Page 19 of Arrow: Riding Rebels MC

With a banging headache, I sat up, taking the paper from Gideon.

“They are talking about what I need to do in order to win the election. Right now, Edwards has the lead, and the team thinks I need to do the following to get ahead. Read that and tell me what you think.”

This was why Gideon couldn’t let me leave.

He’d fail without me… He knew it, and I knew it. Gideon wasn’t as smart as people thought, and I believed that was where most of his anger stemmed from. Gideon had dyslexia, and although there was nothing to be ashamed of, he hated it.

I could barely think straight, but I tried my hardest to focus.

I cleared my throat and said, “From what I’m able to see, by signing this, you are agreeing to take money from Calhoun monthly in exchange for them taking over the ports on the north and east side. Only problem with that?—”

“How much are they offering?” Gideon interrupted.

I scanned the paper, and my eyes almost popped out of my head.

“Four point six million.”

Gideon looked at me, and I could see the dollar signs bouncing around behind his eyes.

Greed would stop him from realizing that the north and east ports were already under contract. For that amount of money, Gideon would take over the ports, not caring who would be out of a job. Gideon snatched the paper from me and rushed back out the door. I needed water, to use the bathroom, and possibly have something to eat, but I knew I couldn’t ask Gideon.

This was my punishment, so the basic necessities would be out of reach until he said so.

“Lord, please keep me sane through whatever is to come next.”

Sometimes I wondered after three years of nothing but heartache and bruises from Gideon, why hadn’t God saved me, but as soon as the thought would enter, I would quickly brush it away.

Gideon was my lesson. There was a time when there were people in my life who cared about what happened to me, but all I could see was him. He convinced me that nobody could love me the way that he did. A grown man with a handsome smile talked me out of my common sense, and now that I knew better… I was trapped. At one point in time, my husband had been my world, and I was paying for what that meant. So, there was no reason to question God, because this was my lesson.

I popped out of my sleep, shirt slick with sweat and a headache forming at the base of my skull.

“Whatever happened is your past. You got out, and there ain’t no going back. Ol’ boy may come sniffing behind you, but he’ll never have the type of access to you he once had.” Arrow’s voice jolted me out of my head, and I turned to face him. It was dark, so I couldn’t see him that well, but I could feel his eyes on me. I wanted to believe his words, but Gideon found me once, and I truly believed he’d do it again.

“Neither of us know that to be true. I can’t continue to stay in one place. The goal to keeping me and my son safe is to keep moving.”

I didn’t want to cry, but my tears had a life of their own.

“Nah. You and little man will stay here because you have one thing you didn’t have in the past. The one thing your husband isn’t expecting. If you leave, you’ll be on your own, and he will kill you. Here, though… he’d have to go through me, and I can promise you that is the last thing he wants.”

I chewed on my lip as I stared at Arrow.

Could he really do all those things and protect me? I shook my head because in my mind, he was only so confident because he didn’t know Gideon or his role in the state of Maryland. Once he found out that Gideon Baxter, the governor, was my husband… I was sure Arrow’s tune would change, and I would be out on my ass.

I needed a way out, and I realized when we went shopping earlier that Arrow had hidden my keys, and I had no idea where he’d taken my car, so walking out of the front door wasn’t going to be easy.

“I don’t need you protecting us?—”

The rest of my words fell off my lips as Arrow rolled over and on top of me. My brain was screaming for me to push him off, but my body only offered shallow breaths as I looked up at him. He leaned down so we were nose to nose, and I was suddenly self-conscious about my reaction to him.

“You aren’t going anywhere until that man is dead and his body is somewhere bloated and unrecognizable. You may want to play with your life, but I don’t. Now take yo’ fine ass to bed. Stop worrying about shit that ain’t gon’ matter in a few weeks.”

Arrow pecked my lips and rolled back over to the side he’d just occupied.

“You are so confident, so I pray you know what you’re talking about.”

Arrow didn’t respond, and I honestly hadn’t expected him to.

It took a moment for me to fall asleep, but when I did, this dream was a lot different. Arrow had gotten into my mind, and my body wanted to be next. It was crazy how a few days out of Gideon’s reach had me so open. I had to be sick in the head to go from a wolf in sheep’s clothing to a man I knew for sure was dangerous.

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