Page 98 of Open To Negotiation

“This is so fucking stupid.” He turned to look at her and took his eyes off the road.

He screamed at her some more, but I didn’t hear it above the rush of blood in my ears. The world was moving in slow motion.

Max yanked on the wheel in anger, sending us to the left, the headlights turned the corner and we were in the wrong lane.

“WATCH OUT!” I screamed as the headlights blinded me and the screech of metal colliding filled my ears.

28

Theo

“You’re back?” Asher asked as I answered the phone on speaker through my car. I’d driven myself to the private airfield and left my car there. I was not in the mood to be around people, including Arthur. Plus I’d left late so I hadn’t wanted to bother him.

“Yeah.” I’d landed thirty minutes ago, and I was now three minutes from the club. I had work to get done and I needed some paperwork from there. I hadn’t planned on coming back this soon, but I was fucking torn up and even if I knew I shouldn’t see her, I needed to be in the same time zone as her.

It had been eight days and I missed her so fucking much it was physically hurting me.

Leaving had been hard. So fucking hard.

I’d almost changed my mind when those silent tears had fallen down her cheeks in my office, but I had gritted my teeth, holding on to the fact that I needed to get away from her. For her own safety.

London had been shit. I’d gone to the office, working there as long as I could before I went to the hotel I’d booked and sat there until I was able to sleep for an hour or two and then the cycle had continued.

“Knight,” Asher started.

I let out a sigh before cutting him off. “I am not talking about her.”

“Well at least tell me what the fuck is going on because it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Asher. I am not talking about this.” I ran my hand through my hair for what must have been the fifteenth time since I landed.

“There is something you aren’t telling me.”

“I’m heading to the Pulse to grab a few things and then I’ve got work to do.” It’s not like I’ve been sleeping much, might as well get some work done.

“It’s not urgent, Knight, it can wait.” I looked down at the screen in the car to check the caller ID, to make sure that I was talking to Asher Lawson.

“Who the hell are you and what have you done with my best friend?”

Asher and I had been working our asses off for years, if I didn’t know what a day off looked like, he’d never even heard of one. The other end of the phone was quiet for a minute as I pulled into the lot near the VIP entrance of the club.

“You’re different with her, Knight. You’re lighter, like the world isn’t weighing you down. You closed yourself off when your mum passed, and I know that crushed you, man. It fucking sucked but she’s helping you move past it, she’s helping you live. Your mum would’ve loved her.” I rested my head back against the headrest. Asher and I didn’t do this, we hardly spoke about my mum. Maybe that wasn’t healthy but it was how I needed to deal and he understood that. “Don’t let that go because you’re scared,” he added quietly before hanging up on me.

The thoughts I’d been wrestling with all week swirled back around. She fucking terrified me. I was using these threats from my dad as an excuse to push her away. I wasn’t good enough for her, but I might be selfish enough to keep her anyway. The problem was, if I lost her, I wouldn’t survive it.

My mind was a mess.

I shook off my conversation with Asher and climbed out of the car.

“Hey asshole,” Noah shouted as I looked up to find him leaning against the wall of the building, his arms crossed over his chest. I let out an agitated sigh and rubbed my hand over the back of my neck.

“Not in the mood, Noah.” He pushed off the wall and followed me toward the door anyway. “Did you and Ash plan this full court press?”

“Evening, sir,” Dane spoke as we got to the door. I almost kept walking but something about his face had me stopping.

I looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

“Quinn was here tonight.” Even hearing her name brought some warmth to the ice that had settled in my veins since walking away from her.