Page 11 of Hansel
Emotional blackmail. Gretal had always been good at it. Back when we were younger, I would have fallen for it. But I wasn't a young man anymore. Rolling off her, I settled myself back on the mattress and hid my eyes with my arms. I didn't think she was going to leave but if she did then I didn't want to watch her walk away.
“Then you best go find one of them, Gretal, because I'm not going to be used, even by you.”
There was a long pregnant pause and then she flopped down next to me. Her back ramrod straight in her anger.
“I fucking hate you, Hansel.”
Smiling in the darkness, I knew I had her. She wasn't going to leave, and just this once I hadn't let her get her own way. It gave me hope for the future.
“Of course you do, sweetheart, of course you do.”
Chapter Seven
Gretal
Shower, clean clothes and coffee.
In that exact order was what I needed and then I needed to be on the road. I had promised that I would be staying for the weekend. Everyone had expected me to stay and catch up but after last night I just couldn't stand the thought of facing Hansel again.
When I had snuck into his room, the last thing I had expected was for him to tell me no. Hansel never said no to getting sweaty with me. Or at least he never used to.
Why couldn't he understand that we were no good together as a couple and just let me go? I couldn't be in his life and watch him fuck his way through every woman in a ten-mile radius on a regular basis. And that's what he would do if I gave him another chance.
As far as I knew he had never been with another woman when we were together but it had only been a matter of time before he did. I had just left before that could happen. I had ridden away before he could break my heart more than his words had.
Climbing into his bed had been a mistake, and not even one I could blame on alcohol. I hadn't been drunk last night. I had just wanted to be with him. I still wanted to be with him, which was the reason I had to leave.
I had a job to do. One that I wasn't particularly keen to do but I would do it as a favour to Fang, I would do it for those women as well. They deserved someone looking out for them even if they weren't around to see it.
No one else was awake or sober enough to say goodbye to so I didn't bother pausing before heading out towards my bike. Hansel would be pissed when he woke up and I wasn't there but I knew he at least expected me to be gone when he woke up.
It was easier to go now and sidestep the awkward goodbye. And it would be awkward. My husband wanted me back. Back in his life, back on his arm and back in his bed, and he was too tempting to stay around.
I would throw myself into the job given to me, and once it was done I would carry on my regular work. And I wouldn't come back. Being in the Savage Sons territory was too hard, being close to Hansel was almost impossible.
“Gretal?”
I turned, just metres away from the gleaming blue paint of my bike. Plastering a smile on my face, I greeted Pope like an old friend because that's exactly what he was. “Hey Pope. I didn't expect you to be awake.”
More likely I had hoped no one would be awake.
“I haven't been to sleep yet.” Pope's dark eyes took me in, and the smile on his face faded into nothing. “You're leaving?”
I didn't say anything; I couldn't deny it.
“And you weren't even going to say goodbye?”
I frowned. I couldn't deny that either. Instead, I just shrugged. “I thought it was best. You know I'm not one for long emotional goodbyes.”
Pope's laugh was mocking. “Yeah we all know that. Hansel most of all.”
I started at his words. What the hell did he mean by that? But I didn't have to ask because I already knew.
“I thought seeing you and Hansel together that you two might be...”
“No,” I cut him off. “Me and Hansel aren’t…”
“Because of you and Gio?” Pope shook his head. “Everyone saw you leave with him, Gretal. What the hell are you thinking? Sleeping with Gio when Hansel was right there? I've always known you were cold, but Jesus.”
