Dannika Dark - Six Months

“I know what you are.”

His expression went rigid and he rolled onto his back, grabbing the clicker and turning up some stupid movie with alien explosions. “Tired, that’s what I am.”

“Trev, I’ve known you long enough that I can tell when you’re lying. I can’t force you to confide in me, but we both know what I’m talking about. I’m not going to back you into a corner, but when you want to talk about it, I’m here. That’s all I wanted to say.”

“Don’t know what you mean, babe,” he said in a distant voice, tucking his hand behind his head. “I booked the room for the week. They have pretty good monthly rates—cheaper than some apartments. Not bad for a couple of drifters without any junk to haul around. I’m hoping I land a job soon.”

“Where did you apply?”

“One of them is a shoe store; the other is a pizza shop.”

“Trev?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t like sneakers and you hate pizza.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t sell the shit out of them.”

I smiled. Yeah, he could.

“Hold on to your panties!” he exclaimed, swinging his legs off the bed and reaching in the closet. “Wait until you see this. I went back to the trailer and found a couple of odds and ends that weren’t incinerated too bad. Check it out!” He whirled around.

Trevor handed me an e-reader and I turned it over in my hands, dumbstruck. He gloated and sat on the bed, peeling off his socks.

While he did that, I held it to my nose and could still smell the plastic packaging. “This isn’t mine. You just bought this, didn’t you?”

“Dime a dozen, babe.”

“I can’t take it.”

“And I refuse to have a birthday present I bought for you sitting in the ashes of your past. You’re my sexy nerd girl and I’m always gonna be here to make sure you get your book fix.”

I laughed and fell against the pillow as he walked around the room. “I guess if I’m going to be a junkie like my mom, then at least my drug of choice is words.”

“That’s not funny.”

I set the gift on the nightstand. “Thanks, Trev.”

“Just don’t say you owe me, because that’s not the deal with us.”

No, it was never the deal with us. Trevor was the exception to the rule. He never made anything he gave me feel like it was more than I deserved. But he did make it seem like my gratitude was more than he deserved.

I’d thought Reno would destroy Trevor with a series of punches, but their confrontation never got physical. I wanted to cry because he kept saying I was his girl, and he wasn’t letting me go.

I never imagined I’d be the girl who would sabotage a relationship, but that’s how it unfolded. In the end, it might have destroyed me to love a man like Reno.

Maybe twenty-three was too young to have all the answers. Trevor had hit the nail on the head when he told me that sometimes when you hold on to the fantasy, all you end up with is the reality. I loved Reno, even though I hadn’t declared it aloud to him. But I was the daughter of a drug addict, a traveling circus of debt, and a girl with a rocky past who didn’t trust men. I didn’t have skeletons in my closet—I had a boneyard.

Trevor carried his own demons, and we both had a quiet understanding that we couldn’t fight each other’s battles or change who we were. But Reno had fought my battles and that scared me. I’d never had anyone put his life on the line for me. Despite Reno’s badass physical appearance and demeanor, he was a decent man with an amazing family. A man with integrity who’d fought in wars that weren’t his to fight, and here he was, trying to fight my battles too. A man who swallowed his pride so his baby brother could lead the pack. Why? Because he had integrity and respected rules. Maybe he saw me as a shy girl with pretty eyes and a pocketful of dreams, but the reality of who I was would eventually sink in. Reno could have saved me from debt, but I didn’t want to be saved. I wanted to save myself so that one day the man I finally ended up with would respect me as a woman.

I wanted to be the sail in his ship, not the anchor.

My phone rang and I rolled to the left side of the bed. I sighed heavily when I saw the name of the caller. “Hi, this is April.”

Trevor clucked his tongue and tossed the remote on the bed, then stalked toward the bathroom. He thought it was Reno calling.

“It’s Maddox. I stopped by your place for a spell and noticed it’s not there anymore. It looks like you ran into some trouble. Is that trouble taken care of?”

“Yeah,” I said in a low voice. “I think.”

“If you come with me, I’ll make sure you don’t have that kind of trouble again.”

“The guy who was stalking me is taken care of, but I’m not sure if that means his boss will try to come after me or my friends.” I paused for a beat. “If I agree to your proposition, will you make sure my friends are safe?”

I heard him sucking on his teeth as if considering. “I can only surmise you haven’t nipped that problem in the bud. What’s the name of the man after you?”

“Delgado.”

A soft laugh filled the line. “Yeah. That’ll be taken care of. I’ve got connections and he’s easily bought off.”

“What are you?”

A scratchy growl filled the silence. “Are you asking what my animal is? Well now, that’s not something I tell just anyone . I’m lethal, woman. But nothing you need to worry your pretty little head about. I control my animal and I won’t shift around a human unless they have it coming. If you stay with me, you’ll have my complete protection. Are you sure about this?”

Hell no, you’re not sure , my inner voice shouted.

That was fear talking. In the real world, problems didn’t magically disappear—they multiplied like gremlins. I owed Maddox more than fifty grand and didn’t have a dime in my pocket, not to mention I was homeless and without transportation. Trevor would never be able to get his feet on the ground if he had to take care of me too. It was time to start making tough decisions.

“This is a business arrangement, Maddox, and I want to verify our verbal contract before you put it in writing. According to your terms, I can leave whenever I want. That means you can’t hold me by force. If I leave, I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder because you’re stalking or harassing me. I won’t agree unless you can promise me that even under your protection, I’ll still be able to pay off my debt. I don’t want that to be the tie that binds me to you. Someday I’m going to want to leave, and I want to be free and clear.”

“Hmm. I can arrange something between us if that’s what you want. But why not just stay on the outside if all you want is to pay me back?”

“I gave it some thought. I’ll have a better chance at paying you back quicker if I don’t have any bills or rent to worry about. Plus I’m sure you can find me a better-paying job than what I’ve been doing. You said you have connections. Can we come to a compromise?” I said, making a business proposition.

“I don’t mind you going to school, but I won’t have you working a job.”

This wasn’t going to be easy. “Instead of an indefinite stay under your care, what about five years and you’ll clear what I owe?”

“No, I can’t agree to that. But ten years and you sleeping in my bed, I’ll consider those terms.”

“Absolutely not.” I sat up and tugged at my hair. “What about seven years, no sex, and I’ll work my ass off to pay my debt by cleaning, cooking, doing your taxes, whatever you want.”

His laugh sounded like a crow and he quickly put a cap on it. “You’re quite the negotiator. I’ll agree to that, but you don’t have to worry about the taxes. I don’t have a relationship with Uncle Sam.”