Page 56 of The Afterthought

"It just happened. I don't know. We've been running in the same circles for a while. This town isn't that big. When you know the same people and go to the same parties, sometimes people just connect," she says while smiling. "He is this tall guy with long hair and tattoos, who on the outside appears to be a crazed psycho, but that's not him at all. He is funny, and sweet, and so romantic it makes me sick sometimes. I'm happier than I've been in a really long time."

I look over at my best friend and the way that she talks about her partner. I'm happy for her. She deserves someone who makes her feel amazing, and it sounds like Kai is doing exactly that. Regardless of the violence this town can bring about, she found safety in him.

"He better not hurt you, or I will have to kill him," I tell her.

"If he hurt me, I think I would kill him first," she confesses. I wouldn't put it past her. She has a wild side, for sure.

We spend the next hour or so talking about everything between the two of them, from their first real date to the night at Greyson's party to how she's been staying with him here and there. It feels good to finally be able to catch up with my friend and have Chloe here, too.

Once we finish at the salon, we do a little bit of shopping before it's time for an early dinner. The restaurant we chose has a variety of everything. Wrenly is a vegetarian, so we needed something that would provide her with options, too.

The hostess seats us close to the door in a four-person booth. Chloe and I sit on one side, facing the door, and Wrenly sits alone on the other. There aren't very many people here, and nobody is sitting anywhere near us. It's kind of like we have the entire half of the restaurant to ourselves.

We are about halfway through our meals when the door opens, and I see a familiar face. A face that I was really hoping to avoid.

Alec walks in with two other guys. Based on the snake tattoos on each of their arms, I can tell they are part of the Cobras. Alec must sense me looking at him because he turns to look in our direction and immediately smiles when we lock eyes.

I say a silent prayer that he will just go on with his day and leave us alone, but I'm not that lucky. I see him lean in and whisper something to one of the guys next to him before he casually slips away from them to saunter over to our table.

He slides into the seat of the booth next to Wrenly and just stares at me. This is a bold fucking move, considering it's well-known around town that every single female sitting at this table is in one way or another connected to the Crimson Rose.

"I don't remember anyone inviting you to our dinner," I state plainly.

Wrenly pushes herself as far away from him as possible as Chloe sits in silence. Her eyes have gone wide. She is seemingly stunned that the leader of the Cobras would have the audacity to sit at our table with us.

"That's not a very nice way to say hello to an old friend," he says, not taking his eyes off of me.

"We are not, and never have been, friends."

A soft chuckle leaves his throat. "I seem to remember you like to play hard to get. I've always been a willing participant though. You don't have to be so abrasive, Ava."

My eyes narrow. "You were a stranger in a coffee shop. Nothing more."

"Clearly. That's why you came to work in my club, because I was just a stranger." He slides out of the seat but still stands at the end of our table. "Tell your little boyfriends they need to watch their fucking backs and stop threatening my men. They shouldn't be letting their bitches out of sight; it's a dangerous town."

"What, Alec? You're too afraid of the Crimson Rose, so you had to threaten a group of women trying to have dinner?" I raise a brow, not backing down in the face of his threat.

"I'm not afraid of anyone. Least of all a man whose woman I've had my cock inside."

Chloe whips her head around to look at me, and I can feel Wrenly's gaze burning into me, too. My cheeks flush with embarrassment. The slimy fuck would make a point to bring that up. We didn’t even know each other when it happened. I stand and shove him away from the table, making him laugh.

"If you ever want to be with a real man again, you know where to find me. I can bend you right over my desk and make sure you're properly taken care of," he says as he turns and disappears to the other side of the restaurant.

"What the fuck was that about?" Wrenly immediately asks.

"It's a long story," I say with a sigh. I'm not hungry anymore, and I have no desire to be here. Glancing between Wrenly and Chloe, it seems like they may be feeling the exact same way.

"Let's settle our bill and get out of here. There's wine at the house. I'm suddenly craving a big fucking glass."

They both nod, and within a few minutes, we have excused ourselves from the restaurant and are back in the car, driving to my house. Alec thinks he got a nice dig today, but he should be terrified about the recourse. Once I tell Greyson all about our little run-in, I can guarantee he will want to do something about it. I'm not even going to stop him. That fucker is lucky I didn’t punch him square in the throat. I definitely should have.

Chapter 26

Greyson

Iget the two fucks secured in my torture shed and take a step back to glance at them. I'm not sure how Ava is going to react to this. With any luck, she will be thankful. I know she told me to stay out of it, but these two signed their death warrants the moment they wronged my girl. I'll do anything I have to in order to make sure she knows I'll always be here to take care of her. I have a lot to make up for, after all.

The officer starts to yell from his chair, shaking it to try and free himself. It's pointless. This isn't my first rodeo. I know the proper way to secure someone to ensure they don't escape.

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