Awkward doesn’t even being to cut it.

I don’t know what to do. Where to go. If I should speak to him, or not speak to him. I could lock myself in the room and hide until night falls, but I hate being stuck inside. That means interacting with him, and I don’t particularly want to do that. I glance outside and then decide I’ll go for a walk, explore a little, get some fresh air and space.

I go to my bag and pull out a pair of shoes, then I yank them on and walk out onto the front porch where Koda is already sitting, phone and laptop by his side, beer in his hand, staring out at the trees. He looks lost in thought, his jaw tight, his eyes vacant. Whatever he’s thinking about, it has taken him somewhere else, somewhere dark. The look on his face is that of pain, anger, and pure bitterness.

I know.

I’ve seen that look on my own face before.

I don’t know if I should disturb him, so I just walk toward the steps. His voice stops me before I can even put my foot down.

“Where you goin’?”

I turn and glance at him. His eyes are focused on me now, face still hard and expressionless. It’s such a shame to see such a gorgeous face so broken and empty. So hard. I know, I just know if he smiled, he’d make the world come to a screeching halt.

“I was just going to explore a little, get some fresh air.”

He blinks, just once. “Any idea what’s out there?”

I stare out at the thick trees and rocks surrounding us and then look back to him. “Ah, that would be nature. Fresh air.”

“Also dangerous animals, slippery slopes ...”

I cross my arms. “And that’s supposed to bother me?”

“Don’t be a fuckin’ hero. Came here to protect you, not have you eaten by a fuckin’ wild animal on your first day.”

“Again, I’m unbothered. I just want some fresh air, hell, some space. I haven’t even been here a day with you, and I’m already restless.”

“Then I’m comin’ with you.”

He stands, and my mouth drops open to protest.

“Don’t fuckin’ bother arguin’. I have a job. I’m about as happy about it as you are, but we’re stuck here, which means where you go, I go. Can’t risk anythin’ happenin’ to you. I don’t fuckin’ fail my duties.”

Jesus.

Intense much.

“Fine, but don’t talk to me.”

He grunts and follows me down the front steps and off to a path that goes into the trees to the left of us. We came in from the other way, so I’m curious to see where this leads. Maybe a stream? That would be nice. Somewhere to swim. Up here, in the mountains, there are streams everywhere. It’s beautiful. Breathtaking scenery.

I go to ask Koda about it, considering the club owns this land, so he probably knows where this leads, but I did just ask him not to speak with me, so I keep my mouth shut and walk. I can hear his boots crunching behind me, and I’m suddenly very aware of him. I rub my arms consciously and keep moving. I wonder what I look like from behind? God, I hope I don’t look awful, because right now, he’s just watching me as I walk.

Awkward.

I move farther down the path, and the trees slowly start getting lusher and thicker, the rocks bolder and bigger, and I can’t mistake the sound of trickling water. A stream! Excitement bubbles in my chest. As a child, I loved to explore, but after my mother was killed, my entire childhood was taken from me. I miss the days of feeling free, of being able to adventure off and not have a care in the world.

No fear.

Just me.

I stop when the trail narrows down to a beautiful, crystal-clear river. It’s flowing, trickling over rocks, the sun making it sparkle in areas. My heart expands, and my body relaxes, just for a second. It’s still quite cold up here, especially at night, so I know the water is going to be freezing, but I don’t really care. I rush down, stopping at the edge of the stream and then launching my body into it without warning.

The cold water hits me hard, making me gasp. My whole body feels like it’s been sparked to life, and I close my eyes, diving back under, over and over, even though it’s so cold my teeth are chattering. It’s like being breathed a new life. It feels incredible. I surface, running my fingers through my hair and glancing over at Koda, who is perched on a rock, staring at me with a strange expression on his face. I swim over, climbing out of the water and finding a sunny spot.

“You’re goin’ to freeze in about five minutes, you know that, don’t you?” he says, his voice gruff.

“It’s the little things in life, Koda, that make people feel good. With good always comes bad. I’ll take the bad, in this case. Because that made me feel so damned good.”

He studies me, only for a moment, then shrugs his leather jacket off and tosses it at me. I catch it and immediately smell him on it. Mixed with the leather, it’s a unique, intoxicating smell. I stare at him. “It’ll get all wet inside. Aren’t these jackets sacred or some such thing?”

He snorts. “It’ll dry. Been through worse. Put it on so you don’t fuckin’ die.”

I run my fingers over the leather. It’s worn, well loved, and it holds so many stories. I wonder why Koda ever joined the club to begin with. Why does anyone join a club? Is it for protection? Or is it just because they have nobody left in the world, and these men are like family to them?

I rub my finger over the Vice President patch.

Koda is a big deal in the club.

No doubt.

Then I pull the jacket over my shoulders and pull it on. It swims on me, but it’s warm and smells amazing. I glance at Koda, whose big arms are now on full display, bulging out from his tight, black tee. God, he’s so fucking beautiful it hurts to stare at him. It makes everything inside me want to pounce, to just taste him once.

Normal feminine reactions, I’m sure.

“Thanks,” I murmur.

He nods, staring out at the water for a bit, then, finally, he says, “Goin’ to need you to talk eventually, Charlie. Can’t stay up here forever. We have to find who is after you and end them, or you’ll spend your life runnin’.”

I flinch and look away, my jaw tightening.

He has no idea the depth of what he’s getting into. The dark world he’s about to walk into with his club by his side. My father, who only located me because of Treyton, is a dangerous and very deadly man.

And he runs a big operation.

As much as I hope, I don’t know that the club will be able to end it.

“I’m not so sure that’ll matter, honestly, I’m not sure you can do anything for me.”

“Why?”

It’s a demand—a gruff demand.

“Because he’s dangerous, and his operation is big, and I’m just not sure anything can be done about it.”

“It ain’t about manpower, Charlie. It’s about how fuckin’ much you want it. It’s about the fire that burns in your belly. It’s about bein’ smart.”

“And you want it, why?” I ask him, staring over finally.

“Because I don’t like to see people killed for things they don’t deserve.”

I swallow. “And how do you know I don’t deserve it?”

“Do you?” he asks directly. “Do you deserve to be killed?”

I think on that for a moment. I mean, I’ve done things wrong because of my father, so many things, but it was only because I didn’t have a choice. When I did have a choice, I took him down. And because of that, he’s going to make me pay. He’s going to try and ruin my life in the most painful way he can.

“No,” I finally answer. “I’ve done some bad things, but no, I don’t deserve to die for them. My hit is vengeance, and vengeance alone.”

“Then tell me who is after you.”

I stare at him. I’m not sure I want to do that. I trust the club, I do, but when I open this door and let all my demons out, they might change their mind. God knows I would. When they realize what they’re truly about to walk into, they’ll hit the ground running.

Of that I’m sure.

Nobody wants to die, after all.

“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea. Right now, I’m not sure who I trust.”

He glares at me. Pure scorn thrown right in my direction. I don’t glance away; I hold his glare. I won’t back down, not from him, not from anyone. My life, well, it’s mine for right now. I know eventually, I’ll need to come up with something, or help them, but right now I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.

I’m still not sure the club has what it takes.

No matter how bad that sounds.

“How the fuck do you think we can protect you if we don’t even know where to start lookin’?”

I take a deep breath. “Do you honestly think I’d just throw your club into a fire, without first checking that you were fully protected? If I tell you everything, I know exactly what you’ll do. You’ll all get yourselves killed.”

“No fuckin’ faith,” he growls.

“It has nothing to do with faith,” I snap back. “It has to do with logic. I know the darkness out there, okay? I fucking know it better than anyone. If I honestly thought it wasn’t a risk, I’d send you all running in there. But it is a risk. To your club. To those women the men call family. To kids. To everyone. If you think I’m going to just throw you all into that, then you don’t know me at all.”

“Eventually,” he grates out, “it’s goin’ to catch up with us. Eventually, we won’t be able to hide anymore. Fuckin’ eventually, we’ll have to find a way to end this so you’re protected. We swore our loyalty to you after what you did for us, but we can’t hide you forever.”

“And I wasn’t asking you to. I’ll figure something out. I just ... Give me a little bit of time, okay?”

“You have a million-dollar fuckin’ hit on your head, Charlie. Someone is goin’ to find you, and someone is goin’ to put a bullet in your skull. If you don’t tell us who wants that, we’re fucked, and so are you.”

I flinch at the thought of losing my life. Of him winning. Of him having what he’s always wanted. The last woman in his life dead. The very thought makes me angry and frustrated, but mostly scared as hell. My father is the deadliest kind. Dangerous. Reckless. Cold blooded. He will stop at nothing, I know this as much as Koda does, but he simply doesn’t know yet the monster he’s facing up to.

Nobody does.

They have no idea.

None, whatsoever.

~*~*~*~