Page 21 of Psycho

I tiptoed to the adjoining bathroom to clean up, then raided his closet for a shirt, tugging it over my head. Closing my eyes, I bundled the fabric to my nose and breathed in Arrow’s scent—heady and masculine, with a hint of sharp black coffee, woodsy soap, and engine grease from the auto shop.

After checking one last time to make sure Arrow was still asleep, I headed down to the kitchen, rummaging around for food. I was surprised to find the fridge was stacked with containers of leftover homemade dishes—lasagna, mac and cheese, barbecue ribs, and chunky beef stew. From what I remembered, Arrow didn’t like to cook, let alone this well.

I grabbed a container of the barbecue and warmed it up in the microwave, wincing at the loud beep every time I pushed a button on the interface. As I started searching the drawers for silverware, movement through the kitchen window caught my attention.

My heart jolted. A hulking figure crouched in the dark—the unmistakable silhouette of a man. And he was huge. What the fuck was a man that size doing outside of Arrow’s house in the middle of the night? Were The Filthy Rebels making their move on Arrow?

I spotted a set of kitchen knives on the counter and grabbed the biggest one among them, gripping the handle tight. How the hell could I possibly defend myself against a man that big? And what if there were more of them that I couldn’t see…?

Then Arrow wrapped his hand around my wrist, gently prying the knife away from me. I hadn’t heard him descend the stairs or enter the kitchen. He was barefoot, wearing only his jeans, and no shirt. He must have woken up to come find me when he realized my side of the bed was empty.

“Take it easy,” he rasped, his voice gritty from sleep.

“But there’s a man outside—”

Arrow waved off my protest, unconcerned despite my pounding heart. He moved to the back door of the kitchen and poked his head out.

“Bruiser, get your ass in here.”

A moment later, Bruiser’s bulky, muscled figure filled the doorway. I raised my eyebrows and tugged self-consciously at the hem of my borrowed shirt, wishing that I’d thought about grabbing a pair of pants, too.

“Coffee?” Arrow asked him.

Bruiser grunted in agreement, and his dark eyes briefly glanced over me before sliding away again.

“You blew our cover at the water tower,” he said.

“I know, but I had good reason,” Arrow countered as he filled the coffee pot with water at the sink. “I told Pretty Boy that I gave you the slip.”

Bruiser snorted.

“Yeah, he didn’t buy that. He chewed my damn ear off for letting you walk all over me. And now, you and I both will be scrubbing toilets at the clubhouse. For a month.”

The corner of Arrow’s mouth twitched with a faint smile as he started the coffee pot. It hissed and sputtered and gave off a plume of steam. A moment later, the microwave pinged and when I opened the door, the scent of sweetly smokey barbecue filled the air.

“Fuck, that smells like Ironside’s ribs,” Bruiser said, eyeing the container in my hands as I brought it to the table. “Slow-roasted over hickory, with that honey-bourbon glaze.”

“Would you…like some?” I offered.

He glanced up from the barbecue, looking over me again. Then he shook his head.

“From the looks of you, I'd say you need it more than I do. A stiff breeze could knock you over. And I’d better not touch it anyway. That damn barbecue makes me nap like a baby, and I’m on watch until sunrise.”

“On watch?” I asked, confused.

“Because of Huxley’s jailbreak,” Arrow put in. He retrieved a mug from the cabinet and poured the coffee. “In my club, we look out for each other. That means a protection detail. Whether I like it or not,” he added, passing the coffee to Bruiser.

I picked at the barbecue ribs, licking the sticky sauce off my fingers. No wonder Bruiser was practically drooling over it. The meat was so tender that it fell off the bone, and the sauce was rich and full of flavor.

Bruiser took a seat across from me, bracing his elbows on the table.

“So, you’re Hillbilly’s snitch, huh? You’re not what I expected.”

I waved one of the ribs in the air.

“And what did you expect exactly?”

He shrugged.