Page 91 of Wolf

“I think she meant it as advice for fixing my relationship with you,” Wolf admitted, his hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck as his eyes cruised over the top ofmyhead.

“You did it for me?” It wasn’t hard to hear the warning irritation in my tone as my eyebrows rose so high they nearly touched my hairline, while my voice dropped low enough to rumble deep in mychest.

“No.” Suddenly, his eyes dropped to meet mine and held them as he continued. “I did it for Ash. I know she meant it as advice for you, but I also made a mistake with her. As for everything I did to her... this is the least Icoulddo.”

“But making a deal with Charon?” I shook my head. “Theclub—”

“It doesn’t matter about the club,” Wolf interrupted me, his eyes dropping from mine at last. “I know it’s a bit late to be saying this now, but you were right. What’s the point in ‘club before all’ if the club isn’t happy? It took me fucking up big time before I realized it, but now that I have, I won’t ignore what I’ve done. I’ll make upforit.”

I looked into his face, and although he wasn’t looking at me, I could see as his hard gaze bore into the floor that he was serious about this. Abouteverything.

“What you’ve done with Ash, thatdoesn’t—”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with us, Anna,” Wolf finished for me, his head shaking as he looked at me. “I know what I’ve done to Ash won’t make it up to you, because I haven’t even begun to make it up to you yet.” He took a step forward, and for once, the sharp smell of his aftershave and mint mixed into his own scent caught me by surprise by how new it smelled and how long it had been since I’d last felt him this close. “But trust me on this.” Wolf’s voice dipped low, the timber forcing my silence, and somehow, drawing me closer. “I will make it up to you, Anna. I won’t let you get away thateasily.”

The chill hit my bones deeper than the cold wind as Wolf stepped away, my body shivering, longing more for his heat to return than for a coat as I watched him walk away, his stride wide and confident, shoulders back, chinraised.

Determined.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Wolf

Pullingup outside of Connie’s made a heavy sigh leave my lips as I dismounted my Fat Boy. The suspension creaked as it righted in absence of my weight, reminding me of all the shit I’d put it through in the recent years. The thought made me notice the wear of my tires as well, and I mentally added my bike to my growing list of thingstofix.

“Come on, boss,” Lamb said, noticing me frowning at the bike. “That shit can wait untillater.”

I nodded without a word, irritated just to be back here as Ripper and Lamb fell in line beside me. I didn’t bother bringing Jax this time, seeing as he was the only brother Anna would let close at the moment, and I wanted him near her to look after her. It wasn’t like she was being cold to the brothers, but they had all noted her distance to the club, which put me on the receiving end of a lot of pointed looks I chose toignore.

We headed up the steps, listening to the old wood creak before the bell rang out and announced our arrival. I didn’t bother to look elsewhere as Charon sat in the far corner, coffee in his hand as he looked straight at me, a Cheshire-cat smile showing white teeth under hissmugface.

“Wolf,” he purred, the corners of his eyes wrinkling the dark skin as he looked as pleased to see me as a cat that ate thecanary.

“Charon,” I replied, not hiding any of my irritation as I dropped into the leather chair. I didn’t trust the fucker plain and simple, and I didn’t give a shit ifheknew.

“So, how’s the little birdy liking her newfound freedom?” Charon asked, his yellow eyes flickering across the diner, trying to disguise his glance to where Lamb and Ripper were setting up at the counter and flagging down a waitress forcoffee.

“She’s stuck in a hospital bed for now. There’s not much she can do,” I grumbled, thinking back to my conversationwithAsh.

After hearing she had woken up, I figured it was about time I explained the situation to her. Lamb had sorted it only a day or so after she had been admitted to the hospital, under a false name of course, and with a little bit of persuasion of a few of the doctors we knew who came to our parties, he had managed to blur what her injuries were on record so the only match to the gunshot wound on her chest would be to the body that turned up in the morgue, which had been burned and buried in the nearbycemetery.

“Hmph,” Charon huffed, taking a sip of hiscoffee.

“I owe you a favor,” I growled, my tone unhelpful, but I also couldn’t help it, since the words felt bitter on my tongue. “Not just for Ash, but for intervening during the attack on theclub,too.”

“So, you owe me two favors?” Charon asked, almost surprised that I’d offered them separately. I hated being in debt to the bastard, but it didn’t change the fact thatIwas.

It also didn’t change the fact that I could see that the little glint in his eye wasn’t just because he had a new toy to use as he wished, but because his plan had gonesowell.

When Kay, who had managed to get out of the compound and to a phone, had called him, he was way too ready for help. Apparently, him and a group of his brothers had been nearby in redwood and had managed to get on the scene to lend a hand in the fastest time onrecord.

I wasn’t mad at Kay however, how could I be? Half my Angels had been at my side and not at my club, and from the numbers that had charged the compound, I knew she had no choice but to ask him. I knew it was unlikely that Charon knew everything that would happen—although he was about as predictable as a coin toss—but I still couldn’t fight the feeling this was what he’d wanted allalong.

And I didn’thaveto.

“I know this is what you wanted all along, Charon,” I growled, hating the stale taste of the words on mytongue.

Charon’s dark eyebrow jumped, eyes glancing at me with a heightened focus, his golden eyes fixed on my nextwords.

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