’s your call, Lana. I could ask Reid if he needs someone else,” I suggest, but I can see in her eyes that she’s already decided to take this job.

She nods. “The money is . . . wow, for part-time work, and the times she needs me fit in with my class schedule.”

“I have to get to class, but we can talk more when I get back.”

She kisses me on my cheek. “Go take a shower.”

“I will.”

She leaves and I hop into the shower, wondering if I made the right choice bringing Lana closer to the club.

And closer to Tracker.

*   *   *

I’m more than surprised about an hour later when Tracker pulls into Lana’s driveway. I watch as he steps out of the car with a determined look on his face. Arrow has called me every day for the last week but has otherwise respected my wishes to be alone. We’d talk for a few minutes, he’d ask if he could bring me anything, if I needed anything. He was being so sweet and understanding. He’d ask me to come back to the clubhouse, but I told him I still needed a little space.

Everyone else has respected my wishes too—but it looks like that’s about to change.

I open the door for him.

“Hey, Tracker.”

“Anna Bell,” he says, smiling faintly and kissing my cheek. “Where’s Lana?”

“She’s at school. What can I do for you?” I ask him as he glances around the house, taking in every little detail.

“Pack your shit; enough pouting. You’re getting your ass home where you belong,” he says, his tone brokering no argument.

I purse my lips together. “I don’t know, Tracker, I—”

He rudely cuts me off. “Do you love Arrow?”

“Of course I do,” I reply instantly.

There is no question about it. I adore the man. Head over heels.

“He’s fuckin’ hurting, Anna. Don’t do this to him. Go and put him out of his misery,” he says, frowning a little. “It’s hurting all of us, seeing him like this. And don’t tell him I told you any of this.”

I open my mouth, then close it.

He’s right.

He’s right and I’ve known it for the last week. Why have I been wasting time? I don’t need space, I need Arrow.

I either love him and want him, or I don’t.

There is no in-between.

And I want him badly.

What the fuck am I doing?

“I see you’re beginning to understand,” he muses with a smirk. “I’ve seen him turn down every woman who’s looked his way—trust me, Anna, you’ve done a number on the poor man.”

“What women?” I ask, trying to keep the bite out of my tone.

He shrugs, but I can’t help but see the grin he tries to hide from me. “Come on, grab your shit.”

My “shit,” as he so eloquently put it, isn’t much. I’d gone shopping for everything I was using and it all fit into one bag.

He helps me into the car, then pauses. “Good to have you back, Anna Bell.”

I smile. “Thanks for bringing me back.”

I think we’ll have a silent drive home, but Tracker decides to be chatty.

“You should go and fuck the shit out of him. Oh, and give him head, lots of head.”

I blink a few times. “Thank you for that advice, Tracker.”

“You’re welcome. Do you know what else we men really like? We like it when you—”

I pinch his shoulder.

“Ouch,” he grumbles.

“Please, shut up,” I beg of him.

“Should I stop for condoms?” he asks cheerfully. “What size is Arrow? Or maybe water balloons might do?”

I laugh at that. “Arrow’s dick is huge; don’t insult it in my presence.”

“Whoa, touchy.”

“What have I missed?” I ask him.

“Rake’s angry you’ve been gone; Arrow’s been moping around. It’s pathetic really. I think twice he walked out the door to come get you, but then he turned around. He wanted to respect your wishes, no matter how much it almost killed him.”

Fuck, my Arrow.

I should have returned sooner.

My mind was messed up, so I guess I did need that time to myself, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone else in the process, and I knew I did hurt Arrow, and Rake as well.

I was only thinking of myself at the time, trying to work through my own issues.

I sigh and stare out the window. “I didn’t know how to deal. Everyone kept things from me, but now I see that it really wouldn’t have changed anything. Arrow didn’t want to lose or hurt me, and I can see where he was coming from. It was a difficult situation.”

“I know, Anna, and no one blames you. You did what you had to do, it was just a few days’ break; Arrow is going on like he’s lost you forever,” he grumbles.

“He probably thought I wouldn’t come back.”

“Well, he was wrong,” he replies. “And trust me, if you weren’t back in a few days he would have gone and gotten you. He was about to break, even I could see that. He wasn’t going to live without you.”

Tracker parks the car and we walk into the clubhouse side by side.

Rake grins and runs to me, lifting me in his arms. “Thank fuck you’re back, sis!”

“Good to be back,” I murmur, my eyes searching the room for Arrow.

“He’s in his room,” he tells me, kissing my cheek. I smile and walk to the room, only to find it locked. I knock a few times.

No answer.

I knock harder.

“Fuck off!” he yells, his voice hoarse, causing me to grimace.

“Arrow?” I call out.

The door flies open in seconds.

I study him.

Dark circles under his eyes, a bruised cheek, his hair a tangled mess.

“Can I come in?” I ask softly.

He blinks. “You’re here.”

I smile at that, walking into the room and turning to face him. He closes the door behind him and closes the space between us in a few steps. “I’ve missed you, Anna.”

I stare at him in silence, until he continues.

“When I killed for Mary, to avenge her, I never once thought I’d be losing the only woman I could ever see myself making my old lady. Fuckin’ marrying. I never even thought I’d ever get married in my life until I met you.”

He could see himself marrying me? I wanted that. More than I’d ever wanted anything.

“I missed you too, Arrow. I was just hurt. I needed to come to terms with the fact that I’d never meet my father, and that he’d never wanted me in the first place. My mind was everywhere, and I needed time to work through it all. I was mostly feeling sorry for myself, which was stupid. I didn’t mean to hurt you in the process, or to push you away. I forgive you, Arrow. You didn’t know who he was at the time; you didn’t even know me then. When I fell for you, I knew the man you are. I know what you’re capable of. I also know you would never hurt me.”

“Anna—”

“Nothing else matters, Arrow, except this,” I say, going up on my tiptoes and kissing his cheek. “This, what we have, I could never turn my back on it. I love you, Arrow.”

“You really forgive me?” he asks in a hope-filled tone.

I nod. “I knew that when I came to you, I’d have to have forgiven you fully, or this won’t work between us. But I have, Arrow.”

“So sweet,” he murmurs. “I was so fuckin’ scared you weren’t going to come back to me. I was giving you a few more days before I came to Lana’s house.”

“What were you going to do?” I ask him.

His eyes smile down at me. “Anything I had to, Anna, anything. I wasn’t going to live without you. You gave me a taste of what it was like to live again, to actually live. Before I met you I wasn’t living, I was just not dying. I couldn’t go back to that. I’m so fuckin’ crazy about you I should be embarrassed.”

A bubble of laughter escapes me at that.

He lowers his head and kisses me, leaning my body back and cupping my face with his strong hands. He tastes like strawberry candy, which I know he practically lives on and shares with Clover when no one is looking. When he pulls away, he smiles down at me. “I love you too, Anna. I’m sorry I fucked up.”

I lick my lips. “You could always kiss me again.”

He grins. “Fuck, I love you.”

He throws me down onto the bed, his mouth devouring mine.

“Don’t ever leave me again, Anna,” he commands in a deep tone. “Do you hear me?”

“I won’t,” I mumble against his mouth. “Don’t give me a reason to again.”

He lifts my top off.

“I won’t, darlin’, never again,” he grits out before his mouth is on my body, taunting, teasing, showing me what I’ve missed out on. “You’re mine, Anna, don’t fuckin’ forget that again.”

“I never forgot that, Arrow,” I whisper, tugging at his T-shirt, silently begging him to take it off. He gives in to me, pulling his white T-shirt over his head and throwing it somewhere around the room. I gasp when I see my name sprawled on his ribs in scripted font.

“When did you get this done?” I ask, running my fingers over the beautiful ink.

“The day you left,” he says as he pushes me back on the bed. “Need to taste you.”

My lower belly clenches at that thought.

He lifts my skirt, pulls down my panties, and puts his lips on me.

I stare at his dark head of hair, before I close my eyes and let the pleasure consume me.

Fuck, it feels so damn good.

I force myself to open my eyes, wanting to watch him as he pleasures me, lifting my hips up to his mouth.

Gripping my hips, he pins my body down to the bed so I can’t move, then continues to lick me through my folds. When he runs his tongue over my clit, my back arches involuntarily.

“Arrow,” I moan out, reaching my hands down and threading my fingers through his hair.

He pulls back. “You wanna come in my mouth or on my cock?”

“Both,” I reply back to him.

His mouth tugs up in the corners, before he lowers his head and continues licking me. When he sucks on my clit, my orgasm hits out of nowhere.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” I grit out, between clenched teeth, breathing heavily.

So. Fucking. Good.

When my body finally goes limp, he moves his mouth away and wipes it with the back of his hand. Feeling sated, I crook my finger to him.

“What do you want, Anna?” he asks as he pulls his pants off.

“I want you in my mouth,” I tell him boldly, sitting up on my knees and waiting.

He curses and steps closer to me, so his hard arousal is in front of my face.

“Open your mouth, darlin’,” he croons, touching the side of my jaw with his hand. I instantly open for him, sucking his length into my mouth as far as I can take it. He groans, staring down at me with brown eyes filled with such passion it causes my heart to race. He lets me lick him a few times before he pulls away. “Need to be inside you, Anna, now.”

“How do you want me?” I ask, spreading my thighs apart in invitation.

He curses again. “Lay back down, I need to see your face.”

I lie down on the bed and he braces himself over me, then slides himself in with one long thrust.

“So fuckin’ good, Anna,” he whispers. “I missed you so much.”

“Missed you too,” I reply, pulling his face down and kissing his mouth. He continues to pump himself inside me, and reaches down to play with my clit until I come again, this orgasm more powerful than the last. I call out his name as I finish, and he soon joins me, his strong thighs trembling as he comes inside me. Afterward, he lays back and pulls me into the crook of his arm, placing a gentle kiss on the top of my head.

“Never letting you go,” he murmurs.

“I never want you to,” I whisper back.

His hands tighten around me.

*   *   *

Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I wander into the kitchen to see Arrow standing there, butt naked, cooking breakfast.

Buns of fucking steel.

“Morning,” I rumble, my voice thick with sleep as I admire the view. “What is it with you and cooking naked?”

He turns and grins widely. “Mornin’, beautiful.”

“What are you making?” I ask, placing a kiss on his waiting lips before peering into the frying pan.

My hand gropes one of his ass cheeks.

Arrow turns off the stove and then turns to me. His cock is hard, pressing into my stomach.

“You’re not the only one who just woke up,” he murmurs, glancing down at himself and smirking.

I look down too and smack my lips together. “And what are you going to do about it?”

Arrow licks his bottom lip, then lifts me in the air, a squeak escaping my mouth.

“Gonna eat you, then I’m gonna fuck you, then I’m gonna feed you.”

His lips are on mine.

Then he does exactly what he said he would.

THREE MONTHS LATER

I call the number I was given, sitting up in bed. He answers on the fourth ring.

“Yes.”

“Talon,” I say. “It’s me, Anna.”

He’s silent for a few seconds. “Hey, Anna, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Can you meet me somewhere? I thought we could hang out.”

“When?” he asks instantly.

“In half an hour. How about that café you dropped by last time?”

“All right,” he says. “I’ll see you then.”

I get dressed in my favorite pair of worn, ripped jeans and a plain black tank top. I don’t bother with any makeup, and leave my hair down, letting it dry by itself. As I leave the bedroom, I notice the clubhouse is quiet. Talon has left me a few messages over the last month, and I got the impression that he wanted to spend some time with me. I think that even though we aren’t blood related, he still sees me as family. I know he loved my dad, and sees me as a connection to him. He isn’t a bad guy, so after a month of his reaching out I decided why not, I could have Talon in my life. It didn’t cost me anything, and we were connected in a weird way.

I see Arrow and Rake having a drink together and try to walk by unnoticed.

“Whoa, where do you think you’re going?” Rake calls out, making me stop in my tracks.

“I’m going to have a coffee with Talon,” I tell him.

Arrow’s face flashes with worry, before he’s able to mask it. He turns away from me and concentrates on his drink instead. “You’re not fuckin’ going alone, Anna. I’ll come with you.”

My eyes narrow. “You can’t come with me, Arrow. He’s not going to hurt me. Besides, I’m going to a public place, that same café where I saw him last time.”

Today is the anniversary of Mary’s death.

Arrow has been broody all day, and I know he wants to be alone. When I’d asked him if he wanted to talk about it, he said no. When I followed him to the bar, he didn’t say a word to me. He’s stuck in his head, and he needs time to work through it. Time that I will give him. Whatever he needs. I decided I’d make myself absent, and since Talon had contacted me again just the other day, I thought why not. My brother wasn’t any happier about it, but I was curious about why Talon wanted to reach out to me so badly. Maybe he was just feeling alone and wanted to talk to someone. Since Damien now avoids me like the plague, I could always use another friend.

Rake’s jaw sets stubbornly. “Blade is taking you and that’s final.”

I point a finger at him, then drop it. There’s no point arguing with him. “Tell Blade we’re leaving now.”

Rake nods and leaves the room.

I stare at Arrow’s back. I can’t just leave him like this. I know he doesn’t want me to see Talon but it’s something that I want to do, and he can’t be controlling my every move. I walk over to him and touch his shoulder. “I’ll be back, okay? Nothing has changed, Arrow.”

He turns his head and smiles sadly. “I love you, Anna,” he says. “Just remember that. Don’t let that fucker mess with your head.”

Did Arrow think that I am going to change my mind? That suddenly I am going to hate him for what happened with my father? Because I’m not. I meant what I said, and forgiveness is forgiveness. I wasn’t bringing up what happened again unless one of us wanted to talk about it, never in anger or using it as a weapon against him. I’d never do that to him.

“I love you too, Arrow, and I know you love me,” I whisper, kissing him on his cheek. “He’s my stepbrother, and he wants to talk. It has nothing to do with how I feel about you; my feelings for you won’t change. I know today is a hard day for you, so I want you to have your space. If you want me to come to the cemetery with you later, let me know. Or if you want to go alone, or with Faye, that’s okay too. If you need me, just call me, okay?”

I run my hand down his back, then leave the clubhouse without another word.

*   *   *

For the first time ever, Talon is without his usual smirk. He sits there, in the exact same seat he occupied last time, looking a little unsure. I pull the chair out next to him, the sound of it scraping the floor making him glance up.

“Hey,” he says, pulling the chair out a little more for me to sit.

“Hey,” I say, sitting down. “Did you order something to eat?”

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I was waiting for you.”

We both order a burger and some fries, then stare at each other as soon as the waitress leaves.

When our meals come, he opens his mouth to say something but then shakes his head and eats a fry instead.

“You and Rake ever going to talk?” I ask.

Talon smiles sadly. “I doubt it. He doesn’t feel any connection to me. I’m surprised he let you come.”

I point outside. “There’s a prospect keeping an eye on me from the car. And what do you mean ‘let me come’? I am my own woman, you know.”

Talon laughs then, a deep, musical sound. “You’re precious cargo, that’s why.”

“I love him,” I add slowly.

“Rake?”

“Well, of course I love Rake, but I meant Arrow.”

His lips tighten. “He killed our—”

“He killed your father. And if he knew, he wouldn’t have done it,” I add.

“You’re defending a murderer? Who killed someone of your own blood?” he asks, brows furrowing.

“He did it because your men killed Mary, someone who was important to him. Besides, are you telling me you haven’t killed anyone?”

He shakes his head no.

“Beaten anyone? Threatened anyone?”

“Of course I’ve done those things, I’m not innocent, but I’ve never taken a life,” he says.

“Yet,” I add.

He tightens his lips at that and says nothing. What is there to say?

“Are they going to let you see me again?” Talon asks, pushing his plate away.

“They don’t have a choice, and of course I want to see you again,” I say. “Maybe we could see each other once a month or something.”

He smiles widely, running a hand through his white-blond hair. “I’d like that.”

“Good,” I reply. “But I need you to understand that I love Arrow and I won’t ever leave him.”

“Anna,” he adds, jaw suddenly tight, “I won’t ever approve of you being with Arrow.”

“I wasn’t asking for your approval,” I say firmly. “You don’t have to like Arrow, but around me you won’t disrespect him.”

His lip twitches. “Noted.”

“So, tell me about you. Everything I’ve missed out on,” I say, lightening the mood.

“Well,” he starts. “I remember sliding down a tunnel, and then there was a light—”

He laughs when I pinch him.

He tells me a little about his childhood, but I feel like he’s leaving things out on purpose.

“I’m not very close with my mother,” he says. “I was close with my—with our dad though.”

I nod my head and smile sadly. “Hey, at least he was there for you.”

He frowns. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to . . .”

“It’s fine, Talon,” I say. “I’ve made my peace with anything to do with my dad. I honestly feel like he was your dad, not mine. Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Why did you keep contacting me?”

He sighs. “Honestly, Anna, I feel like you’re family. I want you in my life. It’s not guilt, although I do wish that Dad had been there for you. Okay, maybe there is a little guilt. I kind of feel like I took something that wasn’t meant for me. But that isn’t why I want to be in your life from now on.”

I nod, accepting his answer. “I think I understand. Maybe you could tell me some cool stories about him sometime.”

“I’d like that,” he says, looking hopeful.

A comfortable silence appears between us.

“Are you going to be president of the Wild Men one day?” I ask.

He nods, eyeing me closely. “I am. Is that going to be an issue?”

“Not if we don’t let it.”

“I don’t want to come between you and Rake. I know he’s been there for you your entire life while I’m only just entering your life.”

“Rake and I will be fine, we always are. You know, you both share something in common. He didn’t want me to be with Arrow either,” I admit to him.

“Really? Why?” Talon asks, frowning. “One of his own brothers? That should be a good thing, keeping you close.”

“He said he wanted better for me,” I tell him. “Maybe a man in a suit. A professional. Someone who comes home at six every night and doesn’t live dangerously.”

“But you didn’t want that?” he asks.

I lift my shoulders in a shrug. “I just want Arrow. I didn’t go looking for a biker. I didn’t go looking for anyone, really. I just saw him and I wanted him.”

“And so you took him,” he replies, lip twitching. “Trust me, Anna, you suit this lifestyle. You’re strong and tough but with a sweetness inside that no one will be able to destroy. Arrow should be on his fuckin’ knees, grateful that he has someone like you.”