Текст книги "Arrow's Hell"

Автор книги: Chantal Fernando

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

 TEN 

ARROW paces the game room of the clubhouse, running his hands through his hair in frustration. “I should be there with them.”

“Why aren’t you?” I ask, lifting the pool cue off the table after playing my shot.

He scoffs. “I’m not letting history repeat itself.”

He downs some Scotch. I almost want to tell him that if anything did happen right now, he’d be too drunk to do anything about it.

Instead, I bite my tongue.

Blade, one of the prospects, walks in and whispers something to Arrow, who nods. I haven’t really spoken to any of the three prospects, and they don’t seem too eager to get to know me either.

“Hello, Blade,” I say, trying to be friendly.

Blade looks to Arrow quickly, before nodding his head at me. “Anna.”

Arrow narrows his eyes on him. “Don’t you have work to do?”

I scowl at Arrow and speak as soon as Blade leaves the room. “You don’t have to be so rude.”

His answer is to drink some more.

Jill and Allie walk in, their own drinks in their hands, and stand on either side of Arrow. I don’t take my eyes off Allie, who I can tell is a little tipsy. But when she puts her hand on Arrow’s chest, I’ve had enough. I look at Arrow, and it’s him I speak to. “Get that whore’s hand off your chest right now, Arrow, before I break it.”

He glances down as if only just realizing Allie is touching him, then quickly shrugs off her hand. “The fuck,” he rumbles. “If you think I would ever touch a brother’s woman, you don’t fuckin’ know me at all. Now get out of here!” He looks at Jill and sneers, his upper lip curling. “Both of you.”

I swallow hard as they leave, then step forward to make my exit.

“Stay,” he demands, not even bothering to look at me.

He wants me to stay, by asking me like that and in that tone?

Riiiggghhht.

I storm past him and into my room. I’m about to close the door when he pushes himself inside. “You don’t know how to listen, do you?”

“I listen just fine, thank you. I just don’t see why the hell I have to listen to you. Now, I’m going to take a shower and go to bed, so I’m asking you kindly to fuck off.”

He blinks at me, and then I see his lip twitch.

It pisses me off even more.

“I really don’t see what’s so amusing,” I say, sitting on my bed and glaring up at him. Instead of storming out of my room as I’d hoped, he sits on the floor by my feet. “And do you talk to all women like that?”

I didn’t even like Allie or Jill, but still.

“Most women don’t talk back to me. I guess it amuses me that you do it at every turn,” he replies, pausing. “And I’d never talk to you like that, Anna, so no, I don’t talk to all women like that.”

He leans his head back on the mattress, and I can’t help but let my hand reach out and feel his hair. When he moans, I massage his scalp and continue to run my fingers through his thick, silky hair.

“Feels so good,” he says quietly, followed by a contented sigh. “What is it about you?”

“I could ask you the same question,” I mutter, continuing my administrations. “How much longer am I stuck here with you?”

“I’m not that bad,” he says, reaching his hand out and casually resting it on my thigh. My body tingles with just that simple touch, and I both want and don’t want him to reach his hand up higher.

“You’re not that good either,” I say, remembering our previous conversation.

“No, I guess I’m not. Tonight I will be though.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, but when he gets up and lifts my blanket, sliding under my sheets, my eyes widen. “You can’t sleep here.”

He ignores me, trying to get comfortable. When he sits up and pulls off his T-shirt, my mouth waters and I decide that maybe he can sleep here. His body is perfectly cut and defined, and I get a flash of ripped abs before he pulls the sheet up to cover himself. I feel my nipples pebble, unable to get that image out of my head.

Holy shit, he’s a fine specimen.

“You going to sleep or just stand there with your mouth open all night? If you stay like that I might get ideas that will get both of us into shit,” he says in a husky voice. Is that his sex voice? Because I could get on board with that. I head to the bathroom, shower and brush my teeth, then change into my pajamas. When I walk back into the room Arrow is still awake and watching me. Am I really going to sleep next to him? My feet take me to the other side of the bed. I lift up the blanket and slide in next to him.

I guess that’s a yes.

“Your feet are fuckin’ cold,” he complains, but pulls me closer, into the safety of his arms. How am I supposed to sleep, being pressed up against him like this? His whole body is rock-hard, steel against my softness. I feel protected. Swallowed by his big body, wrapped in his strength.

I also feel more turned on than I ever remember feeling.

“Arrow?” I whisper.

“Sleep,” he replies, kissing the back of my head.

For once, I do as he says.

*   *   *

I wake up feeling warm and safe. When I open my eyes, the first things I see are two sleepy, smiling brown eyes staring at me.

I almost scream, quickly lifting my head up. “Arrow, what the hell?”

He smirks. “You look so cute when you sleep. And the little snoring sounds you make are—”

“I do not snore!” I reply indignantly, scooting away from him on the bed. I can see that he’s already had a shower: his hair is damp and I can smell his clean scent from here.

He pulls me back, right up against his body. “You do.”

“I don’t.”

“Darlin’,” he says, smiling. “You do.”

“Prove it,” I demand, sounding smug.

My eyes widen in horror as he says, “Okay,” and grabs his phone from the side table.

“Tell me you didn’t,” I groan, rolling over and burying my face in my pillow.

But he did.

I hear a soft snoring noise playing through the phone.

I turn my head to the side to look at him, giving him the dirtiest look I can fathom. “You just crossed a line.”

He laughs, eyes crinkling. “I wasn’t going to show anyone.”

“Not the point,” I grit out, trying to hide my embarrassment. Who wants to actually hear themselves snoring?

There is no way to make that shit cute.

Someone please kill me now.

“That is the point. You can trust me; I just wanted to annoy you a little. See, I’ll delete it,” he says, unable to hide a grin.

I go to grab the phone off him to delete it myself but instead end up pinned under him. Before I know what he’s about to do, before I can think of the consequences, his mouth is on mine, firm and demanding.

And perfect.

Better than I had imagined, and trust me, I had imagined a lot.

His lips are full and soft and his tongue knows exactly what it’s doing as it licks my own, tasting me. He tastes delicious, like strawberry candy.

It’s not just a kiss, it’s the kiss.

And I lose myself in it.

My arms wrap around his neck as I put my all into the kiss, showing him without words how much I’ve wanted him.

He grinds his pelvis into me and I feel his hardness, feel the size of his cock Faye was telling me about.

He’s huge.

And so hard.

I raise my hips up, wanting more friction. Arrow suddenly lifts his head, moving his mouth away, ignoring my noise of protest. He peers down at me, watching me through gentle, heavy-lidded eyes. He swallows, his throat working as his gaze lowers to my lips. He licks his own, as if wanting another taste.

I make a soft mewling noise and gently grab on to his beard, wanting him to come back to me.

Wanting more of what he’d given me. I knew he had so much more to give, and I wanted it. I wanted everything he had to offer. In this moment, nothing else mattered.

“Sweet Anna,” he murmurs, eyes still on my lips.

“Arrow—”

“I know,” he says, the two words sounding like they were pulled from his throat. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have kissed you. I was selfish, I just wanted another taste.”

Just a taste? Does that mean that it isn’t going to happen again? I don’t like that. Not one bit. He thinks he is selfish, but I want him to be. I want to yell at him.

Be selfish.

Be selfish!

I don’t care. To me, it is selfish to keep himself away from me, especially after that kiss.

“Arrow—”

“Fuck.”

Yes, please.

He gently pulls away from me then, and I don’t like it. His index finger grazes my cheek, a touch so soft that goose bumps appear on my skin. He exhales, his finger now running down my jawline. Then, he drops his hand and pushes off the bed, standing next to it and staring at me, indecision written all over his expression.

As for me, I feel confused. How could he feel what I just did and not want any more? Why is he pulling away from me? I’m not an expert on love, but I don’t think that a connection like this comes along every day. I’d never experienced it before, but then Arrow was older than me, and had loved before me. I knew he didn’t love me, but surely he felt at least lust?

His hands turn to fists at his sides.

Then I watch him, almost as if in slow motion, as he walks out of my room, closing the door behind him.

I stare at that door for what feels like an hour. I’m feeling hurt, lonely, and sexually frustrated as hell, not a good mix. Why do I keep going in deeper with him when I know it will always turn out like this? We both know nothing can happen, so why do we keep playing this game? It is almost like we come together whenever one of us gives in to their weakness, but then pull apart when that moment is over. It isn’t meant to be like that in a relationship, but that isn’t what we have, is it?

I take a long shower, ignoring my needy body. Bringing myself to orgasm wouldn’t satisfy me as much as Arrow could, so even though I’m tempted to let my fingers wander, I don’t. Instead, I brush my teeth and get ready for the day, all the while thinking about Arrow’s lips on mine. How could he just walk away? I know that I couldn’t have done it, especially as easily as he did. Does he not want me as much as I want him?

Anger fuels my next decision.

I leave my room in search of Arrow. I need an explanation, I need . . . something. Either we’re all in or all out. I can’t keep going on like this. I stop at his door and lift my hand to knock, but the door opens before my knuckles touch the wood.

Jill walks out, a satisfied smirk on her face.

My breath hitches and I try to keep my face from falling.

“He might be a little tired,” she whispers so only I can hear. I look behind her and see Arrow walk out of the bathroom as naked as the day he was born. For once, his beautiful body does nothing for me.

I feel nothing but pure pain and anger.

How. Dare. He.

I give him a look that shows him exactly what I think right now. I let the pain seep through my eyes, letting my guard down for a moment so he can feel what I’m feeling.

He flinches.

“Anna . . .” he says, reaching his hand out to me.

But I’m done.

I walk away in search of a distraction. When I find nothing, I get angrier.

When Arrow doesn’t come after me, I decide that I don’t need this shit. I don’t need to be stuck here in a club that isn’t mine, with people who care about me only because of who my brother is.

I don’t need him.

And I sure as hell don’t belong here.

I walk outside, and when I don’t see anyone, I smirk to myself. Everyone must still be sleeping—except Jill of course. Who knew whores were such early risers?

Darting my gaze around the exit, I walk briskly until I come to the fence. Making sure to lock it before I leave so no one else can get in, I slide outside and straight into freedom. I wouldn’t jeopardize anyone else in any way, and I wouldn’t take a chance with their safety. But as for me, I’m done.

D.O.N.E.

I walk up the street until I come to the main road. Sliding my phone out of my jeans, I call Lana.

“I’m escaping and I need someone to pick me up,” I say into the phone. I had messaged Lana and updated her on everything, the lockdown, Arrow, and why I was going to be missing in action. So she knows where I am, and why I’m here.

There’s a slight pause on the other end before she speaks. “Text me the name of the street you’re on.”

“Okay, ’bye.”

I hang up and text the name of the street, then press SEND. Phone in my hand, I look up at the sun in the sky. It’s a beautiful day and freedom never felt sweeter.

Who needs Arrow?

That was my last thought before everything went black.

 ELEVEN 

I WAKE up disoriented, my body resting on a soft mattress, my wrists tied together above my head.

Where am I?

My eyes flutter open as I stare at the ceiling, momentarily confused. What happened?

A man clears his throat and my body stiffens, my heart racing with fear. I slowly look toward the far corner of the room, at the man standing there, casually leaning against the wall. I’ve never seen him before in my life, and I have no idea what he wants with me now, but I know I am in a lot of shit.

Why did I do something so stupid? The Arrow situation was messing with my head and my common sense, and now I am fucked.

Great going, Anna.

“Good morning, sunshine,” the man says with a smirk.

I open my mouth to scream, but faster than lightning, he’s on me, covering my mouth with his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you, okay?”

I nod.

Isn’t that what they always say? How do I play this one out? I don’t know. I need to be smart about the situation, because I know that the wrong move can have deadly consequences.

Like my ending up dead.

Yeah—the stakes are kind of high.

He removes his hand.

“I won’t hurt you, I promise,” he cajoles.

Right, like I’m supposed to believe him.

“The bump on the back of my head says otherwise,” I grit out, licking my bottom lip. My mouth is dry and feels like I haven’t had any water in a long time. “Who are you? And what do you want with me?”

He stands there studying me. “Wind Dragons sent a shipment up north that we tried to intercept. Two of my men were captured. You, my dear, are all I need to make sure my men make it out of there alive.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. What did he mean I was all that he needed? Was he going to trade me—or do something to me?

“What are you going to do with me?” I ask in a small voice, my lower lip trembling slightly.

He tilts his head to the side, watching me with an intense expression on his face. “You won’t be hurt, Anna, as long as you listen to what I have to say.”

I consider what he’s told me. Rake has taken two men? To do what to them? Teach them a lesson for messing with his stuff? He never did play nice with others.

“What’s in the shipment?” I ask quietly, wanting to learn all I can about the MC I know nothing about. I regret the words, however, as soon as they leave my mouth. I really don’t need to anger this man right now, asking questions I know I have no right to know the answers to.

But lucky for me, the man just smirks, eyes brimmed with amusement. “Nothing for you to worry your little head about.”

It’s his amusement that makes me let out the next words from my mouth.

“Condescending bastard,” I mutter, showing him my displeasure by the look on my face. “You know, you don’t look like a kidnapping, abusive jerk.”

He was actually good-looking. Tall, lean, and covered in tattoos, he had shaggy white-blond hair and crystal-green eyes.

He grunts. “I didn’t do the kidnapping, and I told them not to hurt you, so I’m sorry for that.”

He sounds sincere; still something doesn’t add up. Why didn’t he want to hurt me? Just because I am a woman? I didn’t think it would matter, considering they’d had no problem shooting Mary.

“Wild Men MC, right?” I ask, taking a gamble. He isn’t wearing a cut, just dark jeans and a white shirt rolled up at the sleeves.

He nods, his eyes darkening. “I see our reputation precedes us.”

The way he says it makes it sound like that’s not exactly a good thing, and he’d be right.

“If I untie you, are you gonna be a problem?” he asks, staring at my tied hands. “There are other men around the compound, and I can assure you, none of them are as nice as I am.”

“I’ll be good,” I reply. “Can you just untie me? The ropes are cutting into my wrists.”

He quickly stands and cuts the binds. I consider kicking him in the balls and making a run for it, but I need to examine the situation first. If there are men out there, there is no way I can get out of here. I also have no idea which way the exit is. I decide to bide my time and suss out the situation before I get myself killed. “Can I have some water, please?”

He nods and leaves the room, returning about a minute later with a bottle of water and some painkillers.

“Thanks,” I say, taking both from him. “So who do I thank for the possible concussion?”

His lip twitches. “That would be Ranger.”

These men give each other the stupidest names.

“And what is your name?” I ask.

A strange look appears on his face before he answers me. “Call me Talon.”

“Talon it is.”

He tilts his head to the side. “I’d expected hysterical screaming, crying at the least.”

“Then you should have kidnapped a weaker woman.”

I am trying not to let him see that I am shit scared, because I am.

He laughs at that and points to the door on the left. “Bathroom is there. Don’t think of trying anything, Anna, or you will regret it.”

With that warning lingering in the air, he leaves the room and locks the door behind him. I check out the bathroom, finding nothing I can use as a weapon. There isn’t even a mirror in there, which makes me think that this is the room where they keep all their captives. Now that Talon has left the room, I allow myself to feel terrified. Rake will come for me, I know it. I just hope it will be soon. My stomach rumbles. It seems inappropriate to be hungry at a time like this, but unfortunately I have no control over it. Sitting back on the bed, my back against the headboard, I feel helpless.

I don’t like to feel helpless.

My gaze darts around the room, looking for anything that can help me.

When Talon says he won’t hurt me, I believe him. But if I push my luck I don’t know if that will stay true. What feels like an hour passes before Talon walks in with a bag of food.

“Thought you might be hungry,” he says, giving me a small smile.

He’d thought right, not that I was about to admit it.

“Are you the president?” I blurt out, wanting to know why it was him in here with me and no one else.

“I’m the vice president,” he says, biting his bottom lip. “My dad was the president before he was killed.”

“Oh. Family business, huh?” I say, not knowing how to respond to that. I take the bag from his hand and open it, peering inside to see a burger and fries. “Any idea when I’ll be able to leave here?”

His eyes shutter, expression darkening. “Told them we had you; they went crazy, as we expected. Thought I’d make them sweat a little, so I said I’d meet up with them tomorrow and we could trade.”

I think about that. “That means you leave your men with them for longer than necessary.”

He resumes his spot against the wall, standing how he was when I first saw him. “They’ll survive.”

“Do the clubs always use their women against them?” I can’t stop myself from asking. This wasn’t a world I wanted to live in, yet was thrust upon me. It somehow didn’t seem fair that I was to be used as a bargaining chip in a world that I didn’t belong in.

A muscle tics in Talon’s jaw. “You haven’t known the club for long, have you?”

I shake my head. “Not at all. But I heard about Mary, the woman who was killed.”

Talon looks away then, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “The men did that against their president’s orders. They went rogue, and our club suffered for it. My father would never have wanted an innocent woman harmed—he wasn’t like that—though that’s now our burden to bear.”

“What happened to the men?” I ask.

Talon clenches his fist. “All dead. My father died too, because of them. If they weren’t killed I would have done it myself.”

“Your own club brothers?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.

“They betrayed us,” is all he says. “Now eat, you must be hungry.”

*   *   *

I wake up, horrified with myself for falling asleep in the first place. I’m alone in the room, luckily, and seem to have been left alone. I walk to the door and try to pull it open, but it’s still locked and doesn’t budge. Of course I’m not that lucky, but at least no one has hurt me. I use the bathroom as quickly as I can, just in case they decide to come in, then sit back on the bed. With nothing else to do, my mind races, thinking up different scenarios. Where is Rake? I hope he is okay, and not too worried about me. He must think they’re doing God knows what to me, and I can only imagine how frantic he must be.

Where is Arrow? How is he reacting right now?

Probably back in bed with Jill.

Well, wasn’t that a mood killer.

The door opens with a creak and Talon walks in, followed by another man—a scary-looking one at that.

“We’re going to the meet,” Talon says, holding his hand out to me. I hesitantly take it and look up at the other man.

“Let me guess, you’re Ranger?” I ask, gulping. Dressed in all leather, he is a massive man with shrewd dark eyes and a Mohawk.

He laughs at me, his shoulders shaking. “No, sweetheart, I’m not Ranger. I’m Slice.”

“Slice,” I repeat, tasting the ridiculous name on my tongue. “I don’t even want to know why they call you that.”

“And I don’t want to tell you,” he replies smoothly.

With a man on each side of me, we exit the room and I get my first look at where I’m being held. The Wild Men clubhouse is different from the Wind Dragons’. Less homey for one, less clean for another. Men sit around a table, drinking and carrying on. I know it’s morning, although I don’t know what time, but I’m assuming they’ve been up all night.

“Well, what do we have here?” one man croons, making all the other men turn to look at me.

Just great.

Talon ignores them and ushers me into a garage and to an expensive-looking black four-wheel drive. He opens the door for me, waits for me to slide into the car, but hesitates as he’s about to close the door.

“Anna,” he says quietly, eyes boring into mine. “Are they good to you there? They treat you right?”

My brows furrow, wondering why he is concerned at all. “They’re good to me.”

He nods once, seemingly satisfied. “Good.”

Then he closes the door, leaving me even more confused. Slice gets into the passenger seat after me and Talon drives. The car ride is tense, the air thick between the two men, obviously anticipating facing the Wind Dragons face-to-face. Did they think this was going to run smoothly? Or were they worried that something might happen?

“Where are we going?” I ask nosily, breaking the strained silence and looking between the two men.

“A secure location,” Talon replies, his fingers squeezing the steering wheel. “Don’t worry, you’ll be safe with your brother before you know it.”

“How does everyone know so much about me?” I ask him, frowning. It is a little weird. There are many people connected to the club, but it seems like they had homed in on me. Was I an easy target? I didn’t like the sound of that.

“You work at one of the most popular bars in town, and the club keeps an eye on you everywhere you go. Everyone knows who you are,” Slice says in a dry tone. “Don’t know why you were stupid enough to be walking around alone. I’d kick your ass if you were my sister.”

“Well, luckily I’m not,” I snap. “I’m not a club member, I live my own life. I work at the bar; I go to school. I’m a fucking scientist. I didn’t think anyone would do anything to me because my only crime is being related to Rake!”

The men go quiet at my outburst, and Talon uncomfortably clears his throat. “You should listen to your brother. Other men might not be as nice as I am.”

My eyes narrow. “What I should do is move back to the other side of the country and live a peaceful life away from overbearing assholes.”

Slice chuckles, a really annoying sound. “Sweetheart, we both have chapters over there. You can’t get away no matter what. If you think your brother didn’t keep tabs on you while you were living away, you’re one stupid scientist.”

I blink. It never even occurred to me that Rake would have an eye on me while I was living on the other side of the country, but it does sound like something he would do.

I rub my forehead. “I’ll move somewhere far away. Scotland maybe? How about Ireland? I heard Galway is a beautiful place to visit this time of the year.”

“Shut it,” Slice demands as we drive into a warehouse.

“Is this the place?” I ask, sticking my face against the window. It is a large, dark, empty space in the middle of nowhere. Perfect for such dealings as this.

“Quiet, Anna,” Talon says, looking around the warehouse. I follow his lead and do the same. Where are the men? Goose bumps appear on my arms as I wait for something to happen.

Then, one by one from the darkness, they appear.

First I see Arrow, then Rake. Tracker and Sin step out from the shadows.

They look pissed.

And I mean pissed.

Deadly.

My gaze lingers on Arrow, whose posture is rigid, his fists clenched at his sides.

Suddenly I can’t help but feel sorry for Talon. Why did they come with only two people? If it was me I’d make sure I had a man for each man I was up against, but what did I know?

The Wind Dragon men step toward the car, like a unit, united by their fury. What was I supposed to do? Did they want me to get out of the car? Talon and Slice both get out at the same time, and Slice opens my door and drags me out, nowhere near as gentle as Talon had been. I give him a dirty look that he doesn’t see because he’s staring over my head. Then I’m spun around and my eyes instantly connect with Arrow’s. His gaze scans me from head to toe, maybe looking for any injuries? His mouth is tight, and his eyes are narrowed but alert. He looks imposing, and ready to do murder. Something I probably shouldn’t joke about, seeing as it’s something he’s extremely capable of.

“Where are my men?” Talon asks, gritting his teeth. “You said they would be here.”

I look around and feel like something is going on.

Because the two men they were supposed to deliver aren’t here.