by C. M. Owens
I purposely withheld Bentley’s name from them, as Sarah requested and trusted me to do. I also left out the part where I missed him with three shots when he was less than five feet away. And blind.
How does a blind man hack? There’s a riddle to solve.
“Snake said no,” Drex points out.
“And Snake calls the shots now?”
“He’s part of this circle, and we owe it to him to let him call the shots on this particular thing,” Sledge says in agreement.
Drex’s phone buzzes again, and he curses while pulling it out, shifting me enough to get it fully released from his pocket.
“Yeah,” he snaps without looking at the number. His eyes change and he clears his throat. “Yeah,” he says softer. “She’s right here.”
He hands the phone to me, and I stand. Reluctantly, Drex lets me move to the corner of the room.
“Hello?”
“Eve, honey, I’ve been trying to reach you,” Mom says over the phone.
I exhale heavily and spare her the grave details of my new life. She’s been through enough because of my attempt to help.
“Sorry. My phone was broken today. How’s the new home?”
She sighs, but it doesn’t sound weary. “It’s actually lovely. The boys love the creek behind the house. They’re adjusting nicely and quickly. I actually think they needed this change, and if I’m really being honest, so did I. Our house was haunted with memories of your sister. I never want to forget her, but it hurts too much to walk by her room every day and expect her to walk out… Or slam her door in my face after informing me of how I’m ruining her life for not letting her blast her music.”
A sad bit of laughter escapes me, and Mom sighs again.
“Are you okay, honey? It’s you I’m worried about. Why don’t you come out here with us?”
My eyes drift over to Drex, catching his gaze on me, but he slowly turns away and tries to focus on the other conversation in the room.
“Eve? Did you hear me? Why don’t you join us?”
Because Drex is here. Because I’m not the same person. Because I’m selfish and want to stay. Because I’d be miserable anywhere else.
Because I’m different now.
Because I’m where I belong.
None of those answers would be a good idea.
“I’ll visit as often as I can when it’s safe,” I tell her instead. “I’m sorry I dragged you into all of this.”
“I’m sorry you were so desperate to help me that you’re stuck somewhere with those men now. Honey, this is insane. It’s not right. I’m your mother, and I feel like I failed you. I shouldn’t have burdened you so much with problems meant for me to handle.”
“None of this was ever your fault, Mom. I was naïve enough to think this would only ever effect me.” Taking a deep breath, I decide to shift the conversation back to the happier thoughts. “So you like it, yeah? The town, the home, the creek?”
“It’s incredible. The people are so nice. The boys have already made friends with neighbors and such. With all the extra money we got from selling the house and the leftover money from… from what you did… Well, I’m taking some time before finding a job. There’s no rush at the moment. That man said the house was owned by him and refuses to accept rent, so that’s one bill I don’t have to worry about. It gives me a lot of extra money.”
That man is Drex, I want to say, but I’m more focused on something else she just said.
My brow furrows, but I don’t say anything aloud. My eyes land on Drex again. Obviously the Colorado home is his, but... Our house hasn’t sold. It hasn’t even had one offer.
“That’s great, Mom. Really.”
“It’s nice to be able to spend time with the boys and just enjoy life a little. But it’s hard to enjoy knowing what you’re sacrificing to give us this.”
“Don’t let that hold you back, Mom. I’m happy. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”
Drex’s shoulders stiffen, letting me know he’s only listening to my conversation.
“You’re sure? With… them?”
“Very sure, Mom. I promise. Enjoy your time off from work, and live a little. Enjoy the boys. Be with them. Love them. Have fun with them. Life is short.”
“I love you, honey. Call me when you can.”
“I will. Make sure you’re not calling anyone. You got rid of you old phone, right?”
“Yes. I’m following all the rules. Just like that man told me to do. I haven’t contacted anyone at all from home, other than you. I never even called my old boss or your uncle back. They left messages the day we moved, and I forgot to call either of them before we left town. But I’ve refrained.”
It takes a second for her words to sink in, but when they do, my entire body goes cold.
“What? Uncle Marshall called you?”
A deadly silence falls over the room, and I feel the gaze of everyone in there swing to me. I put the phone on speaker just as she answers.
“Yes. He called the day we were leaving. He left a message asking me to call him back. Not that I care. I was just curious as to why he was calling after all this time… After refusing to help us when I asked for it. It actually feels good to leave the bastard hanging, honestly.”
I swallow, holding the phone in front of me.
“Don’t call him. Or anyone else,” I remind her, not wanting to tell her the gory details of the truth just yet. She’ll fall apart and grieve for Dad just like I did, only she won’t have that fury burning inside her to snap her out of it as quickly as I did.
I know revenge is possible. I want it. Drex will give it to me. He’ll guide me through the darkness and let the twisted side of me have the blood required for a debt. He won’t judge me or deny me. He’ll deliver.
And I don’t feel the slightest pang of guilt.
“I won’t. Trust me; I’m taking this very seriously. I’d do anything to keep my family safe. I’ve already failed you. I won’t fail your brothers. I promise, Eve.”
Drex whispers something to Rush who nods and ducks out of the room, and I relax just a little.
“You didn’t fail me,” I tell her as Drex’s eyes come back to find mine. I hold his gaze while adding, “I know exactly where I belong.”
His gaze darkens, and he slowly stands as I hang up the phone. Everyone scrambles into action like something is going on as Drex walks toward me.
“Let’s go upstairs,” he says, pulling the phone from my hand and tucking it in his pocket. I start to lead the way, but he lifts me and carries me bridal style out of the room. I don’t protest, since I’m not slung over his shoulder.
Reaching up, I wrap my arms around his neck and press a kiss to his cheek, just barely missing the corner of his mouth, and his grip tightens.
“Thank you for keeping them safe, but you didn’t have to give her extra money.”
He doesn’t say anything. Great. He looks pissed again, but I don’t know why. I’ve had a bad enough day. The last thing I need to deal with is one of his mood swings.
“Don’t be an ass, Drex. I’m thanking you,” I say softer, kissing him again, feeling his entire body slowly growing more rigid as he sprints up the stairs with me still in his arms.
Shit. Now what?
Chapter 39
DREX
What happens when you’re stuck in a room for three hours with everyone after just getting your girl back? Your mind slowly processes just how close to dying she came. That’s what. You get to hear every detail of her kidnapping, their plans, and just how close she came to being gone.
What happens when I get scared? I get fucking pissed. That’s what.
And I’ve had time to channel that anger. Marshall is a fucking dead man. No doubt. Even if Eve didn’t want him dead, he’d still be a dead man. Mostly because I need an outlet since I can’t kill Lester and his accomplice myself, and also because he framed a man and made us look like fools. Played us.
With Eve wanting him to die in front of
her, it won’t be as much fun. It’ll have to be a quick, clean kill. One that won’t haunt her the way I know it would if she saw a man lose his fingers one by one, or watched as we opened his ribcage while he screamed for mercy.
Eve thinks she wants this, and she may, but I sure as fuck don’t want to destroy her with just how dark we can be.
Killing my father isn’t going to be easy, but he’s as good as dead too. I won’t be able to carry through with torture. It’ll be a clean, quick kill there as well.
“Drex, please talk to me,” she says as I shut the door behind me, reminding me that I’m really fucking pissed at her, even though I’m trying to calm down. I’m more furious at myself than her, but it’s easier to scowl at her than to find a mirror.
She squirms in my arms, and I place her on the bed like she’s glass on the verge of shattering. She looks pissed at me, which only pisses me off more.
“What the hell?” she snaps.
“You spoke to me while he was in here,” I say quietly, crawling over her as she slowly lies back, letting me move to be over her body.
“Yes,” she says softly, her eyes losing their anger. “He told me to answer.”
“And you fucking let me walk out of here, Eve. You could have said anything at all to give it away. All you had to do was tell me to feed the dog or some shit, and I would have been back up here. Then I remember what you said, and realize you were fucking trying to tell me.”
I feel like death on a plate of guilt with a side of cold regret. I love you—those were her spontaneous words that should have rang in my mind like alarm bells. Instead, I fucking acted like a confused bitch and played those words on repeat, trying to figure out why she’d told me like that.
It’s not like I hadn’t seen that look in her eyes… I knew how she felt. I dreaded hearing her say it aloud. My head was so far up my ass that I didn’t even realize she was warning me, hinting for help, trying to get me to come back.
I fucking ran. Like a pussy. Dove straight into a meeting instead of going to her because of three fucking words.
“I didn’t try telling you. I didn’t want you to be shot. It was too risky, and you would have been the first through the door,” she says without looking at me, drawing me out of my own head.
Something inside me quakes, and a lump rises to my throat. She’d rather fucking go through what they would have done than to watch me die. She’d die for me without hesitation. She tried to die for me.
Fucking hell.
More anger gathers inside my core, turning volatile, and I fight to rein it all in.
“I’m supposed to protect you, Eve. Not the other way around. I’ve done a shitty job.”
My hand comes up and I ignore the slight tremor in it. It steadies too quickly for her to notice, but she leans into my touch when I reach her cheek.
My body slowly presses down on hers, and she presses a kiss to my palm. My eyes flutter closed briefly, and I inhale her, covering her with my body, still trying to accept the fact she’s here and safe.
I owe Sarah. I may owe Snake more, and I’ll respect his request to keep her far away, but I’ll never forget what she did for Eve today. I’ll never forget how she saved her when I failed to keep her safe. Again.
“I failed you,” I say, echoing my own thoughts.
“No,” she snorts. “You didn’t. Too many people want me dead right now. It’s crazy, really. You can’t thwart everyone at once, Drex. You saved me from your father. You were like my avenging angel with Jessie. You saved me from Ben. There’s no telling how much you’ve saved me just by staying close and keeping me here, keeping most everyone else out. You covered my body with your own when bullets flew by. You’ve saved me much more than you realize. It sucks to always be a damsel though. I really need to work on my aim.”
I feel torn between tortured and amused, and a grunt escapes me.
She smiles, even though it doesn’t reach her eyes. I study her, taking in every feature in front of me, appreciating it even more than I did yesterday.
“What you said before you were taken wasn’t a warning?” I ask.
She looks confused, and I reach up to run my finger over her forehead.
“I didn’t try to warn you. Like I said, I didn’t want you to charge and it cost you your life.”
“So what you said was real, then. Not just a warning,” I state softly, still watching her eyes.
When a subtle blush fills her cheeks, I know she realizes what I’m talking about. She shrugs before sliding her hands up my chest. With a harsh breath, she groans.
“Sort of thought I was about to die, and wanted to make sure you knew how I felt before it was too late. Please don’t freak out because of that, Drex. I—”
I swallow the rest of her words, interrupting whatever she was going to say as I drink down her sounds. When my tongue slips into her mouth, she moans and threads her fingers into my hair, tugging me closer.
She’s breathless and panting when I break the kiss, and I slowly pin her hands above her head, locking them both into place using just one of my own hands.
“Not freaking out, Eve,” I tell her, feeling my lips twitch when she bites down on her bottom lip nervously.
Reaching down with my free hand, I tear open her shorts and shove them down her legs, lifting up so she can kick them off when they reach her ankles. Her panties are soaked, as though just my weight on top of her is enough to turn her on.
“I thought you were going to be fun,” I tell her, sliding my hand down the front of her panties. Her breath hitches, and her gaze grows heavy. “Thought you were going to be something on the side to play with,” I go on, bending over to lightly bite her nipple through her bra as my finger dips inside her.
She moans as my finger slides in her wet slit, and I tease her clit with my thumb while my finger pumps in and out of her in a slow rhythm.
“You surprised me,” I add, kissing my way up her neck. “Now you’re mine. So you’d better fucking love me, because I won’t let you go ever again.”
She shudders against me, and I continue the slow torment with my hand, even though my cock is straining against the fabric of my jeans.
“I do,” she whispers, forcing me to bite back a groan.
“Do what?” I ask, brushing my lips over hers now.
Our eyes connect, and she swallows hard as my finger stills inside her.
“I love you,” she whispers.
Not going to lie, that shit sounds good when she says it this time. And my lips crash against hers as my finger finds a steady rhythm inside her, rewarding her, thanking her, owning her. My tongue fucks her mouth like my finger fucks her pussy, and she writhes and moans beneath me while I keep her hands pinned above her head.
She cries out, breaking the kiss as her back arches off the bed, pushing herself against me as she grinds on my hand. When her inner muscles clench around my finger, I have to work damn hard not to go off in my pants right alongside her.
I watch her. Watch as her face twists in euphoric anguish… Watch as her breaths grow harsh and heavy… Watch her come apart under me. For me.
My name is on her lips, and I draw out her orgasm as long as possible, still watching her face as the emotions wash over her. I love her expressive face. Love seeing how she responds to me. Love seeing her.
As her body goes limp and sinks back onto the bed, I pull my finger out of her and slowly release her hands. She watches me as I draw my finger to my mouth to taste her, and her cheeks turn red.
Love that too.
My phone buzzes against my hip, and I inwardly groan before pulling it out to see who’s calling. It’s a random number, but considering the circumstances, I don’t hesitate to answer.
“Drex Caine,” I say over the line, still looking down at my half-naked girl.
“You have something I want, and you owe me.” The familiar voice has my back snapping straight, and I lift off Eve before turning around, putting my back to her.
“What d
o you want?”
“I’ll text you the info and the meeting place. Bring it and don’t bring your boys. Let’s keep this civil, Drex. I promise you don’t want a fight with me. I tend to leave a mess.”
The phone goes dead, and Eve’s arms come around my waist.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, prompting me to turn around.
I kiss her softly, trying to ease her mind.
“Nothing I can’t handle. But I have to—”
My phone goes off in my hand, and I look down to read the message. That request sounds much too simple, but I don’t argue. If Sarah wanted me dead, I’d probably already be dead.
“I need to go.”
Eve goes stiff against me, and I grab her shorts, handing them to her.
“You’re coming with me,” I tell her. “Not leaving you alone anymore. Besides, she only said I couldn’t bring the guys. Nothing about you.”
“She?” Eve asks, scrambling to pull her shorts on.
“Sarah is calling in a favor,” I sigh. I just wish I knew why.
Chapter 40
EVE
The bike is still vibrating against my inner thighs as we pull up and idle in front of a different motel than I left. Not that I told the guys what motel that was.
Drex helps me off, then shuts off the bike before standing and grabbing my hand. He pushes open a door without knocking, and immediately my eyes find the relaxed blonde against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest, gun in hand.
“You said I couldn’t bring one of the guys,” Drex tells her.
I wave awkwardly at Sarah, and she smiles warmly at me while putting her gun in a holster at her leg.
“That’s why I like you, Drex,” she says, dragging her eyes back to him. “A man of honor who looks for loopholes. You got what I asked for?”
Drex pulls a file from the back of his jeans and tosses it on the nearby bed that is made a little too pristine for a place like this.
