“Why do they call him Arrow?” I ask, changing the subject. I don’t need to wonder how Arrow’s mind works. What I need to do is forget about anything to do with him. If only it were that easy.
She laughs. Hard. “I remember one morning I walked out into the kitchen and he was standing there, cooking breakfast butt naked. I was horrified. He turned around, smiling and cheerful, like there was nothing wrong with his nudity. Then I looked down and saw his . . .”
She trails off, blushing.
“Penis,” I offer.
“Yes,” she says. “His penis, and it was huge. Long, straight, thick, and aimed right at me, like it was pointing at its next victim or something.”
“Like an arrow,” I surmise.
“Yes.” She giggles. “Like an arrow.”
We both break out in a fit of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Arrow asks as he enters the room, taking a seat and looking from Faye to me.
“Nothing,” we say at the same time.
He raises an eyebrow at us and says, “I knew the two of you together would be trouble.”
“Trouble? No idea what you’re talking about,” Faye replies, innocently staring down at her manicure.
“We were just talking about—”
Faye raises her eyes to me and we start laughing again.
Arrow shakes his head. “Spill it now. Look at the two of you, giggling like fuckin’ teenagers.”
I sober. “Faye was just telling me why she thinks everyone calls you Arrow.”
I look down at his crotch for emphasis.
Arrow’s eyes crinkle. “You both talkin’ ’bout my cock?”
Faye gasps. “Don’t let Dex hear you say that.”
“It’s the truth,” Arrow scoffs.
“I was just telling her the story,” Faye says, smirking. “Good times.”
“Anna?” Arrow growls.
Oh, shit, I was still staring at his crotch.
“Yes?” I reply sweetly, my expression a picture of innocence.
He does something then that makes me want to rip his clothes off and lick him inch by delicious inch.
He smiles.
His lips curve up on both sides, and his eyes dance with amusement.
“What you looking at, Anna?” he asks, looking on the verge of laughter.
My gaze darts to Faye, who is staring wide-eyed at Arrow.
“Nothing,” I mumble. But it wasn’t nothing; it was something.
Something huge.
His phone rings, ruining the moment, and he instantly stands up, barking into the receiver, “Talk to me.”
He leaves the room and walks into the clubroom for privacy.
“Do you have any idea what’s going on?” I ask in a soft voice.
She sighs and rubs her forehead. “Arrow killed the president of another MC a couple years ago. Sin and their new president negotiated a truce, but I honestly think they’re going to be at each other’s throats for the rest of their lives. Every time something goes wrong, our men blame the Wild Men MC; I don’t know if it’s really them or not.”
“So what went wrong this time?” I ask.
“A deal went wrong, and Dex and the others went there to sort it out and smooth things over with the other party.”
“Do they sell drugs?” I whisper, looking around to make sure no one was listening.
She shakes her head. “Not anymore.”
Okkaaaayyyyy.
“I do know things, Anna, but there isn’t much I can say. As their lawyer I keep my ears open and my lips sealed.”
She was their lawyer?
So she must know more than she is letting on. Everything about every member, Rake included.
I want to kill my brother for getting me into this shit. I twirl a lock of hair around my finger and sigh heavily.
Faye smirks. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing too bad.”
I stare at her face and wonder how she wound up where she is. “How did you end up as Sin’s old lady?”
She smiles. “Long story short, Dex and I used to be neighbors when we were growing up. We ran into each other one night at a bar and ended up hooking up. That’s how I became pregnant with Clover. I was leaving the city, planning on being a single mother, when Dex found me and brought me back. He actually brought me to the clubhouse, so I was thrown into this world just as you’ve been.”
“That’s quite a story,” I say, blinking slowly, trying to absorb that information.
She nods. “To be honest I didn’t know if Dex could give me what I needed. But we fell in love and there’s no one else for me; he’s it. I accepted the club with him, and I love these guys. They’re my family now.”
I could see that her words were the truth. They were one huge, unconventional family.
“They’re all good guys, I could tell that from the start. Rough, but good nonetheless.”
Faye smiles, her eyes shining. “They are that. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t want to be on their bad side.”
I laugh. “Yeah, definitely not, but they’re loyal to those they care about. To be honest, I was surprised at how easily I was accepted here by the men. They welcomed me with open arms just because I was Rake’s sister. I think Sin was the one who was most cautious around me, to be honest.”
Faye tilts her head to the side, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I think Dex didn’t want Rake to get hurt in case you decided you didn’t want to have anything to do with us. This isn’t the life for everyone, you know. So I think he was a little wary. As president he takes things a little more seriously than he used to. He cares about each of his brothers and takes a lot on his shoulders, wanting everyone to be happy. He also knew Rake was forthcoming with you, and didn’t know if he could trust you with information about the club. But trust me, he knows now that you’re a good, honest woman and that you love your brother and would never betray him.”
I swallow. “I never thought of it that way. But you’re right, I’d never do anything to hurt Rake or this club.”
Arrow walks back into the room, looking pissed. Jill walks into the living room trailing behind him, sliding next to him. He moves away from her, punches the wall, and then storms out of the room. Faye and I exchange glances.
“I’ll go talk to him,” Jill says, fixing her hair before going in the direction Arrow went.
“Clueless,” Faye mutters under her breath. “Where the fuck did he find that one?”
“Toxic?” I guess, referring to one of the popular strip clubs in the city.
She laughs. “He doesn’t give a shit about her.”
That didn’t make it hurt any less.
“She didn’t sleep in his room though; she’s been sleeping with the girls.”
I knew that. In fact I have a feeling Arrow was making sure I knew that, because last night he told Jill in front of me that he was going to bed alone.
“You were a little standoffish with me,” Faye blurts out. “Or was that my imagination? I kind of thought maybe you didn’t like me.”
I bite my lips. “It wasn’t that I didn’t like you. I guess I was kind of jealous.”
Her eyes widen. “Jealous about what?”
I rub my cheek, wondering how best to explain it. “It was stupid, and it really had nothing to do with you exactly; it was just that you and Rake had spent a lot of time together and were so close. As close as he and I should have been, but we were still getting to know each other again, and Rake was trying to protect me from everything, including his true self.”
Her eyes flash in understanding. “Trust me, your brother loves you more than anyone. I think he just took a little time testing the waters, hoping that you would stick around in this crazy place with these crazy-ass people.”
We both laugh.
“He told me he didn’t want you to leave again, so he was stuck between wanting to show you the man he is now and not wanting you to cut him out of your life if you saw something you didn’t like,” she explains further.
“He should know me better than that,” I mumble.
Faye shrugs her shoulders. “You were gone awhile. Time changes people.”
She could say that again.
“I love my brother, and I guess I was acting a little possessive,” I say, when the realization hits me. “Great, I’m more like him than I want to admit.”