And while I'd never cross that line with the rainbow haired girl, it definitely made her less interesting just when I'd started to enjoy watching her again. Now I was going to be bored in the upcoming days, or even weeks, however long it took for me to finally get the green light to go ahead on her.
She walked under a streetlight and I paused, tilting my head to the side as I saw a familiar car sitting on the other side of the street. It didn't stick out in the dark of the night because of the onyx color of the car, but I'd seen it enough to be able to pick it out from a lineup. And I knew that behind the windows far too tinted to be a civilian car the detective was sitting inside watching the girl. He'd been doing it more frequently lately and I still didn't understand how the girl never noticed, but I took it as another sign of weakness.
Luckily for her, I had noticed and I wasn't going to let the detective fuck up my plans.
My lips turned down and I pulled my phone from my pocket. I unblocked the contact before I skimmed over the line of texts and missed calls before entering a reply of my own.
Still in town, let's meet.
Because I needed to learn more about the detective and I knew just who to go to.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: CHARLEY
Fuck my life. Nothing had ever come easy to me but this new development was something I couldn't ignore. He was a family man, a man who cared for a wife and child who adored him. A man who'd turned his life around and stayed on the straight and narrow. A man who was far different from the thug who'd come into my home to help kill my mother all those years ago.
I had no clue what to do. In all the years I'd been trained to take down these men, I never once considered something like this. Now with it sitting before me, I was fucking clueless. Slade had given me a few more leads to follow but after seeing the way the man interacted with his family, I wasn't sure I needed to take it any further. I wasn't sure anything I found out about the man would be enough to bring harm to two innocent people, especially the little girl.
My mind went back to her. Her bubbly laughter that filled a room, that smile, and the way her brown eyes seemed to take on a more golden hue every time she laughed. There was something remarkable about the little girl, something that called to the little girl within me, tugging at the innocence I'd buried so long ago. If there was any way to get that back, I would, but that was a cause lost to me long ago. I'd never feel that again, that hope for a brighter future, that happiness that made the world seem like a great place even as everything around me was destroyed. Her father had taken that from me and still I couldn't bring myself to take it away from that little girl. What the Fuck was wrong with me?
Spanky sauntered off, leaving me alone to my thoughts as I sat perched on the recliner facing the stone fireplace. I could hear the shrilly voice of a reporter as she prattled off something about another murder in the city, like that wasn't a near hourly occurrence in a city filled with villains. But there was something about the tone of her voice that caught my attention. My eyes flicked to the television screen as pictures of women with brown hair filled the screen, each woman younger than the one before.
Whoever was behind those murders had a clear pattern, one the reporter had mistaken for the color of their hair. As for me, I could see more than that. The man was working his way down to the perfect victim, the perfect kill, and it was only a matter of time before he worked his way toward that goal.
I frowned for a moment, wondering who this poor victim was. I shook the thought away as quickly as it came to me. It didn't matter. The man would take her life and there was nothing I could do about it, even if I'd wanted to help. Hopefully, that would end his crusade.
Blue stalked into the living room, tossing a red apple into the air and catching in one hand before taking a bite. His blue eyes darkened the moment they landed on me, as if he wasn't entirely surprised to see me there but wasn't happy about it either. That was definitely something new and I found myself searching our bond to figure out if something had changed.
Caution filled the bond as he took a seat on the couch before me, tossing what remained of the apple into a wastebasket by the entryway.
"We should talk." He cast me a wary glance as he ran his palm over his face.
Where before I'd thought his cautious disposition cute, today it annoyed me. And as he took in a deep breath, the wheels in his head turning as he tried to come up with the right words, I decided to put an end to my misery as quickly as possible. I flooded the bond with magic, ripping away every thought that lingered there until I was able to piece together what he was concerned about. He didn't want me to kill Manuel. He thought we could come up with another way to avenge my mother while sparing the wife and child from the pain of losing the bastard, and though a part of me felt the same, another part of me didn't want to give a Fuck.
"What the Fuck?" Blue leaned forward in his seat, clutching his head. His breaths came in hard and fast for a moment before he was able to calm himself. Once he was, his eyes were on mine again with a cold stare. "Stay the fuck out of my head."
I gave him a dismissive wave which was met with a growl that rumbled from his chest. He stood up, stretching to his full height, his muscles tensed beneath a shirt that clung to each ripple of muscle perfectly. Heat rippled over me, fueled by his aggression and I couldn't help but clench my thighs together.
"I'm not playing with you, Charley," he snarled. "I didn't ask for this bond between us but while it's there, you will respect my privacy or I will..."
"What? Leave?" I quirked a brow at him.
"Yes."
I waved him off again.
"Fine. I'll leave."
He pointed his feet toward the entryway and stepped toward it. I searched the bond for any signs of a bluff, but there was none. He fully intended to walk out on me, to leave this home without looking back and that thought terrified me more than it should have. That damn bond was fucking with me, making me feel things I had no intentions of feeling but I couldn't let him go.
"Wait," I called out and was surprised when he suddenly turned around to meet my gaze. "I won't do it again. I promise."
The stubborn set of his jaw told me he wasn't content with just that, but he'd have to get over it. If he was expecting an apology, he wouldn't get one from me. Not then. Not when my world was being shattered by the revelation I may not get the revenge I'd fought for since the day my mother died.
"Look, I have a lot going on right now..."
"You're not the only one," he scoffed, dragging a hand through his brown hair. "We're all having to adjust to this..." He twirled a finger in a circle beside his head. "Thing you have going on here, and we're trying our best. We care about you, but it feels like this is all just..."
He didn't have to finish what he was saying for me to understand. He was right. I'd made getting revenge my number one priority without thinking about what it cost them. Truth is, I didn't care. I knew that. My ambitions were singular. No matter what was put before me, I'd find a way to use it to my advantage, but Blue and Knox were different. Whether I wanted it or not, I was beginning to care about them and that was a dangerous game to play.
"You'll never get satisfaction from the mundane."
Those had been Slade's parting words years ago, when I'd finally packed my bags and left him standing there naked in the middle of his club. And he was right. Our chemistry had been explosive, intense, and deadly. But I thrived on that. That raw chemistry that left nothing to the imagination and tugged at a part of my soul I'd lost long ago. It was like a drug, addicting and beautiful, taking me to new heights while tearing me to pieces at the same time. I'd thrived on that for so long I had no clue how to build real connections with people. But now, with Blue standing before me, his feelings laid bare, I wanted something more. Something tangible I could hold on to and no matter how hard I fought against it, Blue and Knox were willing to give me just that.
"Never apologize for being you."
But in this situation, I needed to. I needed Blue to know I cared, even if it wasn't in the same way he did. Damn it all I needed him. I needed him to be there with me as I navigated through this and I couldn't watch him leave. I tried to think of words that would convey my feelings but nothing came to me. Nothing ever did and that frustrated me to no end.
He ended my misery when he spoke first. "This is all kinds of fucked up, but we're in this with you whether we like it or not. I just want to know what this is."
"It's us," I responded simply, though the words made little sense, even to me. I'd brought them into my little scheme and the short time we'd been together, I'd come to realize I couldn't accomplish this without them. Well, I could, but not I couldn't hold on to my sanity long enough to see it through without them. Was it love? No. Love had no place in my life. Love hurt and I refused to let anything else in this world hurt me again. But I did respect them. I did appreciate them. And I did want to see this through with them by my side.
"You're right," I said. "This is fucked up but I never had anyone I could even consider a friend. Now, I have you and Knox. And I'd be damned if I give that up for anything else. I'd also be damned if you gave yourself over to the darkness by killing someone who's changed. This dark magic can't be good for you. From what I've learned about it, it tears at the wielder's soul until there is nothing left. I can't see that happening to you. I want you to really think about what you're doing and what you're willing to give up for it. However, if you wish to leave, you are free to do so."
I watched as a glint lit his eyes, as if he were considering doing just that. He then pinned me with that blue gaze I was coming to love and the corners of his lips twitched up. "Thank you for that."
I wasn't sure what he was thanking me for but I nodded my head anyway.
He spun on his heel and exited the room, making his way up the steps to his own room. No doubt Spanky would be there to greet him and for the first time, I wasn't jealous of it at all.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: CHARLEY
A glutton for punishment, I decided to follow the man again. This time, however, I had no intentions of killing him. Though that had been the plan all along, Blue was right. There was no way I could take a good father away from that little girl with chestnut curls and brilliant hazel eyes.
And that was the killer part about it all. Were it just the wife, I could forgive myself. Hell, I doubted I’d lose any sleep as she mourned her husband for years, wondering what he’d done to deserve such a cruel fate. I may have even snuffed her out to save her from the pain of it all. I couldn’t imagine she had no clue what her husband had done, no matter how much she’d like to play innocent. But the little girl was innocent.
Shrouded in shadows, I watched as he stalked towards the newsstand across from his office building. After paying for a bottle of water, he stepped toward the street, looked both ways, and crossed with long, hurried strides. Wherever he was going, he was in a rush. I could tell by the way he kept glancing down at his watch, picking up speed as he did so.
I followed him for blocks, watching as he clung to the shadows cast by trees and brick walls. Every now and then he’d glance behind him as if he knew he was being followed, but he couldn’t see me. No one could with my dark magic wrapped around me. His eyes widened and a sneer curled his lip before he ducked into the nearest alley. For a moment, I thought he’d somehow been able to spot me. The more I thought of it, the more I knew that wasn’t the case. He had no reason to be frightened of me, at least as far as he knew. But something had spooked him.
I stopped walking long enough to glance behind me, and it wasn’t long before I discovered the culprit. A tall dark man dressed in khaki pants and a white polo stalked behind me, almost too close for comfort. His brown eyes skimmed the area around me, confusion marring his brow. He reached forward, his hand circling the barrier of magic that shrouded me before he jerked his hand back. Nestling it to his chest, his gaze darkened, almost to rich black before he pinned me with his gaze.
Stunned, I cocked my head to the side and allowed my gaze to meet his. The smile he gave told me everything I needed to know. He could see me, which should have been impossible, but the evidence was clear as day.
I dropped the shroud, ignoring the gasps from the people around me. To them, it must have looked like I materialized out of thin air. A woman holding onto her son’s hand yanked him back before snatching the little boy into her hands and turning in the other direction. I couldn’t help the smile that curled my lips. Silly humans. Forever afraid of things they don’t understand.
Shaking the thoughts from my head, I focused on the man before me. His muscular frame towered over me at around six feet high. His smile disappeared as he looked at me, suddenly all business.
“Is there a reason you’re following that man?”
“How were you able to see me? Are you following me?” I countered with questions of my own. I was so sure no one would be able to see me, I hadn’t bothered to make sure I wasn’t being followed.
That was a mistake I’d never make again.
He huffed out an exasperated breath, crossing his arms over a strong chest. “I suggest you explain why you’re following my suspect before I haul you in…”
I raised my hand in mock surrender, doing my best to hide my surprise. “Manuel Taylor?”
What an interesting development. From everything I’d gathered, the guy was squeaky clean. Maybe I’d be able to kill him after all.
The thought had excitement bubbling through me as I waited for the man to answer. When he didn’t, I cocked my brow at him.
“He seemed awfully afraid of you, Mr….” I rolled the R long enough for him to give me his name.
“Detective Sion,” he responded, his tone clipped. “And if I were you, I’d steer clear of that man. Even with your talents, that man can be very dangerous.”
I waved him off. “I can take care of myself. Thank you.”
He gave me a slight shrug. “Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
With that, he stepped past me to follow Manuel and I let him go. If Detective Sion thought this man was dangerous, I needed to figure out why. But, first, I needed to speak to the boys.
***
“I thought we’d agreed to leave the man alone,” Blue said, his tone harsh.
I rolled my eyes at him. Knox balled up his fist and punched Blue lightly in the shoulder, clearly as annoyed as I was.
“Didn’t you hear anything she said? This detective guy thinks he’s dangerous, which means Charley may be able to get her revenge.” Knox shifted in his seat, turning his attention to me. “So, what do you want to do about this?”
That was the problem. I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do. On one hand, I was worried about the little girl losing her father. On the other, I wanted him dead. Fucking emotions. My mother was ripped away from me when I was younger so I shouldn’t care. The girl would survive. Still, I remembered the pain of losing my mother. It had left a dark hole within me that could never be filled. And no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t put that sweet little child through that.
“I don’t know,” I said, honestly, shifting forward in my seat.
I locked my gaze on Blue, feeling something in the connection that concerned me. He was worried about me, though I couldn’t see why without delving into his mind. Emotion flooded me in that instant and all of a sudden, it was too much to bear. The connection that bonded us all was having a strange affect on me, making me care about shit I normally wouldn’t. Making me want to be the bigger person. But if the detective felt this man was dangerous, even to a witch with my abilities, there had to be a reason.
I could feel dark magic swarming around me, calling on me. It wanted vengeance. It wanted destruction and I could feel the power of it licking my skin.
“I need a distraction,” I said before turning to Knox and pressing my lips against his.
Knox grabbed my neck, slamming me up agai
nst the cold wall. A chuckle rumbled out of me and I could instantly feel the moisture building between my legs. Blue’s eyes watched us from across the room.
“Come on,” I said. “Is that all you have?”
Knox slid his finger down my cheek, almost gentle. I didn’t want that. I never wanted that.
I hooked my fingers under the collar of his shirt and ripped it down, the buttons pinging across the silent room.
I shoved at him, and another hand grasped the back of my neck. Blue’s eyes met mine and I blinked. He kissed me, devouring me with his lips and his tongue, and my body responded.
Knox’s body heat engulfed me from behind as his hands slid around my waist. The pressure of my jeans lessened as he unbuttoned them. He yanked them down, trailing his fingers over every inch of my exposed skin.
I waited, caught between two predators. Their eyes took in my flesh, devouring me. Blue’s fingers found my core, stroking my folds, and I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me at his touch.
Caught between the both of them, I almost felt helpless as their hands roamed over my body, touching me, stroking my sensitive flesh until I almost felt lost to it all. The sensations were overwhelming but it still wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to play. I needed to play. The dark tendrils of my magic sprung to life and I was having a difficult time stomping it down and losing myself completely to what they were doing.
I knew how to fix that. I grinned and spun knocking both of them away, then darted across the room. Knox swore, stumbling to his feet, rubbing his jaw where I’d kicked him. A trickle of blood glowed blue in the low light.
Blue howled in pleasure, giving chase. His wolf was ready to play. We played tag in between the furniture, until I finally let him catch me. He carried me kicking and screaming to the foyer.
Nowhere to Run: A Dark Paranormal Villain Romance (Midnight Renegades Book 1) Page 11
