“Ah.” I nodded, trying to look interested.
“Listen,” he began as I braced for whatever he was about to say. “If you’re around—”
He paused as a commotion sounded by the front door. A moment later, I groaned as Tatum, along with Olivia’s oldest brother, Maddox, strode in, outfitted in their standard cuts, the Knights MC logo bright and bold on their backs as they searched the room.
When he saw me, Tatum’s face spread into a devilish grin. I glared at him as the other girls in the room began preening. Suddenly, there were far better options than Jared to be had. It didn’t escape my notice that at the appearance of Tate and Mad, Jared didn’t delay in making himself scarce.
“You suck,” I hissed when they drew closer. “How did you even know we were here?”
“Max sent us.” Maddox replied, his gaze sliding over the girls in the room, looking bored. “I’ll go find Liv,” he added, wandering off to find his sister.
“Max?” I demanded, incredulous. This wasn’t the first time he’d sent the guys after us. It made no sense to me. He barely talked to me. I wasn’t even sure he liked me, much less cared how I spent my time. “Why the hell does he care?”
“Probably just tryin’ to stay in Sal’s good graces.” Tate shrugged. “Whoa, are those chicks naked?” His brows rose as he caught sight of the pool. “This party just got interesting.”
“Nuh-uh.” I shook my head. “If Liv and I don’t get to enjoy this party, then you don’t either.” I grabbed his jacket, pulling him toward the door. I suddenly had a much more important place to be.
When we arrived at the club on the back of Tate and Mad’s bikes, I was steaming mad. I stomped into headquarters, scanning the crowded room until I found him. Standing by the pool table with a club cherry looking on, Max was focused on the game and, as always, infuriatingly handsome.
Feeling bold with frustration, I stole the pool cue right out of his hand. “Why?” I demanded by way of greeting.
“Um, we’re in the middle of a game,” the blonde whined.
I shot her a glare.
“Get lost, Kelly,” he told her dismissively before his dark eyes returned to me. “Why what?” he asked, undeterred by my temper.
“Why did you send the goon squad to come get us? Did my dad make you do that?”
“No.”
His response was a surprise. “Then why?” I sputtered.
For a moment, I swore I saw a flash of something in his expression, something other than the standard veil of aloofness he sported so well. “Because you two shouldn’t be at a party like that without a man on you.”
“Says who?”
“Says me,” he growled.
My heart pounded at the passion in his tone. “Why do you care?” I whispered, fervently hoping he’d say something—anything to provide me with a glimmer of hope that after all these years maybe, just maybe, he felt something for me too.
As though a door had slammed shut, his expression turned blank as his mask slid back into place. “I don’t.” He shook his head and gestured for Kelly to wobble back over in her four-inch heels.
My gut twisted at his cool words as he slid an arm around the bimbo at his side. “You’re an ass, Max. You know that?” I hissed, turning and stalking away.
The only silver lining, and it was really more a gray one than anything, was that he’d just made my decision easy.
I had to get the hell out of here.
Chapter 1
WREN
The persistent gray sky and canopy of lush trees accompanied me as I pointed my car for home on a typical overcast day in Portland, Oregon. When I’d moved here for school just over three years ago, the near constant rain and dark skies had felt downright oppressive. Now, they were merely a burden I accepted, a reward of sorts for when the sun finally shone for those scant summer months.
I pulled up to the one-story bungalow Olivia and I shared. For a while, it had been an ideal situation; after all, Liv and I were like sisters and lived well together. It wasn’t by accident we’d decided on the same school. Our house was walking distance to downtown and had plenty of space.
It would have been perfect with the exception of the weird packages and letters that had begun arriving for me around six months ago. At first, they had started off small, a simple poem or quote or a small bouquet of flowers. But recently the gifts had become a bit more extravagant, including jewelry and clothing. It was seriously creepy.
I shed my ever-present rain jacket and boots upon entering our living room before heading for the kitchen. After a day of back-to-back classes, I was ready to eat and sleep, in that order.
The house was quiet as I rummaged through our fridge in search of an easy dinner.
“Hey,” Livie’s soft voice greeted. “Hungry?” She laughed at my focused attempt to dig through the fridge.
“Aren’t I always?” I replied dryly.
“True,” she agreed, leaning against the doorway, watching my ministrations. “Class okay?”
I shrugged as I moved to the counter to prep a sandwich. I was too hungry to come up with anything more creative. “You know me, school isn’t my favorite thing, but I’m making it through.” We were in the midst of finals, and my stress level was at an all-time high.
She nodded knowingly.
“How are you? How was your day?” I wanted to know.
“Fine,” she replied. “I think I did okay on that test.”
No doubt she’d aced it. Unlike for me, school seemed to come naturally to Livie.
“I’m sure you did,” I assured her. The silence stretched between us as I debated asking her the question I dreaded the most.
There was no need, as was typical between us, she read my mind without my having to speak. “Nothing today,” she murmured quietly.
My breath of relief was short lived.
“I, um, may have mentioned the deliveries to my dad,” she shared with a grimace.
I just barely saved the glass I nearly knocked off the counter in my haste to whirl around toward her. “For shit’s sake, Liv, do you want them coming down here?” I demanded. We barely kept our fathers and the rest of the Knights at bay as it was. It had been hard on our overprotective families to have us so far away. The fact we were together appeased them some, that and the fact that my dad, a security specialist for the club, had rigged the security in our house to a ridiculous degree before we’d moved in. He’d said it was a requirement for me to go to school here.
“I’m sorry, Wren, but that shit is seriously skeeving me out. I think they should know about it. It’s been going on a long time.”
I rummaged in my bag for my phone, which I’d had on vibrate through class, and groaned at the amount of phone calls and texts I’d missed. “Dammit, Liv!” I chastised her as I saw that my dad had called three times and Tatum once. But it was the missed call and text from Max that had my heart lurching.
What the fuck is going on? Call me back.
Max checked in on me now and then, but for the most part, I kept him at arm’s length. After the way we’d left things, I didn’t understand why he checked in at all.