Fury: Book 2 in the Vengeance MC series (19 page)

All of a sudden, a knock at the door has the laughter dying in my throat and a lump of dread forming instead. Bella and Blaine both stand but not before, Blaine dips her head to kiss my cheek, saying,

“Just be honest with him, honey. You both deserve that much, and in the end, you’ll be grateful you were.”

Tugging me to my feet, Bella squares her shoulders and moves so that she’s standing in front of me, blocking my view of the door which Blaine went to answer.

“Whatever you decide, you call us and we can be here in ten minutes. We’re headed to my place, so we’re not far away if you need us. But promise me something, Avery,” she prompts, putting both her hands on my shoulders.

“What?” I choke out.

“Promise me you’ll hear him out. I might not be his biggest fan at the moment, but he wouldn’t lie to you. You can trust whatever he says is the truth, babe. All you’ve got to decide is whether you’re happier with him or without him, because in the end, that’s what this comes down to. Can you see your life without him in it? And if you can’t, can you get over your fear and let him in? I promise you, if you can, he’ll make it worth it, Avery. So worth it.”

Hugging her tightly, I whisper,

“Thank you,” because what more is there to say?

I have a choice to make, and I’m the only one who can make it. I only hope whatever decision I come to in the next hour or so is the right one. For me, and for Fury. 

On the ride over to Avery’s I couldn’t stop my hands from sweating, my heart pounding, or my brain replaying all the ways in which tonight could go wrong. Call me a pessimist, but every way I look at it, my heart ends up crushed.

I sat on my bike for a good ten minutes after pulling into the carpark at the front of her apartment building. My determination to settle what’s between us once and for all, abandoning me when I need it most.

Just shutting off my bike and making the fifty-foot journey to her front door made me feel like a man walking to his execution. I can only imagine how much worse the return trip will be if this doesn’t work out the way I’ve been praying it will.

Blaine opens the door after a beat, greeting me with a sad smile, gesturing for me to come in. Leaning into me, she gives me a peck on the cheek, whispering in my ear,

“Go easy on her, Fury, okay. She’s scared.”

Jerking back confused, I ask,

“Why the fuck is she scared of me? I’d never do anything to hurt her, she knows that.”

“It’s not you she’s afraid of, per say. It’s more like what you feel for her and she feels for you that’s frightening her,” Blaine explains quietly, I’m assuming so Avery doesn’t hear her.

Well, that’s something, at least. Maybe not what I was hoping for, but hearing Avery’s got feeling for me is a step in the right direction.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Blaine. Neither does she. I only want to talk to her, anything else is up to her.”

“Good,” she mumbles, grabbing her purse and coat off the table beside her.

The layout of Avery and Blaine’s apartment is open plan. Meaning, when you walk in the front or back door, you can see the entire apartment. Shy of one bedroom and bathroom down a short hallway off the living room to the left, and the second bedroom and bathroom to the right, that is.

When Avery showed me this place, I wasn’t thrilled about the security nightmare it posed. On the second floor, the front door opens into an alcove, which in turn leads to the living room where one of the walls is entirely made of glass. Granted, the view is kick ass – the girls have a spectacular outlook over the foothills of the Rocky Mountains – but it isn’t safe.

The whole apartment is fitted out with polished timber floors, painted in muted tones of brown, beige and white, and the kitchen was only just updated a month before the girls moved in. Each of them has their own bathroom and extra privacy seeing as they are at opposite ends of the house.

I’ve got to admit, if I were in the market for an apartment, I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one in this building. I’m not, though. I want a house and some land, something I can start a family in and grow into, preferably with the woman looking at me right now with fear clouding her beautiful green eyes.

Movement to my left has my focus moving from Avery to the other person in the room I hadn’t even noticed until now. Bella. Jesus. Today is really not my day, is it? I had hoped to avoid her until I’d sorted my shit with Avery, but no such luck. And by the look on her face, Bella won’t be leaving without giving me a piece of her mind.

Something she confirms only seconds later when she says,

“Excuse us for a minute, would you?”

Dragging me down the short hall leading to Avery’s bedroom, Bella slams her hands on her hips and glares at me. Most of the time I’d find her sass hilarious, but I’m sensing she would appreciate me pointing out how adorable she looks when she’s pissed right about now.

Waiting for her to speak, I lean back against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. She shocks the shit out of me when she asks,

“Have you got your shit sorted?”

“Pardon?”

“I said; have you got your shit sorted? When you were gone, did you spend that time wisely and sort out whatever was holding you back from finally fucking living your life?” She snaps angrily.

I hadn’t expected this from her. If anything, I anticipated Bella kneeing me in the balls and screaming at me about how much of an asshole I am, not this, though.

“Excuse me?” I repeat cautiously.

Huffing, Bella exhales and slumps against the wall opposite me.

“I’m sick of seeing the people I love suffer, Fury. First it was my Mom. Afterward, it was my sister when she realized Dad wasn’t coming home. Then, I watched you turn into someone else entirely when you lost, Rosalie, followed by Boss losing his shit when the woman he was falling for was taken from him. And my big brother is barely hanging on by a thread. Add to that, one of my best friends almost died, which means I’ve spent the last nine months terrified I’d lose one of the most important people in my life. I’m done, Fury. I can’t see anyone else I love hurting, so please for the love of baby Jesus don’t fuck this up.”

Not knowing what to say, at short notice, all I manage to come up with is,

“What is it you’re trying to say? Spell it out for me, babe because I’ve never been any good at reading between the lines.”

Shaking her head sadly, Bella replies,

“If you haven’t got your shit together, you need to walk away.” My first reaction is to yell, ‘not fucking happening,’ but Bella continues before I get the chance. “I’m not suggesting you can’t remain friends, Avery wouldn’t accept anything less. What I am saying is; take the forgiveness I know she’s going to give you, and then walk away if you can’t promise her this is the real deal, Fury. Avery is the strongest woman I know, but even the strongest of us have their breaking point, and hers is you. If you can’t convince her what you want with her is forever, then let her go. She deserves the chance to be happy, and while I’d love nothing more than for that to be with you, if you’re not one hundred percent committed to this, you need to set her free.”

It’s now that my earlier thought comes flying out of my mouth in a low, menacing growl.

“Not fucking happening. You think I’d be here if I wasn’t damn fucking certain I could be the man Avery needs? Do you think for one second, I’d put her through any more heartache if I weren't positive there’s more between us than just friendship? Fuck, Bella,” I growl, thrusting my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “I’ve wanted her for as long as I can remember, and I’ve loved her for even longer. It might have started out innocent, she was too young and I was married for Christ’s sake, but I can guaran-fucking-tee you it didn’t stay that way for long.”

I shouldn’t be admitting any of this to Bella. The woman I need to tell is, Avery, but as soon as the words leave my mouth I can’t stop the deluge that follows.

“You want to know the first time I noticed her as more than a little kid I cared about?” I ask, not expecting or wanting her to answer. “She was fifteen. Fifteen, Bella. Tank had brought her and Blaine to visit, and I can remember thinking, ‘fuck me, I’m in trouble here.’ She was so goddamn beautiful I couldn’t take my eyes off her when she walked in. It was the first time I’d seen her wear a dress, it was green the same color as her eyes. The whole time Avery was visiting – if she wasn’t with Sarge – she was stuck to my side like glue. I couldn’t bring myself to tell her I had shit to do, so for the first time ever, I said to hell with my responsibilities to the club and spent the day with her instead. And thank fuck I did because a week later Rosalie was dead, and I needed every happy memory Avery gave me to get through it.”

“Why didn’t you do anything sooner, Fury? Why wait all these years to make your move? Avery has been a legal adult for seven years now, you can’t tell me you couldn’t have found time before she was kidnapped to tell her how you feel about her?” Bella stutters, sniffling through her tears.

“You know, Bella, you fucking know why I didn’t say anything. I may have lost my wife, but that day I lost more than her, I lost my son too,” I snarl more viciously than I intended.

The female gasp from behind me has me closing my eyes and counting to ten. I fucking knew I shouldn’t be talking to Bella about this shit, and this is precisely why.

I don’t open my eyes until I feel a soft hand on my forearm. Avery having made her way to my side instantly, states,

“Blaine’s waiting for you in the car, she’s been there for a while so I think it’s time for you to go, B.”

“Sure, I’ll, um, I’ll just grab my stuff,” Bella stammers. “You’ll call me later, right?”

“Of course,” Avery whispers, not taking her eyes off mine.

“Okay, well, good chat.” Using humor to distract from the mounting tension, she jokes, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and remember, safety first.”

Neither Avery or I say a word, quietly watching her as she hurries to collect her belongings. Avery doesn’t move a muscle until she hears the front door slam, only then does she take hold of my hand and pull me in the direction of her bedroom.

Without hesitating, the moment we enter, Avery pushes me toward her bed instructing,

“Sit down and make yourself comfortable, Tanner. I think there are a few things you and I need to discuss.”