“You’re right. I can’t get a girl like her. But that’s not what I’m here about. I thought maybe I could do you a solid if you could do me one. But… never mind.”
Noah flew at the bars. “Wait! What kind of deal? Look, I think you’re a cool dude, and I had a lot to drink. It’s fucking with my head. Hangovers, you know? All that shit that went on at the hotel is water under the bridge. I’m all about favor trades. Is that what you want? I’m good for it. Just get me the fuck out of here.”
“It sounds like you don’t want to deal with tripods. Good seeing you, Noah. The Council plans to keep you in here for a long, long time. Maybe I’ll stop by in a few years and see how you’re doing.”
Archer did a slow turn to the right, and when he did, Noah thrust his arm through the bars and clutched Archer’s sleeve.
“Wait!” Noah shouted.
But Archer didn’t wait. He pivoted on his heel, grabbed Noah’s arm, and snapped his bone against the steel bars.
Noah roared, but nobody heard his cries.
His voice low and dangerous, Archer said, “If youevercome near Cecilia again, I will sever your limbs.” He bent Noah’s arm, threatening to rip it right off. “And if youeverput a hand on her, I will burn your house to the ground with you inside. If you don’t have a house, I’ll shackle your neck and make you suffer in ways you’ve never imagined. You have no clue what pain is, but I’m more than willing to take you on a tour. So here’s the deal—if you leave her the fuck alone, I’ll leave you the fuck alone.”
For a fleeting moment, Archer considered letting the bone rip through Noah’s skin and then helping to sever the limb.
Instead, he gripped hard and watched Noah’s tears stream down his face. “You may be a tiger, but you’ll always be a coward. When I let go, you can either shift like a man or tattle like a boy. I’m willing to convince them to let you leave town on the condition you never come back, or wewillhunt you. The lease to the store isn’t yours anymore, so all you need to do is sell your house back to the Council. But if you start shit with me, I’ll make sureyou rot in this cell. It’s your choice.” With great reluctance, Archer let go.
Noah wailed as he used his free arm to pull his broken one through the narrow bars where it had been wedged tight.
“Give it some thought,” Archer said, striding off and feeling a thousand percent better.
Chapter 18
Three days had passed since waking up in the Arrowhead pack’s home. I’d taken up residence in the heat house, and much to my relief, they worked out a schedule to only visit during mealtimes.
I’d initially assumed I could bounce back to work after healing but then realized I was still coping with the trauma of what happened. Any knock at the door startled me more than it should have.
I hated Noah for taking away my sense of security. Having him out of my life wasn’t enough as long as he lived in my head. Salem’s sleeping pills helped, but as Archer warned, they left an unpleasant aftertaste. I decided to skip them tonight, now that I was feeling settled in.
I didn’t shut myself up in the heat house the entire three days. Sometimes I sat on the deck with the girls, watching the horse run in the field or listening to music while they harvested vegetables.
The rain was keeping me inside most of the day, and I’d never been so acutely aware of the passage of time as in a cabin with no clocks. Rain beat on the skylights, and I was happy to report back to Hope that there were no leaks. The temperature in the cabinstayed comfortable, depending on how I set the thermostat, but these weren’t my things. These weren’t my clothes. This wasn’t my house.
A visitor rapped their knuckles on the door, and it wasn’t even close to dinner.
“It’s Archer,” he said from outside. “I just wanted to check on you.”
He was my first male visitor. I’d thought Tak or even Lakota might stop in to visit, but only the women had.
Upon opening the door, I greeted a very wet Archer. Droplets of water glistened on his hair, face, and lips. His white T-shirt was soaked through, and his sweats had raindrops dotting the heather-grey fabric.
“Hope I didn’t scare you,” he said.
“Come in. Hurry.” Before I shut the door, I glanced up and realized the front door could use an overhang.
He kicked off his shoes. “Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to check in to see if you need anything.”
I hurried to the bathroom and grabbed a towel from beneath the sink.
“This rain is something else,” he said loudly.
Returning to the kitchen area, I handed him the towel to dry off.
“Thanks.” He rubbed it over his wet hair first, messing it up before patting his neck and shirt.
“Here, let me.” I took the towel and wiped his right arm.
