“Is she still harassing you to move in with her?” I ask, amused.
“Yep,” she says, licking the salt off her fingers.
“You know you could move in here with me,” I suggest, shifting on my feet. “I mean there’s always someone around, so you’ll never be alone.”
“Wouldn’t my house be safer than here?” she asks, brow furrowing. “I mean, now that Cole is away, won’t the focus now be back on the bikers?”
So much for her not being difficult.
“He seems to be targeting the Wind Dragons more now than the Knights,” I say, shrugging. “But who knows how his crazy-ass mind works. All I know is that I want to be with you. So whichever way you feel most comfortable works for me.”
“You pretty much stay at my apartment most nights anyway,” she says with a smile. She taps the bed, encouraging me to sit down. “I will be fine.”
“You are so stubborn—”
“Atlas, I’ve had to live with shit like this my whole life. I can’t let it ruin the way I want to live, or else I’d always be hiding from the world, because there is something always going on,” she says, leaning on me the second I’m close to her. “I know you’re trying to protect me and I’m very grateful, but I’m going to be okay. We will all be okay. I understand the severity of the situation, but I will not let it define me.”
Sighing, I rub her back, not wanting to push her any further right now. I love how brave she is, and how confident, but it only makes me worry about her more.
She has the strength that the older Wind Dragons represent, and I can’t fault her for that.
I’m torn between wanting to get out there and search those locations and staying in so that Natalie isn’t alone, and I decide on the latter. I want to be here if she needs me, or for me just to know that she’s not alone. It’s usually me running around helping everyone else with all of their problems, but now it’s my turn to put a little faith in the other men.
I keep thinking that we’re missing something. There is mention of this Fox guy, but he hasn’t surfaced since Marko got out on bail, so I’m not sure who he is or what he wants, but he needs to be handled, too.
Atlas: Is Fox an issue?
CJ: I’ll handle Fox.
Aries: Why can’t we handle Fox?
My stepbrother always has an agenda. And if he wants Fox, he wants him for a reason.
CJ: Remember when you slept with my girlfriend?
Aries: No, which one?
CJ: Fuck off.
For fuck’s sake.
Atlas: How can I forget?
If he is going to make a play for Natalie in revenge, Marko isn’t the only one who is going to end up dead.
CJ: It turned me off women.
Well, wasn’t expecting that one.
And then it hits me.
Fox.
Atlas: So what you’re saying is, Fox is yours?
Aries: Well, this shit just got interesting.
CJ doesn’t reply, but I’m guessing that’s what it is. He and Fox have some sort of history, so he wants to deal with him. I’m okay with that, so long as he handles it correctly.