Page 37 of Colt

My heart gave a kick. It was crazy how days ago, Freya had given me goo-goo eyes, and now I was the one almost begging. I could understand her reservations, but I was in it for the long haul.

“You’ve also gotta think about the fact that eventually, we’ll also have to come clean to the club,” I reminded her. “If we get caught, your dad will slit my throat. And the last thing I want is your relationship with your family and the club to get screwed up. I wanna take time for us to see how we work before we piss everybody off, but we have to be careful.”

Freya picked up her wine glass and took a sip. “I understand, and I don’t want your relationships fucked-up either, Colt. And I certainly don’t want you to lose your place in the club.”

I felt like an asshole for not being completely honest, but I still needed to wrap my head around what had happened with Shep. Everything had gone at light speed, and I still needed to catch up.

“We’ll deal with it as it comes,” I reiterated. “But me leaving the club is our only option.”

She furrowed her brow. “I want to think about everything you’ve said.”

I scraped a hand down my face, expelling a hard breath.

My Princess had a stubborn side; I’d experienced it countless times.

I wasn’t proud of the push and pull I’d created, but I couldn’t help the circumstances we found ourselves in.

Over the last few days, I’d allowed myself to finally look deeper. Freya wasn’t a kid anymore. She was a beautiful, caring, intelligent woman. I wasn't the settling-down type, but if I had her, that would change.

“What made you ask me this tonight?” she asked curiously. “You’ve always shied away from me before. You’ve done a complete one-eighty.”

I pushed my plate away, suddenly losing my appetite.

How could I tell her about the shit show I found myself in? At this stage, telling her about Shep was out of the question. I didn’t know the details yet, and there was no point in worrying her.

“It’s been challenging for me to leap from friends to something more,” I admitted. “I’ve felt it for a while but didn’t let myself go there.” I rested my arms on the table, thinking how to word everything. “We both know there’s a special bond between us. When you were growing up, it was a brotherly feelin’ I had for you. It hasn’t been easy to jump from that to something romantic. I’m not sayin’ I didn’t feel it; I just didn’t recognize it had changed.” I smirked. “Then you answered the door in that damned dress.”

Freya laughed.

Shaking my head, I picked up my fork and stabbed my filet. “Eat your goddamned food.”

She laughed again. “Yes, Sir.”

My cock almost exploded.

Fuck my life.

Two hours later, we were getting ready to leave. I’d just paid the bill, smiling to myself at the other bottle of wine Freya had polished off. It didn’t bother me. I wanted her to relax and not stress about what I’d offered earlier. And I liked tipsy Freya. She lost all her inhibitions.

As I stood to help her up, my cell phone rang.

Pulling it out of my pocket, I checked the screen and saw a private number calling.

My eyebrows slashed together. I hated these calls; the fuckers were virtually impossible to trace. Knowing it would bug the fuck out of my OCD if I didn’t know who called, I motioned to Freya to sit back down. “I’ll just take this,” I told her, holding up my phone. “Won’t be long.”

She smiled and sank down into her chair.

I moved toward a small corridor leading to the ladies and men’s rooms. It was quiet and in view of our table, so I could keep an eye on Freya.

Clicking the green icon, I held it to my ear. “Hello?” I heard silence, then a click as the call dropped in. “Colter Van Der Cleeve?” a familiar voice asked.

Raising a hand, I rubbed my temple. I needed this like I needed a limp dick. I cleared my throat before muttering, “What the fuck do you want now, Shepherd?”

A low chuckle came through the line. “Just wanted to let you know I’ve got news on the license plate. It’s definitely Federal. I’m trying to track down which department it belongs to.”

“Are they dirty or undercover?” I asked tightly.

“I don’t know yet. If it’s an undercover job, it’s a good one. Not even I can find any intel. If the Feds are dirty, I’ll need to escalate it. I suggest you try to keep your club away from it, at least until I have something more to tell you.”

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