Chapter 12 Arrow
ARROW
Finger-fucking a client may just be the stupidest thing I’ve done. Ever. And yet, I’m planning on doing it again and again. As many times as she wants.
I wake just after sunrise and check my phone.
It’s early, but I always rise at this hour and get in a workout before I start the day.
I like to give my best energy to the things that matter most to me, and keeping fit has always been a top priority.
Whether I need to run from bad guys or chase them down, fitness is practically a requirement of the job.
But now, with Annie asleep beside me, her arm thrown over the sheets and a bare leg sticking out from beneath the covers, I could see a whole new type of priority taking over my mornings.
I slip out of bed, trying to keep from waking her, and slide on my briefs.
I grab my keys and hit the bathroom, locking a sleeping Annie inside the room.
She’ll be able to unlock the door from the inside, but I’m not taking any chances.
I want to have a look around the compound and see if there’re any free weights lying around.
Worst-case, I can plan for a run tomorrow once I map out a decent route close to the compound.
I hear voices in the kitchen and head that direction. Tiny is sitting on a stool, his elbows leaning against the counter. He’s wearing a giant tank top and is panting hard. He’s dripping with sweat and cursing.
“Tiny.” Even though I’m barefoot and in my underwear, I rush up to him and clap him lightly on the back. “Fuck, man, are you all right?”
He grunts and swats me away with a meaty hand. “Fuck off, Arrow.” He shakes his head, and droplets of sweat go flying.
A second later, Leo walks through the front door of the compound, a shit-eating grin on his face. “Arrow, you son of a bitch.”
He joins us in the kitchen and gives me a half hug. He’s dressed in gym shorts and is shirtless like me.
I jerk a thumb at Tiny. “Everything all right?”
Leo shakes his head. “Now that Tiny has a grandkid, we’re working on a little cardiovascular fitness.”
“Fuck that shit.” Tiny snorts and rubs his forehead with the back of his palm. “I’m getting guilted into this shit because I have a grandson. What I really care about is getting a little of my mojo back.”
“Your mojo back?” Leo asks with a snort.
I grin, remembering that Marla gave Tiny her number. Or vice versa. “You trying to get back into fucking shape, T?” I ask. “No shame in that.”
Tiny gives me a blistering glare and hauls himself off the stool. “Don’t fucking call me T.”
Leo cracks a grin. “He’s not a fan of working out. It makes him a little grouchy.”
Tiny grunts, pointing a shaking finger at Leo. “We’re done. Son-in-law or not, no more working out.” He lumbers over to the fridge and yanks it open and curses a blue streak under his breath. “I need a goddamn Coke,” he sputters, then heads off toward his office.
Leo shakes his head again, then fires up the coffeemaker. “So, things working out here?” he asks. “Tiny told me you’re crashing in Crow’s old room with…” Leo gives me a curious look. “Your old lady.”
I nod but decide it’s better not to get into it. “Yeah, man. Annie and I are really grateful.”
He looks like he’s about to press me for details, but I don’t want to explain. Leo and I are friends, but I’ve always been tighter with his older brother, Tim. It probably seems a little weird that I’ve never mentioned Annie before now, but now is definitely not the time either.
Right on cue, Annie rushes into the kitchen, clutching her phone in her hands and looking like she just woke up. Her hair is loose and messy, and she’s wearing the same cupcake pajamas from last night. She’s biting her lower lip and looking like she’s about to break into a run.
Immediately, my body remembers the feel of her ass against my hands and the taste of her nipples in my mouth, but my protective instincts go into overdrive at the raw fear on her face.
“Annie, what is it? What’s wrong?”
I cross the kitchen to meet her, and she looks at me with a wobbly smile.
“Hey.” I pull her against my chest and kiss the top of her head, then release her and search her face. “What’s up? You were sound asleep just a minute ago.”
She nods, then holds out her phone to me. “I woke up when you left, so I grabbed my phone to see if you’d texted where you were going.” She looks terrified. “I have six messages, Josh. All from the same person.”
I take her phone and scroll the messages. “Neveah?” I ask.
Annie nods.
I read the messages and start to feel pressure building behind my eyes after each one. The first message is friendly, but with each additional message, the tone changes. The voice goes cold and almost authoritative.
The last one has me most concerned.
“She says if you don’t come to campus this morning and check in with her, she’s going to report you as withdrawn to Student Affairs.” I hand the phone back to her. “I’ve never been to college, but that doesn’t sound like her job.”
Annie shrugs. “I mean, technically, I’m paying for the program.
I’m not on scholarship. I should be able to come and go as I please, but I do think one of the conditions of living in the residence hall is if I plan to be away, I need to formally notify my RA.
It’s a safety concern, I guess. They need to know where I am if I’m not in my room. ”
I suck in a chest full of the coffee aroma coming from the very full pot Leo’s made. “Let’s get showered and dressed. I think our first stop today is your dorm.”
Annie nods, and I introduce her to Leo. He offers us coffee and reminds us to help ourselves to food. “I’m out, man. See you at the office later?” Leo looks me over, so I assume he hasn’t noticed the sign I put on my door back at the strip mall.
“Not likely,” I tell him. “I’ll be working off-site until we sort this all out.”
Leo nods, waves goodbye to Annie, then heads out.
Once we’re alone, Annie and I grab cups of coffee and take them back to our room.
She plops down on the bed and looks wrecked. “What is happening?” she whispers. “Could Neveah have something to do with the letters?”
I can tell from the look on her face that the idea of the people she thought she could trust betraying her is eating her up.
I wish I could reassure her. I wish I had the answers, but I don’t.
I know the disappointment of those closest to you letting you down.
Fuck, stabbing you right in the belly. But if that’s what Annie’s facing, she’s not going to face it alone.
I sip my coffee, then set it down on Crow’s dresser. I sit beside her on the bed and open my arms. She tucks her head under my chest and hugs me. “You’ll get through this,” I promise. “You’re not alone. We’re going to sort out exactly who’s behind this and why. We’re going to stop it, Annie.”
I’m not sure my words bring her any comfort. If the one person she cares about at school is somehow behind all this, she may decide, or be forced, to leave. Derailing her dreams is not something I’m looking forward to doing, but if it comes to that, her life will have to come before her art.
I just hope to high heaven I don’t have to be the one to tell her that.
Annie and I drive my truck onto campus and park in the student lot. I use her student parking permit and almost hope that some campus security officer checks that the tag matches the plates the permit is registered to. I have very little faith that anything like that will happen.
We first head up to the studio just to check if there are any notes left behind. Thankfully, there are none. And no evidence that anything has been moved or disturbed since we were here last.
Then we head to the dorms. Her room is still as messy as we left it, with only the clothes and toiletries that she took to the compound missing. Here, too, looks unchanged and untouched since yesterday.
“That’s a relief,” Annie says, her shoulders sagging. “No new bad news to deal with.”
“Let’s do some cleaning,” I tell her. “Let’s turn on some music and prop that door open, so that anyone who may be interested will know you’re here.”
She looks nervous, but she nods before she uses the tip of a sneaker to hold open the door. The windows are closed, and the blinds are drawn, so she lifts them halfway up to let in light. It’ll be blazing hot in a couple hours, but by then, we’ll have made our appearance and can get out of here.
Annie cues up a playlist on her phone and connects to a small speaker.
I cock my chin at her and grin. “You listen to this?”
The first song is a cover of a retro nineties girl band pop hit. The absolute opposite of what I imagine a textile artist would play, but then, I have no freaking idea what kind of music an artist listens to. There is so much I don’t know about Annie and so much more I want to learn.
“It’s girl-power music,” she explains. “I’m not feeling very connected to strength at the moment.” She’s stepping over piles of clothes and looking like she has no idea where to begin.
“Hey.” I toe off my boots, careful to avoid stepping on her underwear and bras, and pull her to standing. “Come here.”
I hold her close, and she presses her ear against my chest.
“Why do you smell so good?” she asks, breathing me in.
I laugh. “I don’t know, babe. But you smell good enough to eat.”
She looks up at me with a smoldering grin just as there’s a loud knock on the door.
“Annie freaking Hannie.” Neveah storms through the door and practically yanks Annie out of my arms. She holds her close in a hug and rocks her lightly. “I’m so happy to see you, babe.”
Neveah’s enthusiasm seems genuine until she gets a look at me. “Oh, hey.” She nods, but then she looks away and focuses all her attention on Annie. “Where’ve you been? You’ve been getting my messages, right?”