"Nova, please tell me you're not running drugs for Arthur Black?" Nitro asks in a low rumble.
"Oh god, no." I smile at him. "That was the one and only time. Turns out Arthur had been watching the area where the drop was. He was pretty pissed when he saw me there. He appeared in the diner later that night, just before closing. He wanted to know why I was doing the drop. I don't know why, but I told him the truth. Not about everything, just about my uncle saying he'd make Mason do it."
"Baby, did he hurt you?" Ice asks, his voice laced with concern.
I grab his arm, subconsciously rubbing my thumb back and forth over his tattoo of a group of three sunflowers and a dove that looks like it’s flying just above them. "I know what he does, and I know people are afraid of him. But he's actually really nice. He threatened my uncle, told him he'd seen me dropping off and that if he ever caught me doing anything like that again that he'd ensure that my uncle lost everything."
"Nova, I'm not sure I understand," Nitro says. "Are you saying that Arthur Black is friendly with you?"
I nod, just as confused as he seems to be. "Yeah. I know he's into some shady shit, but he's actually a really nice guy. He just chooses to let people think he's not." I drink the rest of my tea while silence fills the room. They all look shocked, processing the little bit of information I've given them.
"Erm… Nitro…" I stutter. He looks across at me, giving me a chin lift in question. "Could we maybe be done for today? I'm actually pretty tired right now," I say, nervous about his response.
"Of course, sweetheart." He looks behind me at Ice, then leans forward, placing his hand over mine. "Thank you for telling us that. Rest, we'll catch up later or tomorrow."
Ice grabs the cup, placing it on the table and then lifts me from his lap, placing me on my feet in front of him. He stands, grabbing my hand. "Brothers, we'll see you tomorrow. Baby, let’s go," he says as he leads me out of the room.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
I'm fucking relieved that she said she was tired. I could feel her body getting tense as the moments ticked over. When she first mentioned Arthur, my heart fucking sunk to my stomach, I thought she was going to say that she's been running for him this entire time.
I was surprised when she said how nice he was. And while I've not seen evidence of that, she seems to believe it. The man has a seriously dark reputation, the shit that we have heard about him makes our skin crawl. I need to talk to the guys. We know her uncle works with Tommy Larson, so I’m surprised to find he’s also working with Arthur Black.
I want her with me, I want her in my room, my bed. She stalls a little as I bypass hers and lead her directly to mine. Pulling her through the door, she stops in the middle of the room as I close and lock it behind me. I lean against the door and watch her for a few seconds. She doesn’t turn around, she stands facing the window and I see her wrap her arms around herself and dip her head forward. Her body heaves as she takes in a few deep breaths. Then I see her body begin to shake, and my heart tightens when I realise that she's started to cry.
I take the two long strides it takes to get to her and wrap my arms around her, my chest to her back. I pull her to me, resting my chin on her shoulder, my cheek leaning against hers, damp from the tears she's already shed.
"Dragonfly," I whisper. "Talk to me, please. What's going through your head?" I plead.
She swallows and takes a few shaky breaths. She leans back into me, her head tilting slightly toward me. "It's all just a lot," she says through tears.
I remove my arms from around her, taking a step back and the leading her over to my bed. I sit on the edge and then slide myself further back and then pull her over to me. She hesitates for a second, but I give her hand a small tug, encouraging her to climb onto the bed and straddle my legs. She stops just above my knees, and as much as I want her closer, I don't push her to. I want her to feelcomfortable.
"What do you mean by a lot? Talk to me," I tell her, my hands resting on the tops of her thighs, my thumbs rubbing back and forth.
My eyes are drawn to her soft pink lips as she licks them, before biting the inside of her cheek. I tilt my head a little as my eyes take in every inch of her face. The small freckles she has under her left eye, the slight flush of her cheeks. Her honey-coloured eyes, dull and tired.
I lean forward, my hand coming up, my fingers tucked under her chin, my thumb gently holding onto the tip of it. Barely touching, but holding her there, I lean forward and we both close our eyes as I place the lightest of kisses on her lips. I feel hers ever so slightly twitch, and when I pull back, I see the smallest of smiles.
"Please," I say to her. She closes her eyes and nods. She dips her head and begins to twist her hands around one another. I want to stop her, I want to help her relax, but I figure she's trying to gather her thoughts.
"I'm not really sure, it's all just a lot. Running, the hospital, Mason getting hurt. Being here. I saw the way everyone reacted when I mentioned Arthur. And I've heard the rumours, but Ice—"
"Max," I interrupt her. "Please call me Max when we're alone."
"Oh. Okay," she says with a smile.
"Max. I swear he’s been nothing but nice to us. I've never told him what my uncle does, but I think he knows."
"What makes you think that?" I ask.
"Because every time he comes into the diner, he asks me if I need help, or if there is anything he can do for us."
"Excuse me?" I sit up, pulling her to me. I can feel the anger rise, concern building. Why the fuck is he asking her that?
"No, wait. It's not like that. Please, just hear me out," she says, her face awash with panic. I nod, my hands gripping her hips, not enough to hurt but enough to hold her in place, and enough to keep me grounded.
"I won't tell you details, because it's not my information to share, but he had a daughter, a little older than I am. She's not here anymore. But after I did that drop off, he used to come into the diner often. He'd always sit in my section and talk to me about her during my breaks. I told him things about Mason and me, and our parents, but I never gave him details about living at my uncle’s and he never pushed for it."
