Page 83 of Property of Anchor
Without another word, he pulled me out of the common room and down a hallway.His boots echoed against the wood floor.I didn’t even look back to see if anyone was watching.I knew they were.
We passed a few closed doors, his grip firm but not harsh, until he stopped in front of one on the end.He pulled a key from his pocket, unlocked the door, and yanked it open.
Then, without a word, he pulled me in.
Anchor shut the door behind us, and the solid thunk echoed through the quiet room.
I stood there, arms crossed over my chest, heart pounding harder than I cared to admit.“Why couldn’t I sit in on Church?”
He exhaled, long and slow.He leaned back against the closed door like it took effort to keep his patience in check.“You know why, Pearl.”
“No,” I snapped.“I actually don’t.”
His brows rose.“Because you’re not in the club.Church is sacred.It’s for patched members only.That’s the rule.”
“But I’m trusted enough to sleep in your bed.Trusted enough to stay on this island while a serial killer is running around.I’ve stepped over bodies, Anchor.Been watched.Hunted.And now there’s another USB drive with a new batch of women who could end up just like the others, and I don’t even get to be in the damn room when you all talk about it?”
Emotion clogged my throat, and I hated the way my voice cracked on the last word.
Anchor didn’t rush to respond.He just looked at me, jaw tense, chest rising and falling slow and even like he was working to stay calm.
Then he pushed off the door and came toward me.
“I get it,” he said softly, cupping my jaw.“You’re pissed.You feel shut out.But club business is club business.I don’t make that rule, I follow it.”
“I’m not asking for a vote,” I muttered.“I just want to know what’s happening.”
“You’re gonna.”He leaned closer.“I planned to tell you all along.You just weren’t going to hear it in Church.”
I blinked up at him.“Then tell me.”
He nodded.“Prime found Shay; she’s the girl from the second photo on the new USB.She works at the grocery store just off the highway.He’s heading out to bring her in.”
I swallowed hard.“And the others?”
“We assigned Bob to Bernice.”
I choked on a laugh.“She’s going to kill him.”
“She won’t know.We’re not telling her anything.She’ll just have someone nearby every minute, whether she knows it or not.”
“And the other two women?”
Anchor frowned.“Post thought the one with short curly hair looked familiar.He’s going through footage now, trying to place her.The curvy woman?We’ve got nothing.Not a name, not a face match.Total ghost.”
I processed that in silence, hands curling at my sides.
“Why does that have to be so secretive?”I finally asked.“It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone.The only people I see are you and the club.”
He wrapped his arms around me, and even though I was still annoyed, I didn’t fight it.His body was warm and solid, his hand rubbing up and down my spine.
“Because things run a certain way in this club,” he said quietly.“And that’s how it’s going to be.If there’s something you need to know, I’ll tell you.But no, you’re not going to be in the meetings.You’re not going to hear everything.Not because I don’t trust you, but because this is how we survive.That line between club and everything else?It has to stay there.”
I sighed, and my cheek pressed against his chest.“It still sucks.”
“I know, doll.But it keeps us alive.”
He tilted my chin up and gave me a slow, wicked grin.“But for the record?You were sexy as hell throwing that attitude around earlier.”
