I elbow him in the side. “Helpful!”
“Isn’t it true?”
“Yes, all right. It’s true. But don’t rub it in.”
Wynter croaks out a laugh. “Whatever I expected…”
I catch her eye and finish, “…it was worse.”
When she rubs her hands over her arms, Maxim asks, “Are you cold?”
“I’m fine. Thank you, though. For asking. And for, well, this.”Nervous that he caught her, she stops and fidgets with her phone instead.
“You’re welcome. You should be gentle with yourself tonight,” he advises, his tone soft. Kind.
I have firsthand experience of both, but it’s strange seeing him be nice to someone other than me.
The added nuance has me leaning into him as she stutters, “I-I don’t…”
“Is it the first time you’ve seen someone die?”
Her gaze catches his. “You know who my father is, don’t you?”
“Of course.” Maxim shrugs. "I’m also aware you didn’t grow up in New Jersey.”
Her brow furrows. “How do you know that?”
“I ran your name.”
“How did you…” She swallows. “Actually, I prefer to be in the dark. This is me. Just drop me off here, please.”
“Of course.”
I grab her hand as she snatches at the door handle and I reel off my number.
That she turns her phone over and types it in tells me I’m right to see her as an ally.
“Speak soon,” she rasps before escaping into the night.
“Who’s her father?” I ask immediately, keeping an eye on her as she crosses the street at a run and darts into a building.
“A Satan’s Sinner.”
“An MC brother?” I wheeze.
“The Prez, no less.”
The news further reassures me. Her father’s no saint, so she can’t be too repulsed by my actions.
Unaware of my thoughts, Maxim speaks with the driver, who immediately jumps out and scampers away.
“Does it get boring?”
He opens his door then pauses. “What?”
“People jumping when you tell them to?”
A sly smirk makes an appearance on that handsome face. “Never.”
