Page 11 of Beyond the Badge: Nox

“Yeah. But I’ve been… On other assignments.”

He left that vague for a reason. She’d respect that.

It was time to let him go while she was ahead, anyway. She needed to chip away at him slowly, not try to break him open with a sledgehammer from the start.

“Well, Nox, I need to get back inside. Not only to say a final goodbye to Bonnie but to help her clean up. I look forward to seeing you next week.”

He grunted.

She stood there for a few moments longer to watch him swing a long leg over his “sled,” what her father and the rest of the bikers she knew all too well called their rides.

His Harley roared to life and the rich rumble of the exhaust vibrated deep in her chest. The very familiar sound tended to get her heart pumping.

Even though she wasn’t raised in the MC life, like it or not, she could no longer avoid it. The day she reconnected with her father, she automatically got sucked in and it never let her go.

She got no response when she called out, “Be safe out there.”

Instead, he shot out of his parking spot and onto the road like the devil was chasing him.

Huh.Was she the devil?

She smiled.

* * *

“Welcome!”Aaliyah greeted at the top of the hour. “Thank you to whoever came early and set up the chairs. However, we’re going to switch things up from here on out. I prefer we all sit in a circle and that I don’t stand at a lectern. I want to be considered one of you since we’re all here for the same reason. To share. To support each other. To even give advice.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Nox grumbled under his breath.

“Sorry? Did someone say something?” She glanced around the room and when no one fessed up, she looked at him.

He kept his expression masked.

“All right, I see how excited you all are,” she said dryly, “so let’s move our chairs.”

The group was small tonight. At most a dozen people, including the woman who haunted his gray matter since last week.

He’d been right when he thought she was bold. That exchange out in the parking lot after the meeting had proved it.

She seemed willing to take on any challenge, including him.

He needed to make sure she knew that wasn’t an option. He wasn’t a challenge for her to conquer.

He didn’t want to pretend to be at the meeting for “sharing and caring.”

He didn’t want to share.

He definitely didn’t want to care.

He just wanted to be left alone.

He remained seated as everyone rose and moved their chairs into a large circle. Aaliyah slid the dais away from the group and grabbed an empty chair for herself.

She wanted to be “one of them.”

He hated this whole circle concept. It made him face other group members and he couldn’t hide in the back. It would also be harder to sneak in with seconds to spare and rush out immediately after.

So,yeah, this new setup sucked ass.

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