“Hey, Anna,” Damien calls out, coming up to stand next to me.
“Hey, Damien,” I say, smiling. “How was your day? I saw you talking with some of the students and didn’t want to interrupt.”
He grins. “That would have been a welcome interruption considering I was on babysitting duty all day.”
“Got stuck showing around the freshmen, huh?” I tease.
He puts his hands in his pockets. “Something like that. Do you need a ride home? I’m parked just over there,” he says, nodding his head to the student parking lot to the right.
I look to his car and consider it. “Thanks, but it’s all right. I live close by.”
“Are you sure?” he asks, frowning. “I honestly don’t mind.”
He is sweet, Damien. We talk in class sometimes, usually about the work we were doing, nothing personal. But like I said, he is sweet, and I didn’t need Rake or Arrow scaring the shit out of him.
“I’m good,” I say as the bus arrives. “I’ll see you around.”
I get on the bus before he can protest.
Ten minutes later, as soon as I step off, it starts pouring.
Just my luck.
Dripping wet and moody, I walk from the stop to my apartment, which takes a couple of minutes. As I walk to my front door, dying for a hot shower, I notice something that makes me stop in my tracks.
The door is open.
What the hell?
Taking two steps backward, I pull out my phone and walk to the parking lot, where there would be people around. I dial Rake.
“Anna?”
“Hey, Rake, can you come to my apartment, please?”
He’s silent for a second. “Talk to me, Anna.”
“I just got home and the door is open. Something doesn’t feel right. I mean, it could be nothing; maybe I left the door open?”
But I know I didn’t.
“Are you safe?” he barks into the phone, and I can hear movement around him.
“Yeah, I’m in the lot, so I’m in clear view of the main road,” I say, shuffling my feet.
“Good girl,” he croons. “I’m on my way.”
“Thanks, Rake.”
“Oh, and, Anna?”
“Yeah?”
“You should have fuckin’ called me when you finished class.”
He hangs up, leaving me cringing at the phone.
I sit on the curb, lifting my head when I hear the sound of rumbling motorcycles about ten minutes later. I can just imagine the lecture I’m going to get from Rake, about how all of this could be avoided if I just lived at the clubhouse like he wanted. Resigned to my fate, I stand as Rake and Arrow approach, both wearing identical scowls on their faces. Arrow lifts his hands to me as he walks up but drops them at the last second. Rake pulls me into his arms as Arrow watches, staring at my face. He looks like he wants to touch me badly but can’t because of my brother’s presence. I know the feeling, because I want to be in his arms too.
“You okay?” he asks me, our eyes connected. I nod.
“I’ll go in and check it out,” he says, giving me a gentle look before he walks in the direction of my apartment. Rake and I follow behind and watch as he disappears inside my apartment.
“Fuckin’ hell, Anna, you’d be safe if you weren’t so stubborn and just stayed where you belong.”
“Don’t start, Rake,” I mumble, staring at the door, waiting for Arrow to reappear. When he does, he’s empty-handed.
“Place is a wreck,” he says. “Doesn’t look like anything is missing though. Lock’s broken.”
Probably because I had nothing of value to steal. Luckily Lana wasn’t over, since she has a key and drops by whenever she feels like it. A key I actually gave her, unlike my brother.
Arrow removes his leather jacket and places it over my shoulders. “You look freezing, Anna.”
I sigh. “It’s been a long day.”
“I can see that. Come on, I’ll help you clean up the place,” Arrow says, leading me inside with an arm around my shoulder.
Sweet, so fucking sweet.
“Thanks,” I sniff, walking into my home. Arrow removes his arm as we step into my kitchen and I take in the disaster that is my apartment.
“Fuck! Shouldn’t I call the cops?” I ask.
“No cops,” Rake says. “Unless you want one of us to get arrested.”
I roll my eyes. “You guys can leave then, you haven’t done shit. I’ll call the cops.”
“They aren’t going to do anything, Anna,” Arrow says. “Let us handle it. Don’t worry, all right?”
Sighing, I turn around to see Arrow and Rake having a silent conversation I’m obviously not meant to hear. Or in this case, see.
“What?” I demand. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Nothing,” they both say at the same time, trying to look innocent.
And failing.
I point my finger. “Don’t fuck around, tell me what’s going on.”
I’m ignored.
“Call in the women to help,” Arrow tells Rake. “It will be quicker, and Anna looks exhausted. She doesn’t need to be doing this shit.”
Rake grins. “Shall I call Jill?”
I grit my teeth together. Why is that woman’s name still being said?
“Fuck Jill,” Arrow replies. “I was thinking more along the lines of Faye and Jess.”
“Oh,” Rake replies, deflated. “The old ladies.”
We really don’t have the time for this. I step into my living room, to see the place trashed. Everything is turned upside down, though I can’t come up with one reason why someone would do this. I clearly have nothing of value; they can see that. Tying my hair up in a messy bun, I quickly step into my room and change into some dry clothes, then start to arrange the place. Faye and Jess drop by, along with Tracker and even Allie. I appreciate the help. It takes two hours before everything is back in place. Arrow opted to help me put my room back together, and I literally cringe when he starts snooping through my drawers.
“Arrow, can you stop?” I ask, scowling at him as he opens my panty drawer.
“Just making sure everything is in working order.”
I don’t even know what to reply to that.
“You know you’re coming back to the clubhouse tonight, don’t you?” he says casually, pulling out a pink thong and stretching it between his fingers.
“No, I’m not. Everything is fine now. I can stay here. And I can see you still haven’t spoken to Rake.”
Rake walks in just after I say those words. “We’ll get this sorted out, then Arrow and I are going out later tonight.”
“Going out where?” I ask. “And I’m not moving back to the clubhouse full-time, but I’ll stay there until whatever this is is sorted out.”
“Fine. For now, that works.”
“Where are you going out?” I ask again.
Rake grins. “Strip club, having a couple of drinks.”
The look I send Arrow is judge, jury, and executioner.
He flashes me an apologetic look and mouths the word later.
“Fine,” I mumble.
I have other things to worry about right now.
* * *
Faye sticks her head through my door as I’m finishing off my room. “Anna, let’s go out tonight. I heard the men were too.”
“Sounds good,” I tell her. No way I want to sit at home while Arrow is out at a strip club.
I see Faye grin mischievously, her gaze darting to Arrow before landing back on me. “You need to get laid, and I think tonight should be the night.”
My eyes widen.
The shit stirrer.
I smile innocently at both Arrow and Rake, playing along. “I know just what to wear.”
Rake scowls at Faye while Arrow stares me down, his eye starting to twitch a little.
Yeah, he doesn’t like that idea much.
“Faye, don’t say my sister’s name and ‘get laid’ in the same sentence ever again,” my brother groans.
Faye raises an eyebrow. “The things I could tell Anna. The things I’ve seen!”
Rake grabs her and covers her mouth with his hand. He looks up. “Arrow, meet you out front. Faye will take you to the clubhouse, Anna.”
He walks backward with her, probably going to give her a talking-to.