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"Gunnar?" Aisling's voice cuts through the silence, soft as silk. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's nothing. Go back to sleep," I lie, knowing full well rest is a luxury we can't afford. We can't leave until she's done with her heat--we'd be caught in no time--but as soon as she's feeling right in the head, we're getting out of here.
Rest needs to happen now...because we might not get the opportunity again for a long, long time.
"I don't believe you," she says. Her voice is clearer now, worry edging in. I hear her get out of bed and pad across the carpet, and I find her wearing my t-shirt at the bathroom door. She frowns, crossing her arms. "Are we in danger?"
"Could be. But I've got it handled." My voice is all gravel and false reassurance. "You're safe here."
She doesn't need to know the gritty details, not now. She needs to believe I can keep the chaos at bay, at least for tonight. But truth is, I'm one man, one alpha, and Pacific City...? Well, she's a beast that doesn't tame easy.
As I stand there, staring at the ominous glow of my phone, I feel the weight of the world pressing down. It's a silent promise, a reminder that no matter how far we run, we're still tethered to the heart of this place, to its ebb and flow of power and violence.
"Come back to bed," she says, and there's an edge there, a plea not just for my warmth but for the semblance of safety I bring.
"Right behind you," I say, though I linger a moment longer, letting the message settle.
If the streets are burning, we'll need more than luck to see dawn.
I can only hope the Angels will be on our side when shit really kicks off.
Chapter twenty
Aisling
My eyes crack openlike it's the very first time.
The room swims into focus--neon-lit, rain-streaked windows, crumpled sheets and a deadbolt locked tight on the door. The scent of sweat and sex is heavy in the air, my senses filled with the mingled flavor of myself and Gunnar. My body aches in a dull, satisfied way, like I've been through a war and come out the other side still breathing.
Heat's over.
I'm no longer a slave to the primal urge...even if I kind of wish I was.
When I was out of my head and addicted to Gunnar's knot, at least I didn't have to think about the impending war between the Angels and the Eclipse.
"Star," Gunnar's voice cuts through the haze, his hand firm on my shoulder. "You awake?"
"Yeah," I rasp, sitting up. The sheets stick to my skin, a reminder of the past days spent in a fevered tangle of limbs and desire. "What's up?"
"Luka came through." He hands me a glass of water, his blue eyes scanning mine with an intensity that feels like it's trying to stitch me back together. "He's got a plan and he's going to help us get out of the city."
A cool swallow takes the edge off my parched throat. "You trust him?"
"He's my best friend," he says. "I...honestly, Ais, there's no one else to trust. It's either him or the two of us on our own."
"Us?" My voice is a thread of sound, barely there. "Gunnar, I know we haven't talked about this much--but you really want to leave the Angels behind?"
"Us," he confirms, his hand squeezing mine. "I'm ready to go with you. I won't let this opportunity pass me by when I know we've got something special."
The weight of it, his touch, it steadies me. We're in this mess together because of choices I made, yet here he is, ready to throw in with a girl he doesn't know, and certainly shouldn't trust. I feel like an asshole for abusing his trust, but I need to survive.
I swing my legs off the bed, muscles protesting. Time to face whatever Luka's cooked up. If it gets us one step ahead of Vance Solace--or more importantly, Caius Rossi and his goons--I'll take it.
But trusting one gang to get us out from under another? Feels like trading one cage for a different set of bars.
I just hope we're not jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
"Let's do this," I say, finding my feet. "Do I have time to shower?"
