You Will Be Mine (Forever and Ever #7)(53)

I didn’t say anything and did as he asked.

He got on the bike then sped out of the garage, hauling ass. When we got onto the road, he took a different route than I’d ever been on. We were going the opposite way of the campus.

“Where are we going?”

He didn’t speak. He moved through the cars and headed to the highway. When we were there, he pushed his bike to the limit. I couldn’t hear anything but the wind in my ear. If I spoke, he probably couldn’t hear me. He drove for two hours, his destination unknown.

When we arrived at a small town in the middle of nowhere, he pulled into a motel parking lot and parked in the rear. He killed the engine then tossed his helmet aside.

I watched him and held my silence.

“We’re staying here tonight.” He headed into the front office and disappeared.

I stayed on the bike, unsure what to do.

He returned then yanked my helmet off. “Come on.”

“Okay…”

He pulled me into our dark and small room. The curtains were closed and he bolted all the locks. He paced in front of the bed, his eyes glued to the floor as he moved.

I sat at the foot of the bed. “I have class tomorrow…”

“You aren’t going.” He ripped his jacket off and tossed it on the floor.

Combs and his crew were frightening, but Arsen didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who was scared of anything. Since he worked with these people often, I was surprised he was frightened off so easily.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

He sat next to me but kept his silence.

“Talk to me.”

His jaw was clenched tightly. “I never meant to bring you around that.”

“I know…”

“I’ve never cared about what people do to me. They can threaten me with anything and I’d never blink an eye over it. But you…you’re different. I could never let anything happen to you.”

That made my spine shiver. “You think…he would do something to me?”

He was quiet for a long time. “These guys aren’t like people you know. They do bad things to good people. Most of the time, words are just idle threats. But with these guys… I’d never take the chance.”

I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. “What now?”

“We’ll stay here for the night just in case they tried following us. I’ll take you back home tomorrow. I just didn’t want to risk them following me to your apartment.”

My heart was beating fast and the blood was loud in my ears. I was never scared of anything and I tried to remain brave.

“After I drop you off, you won’t see me for awhile. I’ll do the deal with them and wait for things to blow over. When I think it’s safe, I’ll call you.”

Now I was scared for him. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Yes.” He said it without any doubt. “Keep your enemies close.”

I hooked my arm through his and rested my head on his shoulder.

“I want you to stay with your friends for a few days. Tell them you’re fumigating your apartment or something. I prefer Theo since he knows martial arts.”

“Maybe we should call the cops.”

“No,” he said immediately. “Then they would murder us and dump our bodies in the ocean.”

That didn’t make me feel better. “Arsen…do you deal with this a lot?”

“No. I’m always careful. We were just in the wrong place at the wrong time today.”

I clung to him tightly and closed my eyes. “I don’t want you to do this anymore…”

He stared out the window, his eyes not blinking.

“Please, Arsen.”

“It’s all I’ve ever known…”

“You’ll find something else. I’m scared for you.”

“Beauty, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“You’re obviously scared of these people for a reason. You just drove two hours away…”

“I can take care of myself. I’ve never been worried about that. It’s you I’m concerned about.”

I breathed hard while I clung to him.

He turned his face to me then kissed my forehead. “Don’t be scared. I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you. I just have to do a better job of keeping you separate from my…profession.”

I closed my eyes and concentrated on the steady sound of his breathing. It kept me calm. His skin was warm in my hand, and I inhaled his scent and pretended we were at home in bed. The world was at peace and we were safe.

If I believed it long enough, maybe it would be true.

***

Arsen walked me to my door then kissed me hard on the mouth. “Don’t call me.”

“How will I know if you’re okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I can.”

I didn’t want him to go. I wrapped my arms around his neck then held him close. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding onto me. He held me for a long time, struggling to let go.

“You’ll be safe,” he whispered. “I promise.”

“I know.”

He cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “I’m so sorry about this.”