Page 27 of Unconditional

Because I couldn’t manage to feel any such thing while staring down at the extra slice of cheesecake that lay on the tray.

“The Lodge has been here since 1905.It’s had a few different names and a few different purposes, but overall, it’s been a stopping point for travelers going on their way to rest.”Susie was beaming as we paused in front of another aged photo on the wall.

She was giving me a tour of the hotel, proudly reciting all the rich history.I did my best to absorb it all—if I were here under literally any other circumstances, I would have been fascinated.But, unfortunately for us both, my mind was elsewhere.Somewhere with a man with piercing gold eyes and callused hands.

Talon was avoiding me.It was obvious.Even at dinner he was nowhere to be found.If it weren’t so confusing, I might have been offended.Just that morning he had been so concerned that I was a flight risk that he’d kept me handcuffed to the headboard of our bed.Now it had beenhourssince our last interaction, and I had no clue where he was.

That was, at least, until Susie and I reached the end of one of the second floor halls.Susie’s face contorted with confusion and then morphed into concern when the sound of Talon’s angry whisper shouting floated around a corner wall.She opened her mouth to say something to me, but I shook my head.

“I should see what’s going on,” I said to her with a reassuring smile.“Could you go down and see if I could get a cup of hot tea before bed?”

She hesitated, inspecting my expression before deciding to leave me to it.The moment she was out of sight, I crept to the corner on the tips of my toes, thanking the old floors for not creaking as I did.

“I don’t need you to call every goddamn day and remind me,” Talon hissed.“Stay the fuck away from Leo.”

Leo?I hadn’t heard that name before.As far as I knew, Milo only had the two siblings, an older brother and sister.I pressed my back into the wall firmly, doing my best not to miss anything.

“What do you think I’m doing?I told you I’m following a lead.”A pause.“I’ll tell you once I’m sure that I’m on the right trail.You don’t need to know.”I could hear the furious way he pulled in a breath through his nose.“Threaten him again, I fucking dare you.I’ll break your other arm so the fractures match the one Milo gave you.”

That narrowed down thewhohe was talking to easily enough, a satisfied smirk pulling at the corner of my mouth.I’d been at Top Shelf Pins Bar & Bowling when Milo had snapped his uncle’s arm for touching Birdie, the memory pinned in my mind like a tattoo.That had been the first time I’d seen Talon.

But this information only opened the floodgates to more questions, leaving me reeling.Talon was being threatened.Talonwas being threatened?From the information Birdie and Milo had shared with me, in their attempt to have me as prepared as possible to defend myself if need be, Talon was the muscle in their weird little drug dealing family.Hewasthe threat.

Sensing that he had ended the call, I stepped away from the wall quickly.As I rounded the corner, I smacked directly into Talon’s chest with a hardthud.He glared down at me, fuming.I had the good sense to be genuinely scared of what he might do to me for eavesdropping.

“T-Talon,” I stammered, struggling to find the words to explain myself.All I could come up with was, “Who’s Leo?”

His upper lip curled into a nasty snarl, looking meaner than I’d ever seen him.“Mind your fucking business.”His shoulder hit mine hard as he stormed past, bounding down the old stairs loudly.I stood there dumbstruck for several long moments, unable to find the will to move.

nineteen

Talon

Kyle’sphonecallswerebecoming more frequent.Three calls in one day?He was spiraling.Whatever dirt he thinks Milo has on him has made him more paranoid than he had ever been.If it weren’t for the fact that every time he called, he reminded me of the threat he’d made on Leo, I’d be able to maintain some composure.

The picture he’d sent preceding our phone call this time had been from the parking lot of an elementary school.Leo’s elementary school.Something inside me had snapped.The kid was being stalked by his deranged great uncle and it was my fucking fault.I needed to do something.How could I count on him to back the fuck off once I threw Milo back at his feet?I couldn’t.

And then what?He’d have more leverage on me than ever.My little brother.My kid.What would be next?My house?My business?And if I were honest with myself, those things hardly mattered anymore.Not in the grand scheme of things.Not when held up next to the lives of my son and brother.

Shit, maybe I was the one spiraling.It had all seemed so simple a few days ago.Find Milo, move on.

But it hadn’t been simple, had it?Because there was no way I was actually going to let Kyle hurt Milo, and that was the only reason that he wanted him back.So what was I expecting to happen?I hadn’t thought that far ahead.As soon as the kid had been brought up, I’d lost all common sense and rational decision making skills.

Then there was the girl I’d drug into this mess.What the hell was I going to do with her?It’d been an hour since I’d bit her head off in the hallway and I hadn’t seen her since.Hadn’t so much as checked to make sure she hadn’t taken off again.Like I fucked her twice and suddenly my guard was down.What the hell was wrong with me?

Storming back to the room from where I’d been hiding near the hotel’s kitchen, I mentally prepared myself to deal with the onslaught of accusatory sass and any number of verbal attacks.I wasn’t sure I had the mental bandwidth to deal with it, but I’d done it to myself.Besides, that would be better than the alternative—that she might have taken the opportunity my absence presented and taken off, finding the nearest police station.

Opening the door as silently as I could, I stepped through.The bedside lamp illuminated the room in a soft glow, leaving shadows to bounce around the furniture.There was no bombardment of questions or endless quips; Misely was curled delicately over the quilted covers on the bed, her hands tucked beneath her unbruised cheek.

It had yet to fail to surprise me how peaceful the little terror looked when she was pulled under the throes of sleep.She shivered in her ridiculous silk pajama shorts, and I wondered if the reason she wasn’t beneath the covers was because she’d been trying to stay awake.To demand apologies for my earlier behavior or just for the sake of it, I had no idea.

Despite the gentle warmth in the room, she was clearly cold.Goosebumps riddled her bare arms and legs, and there was a distinct quiver in her slumbering features.I sighed, running a hand down my face with exasperation.I should let her stay cold.We’d crossed enough lines already and the reality of our situation was getting blurry.

Going to her silently, I loomed over her.She looked so soft this way, like she’d found a way to shut off the fierce little attitude just by closing her eyes.I hated that I found it endearing.Sighing, I scooped her up as gently as I could so as not to wake her.She mumbled something indecipherable, her eyes remaining closed.

Misely smelled like cherry blossoms and the clean aroma of whatever it was she put on her face every night.Against my better judgment, I leaned into it, bringing my nose to the top of her head to breathe her in.My thoughts reeled with images of the way she’d thrown her head back in pleasure, the way she had come to me for it.The way her lips turned up when I was rough, or if I made a snarky comment about her talking too much.She didn’t shy away from my hard edges, instead it almost seemed like she wanted them.Like she needed them.

It felt very different than when women would pursue me for sex before.I made my mind stop with that thought.Because there shouldn’t be abefore Miselyorafter Misely.There should benoMisely.No letting myself want more of what I should have never had.

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