"Wren—" I started, but she was already moving.
The bedroom door banged against the wall as Wren stormed through it, hunting for her scattered clothing.I followed her from the bedroom into the living room, my mind racing for something, anything to say that might make her stay long enough to listen.She stepped into her panties and shrugged into my T-shirt.I wondered if she noticed what she was doing in her haste.And how mad she’d be at herself later for wrapping herself in me even in her anger.
"Just give me five minutes to explain."
"Explain what?How you've been playing me this whole time?I think I got the picture pretty fucking clear."
"It's not that simple."I reached for her, but she jerked away.
"Don't touch me."Her voice was ice."Don't you fucking touch me again."
I dropped my hand, stood there, helpless as she finished dressing."I never meant to hurt you," I said, the words hollow even to my own ears."I swear to God, Wren, whatever you think of me, believe that much.I never wanted for you to be hurt in any way."
Her movements were sharp, angry as she turned to face me."What did you want, then?Information about Bound in Blood?Access to Ghost?Or was it just a bonus when I spread my legs for you?"
"Wren," I took a deep breath, trying to control my frustration.This problem was of my own making."Yes, I approached you because of who you are.I wasn’t supposed to do anything other than strike up a friendship with you.That’s all I ever intended."
She barked out a laugh as she stomped first one foot then the other into her boots."You don't know the meaning of the word friendship.You're a fucking Copperhead, Rocky.Your people traffic women like cattle.You think I don't know what 'merchandise' means?"
Her hands shook as she tied the laces to each boot, her movements jerky with rage.
"I'm trying to fix it," I blurted out."The trafficking.I'm trying to stop it."
Wren straightened, her eyes narrowing."What the fuck does that mean?"
“I don’t have permission to tell you more, but ask Ghost to check me out with the Luca family.Vittorio was supposed to give Bloody Jack a heads up before anything got too serious inside the Copperhead compound.Vittorio told me you were the most loyal, stubborn, fierce person he knew.He told me to make a friend of you and if I needed to get a message to him or his brothers, you wouldn’t stop until Ghost or Jack himself talked to Vittorio.”
She stared at me for a long moment.I could see her indecision.She wanted to believe everything I told her.I also saw the exact second I lost her.
"I don’t trust you."Her laugh was bitter as she searched for her keys.“Not for one Goddamned second.You targeted me, lied to me, fucked me under false pretenses, and now you want me to believe you?"She spotted her keys on the kitchen counter and snatched them up."You must think I'm even stupider than I clearly am."I was pretty sure her word choice was deliberate.
I followed her to the door, desperation clawing at my chest even as I knew I fought a losing battle."Wren, I'm asking you to wait.Just give me time to sort this out.Once I get permission from Vittorio I can tell you everything."
"I don't owe you shit."She wrenched the door open before pointing my way in warning."Stay away from me.Stay away from my Bound in Blood.And if I find out you're using anything I might have said against Bound in Blood, I will personally make sure Ghost and Bloody Jack end you in ways that'll make hell look like a fucking vacation.I sure as shit hope I’m your only backup if things go to shit.Cause if I am, you’re fucking screwed."She headed off.
I grabbed my jeans from the bedroom floor, yanking them on as I followed her into the hall.I didn't bother with a shirt or shoes, just hurried after her as she stormed down the stairs to the building's exit.
The night air hit my bare chest like a slap, the asphalt cold under my bare feet.Wren strode across the parking lot to her bike, her back rigid, every line of her body screaming fury.
"Wren, wait!"I called, jogging after her.My feet protested against the rough surface, bits of gravel digging into my soles.The discomfort barely registered through the panic of watching her slip away.
She reached her Harley and swung her leg over, jamming the key into the ignition before she put her helmet on.I caught up to her."Wren—"
"Back off," she warned, eyes flashing.When I didn't immediately move, she kicked out, nearly catching me in the balls."I said get away from me!"
"Wren, don’t leave me like this," I insisted."Let’s go back inside and I’ll call Vittorio.He can call Ghost and Ghost can confirm.I never intended any harm to Bound in Blood or to you.What happened between us was real.All the way around."
Wren stared at me for a long moment, her eyes searching my face.For a second, I thought I'd reached her.Then her expression hardened again."You know what your problem is, Rocky?You've told so many lies I bet you don't know what's real anymore."She turned the key, and the bike roared to life beneath her.The sound cut through the quiet night, seeming to echo off the surrounding buildings.
I placed my hand on her handlebar, one last desperate attempt to make her stay."Five minutes.Just give me five fucking minutes."
She revved the engine, the noise drowning out my words.The vibrations traveled up my arm, a physical manifestation of the barrier between us.Her eyes met mine one last time, and what I saw there was worse than hatred.There was nothing.Emptiness.As if I'd been erased from her world.
She knocked my hand away and guided the bike backward, then kicked it into gear.The rear wheel spun, kicking up gravel that stung where they sprayed me.She was gone, the red taillight of her Harley shrinking as she tore out of the parking lot, leaving nothing but exhaust and dust, and spitting gravel in her wake.
I stood there, half-naked in the cold night air, watching until her taillight disappeared around the corner.The empty parking lot echoed with her absence.I'd fucked up.Royally, completely fucked up.Vittorio had told me to befriend her, to forge a connection that might prove useful if I needed an emergency exit from the Copperheads.Instead, I'd fallen for her, compromised myself in ways I'd never expected and the only thing I cared about was how badly I’d hurt her.
I owed my life to Vittorio.I’d gather the final pieces of information Vittorio needed to move on these bastards then I had to find a way to convince Wren to trust me again, that I was worth a second chance when I didn’t entirely believe I did.Lives depended on the information Vittorio asked me to get.Young women and girls who didn't deserve to be drugged and sold like property.I couldn't abandon them, not for myself.Wren was safe when the others were not.
