“Now, what the fuck do we do about Hudson?”
“I’ll go see him tomorrow and see what he wants to do.”
We don’t stick around long enough to chat; there are far more pressing matters for us to discuss. Lucas walks us out, makes sure there’s a driver available to take us to the diner, then walks back into the basement. He’ll stay long enough to make sure everyone gets out safely and to ensure nothing’s left behind that could be terrible for us.
All of this just makes my head ache. It’s getting increasingly difficult to keep my head above the water when I have so many chains pulling me down to the depth of the ocean that the darkness of my mind is turning out to be.
No matter the encouraging words from Blair, somehow, I don’t know if I’ll be able to act rationally and hold myself together. Because as of right now, I’m too close to losing it all.
TWENTY
A soft groan comes from me, sounding hoarse, as I try to wake up properly. With a deep yawn, I sit up in the bed, rubbing the sleep away from my eyes with the back of my palm. I blink a couple of times, glancing around.
We’re in Niko’s small studio above the diner, and true to the word studio, it is rather small. One room that serves as the bedroom, kitchen, living room, and hallway, with a separate, small bathroom that can barely fit a shower, toilet, sink, and the smallest washing machine possible. Yet, it’s perfect for what we need right now.
My eyes drop to a sleeping Arlo beside me, and asoft smile stretches on my lips. He’s sleeping on his stomach, both hands underneath the pillow, his broad shoulders filled with that gorgeous ink in my view. I lower down, pressing a soft kiss to his shoulder, wrapping my arms around him.
That unique scent of his hits my nose, and for a brief moment, I feel at peace, at home. Because I know by now that home is wherever Arlo is, and nothing will ever top the feeling of having my own person to call my home. His warm body soothes the aching nerves inside my head, the anxiety subsiding the longer I’m with him. His mere presence is enough to bring me peace, despite the chaos that awaits outside the walls of this studio.
Arlo stirs in his sleep, turning around. He wraps his arms around me, pulling me to lie on top of him, face buried in his chest. He’s still half-asleep, but his grip on me doesn’t falter, and neither of us is awake enough to start the conversation we’ve been dreading since last night.
This moment of peace won’t last forever, so I try to bask in it, not knowing when it will happen again — if I’ll have the opportunity to just lie in his arms, or if this madness will swallow us whole.
“Morning, butterfly.” Arlo’s hoarse voice reaches my ears, a shiver running down my spine. He runs his fingers down my back, gently stroking me. I snuggle closer into him, leaving no room between our bodies.
“Morning.”
I pull back enough to look at him, and he kisses my forehead, his lips lingering there for a moment longer. My heart swells with affection, and I feel the safest I’ve ever been in my entire life. The warmth of his body seeps through my clothes, luring me back to sleep, even though I know we have to get up.
A whine comes from Arlo when I sit up again, and I chuckle in response. He sits up next to me, his messy hair falling over his face. His roots aren’t terrible, but there’s a bit of growth,which makes me wonder who bleached his hair while I was away?
“Who did your hair?”
Arlo chuckles, running his fingers through his hair, trying to tame the wild locks. “Aria. She insisted I had to look presentable for you when you returned.”
“Well, thank you Aria.” I joke, and he grins.
Arlo leans in, kisses my cheek, and I melt a little on the inside. He stays like that for a moment, but we both know it’s time for us to get started on everything that needs getting done.
“What are the plans for the day?” I ask just as Arlo gets up. He opens the small dresser, pulls out some clothes that belong to either Niko or Lucas, and tosses on a jumper and a pair of sweatpants.
“I have to visit Hudson and see what the fuck we’re going to do about that.”
“Can I come with you?”
“No,” he dismisses the idea immediately. “You’ll be safer here. No one knows about this place, and if something were to happen, Niko and Lucas will be down in the diner the entire day, as well as many of our men to watch over the building.”
I nod in understanding. “Okay. How did last night go?”
After we arrived at the studio, I took a shower and went straight to sleep. It took me less than five minutes to fall asleep, and I don’t know how much longer Arlo stayed awake.
“It went fine, they did the job. I woke up around seven, the feds were already at the manor. I got the notifications, saw them on camera. They didn’t find anything, though, and Agent Arnault is very pissed, which is fun.”
“Is he going to become a problem?”
Arlo puts on his coat, pushing his hair backward. “Probably. I’ll handle it, don’t worry.’’
He approaches me again, leans down, and kisses me. I kiss him back just as eagerly, and he smiles into the kiss before pullingback. His lips touch the tip of my nose, eyes lingering on my face for a few moments before he pulls out a gun from the drawer, putting it next to me on the bed.
