Page 61 of Whispers of Fire

Can’t stomach the idea. Damn it, I literally can't imagine not seeing her pouty lips and thick braid every single damn day.

“See? I knew it.” Shakin’ his head, he says, “Eyes don't lie, brother.”

I don't even answer. I just stare at him with, for the first time in my life, daggers in my eyes for my prez. For the first time, I want to punch him for tryin’ to keep my angel away from me.

“Never gave you a reason to fuckin' doubt me and now you're sending me the fuck away for shit Bones or Wrath could take care of.”

“It's you I need there.”

I shake my head silently, showing him how pissed I am. I know Ares has made his decision, and I respect him as my president, but that doesn't dull the ache in my chest. Leavin’ her behind feels like tearin’ a piece of my chest away, like a fuckin' sacrifice I'm not sure I can live with.

“What about ya?” Perhaps I can put some sense into him. Cause if anythin’, Rose is makin’ me more eager to work my ass off at the club to make all her dreams come true. That’s how deep I am.

“What about me?” he asks, lifting a brow.

“Ain't you gonna take O'Brian’s daughter to cover his debt?”

“Maybe,” he says with a small evil grin.

“How’s that for mixing women and club business?” My heart skips a beat at the thought of Rose crying and alone in bed at night while I have to watch her through a screen from the other side of the country.

“It's different, brother, and you know it.” Emptying his beer, he continues, “I don't fuckin' plan on keepin’ her. She's just a chess piece, won't be a real thing,” emphasizing the words real thing .

“Got all I need here,” he says as he gawks at the barmaid. I know he doesn’t fuckin’ care about any of the chicks here, but I’m sure he’s actually fuckin’ nervous about Mia O’brian comin’ and possible messin’ up his ordered control-freak life.

“Alright, that's settled. We'll talk details tomorrow, keep me updated,” he says before standing, patting my shoulder harder than usual, and leaving toward his office.

I stare at the bottle in my hand, picturing my girl saying goodbye, and I suddenly feel my blood pumping under my skin, clenching the bottle so hard I release it before it shatters in my hand.

Ares is forcing a fuckin' impossible choice on me, something I never thought I would need to do. Before Rose, I wouldn’t even give any thought about moving to the other side of the country for the club. Whatever Ares’s needs. Would've been an honor to command Seattle as his right-wing man and manage all our men there.

But right now, it just tastes bitter. Like a dream you finally get to have and realize it wasn’t actually the real deal. That what you’ve been wantin’ all this time was actually in front of ya.

Her.

Always kept my walls up, even for my brothers. Always tried to stay away from meaningful relationships, from anythin’ that could become too real .

Well, here I fuckin' am, feeling real fuckin' things for an angel I haven't even shared a kiss with.

When she called me earlier, I knew somethin’ was wrong. She had taken the phone with her when it usually stays hidden in her room. But not this time. Today she took it in her school bag. Maybe she wanted to have a way to reach me whenever. Or perhaps she knew there was a tracker in it and she wanted me to see where she was in case somethin’ went wrong. Don't have a fuckin’ clue but she took it for a reason, so when I saw her call, there was no way in hell I wouldn't have answered it.

Even with hands deep in the guts of a dead guy, I would have still answered.

How can I convince Ares to stay? How can I tell her that I'm going away?

Fuck, I already picture her watery eyes and it strikes me like a punch in the guts. I need to find a solution, a way to make this work. Pinchin’ the bridge of my nose, I take a deep breath to calm the fuck down. We'll be together tonight, we're gonna talk, and it's gonna be okay.

It's gonna be okay.

Yeah.

Sure.

Chapter 12

Vox

I'm in my bedroom, splayed on my bed, watching the ceiling for what feels like a good fuckin’ hour. Can’t remember the last time I stayed up waitin’ for a woman. As much as I try to accept the idea of moving away from her, I still can't picture it.

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