For the Bond (Romantic Suspense) (Beyond Blood, #3) by Nora Flite Page B

back, I tried to escape. Her other hand closed on my forearm, forcing me still. Confused, I let her lift my hand. Marina was peering at my knuckles. “Jacob wouldn't tell me what these meant. The whole 'swim' thing.”
    “He's good at keeping secrets,” I said softly.
    “The other day, I won the paintball contest.” Her lashes were a fringe, but they didn't hide the determination in her black pupils. “I said I'd pick what I wanted later. Well, I want you to tell me what these mean.”
    The edges of my frown couldn't have gone deeper. “That's what you want?” I'd expected her to ask for something... bigger. Bolder.
    My silence gave my thoughts away. Marina smiled, soft and tender. “You already told me, you can't promise what I want from you guys. Nothing has changed, asking for my life to be spared would be a waste.”
    Fucking hell. I was ready to grab her face and scream. I'd declare to Marina and the world that if we could only be certain she'd never be our downfall... that of course I'd promise her safety. I was burning to promise her anything. And I fucking couldn't.
    “I'm right, aren't I?” she asked bluntly.
    Looking to the side briefly, I nodded. “Yes.”
    “Then tell me.” Holding my hand in hers, she curled my fingers into a fist. One by one, she gently tapped each of the letters on my knuckles. “What does this mean?”
    This wasn't much better than her asking about my past. I could control what I said, feed her enough to satisfy her. I just... really loathed thinking about this shit. Stick to the basics. “I got the tattoo when I was thirteen.”
    “ Thirteen? ” she laughed, acting like she didn't believe me. I arched an eyebrow, watched her let my hand go. “Who would tattoo a thirteen-year old?”
    “The wrong people will do anything for a favor.” I wasn't going to tell her that favor. “Anyway, you wanted to know what they meant, not how I got them.” Waiting for her to nod, I pressed on. “The phrase means... fuck, how do I explain this?” So much of the meaning was tied to my history. To that god damn day and what Jacob and I had done.
    Shaking myself, I fought down the wave of sickness. My childhood memories could die in a sewer. I wished they would. “Think of life like—like land. Sturdy ground.” Marina titled her head, locks of hair tumbling down her shoulders. I didn't want her to interrupt me. “Most people stand on this ground. Then there are... others. People who get pulled into the river.”
    “The river?” Her doubt was strong. I didn't care. She wanted to understand but she could not understand. All Marina could do was listen, and my single option was to talk.
    “This river is dark, and strong. It will drown you if you stay in it.” Breathing in sharply, I stared at my open palms. “It's a bad place for shitty people. But it's exciting, too. You're stuck in it, wondering if you'll make it to the other side or if you'll drop to the bottom and drown. And all you can do—the only option you'll ever have—is to swim.” In the pale light, my tattoos hurt my own eyes. “You swim, or you die. If you're lucky... you'll get to the other side.”
    Freedom. God, Jacob... please be right. Let us have some peace.
    My eyes bounced up, found her perplexed face.
    Please don't let her be our anchor.
    Marina leaned away, fiddling with the ends of her hair. “I don't understand. Why are you swimming? Why is that important to you?”
    “Because it reminds me who I am... and what I am.” I'd had my skin inked when I was in a bad place. Those early days on the street were rough. Jacob and I did everything we could to stay alive. The bad crowd was our inevitable fate. Stealing, fighting, struggling. Even then, that life had been better than what I'd abandoned. I'd known the river way before we took our first contract.
    The loud buzzing of my phone startled me. Marina flinched, too. Her eyes locked on my phone as I yanked it out. I saw Jacob's name a second before I heard him