Page 67 of Arran's Obsession
“Tell me how your setup works, then,” I asked. “And no, I’m not asking so I can feed this back to someone else.”
His lips curved again. “What do you want to know?”
“I’m going to need to interact with your people. If we’re selling the line that we’re a couple, they’re going to expect me to know this.”
“I’m the leader for all intents and purposes. Shade and Convict are my right-hand men.”
“Do they have real names?”
“Yes, but it’s up to them if they want to share.”
“Which of them came into the game and hunted me?”
“Convict. You won’t see him tonight.”
I’d barely thought of his crew member in days. Perhaps he’d just been after what Arran had claimed in me. From the big deal everyone was making about it, I’d started to understand it more.
Arran continued his explanation. “Alisha’s my operations manager, though she objects to the title. She runs the women and is good at her job.”
“Why doesn’t she wear a mask? When I came in the first time, the three of you had masks on but she didn’t.”
“That’s up to her. She once said that men only see the character she’s wearing that day. Her wig, makeup, and clothes. Outside of the warehouse, she looks nothing like that and has never been recognised. She isn’t trying to intimidate anyone either. That’s all on me and the rest of the crew. All the men who work at the warehouse are ostensibly gang members. If they are working the club, on the door, or as security for the women, they’re paid from Alisha’s budget. If they’re doing business on my behalf, I pay them.”
“What does business on your behalf entail? Actually, I don’t think I want to know.”
He didn’t answer either, driving us on, our journey a reverse of the one that had taken me to his friends’ home. Soon enough, we crossed the Queensferry Bridge and passed Edinburgh, heading for the borders.
For a while, both of us were quiet, lost in our thoughts. When we got closer to Deadwater, Arran spoke again.
“I’m going to have to behave differently around you in the club.”
I twisted in my seat, giving him my attention.
“People need to see that I’m enamoured. I asked Shade to keep the news of our bonding under close wraps until today. Obviously the watchers knew, alongside some of the staff, but it hasn’t been made common knowledge. That changes tonight.”
“Do I need to pretend I’m in love, too?”
“Do whatever you feel. Just know that if you run, I’ll catch you.”
I blinked at him. “I’m not going to run. I don’t need to. You said yourself that now the first week is up, we’re not chained together anymore.”
“I only said a time limit of two hours lifted. We can now spend up to four hours apart, and that’s the case for the next three weeks. You’re still eating meals with me and sleeping in my bed. And fucking me. Did you think you’d escaped me? Guess again.”
All my plans broke into pieces. Yet in the same breath, I was hit with a bolt of relief. I didn’t even attempt to analyse that odd emotion, stacking it with all the rest that came with this maddening man. “I have things to do. I need to get back to work.”
“Take the damn money you’re owed from me and quit that delivery shit.”
I stuck my nose in the air. “Nope. You have your standards, and I have mine.”
He sighed but didn’t argue any more.
Then we were there, crossing the bridge from Scotland to England and entering the centre of Deadwater.
At the warehouse, a huge queue lined up for Divide’s nightclub, with an equal number of people streaming into Divine’s strip bar. It was midnight on Friday, so no surprise. We drove around the back, Arran easing the car into the last remaining space. It had the letters AD printed in white paint on the floor.Arran Daniels.
Because all of this was his.
“Don’t get out,” Arran instructed me. He exited the car, then rounded to my side, opening my door with his hand out like a gentleman.