Page 123 of Broken

“What are you getting at? Say it.”

“Is it more than good dick?”

“You have a way with words, you know that?”

Sin winks at me, but shifts so she is facing me better. “Tell me. We need to make an informed decision here and I need all the variables. Con, of course, you don’t want to leave me,” she ticks the air. “Pro, you’re back working on your dream project. Con, could run into mother from hell. Pro, the thing you love doing the most is back on the table. We’re even here. Step in any time about the men in this equation.”

“There is only one man. Jared doesn’t factor into this. He can’t see or talk to me.”

“Which leaves one tattooed, grumpy, pierced, dicked dude.”

My head drops into my hands and I squeeze my eyes shut.

“I’ll wait.” Sin sips her coffee with a smirk on her face. Then she holds up a finger. “Not that a man should have any sway over this decision.”

“The decision isn’t about him, Sin. I made a promise that my life will only be lived for me from now on. No one to tell me what to do.”

“That’s the way it should be, babe. And you’ve done a brilliant job since you got here. I don’t think you give yourself enough credit for what you went through, or how you’ve beaten back the darkness. You’re a beautiful person, Calliope. The best friend I could ever ask for. And for what it's worth, I don’t want you to go.”

The lump in my throat is like a golf ball.

“Enough of my awesomeness. What else is going on? Have you seen Garrett since our last talk?”

“Yeah. A lot. He came around to help with my hangover.”

Her brows lift, and I can’t help smiling. “We spent the day together.” I slap her arm because I can see exactly what is about to come out of her mouth. “He took care of me, Sin. Cooked, made me go outside. He was there when I opened the letters.”

“That’s kind of deep,” she nibbles on her lip again. “When did you last see him?”

The way she says that has me shifting on the seat.

“I bumped into Katja a couple of days ago. She said Garrett’s not been around.”

“What? At the shop?”

“Yeah, something came up, and he had to take some time off. She said he does it sometimes. Something to do with some guy called Nero. She doesn’t know much about it, but when he goes away, no one hears from him. I asked Jer, and he said he didn’t know either. I was gonna call Lucky, then figured you didn’t want me getting all up in your business asking after him.”

Nero… he was the man at the shop the other night. The one from the motorcycle club. Phoenix’s half-brother. Is that why he hasn’t called? My heart hammers as a myriad of things run through my head. Garrett gave no sign he was afraid of the MC. Or that they would do anything to harm him.

I got the impression he was more tied up with them than he let on. Should I be worried?

“Have you heard from him?”

I shake my head. My mind is racing. If his close friends don’t hear from him, there is no reason I would. My feelings about that can be dealt with later. I have an overwhelming need to know he’s safe. There is only person I know who can tell me that. The question is,willhe tell me?

Sin leans back in surprise when I get up. “Where are you going?”

“I need to speak to Phoenix.”

A slow grin creeps across her face.

“It changes nothing about the decision I have to make.”

“Doesn’t it?”

“No. Besides, there is another option.”

“Hmm?”

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