Page 15 of Outlaw

That’s true. I lean against the wall and watch as she cleans up. Now this is a sight I could get used to. When she’s finished, she turns and looks at me, and we share a long silence.

“So,” she says finally. “How long do you intend on keeping me here?”

It’s hard to believe that not long ago we were kissing, and now we’re practically at each other’s throats. Could be an explosive combination, or it could be a sign – a sign we’re meant to be together.

“Until I deal with the Lions,” I tell her.

“Deal with them?” she scoffs. “What, are you gonna go all Rambo on them or something?”

“You just let me worry about that,” I reply.

“What about my parents? Violet? What am I going to tell them? Speaking of which, I don’t even have my phone!”

“Yea

h, Thump would have taken it at the clubhouse,” I grumble. “Do you know your parents’ number?”

Claire laughs. “Who remembers phone numbers these days? It’s in my phone!”

I sigh a heavy sigh. Could this girl be any less prepared for the world?

“You’ll have to take me home—”

“Claire, I need you to listen to me,” I interrupt. “This is serious, so drop the attitude, okay?”

She glares back at me, and for a moment it looks like she’s about to throw some more sass my way, but she thinks and smartly decides against it. The bratty expression falls from her face and she nods.

“Okay.”

“Thank you,” I reply. “Look – those Red Lions are a bad bunch. They keep a low profile around town, but you don’t wanna mess with them. After what happened back there, your life could be in danger. If I just let you go home, that means I’m allowing you to be put in danger, and I can’t do that. Do you understand?”

Finally, it looks like the reality of her situation is starting to set in. She replies with a soft nod.

“So it’s not like I want to keep you here,” I explain. It’s a bit of a lie; I want her to stay here with me forever. “It’s that I have to keep you here. At least for the time being. You…you understand, right?”

“Yeah, I’m not an idiot,” Claire says with a sigh. She turns back to the sink as though there are going to be more dishes to be done or something and decides to just wash her hands again. She needs something to distract herself, and I get that. She’s been through a lot – more than any girl should ever have to go through.

There’s a rage inside me, simmering like a kettle just about to boil. I should have done more than I did when I left the Red Lions. I should have taken him up on his offer. At the time I thought it was a coward’s move, but now I realize just how stupid I was being. Something’s going to have to be done about them – something I can’t handle on my own. I guess it’s time to make that call.

10

Claire

“I guess you really trust me, huh?” I ask Christian from the bed. He’s just told me that he has to go out and “deal with something,” and that he’s going to leave me here uncuffed.

“You may be naïve,” he says. “But you’re not an idiot.”

“Gee, thanks,” I reply. He really is infuriating. I hate the fact that he has to go. It seems absolutely insane, but I know he’s going to go get himself in some kind of trouble, and I want to go with him to protect him. But what am I going to do? He’s the one protecting me!

Maybe I really am that naïve…

“I don’t know how long I’ll be gone,” he says as he heads for the door. “If you’re tired, don’t wait up for me.”

He opens the door, but as he moves to go outside, something comes over me. I leap up from the bed, race over to his side and give him a kiss on the cheek.

“For luck,” I tell him. “Be careful.”

Christian looks surprised for a second, then smiles. “In my experience, there’s no such thing as luck.”

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