The Falcon Ridge Series Book 1 She's Not For You

MICHAEL

I have to tell someone. I don’t know who. Who’d fucking believe me. I can only think of one person.

I need Anna.

I grab my keys and rush to my car. It’s Friday so she should be leaving the unit by the time I get there.

I pull my car off a block down and walk to the fence. I take off my jacket and climb the fence. Throwing my jacket over the barbed wire and pulling it off when I’m on the other side.

I hide behind cars as I make my way to her bike. Once there, I wait.

She comes out about fifteen minutes later. She’s dressed in her leather and she’s so gorgeous, but I can’t think of that right now.

“Anna!” She turns and a tiny brunette in a yellow dress stops her. They talk, but I cant hear what they’re saying. It looks like they’re exchanging numbers. My heart kind of skips a beat as I study her long legs, her cute baby face and full pink lips. She has really cute big, brown eyes and soft, tanned skin. I’ve never seen her before. Who is she?

“Thanks!” Anna waves to her and she skips off back to the Unit.

Once she’s out of sight, I give my head a shake. Right, I’m a dickhead that murdered everyone.

Once Anna was at her bike, I step out from behind the van I hiding behind. “Anna…” I put up my hands in surrender.

Her face turns serious. “Michael…Stay away from me…”

“I’m not going to hurt you…Anna, I have to tell…” I start.

She gets on her bike. “I don’t want to hear it, Michael.” She growls.

“No, Anna…it’s not like that. It’s not about…”

She revs her engine loud. “Good bye, Michael.”

“No! Anna, wait! Please…” I take big steps to her.

She backs out and peels her bike through the lot.

“Fuck!” I kick the vans tire. I scrub my face with a hand on my hip.

There’s got to be someway I can tell her. I can text her, but there’s no way I can be sure they aren’t monitoring the phones.

I pull out my phone and shoot her a few texts saying I have something really important to tell and she needs to hear me out. I only pray she answers.

****

RIVER

It's been two weeks since Anna agreed to move in with me and I'm loving it. She fits right in here. With her training complete, we can now focus on us.

Oh, and she got the spot on the recruitment team as a trainer. So, yeah, we'll be working together too.

At the pack house, I move us into one of the guest wing rooms. They're double rooms. I felt we needed something of our own. Not just my old room. Once I'm Alpha, I'll have Anna design a room for us.

Anna's having a great time here. Her and my dad are like two old friends. They joke around all the time. My dad loves playing pool with her and kicking back with drinks. My mom loves her too. They've spent time gossiping, my mom took her shopping. I just love how well she fits in here. She'll make an amazing Luna.

I was just coming downstairs when Anna kicked in the front door with a couple of boxes. She was struggling to balance them.

I ran to her. "Whoa....I got it." I grabbed the boxes. "Baby, what are you doing? We have guys for this."

She wipes her forehead. Her hair is up in a messy bun and a little disheveled. She's sweaty in a tank top and shorts. She looks absolutely gorgeous.

"I have to help River. I'm not used to all this." She waves her hands around.

I smile. "Get used to it, Luna. This is what it means to be with your Alpha."

"Well, right now, I'm still me. So, I can move my own boxes."

"Ok." I make kiss lips at her asking for a kiss. She comes over and gives me a quick on but not too quick.

I smirk. “Yummy.”

She giggles and pushes my cheek. "There's about six more in the truck. Those can go upstairs."

"Ok baby. Don't strain yourself. I'll be back." I carry the boxes upstairs.

I come back downstairs and Anna's looking at her phone. Her face is scrunched.

I walk over. "Baby girl, what is it?"

She looks at me. "It's Michael. He says he has something really important to tell me. Matter of life or death and wants to meet me. This is his third message. I ignored the first two, but I'm starting to think..."

"No. No way." I shake my head.

"River, it sounds important. I should at least see..."

"No. Anna. Forget it..." I walk past her, heading for the truck and she follows me out.

"River...What if it's bad?" She chases me down.

I get to the truck and grab a box. "Oh, I know it's bad. It's Michael. What else could it be." I scowl and carry the box into the house.

Anna grabs a box and follows me. "We can at least hear him out. He wouldn't text me like this if it wasn't real."

I drop the box and turn. "Anna, that guy would do anything to get you back, ok. He's lying to get to you. I feel it. You're not going."

I turn and pick up the box and head up the stairs. Anna's right on my heels. "You can't tell me not to go." She’s getting mad.

I drop the box in our room and turn and face her. "Yes. I can. He tried to take you once, Anna. That's not happening again. Over my dead body." I head back downstairs.

"River, please..." She standing on the stairs.

I stop and sigh. I turn around and return to her. "Baby, I know you want to believe that this isn't some sort of trick, but look what he's done to us already." I rub her arms. "I'd die if anything happened to you. I know I promised to never deny who you talk to, but right now, I'm drawing the line at him. He's dangerous. Please, just for once. Listen to me?"

"You sure? You could come with me. Just to ease your mind." Her face was pleading.

"Yes, I'm sure." I head back to the truck. "I don't want him anywhere near you. With me or not."

"Fine." She crosses her arms.

I look over my shoulder from where I was at the truck. When I see she's angry I turn and walk over to her. "Aw, baby. Don't be mad. Look, I don't want to fight. Not today. Can we just forget about him. Please." I give her tiny kisses on her lips.

"Okay. Just because I don't want to fight either, but if it is something really urgent, it's on you." She points her finger in my face.

I hold my hands up. "If it's something earth shattering important, I take full responsibility."

"You bet you will." She pushes past me, grabs a box and heads inside with it.

I'm left standing there shaking my head.

****

I'm woken by the sound of my phone vibrating on the table, incessantly.

I rub the sleep out of my eyes. It's still dark. Anna's asleep. I pick up my phone. It's 4am. I blink to adjust to the light of my screen.

I groan. Anna stirs. "Babe?" She says in that sexy sleepy voice.

I sigh. Looking at my phone. There are five messages from Michael. "Gotta be fucking kidding me." I delete them and throw my phone back on the table.

"What is it?" Anna's asks.

I roll back over and pull her to me. "Wrong number. Go back to sleep." I mumble.

"Oh." She says sleepily and gets comfortable in my arms.

****

MICHAEL

I look at my phone for millionth time. Both River and Anna aren’t responding to my messages. Not that id blame them, but I was hoping I’d sound urgent enough for them to take me seriously.

I decided to try and back out. I called Adrian and waited for him in an alley way downtown.

When he got there, I told him I didn’t want to part of this anymore. Which is why he's glaring at me as he holds me by my throat against the brick wall of the alley I met him in.

"You can't back out of a deal, Mikey. It doesn't work that way. I told you. The Dragons don't fuck around." He tilts his head and sneers.

"Adrian. Please. I...I...changed my mind. Okay.. You can keep the cash. Just don't do this." I plead. Struggling against his grip.

"Oh, if I cancel the deal, Torrents gonna need a bit more than five grand." He says slyly. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out Anna's picture. He turned it toward me. "Such a pretty, young thing, Mikey. I'm sure Torrent would enjoy your taste in women."

"Don't you fucking dare." I grit as I struggle harder against him.

He raises a brow. "Do we still have a deal?"

I flick my eyes between Anna and Adrian. He looks at the picture and licks his lips.

"Yes! Fuck! Just leave her alone." He drops me off the wall.

I cough and rub my neck. I lean back on the wall.

He tucks Anna's photo back into his pocket. "Now, no more getting cold feet, Mikey."

He sucker punches me right in the gut and I stumble to a knee. He bends down to my ear. "Or you'll be begging Torrent not to kill your precious Anna. Understand?"

I nod my pained, green face at him as I try to get my air back, holding my stomach.

He claps my back and leaves me in the alley.

It was then I knew the only ones I could actually trust we're Anna and River. Now, they won't even talk to me.

After the failed attempt to stop it, I went home.

I sit in my house going out of my mind. I've effectively killed hundreds of people because of my fucking feelings for Anna.

I have no choice but to go to Anna in the morning.

I crawl into bed to try and get some sleep, but it's almost impossible. I'm scared, guilty, crazed. Spiraling down. Crashing and burning. I was fighting to protect Anna. For her to have me as her protector and I go and put a target on her back for Torrent.

My head is filled with nightmares of Torrent. His hands on Anna. Torturing her. Her crying, screaming, begging me to save her, but I can't because I'm a fucking coward. I just watch her slowly die over and over...

I shoot up in bed. Covered in sweat. Breathing heavy. I bring my knees up and rest my head in my hands. It's daylight now.

I get up. Stumble downstairs. Search for my phone. I find it under the TV stand. I pick it up. There's a message. I quickly open it. It's from River. A single reply.

RIVER: "Stay the fuck away from us."

I stare at it. My mind is twisting. I have to stop this.

I run upstairs and get dressed. I rush out the door and jump into my car.

I have to find Anna. River won't listen to me. Hopefully, she will. I can't tell her about my plan, but maybe I can convince her to not go to the ball at least.

When I get to her house, I find that there's a moving truck in her driveway.

I walk by the truck and take a peek inside. There's Anna's stuff inside. The front door is open and the house is half empty.

"Hello?" I call into the house.

"Michael?" I hear Anna upstairs.

I rub my head. "Yeah...Anna..."

She slowly walks down the stairs and stops halfway, holding herself. She looks nervous. "What do you want?" She spoke cautiously and quiet.

"You moving?" I look around.

She sits. "What do you want, Michael?"

I take a couple steps toward her and she stands and goes up a couple steps.

I raise my hands and back off. Clearly, she's scared of me. I definitely don’t blame her. Right now, I’m terrified of myself.

"Ok. Anna. This is gonna sound crazy, but you have to believe me. You can't go to the ball. Neither can River. You both have to stay away." I warn.

She looks confused. "Why?"

I blow out a breath. "I can't tell you. Just please, for your own safety. Don't go."

She squeezes herself tighter. "Why? What's wrong with the ball?"

I shake my head. "Anna, I can't. I can't tell you. Just please, trust me. Promise me you won't go. Promise!"

"Michael you're scaring me.” She whispers as her brow goes up. She holds herself tighter and I can sense her fear.

"Promise me, Anna!" I snap.

She flinches. "Ok. I promise. Michael, are you in some kind of trouble? What's going on?" She starts to come down the stairs.

I shake my head and put up my hand to stop her. "Nothing. I'm fine as long as you're safe. I just need you safe. That all I want. I'm...bye Anna." I turn and leave.

Anna chases me out. "Michael, wait!"

I ignore her, get in my car and drive away.

I can't tell her about the Dragons. They'd come after her. She'd go after them. She’d fight Torrent. As long as she doesn't go to the ball, I'll only have to live with the blood of everyone else on my hands. I don't know what I'd do if Torrent killed Anna. I couldn't live with that. I'd let River kill me himself. It's nowhere near what I deserve for what I've done.

When I get back home, I walk in the door and I'm grabbed by the collar and dragged into the house.

I'm met by two big guys.

The one bald headed guy has my shirt in his hands. "Hi, Mikey. Adrian just wanted us to stop by and make sure you understand the terms of the agreement."

He pulls back and punches me in the stomach. I double over. He lifts me and delivers a right hook to my nose. I crash to the floor. Then the two guys lay their boots to me. Kicking me over and over. When their satisfied they stop and head for the door.

"Glad you understand, Mike." He chuckles and shuts the door. Leaving me writhing, broken and bloody on the floor. This is my punishment.

I'll take every punch. As long as Anna is safe, I'll take it all. Anna is the only thing that matters now. The only one I will die for. I will face Torrent himself as long as Anna's safe.