Journey (Soulless Kings MC: Marble Falls, TX #2)

4. Wren

CHAPTER 4

WREN

I met someone.

“How was the drive here?”

I toss my purse onto the corner of the couch and sit facing Dr. Young, my therapist. She asks me the same question every session, but I suppose it’s a good ice breaker considering I drive an hour to Austin every week to meet with her.

“It was fine. Construction’s picking up,” I tell her. “Fortunately, I won’t hit rush hour traffic on the way back.”

“Good.” Dr. Young smiles. “So, anything exciting happen since we last met?”

Heat burns my cheek as I think about my night with Journey. “I met some—” I clamp my mouth shut as I shoot to my feet and begin to pace. “You’re never gonna believe it, Doc.”

Dr. Young’s expression turns serious. “Aaron?”

“Who else would it be?” I snap, cracking my knuckles with each step I take.

“Why did you send Wren away?” she asks me.

“Because she was about to go all goo goo ga ga over a dude that needs his ass kicked from here to Timbuktu,” I snarl. Rage boils my blood. “I swear, if I ever see him, he’s toast.”

“Did he hurt her?” Dr. Young asks.

Leave it to a woman to ask a ridiculous fucking question. “Of course, he hurt her. I wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t.”

“Okay,” she says calmly. “Why don’t you sit down, and we can talk about what happened and why you feel like Wren needs you to protect her from him?”

I stare at her, scowling. “You know I don’t sit. Fuck, Doc, you’d think you’d remember that after all these years.”

“And you know I’ll keep trying,” she counters.

“Can we get back to our session?” I bark. “I’ve got shit to do.”

“Sure.” Dr. Young leans back in her chair. “So, tell me about the man who hurt Wren.”

“He’s a biker douchebag,” I snarl. “A real wham bam, thank you, ma’am kinda prick.”

“Ah,” she says as if I just unlocked all the mysteries of the universe. “Now it’s making sense.”

“‘Bout time,” I grumble.

“So, Wren had a one-night stand, and you’re upset because you think she wants more than that.”

“I know she does. Me and the others have had to hear about it for days.”

“Aaron, are you angry at the guy because he left her wanting more, or are you angry at Wren because you want her for yourself?”

Without thinking, I lunge toward Dr. Young and wrap my hand around her throat.

How dare she accuse me of being jealous.

Her eyes widen with fear, but she quickly masks it and gently rests her hand on my forearm. Our gazes lock, and for a moment, I pray for the life to drain out of her. My mind spirals, and I blink rapidly.

“Oh my heavens.” I drop my hand and tears well in my eyes. “Dr. Young, I am so sorry. I tried to stop him sooner, but you know how he gets.”

“I do… Peg.”

“I can assure you, Aaron will be dealt with.”

“I appreciate that, Peg, but you don’t need to punish him.”

“You know I can’t ignore such blatantly violent behavior,” I explain. “Aaron may be a grown man, but I swear, sometimes he acts like a super-sized child throwing temper tantrums.”

Dr. Young chuckles as she rubs her throat. The marks from where Aaron tried to choke her are slowly disappearing, but my disappointment in him isn’t.

“Let me ask you, Peg,” Dr. Young begins. “How do you feel about the man Wren met?”

“He’s no good for our Wren,” I say matter-of-factly. “No good at all.”

“Why do you say that?”

“For heaven’s sake, he’s in a biker gang!”

“And that means he’s not a good man?”

“It means he’s a scoundrel.”

“Is that how the others feel as well?”

I wave my hand dismissively and sit down on the couch across from the therapist. “You know how they are. Vixen wants to try him out for herself, and Rose thinks Wren needs to be more careful with her body. Kirby and Annie are too young to be subjected to such things, so they plug their ears to avoid hearing anything about it. And Mavis is blissfully unaware of the entire event because she checks out whenever a man is involved.”

“Is Wren planning on seeing this man again?”

Not if I have anything to say about it.

“If she’d bothered to get his phone number, she probably would. Fortunately, she didn’t.”

“Fortunate for who? Wren? Or you?”

“I don’t like what you’re suggesting, Dr. Young.”

“What is it you think I’m suggesting, Peg?”

“That I’m selfish. That we all are. That our existence to protect Wren is somehow tainted by ulterior motives.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way. I was merely trying to determine why you all are so adamant that Wren still needs your protection. It’s been years since her trauma, and she’s a smart, capable woman.”

Indignation wraps around me like a cold hug. “If you think we’re just going to abandon her, you’re not the competent therapist I thought you were.” Shifting on the sofa, I stare at her diploma that’s hanging on the wall.

“Peg, we’ve talked about this. I want to help Wren as much as you, but insulting me isn’t how we accomplish that. Now, can you please get Wren for me? I’d really like to talk to her.”

Returning my focus to Dr. Young, I stare at her for several long moments as if I can ascertain any hidden agenda. Her face begins to blur, and my body relaxes.

“Wren?” Dr. Young asks.

I shake my head to clear it. “What were we talking about? I, um, don’t remember.”

Dr. Young smiles reassuringly. “I asked you if anything exciting happened since our last session.”

I grin at the memory of my night with Journey and nod. “Yeah.”

“Care to tell me what it was?”

“I met someone.”