Fake Love - Jaxson Kidman Page 0,29

I just want to go home now. This was a mistake.”

“What was a mistake, Winter?”

“Just… stop…”

Talon suddenly stepped back. He twirled the metal bar in his hand and then held it out to me.

“Okay,” he said. “Go home. Call it a night.”

I reached for the metal bar. “That’s it?”

“What?”

“I’m free to go?”

“This isn’t a hostage situation, darling. I was just taking a walk and saw something going down. The look on your face… the way you were hesitating… I could see this meant something to you. But you’re not supposed to remember anything, right?”

“Who said I did?” I asked.

“You just did,” Talon said.

“What?”

“You’re not running away from me,” he said. “You want me to do something to the car, right?”

“No.”

“You’re a bad liar, Winter.”

“I’m actually a great liar,” I said.

“In a world full of Bumps, sure. But I can see through it.”

Talon pulled at the metal bar and I stumbled toward him.

“I gave you a chance to leave and you didn’t take it,” he said.

“I’m leaving,” I said.

I let the bar go and stepped back.

“Want to give me a ride?” Talon asked.

“What? Where?”

“Wherever I tell you to go. It’s the least you can do for me. I got you out of some serious trouble tonight, didn’t I?”

I swallowed hard. “Yeah. You did.”

“You can drive,” he said. “I’ll sit in the passenger seat.”

“Okay,” I said.

I walked back to Tank Two.

My heart was in my throat.

My stomach felt uneasy.

“Hey, darling,” Talon called out. “One last thing.”

He twirled the metal bar in his hands again and turned and swung.

I let out a gasp and watched as the back driver’s taillight exploded.

Almost instantly, the car alarm started to scream.

Talon showed no worry or fear as he jogged to Tank Two and got inside.

He dropped the metal bar on the floor.

“Better drive fast, Winter,” he said.

I looked around the parking lot and quickly got behind the wheel and took off.

With Talon in the passenger seat.

I had no idea what to expect next.

“Pull over right here, darling,” Talon said.

I eased Tank Two to the side of the dark road.

This was the exact spot you did not want to be with a guy like Talon.

There were a thousand things that could go wrong here.

Talon looked at me.

Through the glow of the dashboard I could see the marks of his tattoos.

The Trocs always had tattoos. That was their big fuck you to the world.

Most of the Bumps did not have tattoos… but Noah did.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“You’re going to tell me what’s going on.”

“Why does it matter to you?”

“It just does.”

“How do you know about the accident?”

Talon laughed. “You motherfuckers. All you Bumps are the same. You don’t think about who cooks your food. Delivers your midnight purchases. Right? You don’t think about who fixes the power when it goes out. Who paves the roads. Who cuts the grass. Or who is the one that runs into an accident scene instead of running away.”

“You were there?” I asked.

“Fuck no,” Talon said. “Saving lives isn’t my thing. But I heard all about it. It was almost enjoyable. The story of some dumbass Bump getting their SUV wrapped around a tree and dying. That would have been sweet.”

“Yeah, well fuck you,” I said.

“I’m just telling the truth,” Talon said as he lifted his hands. “I’m not afraid of it, darling. I’m not like you.”

“And what is the truth? What do you think you know about me?”

Talon leaned toward me. I caught the scent of his clothes again.

“I already told you… I saw the look on your face and in your eyes. You remember, Winter. So why not get it off your chest? Tell me what’s going on. Fuck, maybe I can help you.”

“Help me?” I asked. “You can help me by getting the fuck out of my SUV. Right now. I’ll call the cops on you. And you know how it works around here. The Bumps are never wrong.”

Talon nodded. “Wow. Playing tough. You don’t remember anything but you remember how it works with the Bumps and Trocs.”

“Whatever,” I said. “Get out.”

Talon moved away from me and opened the passenger door and jumped out.

Before shutting the door, he curled his lip. “You’re in over your head, darling. What you want to do to them you can’t do alone. And you can’t trust anyone where you are. You’re saying to yourself ‘how can I trust Talon?’ and you’re right… how can you trust me? That’s simple. You and I both need something. And if we do it together,