Edge Of Fear (Arrow's Edge MC Book 4) by Freya Barker (top rated books of all time .TXT) 📕

“Hop up, Van.”

I pat the passenger seat of the Jeep, wait for him to get in, and close the door. The window is halfway down and he immediately sticks his face out when I walk over to Paco.

“What time do you start tomorrow?”

“Nine?” he suggests with a shrug. “It’s the weekend, I don’t think we’ll get those guys outta bed any earlier.

“Fair enough,” I agree. “I’ll be there but I’m gonna have to run out to drive Sophia to work around eleven. I think I might leave Van at home though. Too many people around and if I’m going up on the roof…”

“I can keep an eye on him,” Ravi offers, his voice cracking halfway through the sentence.

Guess he’s that age. Paco and I grin at each other over the boy’s head.

“You sure? Might get boring.”

He nods eagerly. “I’m sure.”

“All right then, I’ll bring him after I drop off Sophia.”

I ruffle his ink black hair, throw a wink at Paco, and head to the Jeep.

My phone rings as I pull up in front of the house. It’s her.

“Hey.”

“Are you home yet?”

Her voice sounds a little funny.

“Just drove up, why? Something wrong?”

I get out, let Van jump down and walk to the front door.

“I have a favor to ask. It’s…uh…”

Definitely sounds off.

“Spit it out, babe.”

Inside I punch the code into the keypad for the alarm.

“I need some clean clothes. Any pair of jeans is fine, they’re in the bottom drawer of my dresser, and I also need some underwear. Top drawer for those.”

I chuckle as I bend down to pick up the dog’s bowl. “Jesus. What happened? Did you spill something? What about a shirt?” She’s not laughing with me and it’s suddenly very quiet on the other end. Then I hear a sniffle. “Fee? What happened?” I repeat in a serious tone this time.

“My shirt’s fine. Shit,” I hear her mumble. “Hate to do this, but I’ll need some sanitary pads from the bathroom as well. I’ll tell you when you get here.”

I can tell she’s crying when she hangs up the phone.

Fuck.

After throwing a scoop of kibble into Van’s bowl, I take the fastest shower I’ve ever had, and quickly collect what she asked for, stuffing it in a plastic bag I find in the kitchen.

“Be a good boy,” I call out to the dog as I rush out the door.

I avoid as many traffic lights as I can—not an easy feat in Durango—and pull into Sophia’s parking spot behind the restaurant, barely twenty minutes after she called.

She’s in her office and the moment I walk in her face crumples. Damn.

I’m around the desk and have her in my arms in a few strides.

“Ah, babe.”

“I should be happy,” she sobs in my shirt. “Relieved. So why am I so upset? I can’t stop crying and I hardly ever cry.”

She tilts her head back and it strikes me she’s even beautiful like this, eyes red-rimmed from crying, her face a blotchy mess, and her mouth wobbling as she tries to get hold of herself.

“You’re probably pumping your inner fist right now,” she says with a hint of bitterness.

For some reason that offends me, and I let go of her waist to grab on to her upper arms.

“I’m not.”

She snorts and tries to look away so I give her a little shake.

“Fee, look at me.” I wait until I have her eyes. “I’m disappointed too. Fuck, I was starting to imagine you, beautiful and round with my baby, so don’t accuse me of celebrating this. Because I’m not.”

She quietly observes me for a moment.

“You mean that?”

“Yeah. Why would I lie about that?”

The next instant she does a faceplant in my chest.

CHAPTER 19

Sophia

LAST NIGHT WAS chaos.

A profitable chaos, because it was our best night so far, in terms of sales, but chaos nonetheless.

Thank God Emme ran interference everywhere. Covering the bar with Mack, serving drinks when the servers were running behind, and lending a hand in the kitchen, loading the dishwasher and helping plate orders.

I didn’t have much time to think about anything; I was too busy trying to keep up with the steady flow of diners. Tse stayed at the bar the entire night, a steady presence, and would occasionally shove a bottle of water in my hand and tell me to drink. When we got home my feet and back were sore, and Tse suggested I have a bath while he took care of Van. I was too tired for that so opted for a quick shower instead and ended up rolling into bed right after.

No time to think last night, but this morning I woke up with a head that was already churning. I always feel a bit off during my period, which tends to be light—achy, grumpy, touchy—but I’m really out of sorts this time.

I’m sitting out on the deck with Van romping around in the yard, sipping a coffee. I snuck out of bed at six, leaving Tse to sleep. He mentioned they’re working at Paco’s place today—something about the roof—but that he’d be back to drop me off for work at eleven.

It’s a gorgeous morning; the air fresh and alive with the peaceful sounds of nature waking up, and my coffee is hot and strong. Still, I feel a weight on my chest. I guess that’s the way it goes when dreams disappear into thin air. Even one I never fully considered until a short week ago.

I’ve never been prone to fantasies—instead opting to stay firmly rooted in reality, grounded in the familiar—but since taking the leap and moving to Durango I’ve changed. Become more open to possibilities.

The job itself has been a huge leap, new and different in many ways from the mostly solitary work I’d been doing before, but one I love. Then I found myself getting involved with a man I thought wouldn’t be good for me, until I jumped into a relationship with him to discover it isn’t just good, it is outstanding.

Turns out