Page 182 of Unravelling The Beast

"Fucking kiss me."

She instantly adjusts her position, and I glance at the road as she presses her lips to mine before driving her tongue deep into my mouth while placing her hands on my face.

I kiss her back while driving, and when she breaks off, I grip the nape of her neck and talk with clenched teeth, glancing between her and the road.

"Such a fucking good girl for me."

I kiss her smiling lips firmly before quickly releasing her, and she settles back into her seat as I keep one hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and adjust myself with my free hand.

She glances at me and speaks after a little silence.

"Why would a detective be involved, Arlo? Don't you find that strange?"

I cast a peek her way before returning my attention to the road.

"There's always a good cop out there trying to bring us down, Wren. This is nothing new. He'll quickly realise he's not getting anywhere and abandon whatever fucking case he's made against me."

She gives me an uneasy look before sighing and staring forward.

This is something she will grow accustomed to over time. This is my daily life; I've seen it since I was born in this godforsaken world, yet I understand it's still new and fresh to her.

We entwine our fingers as I take her hand, our scars becoming one, and she smiles.

When we arrive at Wren's house, we get out of the car, and as I walk around, I take her hand in mine and we walk towards her house.

"Wren!"

As we both come to a halt, we turn around to face the man who called her, and Wren exclaims with delight.

"Dad! What are you doing here?"

I straighten up when I hear her say ‘Dad’, and she releases the clasp of my hand as he strides towards us, looking between me and her with a solemn expression on his old face.

When he gets close enough, she pulls him into an embrace, and he peers over her shoulder at me, examining me, and I try not to give any clue that I'm an utter asshole.

He looks down at her when she breaks off with a big smile, returning the smile before he responds.

"How have you been, sweetheart?"

Before responding, she nods.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I've only been working."

He moves his gaze around her face until it focuses on her busted lip.

"I haven't seen you in a while; what happened to your lip?"

I observe her warily looking at him.

"I was having fun with Cree and slipped; no big deal."

He looks into her eyes, searching for the lie, until he stands straight and gives a slight nod. She then gives me a hesitant smile before returning her attention to her father.

"Dad, this is—"

"I know. Your boss, right?"

After he says that, he extends his hand to me, and I shake it firmly while I speak.

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