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My heart rate picked up as Hallie headed toward me, walking like a pro in her red heels. She used to be clumsy and unsteady in them, but clearly living in the big city had given her a lot of practice. My peripheral caught sight of Taylor zipping out of the parking lot, leaving me relieved that I wouldn’t have to worry about any interruptions. I slipped out of the truck when Hallie got within a few feet.
“Uh…” Her lips parted as I stepped into her view. “What the hell are you doing here?” Hallie backed up a step, eyeing me wearily.
What the fuck? Why is she acting like I’m straight out of her nightmares?
“I was just hoping that we could talk.”
“I don’t wanna talk to you.” Her voice was edgy and maybe a little panicky.
“Why?” My brows furrowed. “I know that you ran out after we… You know… But I need to explain some things to you.”
“There’s no need for that.” Her eyes bounced from me to the driver’s side door—the one that I was blocking her from escaping to. “I just want to go home. It’s been a long day.” She held her hands up, like she was surrendering, as she continued backward.
“Why are you acting like I’m going to hurt you or something?” I demanded, my chest tightening at the recognition of fear in her sea blue eyes. “I just need to come clean about some things to you.” Defeat riddled my voice as my shoulders dropped, Viper’s words echoing in my brain.
Don’t come on too strong.
“I just want to go home.” Her voice was more confident this time, and it fucking burned.
“Fine,” I threw my hands up and stepped to the side. “I just wanted to explain what the hell was going on in my life when you gave me that ultimatum.”
She shook her head as she squeezed past me, ripping her driver’s side door open. “Explain how you turned into amurderer.”
Everything in my body became tense at the snide remark. My hand flew out and grabbed her door, stopping her from closing it. “What thefuckdid you just say to me?”
Her eyes widened. “Nothing.”
“No, I think if I heard you correctly, you called me a murderer.” My voice came out in more of a growl than I had intended, and her breath hitched in response. “Why the hell are you calling me that?”
“I found out about your stay in prison,” she answered, her gaze leveling with mine. “And I think that’s a lot of information for you to avoid telling me when we were catching up.”
“That’s the past.”
“You can't hardly say that when you spent eight-and-a-half years in prison forkillingsomeone, but I guess that’s what you outlaw bikers do, isn’t it?”
Anger was boiling in my chest, but I kept control. “I don’t think that’s any of your business, but what happened back then had nothing to do with the club.”
“Hmm.” She pressed her lips together in disbelief, ripping her eyes from me. She dug her keys into the ignition and started the SUV.
“Come on, Hal,” I said carefully through gritted teeth, hanging onto the door. “You know me better than anyone else.”
Her head whipped around. “I don’t know you at all!”
“Yes, you do,” I argued. “No one hasevergotten to know me the way you do. I know it’s been years, and things have changed—shit has happened—but you gotta just let me explain.”
“Explain what? How you killed some poor worker at a nursing home? The guy was—”
“Stop,” I barked, my eyes squeezing shut. “Youdon’tknow anything about what happened. You’re just going off what you read on the internet.” It was taking everything I had not to explode on her, punching dents into the side of her car. “I’m asking you—no, I’mbeggingyou, to give me fucking five minutes to explain myself to you.”
Hallie stared at her hands, gripping the steering wheel. I could see the wheels in her brain moving as her lips turned downward into a frown. She was torn between what she had learned about me, and what she knewwasme. All I could hope for was that she would give in to that part of herself that was fighting to give me the benefit of the doubt.
“Just five minutes.” My voice was soft as my grip loosened on the door. “That’s all I want, then you can go, and we don’t ever have to talk again. I’ll leave you alone, and if I see you, I won’t even acknowledge that you’re there.” It hurt to say the words, but I knew that ifthatwas what she wanted, I’d give it to her.
I’d fucking give her anything she wanted.
She let out a sharp breath, her eyes closing. “Fine, but I don’t wanna talk here. Someone might see.”
I clenched my teeth at the comment. “Okay, then we can talk at the steeple.”
