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Nothing good ever happened to a Rivers.
Slap.
Slap, slap.
Slap, slap, slap.
“Drew, Drew… Please wake up, baby. I’m afraid to touch you. Please wake up.”
My eyes flashed open at the sound of Ava’s frightened voice. I lifted in the bed, drenched in sweat. “Christ, it was just a dream.” No, not a dream because that lashing had happened.
“Hey, look at me.” She touched my hand. “I’m here. You’re safe.”
“Fuck.” I’d been reliving a nightmare. I took in my surroundings and Ava’s teary eyes. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
She shook her head. “It’s okay. You’d told me it wasn’t safe to wake a person who was having a nightmare, that they might fight back. I just kept calling your name until you woke.”
“Why would I tell you that?”
“I have nightmares sometimes.” She darted her eyes away as if embarrassed. “Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good.” I reached for the bottled water on the nightstand. “How long have you been here?” I should feel uncomfortable about her watching me sleep, but I wasn’t. Strangely her presence soothed me.
“Fifteen minutes or so. Libby had told me you were napping.”
“She did?” Dang, I hoped she hadn’t told Ava what an ass I’d been. But then, why I cared, I couldn’t say.
“Mhm, so I stayed away for a while.” The sadness in her eyes gutted me. “You still don’t remember me, do you?”
“No, sorry.”
“It’s only been a couple of days.” She smiled but it didn’t look genuine.
“So why do you have nightmares?” People didn’t have nightmares for no reason. Usually, something traumatic had happened, like in my case, getting the shit beat out of me when the wind changed.
She waved me off and went to the door. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you going somewhere? You only just got here.”
Ava shifted on her feet and reached for the door.
“Why do I feel like you’re hiding something from me?” The last thing I needed was a chick keeping secrets.
“What? I… I’m not. I, um… I’ll be back.” She was gone in a flash.
I massaged my temples. “I didn’t need this shit.”
18
Storm
I clenched my back molars, irritated as all get out. Raul, Boxer, and Hero didn’t look too pleased either, with Jordy Kraus, the president of TC Vipers, being a total dick. After several days of trying to get him on the phone, Grizzly had finally gotten in touch with him. We were in my office on the phone with the dude. I wanted to meet with him face-to-face to end our war.
“I don’t see the point in a meeting. You took my kid, killed a dozen of my brothers, and you think we can put a stop to the war we’re in?”
I rolled my fingers into a fist. “You came into my territory and shot up my club’s gym.”
Jordy snorted. “Yeah? After you came intomyterritory, asshole.”
