Fury
Istare at Xanthe from under my hood. She’s just as beautiful as I remember. She never wore a lot of makeup because it just wasn’t needed. Her blue eyes always shone bright, especially when she was happy, and I see that happiness now as she stares down at her mobile phone.
“Who’s the lucky guy?” I ask casually.
She glances up, her cheeks reddening slightly before she tucks her mobile away. “Are you sticking around London?”
She was always good at changing the subject when she didn’t want to answer a question. “As long as he’s treating you good,” I say, offering a small smile to let her know I see what she just did. “I’ll be here for a few months at least,” I reply, knowing it’ll take me a lot longer to clear my debt to Donnie.
“We should spend some time together. You could come and see Mum.”
The thought of seeing Dianna fills me with dread. We parted on bad terms, not that Xanthe is aware of that. “Maybe,” I say with a shrug. “Is she living in London?”
Xanthe nods enthusiastically. “We all moved to London years back. The need for foster carers is huge here, and you know what my parents were like. Plus, they wanted us to have better opportunities.” She leans forward slightly, propping her elbows on the table and resting her chin on her hand. “I can’t believe you’re single, Reese Northman.”
“Fury,” I correct. “I sort of had someone,” I admit, wincing at the ache in my heart. “Back in Nottingham. It didn’t work out.”
She offers a sympathetic smile. “Well, looks like your new . . . friend is waiting for you,” she comments, looking past me to where Jennie is putting her jacket on. I don’t bother to correct her. Jennie is a new club girl at the MC, and we just happened to gravitate toward each other with us both being newbies. She’s good friends with London, and I often give her a ride home when she’s on the late shifts.
“I could get her to wait here while I take you home first,” I offer, suddenly regretting coming to this café.
Xanthe smiles as she stands. “It’s fine. I don’t live too far. Besides, I have a lift.” She glances out the window as a car glides to a stop outside. She pulls out her mobile and hands it to me. “Put your number in, and I’ll call you.”
“Will you, though?” I ask, smirking as I input the information.
“Of course. We’ll have dinner.”
I nod, watching as she grabs her coat and bag and heads out to the waiting car. “Are you ready?” asks Jennie, hooking her arm through mine. “My feet are killing.”
My alarm sounds,and I groan. My entire body aches, so when Jennie rolls over and throws her leg over me, I push it off and sit up. “What time is it?” she groans.
“Early.”
“Come back to bed,” she murmurs, running her nails gently down my back.
I roll my eyes. I don’t know how we’ve come to spending the nights together. It’s something I keep vowing to stop, yet when it comes down to it, I can’t quite kick her out.
I head for the shower, hoping she’ll leave, but when I go back into the room, she’s fast asleep. I sigh heavily. It’s another thing in my life I need to get on top of.
By the timeI get to the address Axel gave me, I’m irritated. What the fuck could Donnie possibly want me to do for him other than fight? I press the buzzer on the gates, and they slowly open. I drive up the gravel driveway and stop outside the show home, where Chevy is waiting for me with a grin on his face.
I pull off my helmet and dismount the bike, staring past him at the house. “He complained about thirty-grand, yet he lives here,” I state.
Chevy laughs. “He’s waiting for you inside.”
I follow him in and through the house, down into the basement gym, where Donnie is pounding away on the running machine. He glances my way. “You came.”
“Didn’t really have a choice,” I mutter.
“Your President was surprisingly keen to agree to my terms.”
I roll my eyes. “It’s temporary.”
He laughs. “We’ll see. Chevy will show you the ropes.”
“What exactly will I be doing?”
He slows the machine down to a walk. “Whatever you’re told.”