Page 97 of Blood of Vengeance

I didn’t want to answer. I didn’t want to fall back down into the hole of loving the man who would be on the other end, but I had to. I missed him too much to decline the call that time.

With a swipe of my thumb, he appeared on my screen, looking just as breathtaking as ever.

“Hi.”

“My god, you’re beautiful.”

The smile that crept across my face could not have been stopped. “You look tired.”

“Can’t sleep without you.” He sighed and ran a hand over his head, looking away before meeting my gaze once more, determination on his handsome face. “I’m sorry if making sure you and Zella are safe oversteps, but I couldn’t send you out there without backup.”

“I’ve been without backup my entire life.”

“Nah, girl. You’ve just never noticed. You think the Detroit Feral Breed hasn’t been keeping an eye on you for years? Chiggy was a better dad than that.”

My heart sank, and my eyes immediately burned. “Don’t lie to me.”

“Baby, I’m not lying. I’ve known that club for decades. When I called in a favor to have them keep an eye out, they already knew everything about the two of you. That was your dad, making sure you were okay even when you were out there living your own life.”

Tears burned their way down my cheeks, and I rolled over, cuddling my pillow and staring at the man who still had my heart.

“I never noticed,” I said.

Flinch gave me a sad smile. “It’s okay. He didn’t do it so you would notice. He did it because he loved you. And I’m doing the same—making sure you’re safe, even if from a distance. Because I love you, too, short stack. And I miss you so fucking much.”

My heart thawed a little. Just enough to let a tiny ray of hope glimmer in my mind. My truth slipping out even though I wasn’t fully ready to admit it yet. “I miss you, too.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.”

He sighed, his expression relaxing. His voice growing deeper as he said, “I want you happy, baby. No matter what—I want your safety and happiness to be the top priorities. I’ll keep doing whatever it takes to make that happen.”

“I want the same for you.”

“You mean that?”

“Of course.”

He leaned closer, his face growing larger on the screen. His eyes locked on mine and filled with an intensity that had me trembling where I lay. “You really mean that? That you want me to be happy?”

In for a penny… “Yeah. I really mean that.”

His slow smile sent a shot of heat through my body. “Good. Then I’m going to make myself happy.”

I had one last glimpse of him—of his smile turning absolutely wicked—before the phone went dead. Call disconnected.

Flinch, gone.

Thirty-Three

Locklyn

There was just something so demoralizing about being hollered at while trying to do something as mundane as pump gas.

“Yo, baby. You gonna give me that number?”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” I grabbed the pump and pressed the button for the lowest grade, needing gas badly enough to have to put up with him. Not wanting to, though. I squeezed the pump handle hard enough to hurt, as if that would make the gas enter my tank faster. I could get away with just a couple of gallons—I could always fill up another day when it wasn’t already dark outside or I wasn’t alone. I just needed enough to get home from the bar.

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