Page 100 of Dark Surrender

Dark releases me long enough to do just that. “Hi,” I greet awkwardly.

“I’m Wolf.” He notches his chin at the bigger guy. “That’s Angel, and…” he does the same chin thing at the final guy, a bald, scary-looking man with the widest shoulders and thighs the size of tree trunks. “Monster,” Wolf explains, and the man in question grunts in my direction.

Monster.

Wow. That’s quite a name.

Not wanting to be rude, I offer each of them a polite smile. Once introductions are done, Dark wraps his arm around my waist, tugs me against his side, and points at Kali. “We’re gonna talk.”

“Then why wait?” she challenges.

“I told you…”

“To take her home. Yes. I heard you. But last I checked, Iris can choose for herself.”

“She can,” Dark agrees.

“Then what’s the problem?”

“You…” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now. Let’s figure this shit out and get on the road.”

“Sounds good to me,” Kali announces, winking at me with an approving smile, and we quickly fall into club talk. The who’s, what’s, where’s of it all. I listen and take mental notes as the men work out logistics. There’s a call to a man named Gunz and a text from Sola, confirming she’ll meet us in Texas.

Within the hour, we have a plan in place, and we’re ready to pick up stuff from home for the trip.

Kali throws her Jeep keys at Dark and rides home with Sunshine. The drive back to my house is quiet. Uncomfortably quiet. Dark’s angry. I sense it when we pull into my driveway, and we both go inside so I can pack my bags for the job.

Sure, I didn’t want to do this again. Run a job. But this is the first I’ll be doing with other women. I’ll have support and backup. Something I’ve never had before, beyond Dee.

Tossing my smallest suitcase onto my bed, I stuff as much as I can inside as Dark paces my living room. We don’t speak. Not when I load up my truck, or when I give him the keys to drive.

It’s a long ride.

Far longer than any road trip I’ve been on before.

By the time we stop for another tank of gas, I’ve had more than enough of music and the uncomfortable, tension-filled silence that, if I had any hair, I’d pull it out by the roots.

“Use the restroom and grab whatever snacks you want inside,” he grits out as he opens the driver’s door, pulls out his wallet, and tosses a wad of cash into my lap.

I glower at him.

This is a far cry from the horny, worshipping man on his knees in the woods.

I don’t like this Dark.

Not at all.

He won’t look at me. He hasn’t touched me. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he’s bipolar. Maybe it’d be more forgivable if he were. This prick isn’t fun to be around. This prick makes me want to punch him in the throat. Or worse.

Throwing the cash back into his seat, I go inside, use the restroom, and get whatever snacks I want- for me, not him. Okay. That’s a lie. I do get him some snacks and drinks, too. It’s the right thing to do. Even if he doesn’t deserve it.

By the time I return to my 4Runner, he’s just getting off a call. I toss the bag of snacks and drinks into the backseat, climb in, buckle up, and stare into the darkness ahead. We don’t speak. He doesn’t tell me what the call was about. It’s maddening. The tension. The close proximity, yet still feeling all alone. I rub my hands up and down my thighs, and when I’ve had enough, I pick up my phone and text my sister, who I’ve barely spoken to since I left Kings Cursed.

If something happens to me on this trip, I need to touch base for her sake. Or so I keep telling myself as I fiddle with my phone and type out a half-legible message.

Before I hit send, Dark reaches across and snatches my phone away.

“What the fuck?” I hiss, trying to take it back from him.