her nose was still red and swollen, her eyes had blackened, and you could still see bits of dried blood on her scalp.
“Club business,” he answered, his voice clipped.
“Is that all I’m allowed to know?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn’t sure how well this would work for her. Being by yourself meant you were never kept in the dark – having someone else calling the shots would take some getting used to.
“That’s all you get to know. I gotta go, but I’ll be back in a little while. Make yourselves at home. There’s plenty of food.”
As he reached the bedroom door, he turned abruptly and came back to stand in front of her. Looking up at him, she was afraid to move. Tenderly, he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and swept his large thumb over the bruise that had appeared.
“Get some sleep. Things will look way different when you wake up. Roni will make sure that the kids are taken care of. Just rest,” he whispered. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her. To explain that this wasn’t how things always went. Maybe lean in and give her a gentle kiss on the lips, show her another side of himself, but he knew this wasn’t the time.
The moment was too intimate for her, too soon after everything that had happened. She stepped out of his personal space and shook her head slightly as if to clear it.
“I can’t, I have to work tonight.”
His eyes hardened. “Not anymore. I’m gonna take care of you for a while. Roni already called and told them you quit.”
She flushed angrily. She had never even had to consult with anyone about her decisions before, and now others were making decisions for her that she didn’t even agree with.
“Think about what you say before you speak,” he warned her.
Was it really worth it to go to war with him? She questioned. Deciding she was just too tired to put up a fight, she answered. “Just go do what you have to. I’ll be here when you get back, hopefully with a few hours sleep under my belt. Maybe then we can talk about this like mature adults.”
He nodded in agreement. Before leaving, he gave into his desire. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against the bruise on her cheek. “I really am sorry that happened. I should have stopped it before it started.”
“I know.” And she really did. “Go do what you have to do.”
She walked him to the front door of the house. Her eyes followed him as he got on his bike and started it up. As he revved the engine, he looked back at her and raised his hand in a wave. Denise could see the smirk on his face and her heart sped up just a little bit.
This was dangerous in so many ways. She was in so deep, she didn’t even know if there would ever be a way out, didn’t know now if she even wanted a way out. That’s what scared her the most. How quickly she seemed to have accepted this. Only the future would tell her if she had made the right decision or not.
Chapter Nine
“A nybody know what this is about?” Tyler asked, putting his arms out and laying his head on them. It had been a long couple of nights for everyone.
The officers sat around the main table in the clubhouse, waiting to see what they had all been summoned back for.
Liam shook his head, answering Tyler’s yawn with one of his own. “There’s no telling.” He sat up a little straighter, stretching to keep himself awake.
The group looked up as they heard another person come through the door. William Walker strutted down the aisle, gazing at each of them before taking the seat at the head of the table. With the power of a president, he watched the group of men that had assembled, daring them to speak before he did. When it became evident they wouldn’t, he started talking with the booming voice he used when he knew he had a great idea.
“Tomorrow night, the Vojnik are supposed to intercept our drug shipment. We’re going to let them.”
Mummers went up around the table as they all started to
“Club business,” he answered, his voice clipped.
“Is that all I’m allowed to know?” she asked, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn’t sure how well this would work for her. Being by yourself meant you were never kept in the dark – having someone else calling the shots would take some getting used to.
“That’s all you get to know. I gotta go, but I’ll be back in a little while. Make yourselves at home. There’s plenty of food.”
As he reached the bedroom door, he turned abruptly and came back to stand in front of her. Looking up at him, she was afraid to move. Tenderly, he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and swept his large thumb over the bruise that had appeared.
“Get some sleep. Things will look way different when you wake up. Roni will make sure that the kids are taken care of. Just rest,” he whispered. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her. To explain that this wasn’t how things always went. Maybe lean in and give her a gentle kiss on the lips, show her another side of himself, but he knew this wasn’t the time.
The moment was too intimate for her, too soon after everything that had happened. She stepped out of his personal space and shook her head slightly as if to clear it.
“I can’t, I have to work tonight.”
His eyes hardened. “Not anymore. I’m gonna take care of you for a while. Roni already called and told them you quit.”
She flushed angrily. She had never even had to consult with anyone about her decisions before, and now others were making decisions for her that she didn’t even agree with.
“Think about what you say before you speak,” he warned her.
Was it really worth it to go to war with him? She questioned. Deciding she was just too tired to put up a fight, she answered. “Just go do what you have to. I’ll be here when you get back, hopefully with a few hours sleep under my belt. Maybe then we can talk about this like mature adults.”
He nodded in agreement. Before leaving, he gave into his desire. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against the bruise on her cheek. “I really am sorry that happened. I should have stopped it before it started.”
“I know.” And she really did. “Go do what you have to do.”
She walked him to the front door of the house. Her eyes followed him as he got on his bike and started it up. As he revved the engine, he looked back at her and raised his hand in a wave. Denise could see the smirk on his face and her heart sped up just a little bit.
This was dangerous in so many ways. She was in so deep, she didn’t even know if there would ever be a way out, didn’t know now if she even wanted a way out. That’s what scared her the most. How quickly she seemed to have accepted this. Only the future would tell her if she had made the right decision or not.
Chapter Nine
“A nybody know what this is about?” Tyler asked, putting his arms out and laying his head on them. It had been a long couple of nights for everyone.
The officers sat around the main table in the clubhouse, waiting to see what they had all been summoned back for.
Liam shook his head, answering Tyler’s yawn with one of his own. “There’s no telling.” He sat up a little straighter, stretching to keep himself awake.
The group looked up as they heard another person come through the door. William Walker strutted down the aisle, gazing at each of them before taking the seat at the head of the table. With the power of a president, he watched the group of men that had assembled, daring them to speak before he did. When it became evident they wouldn’t, he started talking with the booming voice he used when he knew he had a great idea.
“Tomorrow night, the Vojnik are supposed to intercept our drug shipment. We’re going to let them.”
Mummers went up around the table as they all started to
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