I laugh to myself at his smooth voice, which is probably working on her. Kai leans on the counter, quiet but with a small smile on his face, while Michael, the lead point guard for the Meridian City Storm basketball team, stands tall and intimidating.
He reaches out a hand. “And I’m Michael Crist.”
“Oh, yes.” She smiles wide. “My husband is a huge fan.”
“Just your husband?” he teases.
A blush crosses her cheeks, and I want to puke.
She then shakes Will’s and Kai’s hands, exhaling a long breath, her demeanor suddenly happy and relaxed. “Well, what can I do for you gentlemen?”
Will leans on the counter, getting intimate. “Misha Lare Grayson is also the grandson of Senator Grayson, and our grandfather would consider it a personal favor to him if you would allow the family to deal with Misha.”
I can feel Ryen tense next to me, and I wince. Shit. Yeah, I forgot about not having told her that particular detail, too.
Will goes on, turning his head toward me, and the cop follows his gaze. “He’s kind of the black sheep—I’m sure you can tell,” he explains to her, as her eyes skim down my tattooed arms. “We’ll take him back to Thunder Bay, and he will not return to Falcon’s Well. You have our word. We’ll escort the little shit home right now.”
I grind my teeth together. Will’s eyes twinkle with laughter.
The cop regards me. “Well, the other young man is claiming he stole a watch,” she explains, “however, he doesn’t have it on him, and we have no witnesses. We were going to let him go anyway, but he won’t tell us where he lives or his parents’ names.”
Will nods, straightening back up. “Trust us. We’ll take him home.”
She looks around at the three of them, seeing their perfect black suits, clean fingers, and not a tattoo in sight, so of course they’re upstanding gentlemen. “Alright,” she finally concedes. “Take him home, and keep him out of trouble.”
They shake her hand and walk away from the counter, looking smug as they head over to me.
I shoot out of the chair and stand in front of Will, staring him eye to eye and trying to keep my voice low. “I’m the black sheep?” I challenge. “I’m the black sheep? Did I just spend two and a half years in prison? How could she not know who you were? Why don’t you roll up your sleeves and show her your tattoos?”
Will adjusts his collar and cuffs, primping himself. “I told you, never let anyone see all your cards. Didn’t I say that? I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They have no idea what I’m capable of until it’s too late.”
His friend, Kai, quietly laughs at his side.
“I told you not to get a tattoo on your neck,” Will scolds. “Didn’t I say that? Did you see how we worked her? You should’ve been able to get yourself out of that if you had any sense.”
“It’s not on my neck,” I argue back. “It’s just like,” I gesture to my neck, “up a little and…”
“Hi.” I hear a calm, deep voice and look over to see Kai staring at Ryen.
Michael follows suit and moves close to her. “So this is the one who was at a party, without you, doing body shots, huh?”
She scowls, and I retort, “Dane needs to shut his mouth.”
But Michael just smirks down at Ryen. “If that was my girl, her ass would be red for a week.”
“Yeah, I don’t physically threaten my girl, okay?”
“And look where she was.”
Will pushes Michael back. “Don’t listen to him,” he soothes Ryen. “He doesn’t lay a hand on his girl. She has swords.”
Kai laughs quietly off to the side, but Ryen’s face is twisted in disgust. She looks to me. “Who are these pigs?”
I walk for the front door, knowing everyone will follow. “Will’s my cousin. These are his friends. I called him so I wouldn’t have to call my dad.”
“And how’s my baby?” Will calls from behind, referring to his truck. He lent it to me when he got arrested a few years ago. I had it the whole time he was on the inside, but since he’s been out, he hasn’t come looking for it, so I hoped he forgot about it.
“I hope you don’t want it back,” I tell him. “I have some good memories in that truck.”
I shoot a look over to Ryen, seeing a blush cross her cheeks.
“Yeah, me, too,” Will answers. “I guess I can let you hang onto it for a little while longer.”
Ryen stares ahead, her jaw flexing. “I’m out of here.”
She pushes through the doors, but I call after her. “No. I need to talk to you!”
But she powers toward her Jeep, which is parked on the side of a building at the left of the parking lot. I run after her, forgetting Will and his friends.
“Stop!” I take her arms and pull her to a halt next to the passenger side of her car. “What do you want me to say, huh? That I fucked up? I know I did. I’m sorry.”
I’m sick of her defiance and how she won’t give me an inch. Just say you miss me.
I take her face in my hands. “Look at me.”
But she pushes my hands down. “I hate you. Let me go.”
“Why?” I lash out. “So you can go back to that party? Back to your prom date? You gonna fuck him, too?”
“Maybe!” she yells. “Maybe I’ll sink as low as you, and we’ll have something more in common. Maybe I won’t hate you so much.”
He reaches out a hand. “And I’m Michael Crist.”
“Oh, yes.” She smiles wide. “My husband is a huge fan.”
“Just your husband?” he teases.
A blush crosses her cheeks, and I want to puke.
She then shakes Will’s and Kai’s hands, exhaling a long breath, her demeanor suddenly happy and relaxed. “Well, what can I do for you gentlemen?”
Will leans on the counter, getting intimate. “Misha Lare Grayson is also the grandson of Senator Grayson, and our grandfather would consider it a personal favor to him if you would allow the family to deal with Misha.”
I can feel Ryen tense next to me, and I wince. Shit. Yeah, I forgot about not having told her that particular detail, too.
Will goes on, turning his head toward me, and the cop follows his gaze. “He’s kind of the black sheep—I’m sure you can tell,” he explains to her, as her eyes skim down my tattooed arms. “We’ll take him back to Thunder Bay, and he will not return to Falcon’s Well. You have our word. We’ll escort the little shit home right now.”
I grind my teeth together. Will’s eyes twinkle with laughter.
The cop regards me. “Well, the other young man is claiming he stole a watch,” she explains, “however, he doesn’t have it on him, and we have no witnesses. We were going to let him go anyway, but he won’t tell us where he lives or his parents’ names.”
Will nods, straightening back up. “Trust us. We’ll take him home.”
She looks around at the three of them, seeing their perfect black suits, clean fingers, and not a tattoo in sight, so of course they’re upstanding gentlemen. “Alright,” she finally concedes. “Take him home, and keep him out of trouble.”
They shake her hand and walk away from the counter, looking smug as they head over to me.
I shoot out of the chair and stand in front of Will, staring him eye to eye and trying to keep my voice low. “I’m the black sheep?” I challenge. “I’m the black sheep? Did I just spend two and a half years in prison? How could she not know who you were? Why don’t you roll up your sleeves and show her your tattoos?”
Will adjusts his collar and cuffs, primping himself. “I told you, never let anyone see all your cards. Didn’t I say that? I’m a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They have no idea what I’m capable of until it’s too late.”
His friend, Kai, quietly laughs at his side.
“I told you not to get a tattoo on your neck,” Will scolds. “Didn’t I say that? Did you see how we worked her? You should’ve been able to get yourself out of that if you had any sense.”
“It’s not on my neck,” I argue back. “It’s just like,” I gesture to my neck, “up a little and…”
“Hi.” I hear a calm, deep voice and look over to see Kai staring at Ryen.
Michael follows suit and moves close to her. “So this is the one who was at a party, without you, doing body shots, huh?”
She scowls, and I retort, “Dane needs to shut his mouth.”
But Michael just smirks down at Ryen. “If that was my girl, her ass would be red for a week.”
“Yeah, I don’t physically threaten my girl, okay?”
“And look where she was.”
Will pushes Michael back. “Don’t listen to him,” he soothes Ryen. “He doesn’t lay a hand on his girl. She has swords.”
Kai laughs quietly off to the side, but Ryen’s face is twisted in disgust. She looks to me. “Who are these pigs?”
I walk for the front door, knowing everyone will follow. “Will’s my cousin. These are his friends. I called him so I wouldn’t have to call my dad.”
“And how’s my baby?” Will calls from behind, referring to his truck. He lent it to me when he got arrested a few years ago. I had it the whole time he was on the inside, but since he’s been out, he hasn’t come looking for it, so I hoped he forgot about it.
“I hope you don’t want it back,” I tell him. “I have some good memories in that truck.”
I shoot a look over to Ryen, seeing a blush cross her cheeks.
“Yeah, me, too,” Will answers. “I guess I can let you hang onto it for a little while longer.”
Ryen stares ahead, her jaw flexing. “I’m out of here.”
She pushes through the doors, but I call after her. “No. I need to talk to you!”
But she powers toward her Jeep, which is parked on the side of a building at the left of the parking lot. I run after her, forgetting Will and his friends.
“Stop!” I take her arms and pull her to a halt next to the passenger side of her car. “What do you want me to say, huh? That I fucked up? I know I did. I’m sorry.”
I’m sick of her defiance and how she won’t give me an inch. Just say you miss me.
I take her face in my hands. “Look at me.”
But she pushes my hands down. “I hate you. Let me go.”
“Why?” I lash out. “So you can go back to that party? Back to your prom date? You gonna fuck him, too?”
“Maybe!” she yells. “Maybe I’ll sink as low as you, and we’ll have something more in common. Maybe I won’t hate you so much.”
