13. Lamb

Chapter Thirteen

LAMB

“ W hat is it like …? Detoxing, I mean?”

Ash’s words caught me by surprise. I’d been midway through unloading the washing machine, transferring the first set of red sheets into the drier when she’d appeared in the doorway.

I paused, looking over at her.

For the first time in a while, Ash had a healthier flush to her skin. She’d slept through most of the night, but I’d found her awake in the early hours, having not slept more than a handful of hours before trying to remove the handcuff with her teeth.

It was absent now, settled in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet. Come morning, I’d released her from the binding, and she’d pranced away, out of the room and down the hall. I’d followed and found her at the island counter, waiting for her drink.

I’d expected her to shy away after last night, but something seemed to have changed in her instead. It wasn’t often someone reacted in a way I didn’t expect, but with Ash, it was becoming more and more apparent that she wasn’t a predictable person; with all the psychological and metaphysical chaos going on in her body, the erratic behavior was no surprise.

“It’s not easy,” I finally answered, satisfied to see a small pink blush creeping up her cheeks. She wore a simple pair of cotton yoga pants and one of my white shirts hanging from her slim, statuesque shoulders. “To you, it’ll probably feel like hell.”

“Wow,” Ash grunted, propping herself up against the doorway. “Way to convince me.”

She rolled her eyes, and my teeth ached. Last night had been an uncontrollable experience for me. Something about her just riled me enough that I had no choice but to take her. If she’d even fought me a little bit, I would have been able to wrangle some control, but no, she’d submitted . She’d mewled my name, and her hips had thrust alongside mine, fingers digging into my hair, sending trickles of pain through my nerves.

“If you choose to detox, there’ll be things to help you,” I continued, turning my back to her so she wouldn’t notice the growing bulge beneath my jeans. I began to set the drier, musical buttons singing back to me with each touch. “There are medicines and techniques that can ease some of the burden.”

Hoping the change of topic would distract my lower half for a moment, I turned back to face her.

Ash was staring at the floor, eyes distant, her finger running over her lips as a self-soothing gesture. She was deep in her thoughts.

I took a step closer, and her gaze flickered back up to me, matching my gaze. She didn’t run away, but for a moment, her eyes flickered down to my mouth, and I saw that soft pink flush creeping under the collar of her shirt.

Calm down.

I reached forward, capturing her cheek with my hand, and where I expected her to flinch away, she stood still. Something enraptured her about my face, and as I spoke my next words, her gaze stayed focused solely on mine.

“Detoxing will give you back control,” I promised. “It will give you power over your own body, and alcohol will no longer influence your choices. You will be independent again, and if you choose this path”—I paused, reaching out with my thumb and soothing it along the soft line of her jaw—“I will make sure you do not fail.”

I could see in her eyes that I hadn’t yet convinced her. But that was fine. If I had only provided her with a different path, opening her up to even the possibility that there was more than running and hiding in oblivion, that would be enough for me. For now.

It would be small steps, but I wasn’t deterred by a long journey. It wasn’t a case of if I’d reach my destination. It was simply a case of when.

A sharp cough jumped from Ash’s chest as she backed out of my hand, shaking off whatever trance she had been under. She tugged at the collar of her shirt, failing to hide the signs of heat traveling over her skin. I felt it, too, like electricity standing every hair on end. Seeing her retreat made me want to chase, but I held back.

I still didn’t know what the tipping point for her had been, but I wasn’t about to unravel the work I’d unwittingly made to satisfy my curiosity. This mattered more.

“You look like you want to tie me up again.” Ash’s voice cut through my thoughts.

I looked back at her, a scowl sharp in her eyes, the slight fog clouding her irises. Small flecks of pale green would catch the light, but the scarring over her lenses made me wonder what true eye color was hidden beneath. Would it be darker than what I saw? Lighter? More of a moss green or a jade? Perhaps something else entirely.

“I won’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Not while we’re awake, anyway.”

Her brows jumped halfway up her forehead. “Oh, how gracious of you, kind sir.”

“You’re welcome,” I copped back, earning a sharp huff.

I loved the attitude on her. It brought forward all the emotions that had been simmering beneath the cold and distant surface. The first impression of the prickly, stone-clad woman I’d met was crumbling, and beneath was a person. I wondered where I had to poke and push for a little more rock to fall to reveal the new Ash beneath.

“In that case, I am just going to grab my shit and hit the road.” Ash smirked, jerking a thumb over her shoulder as she began to back out of the doorway and into the main living room.

I watched her retreat, only stepping into the vacated doorway. When I didn’t follow, her steps faltered, pausing in the kitchen, giving me a weary look. “Are you not going to stop me?”

I shook my head. “I won’t do that anymore.”

Ash frowned, her brows knitting together, chin pressing into her lips. “Why?” Her eyes searched my body, as if looking for a broken leg or if my head had disappeared entirely.

“I won’t stop you if you wish to leave.” I shrugged. “ But ”—I saw her ears perk up and her body straighten, anticipation burning through her eyes—“if you run, I will chase you. I will track you down to the far edges of the earth. To the tallest mountains or the deepest caves. You can run and run as much as want. I won’t grow tired.”

Ash’s jaw hit the floor. She stared wide-eyed, brows raised. I knew my face was a picture of calm and casual, but my words were deadly serious.

It took a moment or two before function started to return to her, her head shaking as if trying to physically slip the words loose from her mind. “You know what?” Ash grunted, throwing her hands up in the air in surrender. “Forget I said anything.”

She turned on her heels, stomping off to the stairs, and I heard the patter of her feet all the way up to the bedroom before silence filled the house.

I think she got my point.

C lub music pounded in my ears as I got to work putting the display bottles back in the correct places. Dust gathered on the surfaces during the short time I’d been away, and I worked diligently to get them back to sparkling.

“Just get the prospects to do it,” Anna grumbled from next to me. She sat on the other side of the bar, holding a newborn infant, cradling it close to her chest as she scribbled away at some paperwork sprawled out over the bar. “They could do with some discipline. Things have been a little lax lately, and all they do is eat, shit, fuck, and repeat.”

I looked down at the comatose newborn then back up at her. “The prospects have been getting on your nerves?” I ventured, curious as to what had made our queen so upset.

“All of you have been getting on my nerves,” Anna grunted, shifting the child in her lap, frustration growing evident in her features. Her baby blue eyes were sharp as she glanced around the empty room. “People popping out babies left, right, and center. I’ve had work shoved down my throat since my maternity ended, and now I have a VP who’s as present as a fucking ghost.”

I ignored the last bit.

“So, who does that belong to?” I said, pointing my finger at the wriggling, thumb-shaped being in her arms.

“I don’t even know anymore.” Anna sighed, throwing her pen onto the bar, and dropped her head into her free hand. A pained groan dragged from her lips as she buried her head harder into her palm.

I was about to go back to my work, done with the conversation, when her head jumped back up, her free hand striking out, a sharp, red fingernail aimed at the dead center of my chest. “Don’t ignore me,” Anna snapped, eyes too clear and focused on my own. “Where the hell have you been? Why haven’t I seen you recently? You pretty much only turn up for church, and that’s it. Got a new girl or something? Need me to run a background check? Actually, I don’t care if you want me to; I’m going to, anyway.”

“That’s”—I paused, not sure where to start—“a lot to unpack there. You good?”

“I’m not,” Anna seethed, flames flickering out of her ears. “But I’m not addressing that right now. You. You need to give me answers.”

The baby stayed snug asleep in her grasp, probably enjoying the warmth of the flames raging inside. I, however, did not feel like entertaining her attitude and was no doubt about to seal my own execution.

“I do not and will not,” I said with calm certainty. “Your attitude and fire may intimidate everyone else, but it won’t work on me. What I do is not your business, your highness.”

Earning what felt like the wrath of a titan, a searing heat flaring across my face, I took a deliberate step backward. The bar between us was no shelter, but at the least, I had to thank the baby anchored in her arms for holding her back; otherwise, she’d no doubt leap for my throat and rip it clean off without even a splinter of remorse.

I put down the dusting rag, folding it thrice before tucking it next to the others, and walked myself out from around the bar and into the clubroom. Anna’s eyes did not leave mine, and her gaze tattooed into my skin, branding me with a mark announcing my inevitable demise. The next time Anna saw me would be the last I would see in the world; she’d do her best to make sure of it.

I wasn’t afraid. I knew she was capable, but we were a fair match.

May the best man win.

“Do you have to rile her up like that?” Wolf growled as I stepped past his bulking body and into the hallway.

I didn’t have to look to know her eyes were still locked in my direction. It was rare that the clubroom was ever completely empty, but I guessed it had been lucky for today. No one would die in the crossfire of the war I had started.

“Wouldn’t have to if you’d sort her out yourself.” I shrugged, heading into the office and dropping into my staple chair, opposite the desk. “Not sure what’s up, but something needs exorcized out of her.”

I looked back up to where Wolf lingered in the office doorway, his head peeking out just enough to see his woman. “I’ve tried.” Wolf sighed, retreating into his office.

“Not ex-ER-cise,” I stressed. “Ex-OR-cise. That woman’s got demons inside.”

“I know what you meant,” Wolf grunted into his chair, the arm jostling under the pressure of his meaty forearms as his hands wrapped tightly around them. “If I take her to a church now, I fear she’d combust into flames or set the place alight herself.”

“She’d laugh while doing it, too,” I added, picturing the scene in my head. Mallory, another old lady in the club, would murder us if we let Anna ruin her late father’s church. However, there was little anyone could “ let” Anna do. If she wanted to, she would. There would be no stopping her.

“We’re getting off topic,” Wolf countered, shaking his head, trying to dislodge the worries about his woman’s fearsome attitude. “I need you to do something for me.”

“You’ve got a woman for that type of thing, boss.” I raised my palms, backing deeper into my chair. I watched the impatience flush over his face, a sickly sweet amusement teasing my lips. “But, if you really, really need it, then I guess I’l—”

“Finish that sentence, and I’ll put a bullet through your skull,” Wolf cut me off. His voice was as dry and hard as the desert, and I could hear the tumbleweeds bouncing through the resounding silence.

“Well, there’s no need to be defensive.” I lowered my hands, easing away from the big bad wolf as I successfully managed to get the top couple of the club ready to kill me. Maybe they’d make my murder a date night and fuck on top of my grave. A little disrespectful, but I got it.

“I need you to head over to Redwood. There’s a meet happening over there, but I got somewhere else to be.”

“You’re going alone?” I crooked a brow at him, surprise lacing through my voice.

Wolf didn’t comment, his eyes just hardened on my face, lips pressed into a tight white line.

Understanding dawned on me. “Must be important”—I smirked—“to make you smile all pretty like that.” I waved a hand at his face and watched as his features darkened.

“Don’t fuck around, and don’t wait too long. Get the information and head back.” Wolf leaned back in his chair, reaching inside a drawer before pulling out the silver handgun. “Go armed.”

He slid the gun along the table toward me, and I gave it a short once-over before picking it up and sliding it into the waistband of my jeans. I draped my cut over my back, keeping the weapon covered as I rose to stand.

Wolf mimicked my movement, his height towering far over mine.

“Pretty Boy is waiting outside. He’ll go with you.”

“A child.” I smiled, Ash’s sarcasm creeping into my voice. “Delightful.”

I moved over to the door, swinging it open and feeling the dense warmth of the clubroom wash across my face.

“Lamb,” Wolf stopped me in the doorway. “Be careful.”

I stared at the big sensitive giant, my eyes roaming the tired, hollowed face that had darkened over the last few months. He’d grown wearier, his beard more salt than pepper, and his body leaner than I’d ever seen.

A lot had been going on recently, and it was taking a toll on the older man. Even if we weren’t apart much by age, in terms of experience, Wolf had lived a thousand more lifetimes than I ever had. Or ever would.

“Yes, boss,” I said, heading out the door, the gun now heavier than ever in the back of my jeans.

I passed by Anna, still blazing with anger, locked at the bar, but felt the way the fire scorch along my back as I walked through the empty clubroom and out into the cool, bitter winds of the car park.

“Hey!” Pretty called out. “I was just beginning to forget your face.” He smirked, leaning back against his bike, parked right next to mine.

“How’s middle school?” I quipped back, walking over to him. “Didn’t get detention today?”

“I’m at college,” Pretty grumbled, swinging his leg over the side, pulling free his helmet. “I’m not twelve.”

“You’re right; my bad,” I said, sitting down over the snug, curved seat of my bike, her body conforming to mine as I began to buckle into my helmet. “You’re thirteen now, right? Wow, such a big boy.”

The satirical energy was lost as Pretty let out a downtrodden sigh. “I don’t know why I agreed to go with you.” His engine rumbled into the chilling winds, and my own struck up beside it, smothering any more chances for conversation.

I sent one last look at the huge concrete building, the barred windows, and the large storm doors, thinking about the final look on Wolf’s face. It only lasted a moment before I spun on my wheels and headed toward the gate.