I sigh. “Then, I’m afraid, until you trust me enough to let me in, I’m going to need some time to think about things, to think about us.”

The worry in his eyes is clear as he processes what I said. “Anna...”

I swallow hard, and it takes every bit of my willpower to muster up the courage to take a step back, leaving the comforting warmth of his embrace. “I need time. You can take me to the airport tomorrow, but I’ll be staying at Aunt Dee’s tonight.”

The sad expression on his face nearly causes me to crumble and give in to him, allowing him to keep me out of the loop, as long as I get to be with him. But if I continue to live in the darkness of his secrets, I will never forgive myself for not standing up to him and demanding the truth.

Tears begin to burn my eyes, so I turn and run back into the restaurant because the last thing I want is for Xavier to see me cry.

Chapter 16

Xavier

One of the hardest things I’ve ever done is allow Anna to walk away from me without too much of a fight. She wants the truth. I completely understand that, but it doesn’t mean I can give it to her.

I lace my fingers together and stare up at the star-filled sky, wishing there were some way to make everything better. It kills me to be at the center of what’s causing her pain, and I seem to have been doing that a lot lately. If I were a better man, I would encourage her to leave me for a guy who wouldn’t hurt her all the fucking time.

I just can’t get this relationship thing right.

The door of the restaurant slamming shut catches my attention.

The shit-stain who was sitting next to Anna at the bar comes strolling out with a cocky grin on his face. “Bishop sends his regards.”

Adrenaline is still flowing through my veins, and I dare this shit stain to step to me.

I know exactly why he was sniffing around her. The symbols on his shirt are ones Bishop brands on his crew. It’s one of the marks on my forearm that I’ve tried damn hard to cover up with other tattoos.

Now that Anna’s out of earshot, there’s no need for all these fucking games.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?”

He rolls his shoulders back, like my threat doesn’t affect him, but I know better. If he’s a part of the Block crew, then he’s heard of me, so he must be well aware of the damage I could inflict on him in a matter of seconds. Being so damn brutal is what made me Bishop’s right hand. He knows, when I unleash on someone, it won’t be pretty.

“Bishop’s giving you one month to get shit together and make things happen, like he’s asked you to do, or next time, we get even closer to your girl.”

Heat washes through me. “You. Will. Not. Fucking. Touch. Her.”

He smirks. “You can’t be with her all the time, X. It was all too easy to track her down and get right up next to her. Don’t think we can’t do it again.”

“I’ll kill every fucking one of you. I swear to God.”

He laughs, and my chest puffs up as I curl my fingers into fists at my sides. I lunge forward, and the smirk falls off his face as he lifts his shirt in one quick motion.

A gleam from the bar’s sign shines off the solid steel tucked into the waistband of his jeans. “Don’t fucking try it.”

My eyes zero in on the gun, and then I glare at him. “If you think that will stop me from ending you, then that proves you don’t know my reputation very well.”

“You’re not quicker than a bullet, X.”

I fix my stare on him. “You don’t want to test that theory. I can fucking assure you of that. If you know what’s good for you, you’d walk away right now.”

He takes a step back. “Last warning, X. Do what Bishop says, or we’ll be back.”

My top lip curls of its own accord. “If you come around again, it’ll be your fucking funeral. No one will touch her. No. One. You run and tell Bishop that.”

The tension hangs in the air until the man backs away and hops into a black car. He squeals the tires as he pulls out of the parking lot.

The moment he’s gone, my hands begin to tremble as I come down from my adrenaline high.

It seems as though I need to make good on my promise to be Anna’s personal bodyguard and keep eyes on her twenty-four/seven anytime she’s in Detroit. Whether she knows it or not, she truly is incapable of handling every problem in this city on her own, and she will need me to watch over her.

After waiting in the parking lot for Quinn’s shift to end, I take care to follow Anna and Quinn home while keeping out of sight. It comforts me to know who’s around Anna, and if she refuses to come back to the house on Sycamore with me, then I’ll be forced to make sure she’s safe in other ways. And that starts with finding a place to park my bike where the girls won’t see it in her aunt’s backyard because I plan on spending the night out here, so I can keep watch over the house.

Chapter 17

Anna

Xavier behind the wheel of Quinn’s compact Honda would be almost comical if he didn’t appear to be so tired this morning. He’s so tall and broad that he barely fits in the seat, but it was necessary to borrow her car to drive me to the airport. Suitcases don’t exactly fit on the back of a motorcycle.

He’s wearing the same clothes he had on last night, and judging by the bags under his eyes, he hasn’t slept a wink.

I know the feeling because I tossed and turned all night, wondering if refusing to go home with Xavier last night was the right thing to do even though I needed to make it clear that I demand honesty from him.

After we go to the house on Sycamore to pick up my suitcase, we head to the airport. We haven’t said much to each other. Some tension from the things we said last night is clearly lingering between us, and it seems neither of us is going to budge to compromise.

Xavier parks the car next to the curb in the passenger drop-off area. “Guess this is it.”

“I don’t want to leave you, but this is the best thing for us right now. I want to be by your side when this is over.”

The sadness in his eyes is unmistakable, but surprisingly, he hasn’t asked me to quit my job with Tension in order to stay with him. It’s like it’s finally clicked with him that I need to keep this job, so we can be together when his suspension is lifted.

He reaches over and touches my cheek. He opens his mouth, like he wants to say something else, but he quickly closes it. Instead, he sighs and then flips open the door handle of the car. “Better get your bag. Planes don’t wait.”