Page 139 of Arran's Obsession

Meanwhile, Gen’s brother had gone on the drive about with his girlfriend and found no sign of Don. He reported that she was distraught. That even another gang member they spoke to was worried. All of which gave us nothing to go on.

I put all my energy into winning Gen over by being the world’s best fucking boyfriend. I brought her coffee when she woke, cooked meals, and played us movie marathons on a TV I’d rarely watched in the past. I also took the time to give Gen further pieces of myself, letting her in as much as I could. I explained how Chief Constable Kenney had previously worked for my father, and how I had evidence hidden away of how Kenney had once provided a service disposing of bodies. She listened about my deal with the mayor, too, and how I paid bribes to a number of people to keep them sweet so my business could operate unhindered. All the dark corners of my world exposed.

We fucked. A lot. Even angry at me, Gen couldn’t stop herself from wanting me.

She got fired from her food courier job, and though I had no regrets about her never going back to that shit, it bothered me how blue she had become.

On the fourth day of lockdown, I accepted a delivery at the warehouse and took it to her. A pet carrier which I opened in the apartment’s living room, releasing a fluffy brown cat. It padded forward, posing for a beat, whiskers out.

“Cherry’s,” I told her. “Dixie informed me you discovered she’d had a pet. The neighbour had taken it to a centre, but I had people track it down. Believe it or not, getting approval to take home that animal took longer than buying the Crescent.”

With an expression of sadness mixing into a softer emotion, Gen settled on her knees and held out a hand, letting the cat go to her, its huge yellow eyes curious.

“Her name’s Rosie,” I offered.

Gen picked Rosie up. She hugged her, and the cat instantly sheathed its claws and kneaded her leg.

“Her collar is the exact shade of Cherry’s hair. At last, I can do something in my friend’s name,” she murmured into the thick fur which would be all over my fucking place. “I’ll look after her baby. Thank you for finding her.”

My gaze burned into hers. “Is this enough? I want our lives to be like this always. Next week sees the end of our month, and I can’t handle the thought that you might leave.”

She held Rosie closer. “No, it isn’t enough.”

“What will be?”

“I hurt, Arran. I didn’t ask for this, just the same as you didn’t, but now I have you, I can’t go back to not loving you. If you can’t love me back, I’ll always be in pain.”

I remained tight-jawed. “I’m going to propose to you on the very last day. It’s the final stage, usually a public engagement announcement or a blood bond, but we can register to marry instead.”

That ache inside her was right there in her eyes. She shook her head, sorrow plain. “You have to say the word ‘love’ inmarriage vows. You’d be a liar. Sorry, Arran. But lying in that oath is a dealbreaker for me.”

Then she locked herself away with Rosie and the box of cat things I’d had brought up, and left me to plan for the clubs’ reopening this evening. I had no choice but to keep going. With the warehouse not taking in money, my staff were missing out on tips. I preferred keeping them close, too.

Plus nothing else had happened. No further act of violence or threat, no graffiti and no more bodies. Shade, who had taken Kenney’s list of new jail releases and already handled one of the men, took the night off and stayed at the club, adding to the boosted security.

We watched the crowds and skirted the rooms.

The night passed with barely even a skirmish on Divide’s packed dance floor.

On Saturday, I met with the team, and we made the decision to stay open. That night and Sunday went by without a hitch. Still nothing on Don, still no retaliation.

On Monday evening, after we closed from the student night, I sought out Shade. “Free to help me handle some business?”

There was something I needed to do, and that hadn’t gone away, only been suspended. Gen’s father was still missing without a trace, but her mother’s killer was top of my list to manage. An almost desperate need to prove myself to her reigned over me, and having Jordan Peters dead and her mother avenged would go a long way towards that.

Shade slid a knife from his jacket and tested the blade. “I’m down.”

“I don’t want to leave Gen unprotected,” I said, though my mind was already out the door and driving south. We’d need to be quick—I was still under a four-hour restriction from being away from Gen’s side—but it was possible.

“We’ll leave a full crew here until we return. Are ye tracking her?” Shade asked.

“Tracking her?”

He gave me an eyeroll like I was an amateur then gestured for me to follow. Upstairs, in his apartment, he opened a kitchen drawer and brought out a device.

“Point that end at her skin, the upper arm or padded part of the arse is best, then squeeze the trigger. If she’s asleep, she might not even feel it.”

I turned the tool over in my hands. “How does it work?”

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