Page 10 of Wrath

“Tomorrow night good with you? Around seven?”

“Yes, that would be perfect.”

He gave me a quick nod, then turned and started to leave. Before he got too far, I called out to him, “Hey, Wrath?”

“Yeah?”

“If you don’t mind, can we keep this whole thing between us? I don’t want Dad getting bothered that I didn’t come to him about this... I would’ve, but he’s always so busy, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“So...”

“I’ll keep it between us.”

“Thanks, Wrath. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He gave me another nod, and then, he was gone.

I couldn’t believe it.

I’d actually done it.

Wrath was coming to my apartment. I should’ve been thrilled, and to some extent, I was. But I was also terrified. I had no idea what I was going to do or say. I just knew I had to get my butt to my apartment, so I could fiddle with my fan and bathroom light. I needed to make sure they were on the fritz before Wrath showed up, or he’d figure out all too fast that I was up to no good.

It was that thought that had me jumping up from the sofa. I turned off the TV, cleaned up my mess, then rushed back to my room. I had to go to the office in the morning, or my boss would kill me. So, if I was going to pull this whole thing off, I had to get home sooner than later. I quickly gathered my things and headed out to my car.

I’d just made it to the parking lot when I heard Dad call out to me, “Mia! Hold up!”

I stopped and waited for him to make his way over to me. “Hey, Dad. What are you doing here?”

“I had some things to go over with Wrath. We just wrapped things up, and I thought I’d come and check in with you.” He glanced down at my bag as he said, “Your mother said you were planning to stay here for a couple of days.”

“I was, but I changed my mind.”

“You good?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just ready to get back to my own bed.”

“I feel ya there. Mine’s been calling me all damn day.” He studied me for a moment, then said, “Been nice having you around. Don’t make us wait so long to see ya next time.”

“You see me all the time,” I argued. “We just had dinner together last week.”

“It’s not the same, and you know it.” Looking at him with those pitiful puppy dog eyes made it hard to believe that he was the club’s most feared brother. “Your mother misses you. And for that matter, I do, too.”

“Okay. I’ll try to do better.” I eased up on my tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. “I’ve gotta go, Dad.”

“Be careful getting home.”

“I will!” As I started toward my car, I told him, “I love you!”

“I love you more.”

He stood there and watched as I got in my car, and he remained standing there until I had pulled safely through the front gates. It meant a great deal that my father cared so much about me, but I was concerned that his overprotective nature might make it difficult for me to get something started with Wrath.

But I refused to let my worry or anything else stop me from following through with my plan. One way or another, I would make my feelings about Wrath known—even if it meant upsetting my father.

When I got back to my apartment, I put my things away and got busy picking up the place. I hadn’t been home for several days, so I only had a few dishes to wash and a little dusting to do. Once I had the place looking presentable, I started fiddling with my fan.

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