Page 51 of In the Shadows

“If you would rather not go on anything, that’s fine too. I just know the others can be…impatient, and I imagine that will be much more the case when it comes to you than it has in the past.”

I open my mouth to respond, but quickly click it shut again. I don’t even know what to say. If it were just the fact that he did this research for me, I might be able to form a thought. But the fact he’s actively speaking about me sleeping with not one, but all four of them…I can’t even think straight, let alone speak.

An amused smile quirks up the corner of his lips, and for a fleeting moment, the mask he wears drops. The hard man who rules with an iron fist disappears, and in his place is a man trying to look out for his family. He almost seems human for just a second before he seems to realize it, and the shutters slam back into place.

“I’ve asked Rogers to order a Copper IUD just in case it is your preference. He said as there are no hormones, it shouldn’t mess with your current cycle.”

My cheeks heat impossibly hot because I’ve never spoken to a man about my period, and now I have one sitting in front of me talking about my cycle? Fuck me. I’m so far over my head right now, I’m surprised I haven’t drowned.

“Thank you.” I choke the words out, unable to form anything else, which only seems to amuse him.

I read through the information he handed me, checking the side effects and possible long-term complications associated with what he’s proposing, all the while feeling his eyes burning into the side of my face. Will I ever feel anything other than overwhelmed by Crew?

I’ve stood in rooms with some of the most powerful men in this city, standing beside my father as I learned how to do the job I was born to do, but something about the men of the Legion overwhelms me, and I wonder if any of the other families feel like this when they’re staring into the eyes of the devil.

Taking a deep breath, I look up at him, unsurprised when I find him staring at me expectantly. “Thank you for this,” I whisper.

He gives me a nod and moves to stand. “I’m sorry again for not considering your family’s history when I had Rogers give you that information. I’ll try to be more considerate in the future.”

Before I can respond, he crosses the room without a glance over his shoulder, leaving me more confused than I was before.

I need to understand what I’m doing here, what they want with me, and decide if the escape plan I’ve been concocting since I first woke up is going to work.

It’s one thing running from the devil when it’s business, but if there are feelings involved…I have to consider the possibility they won’t let me go.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

KOVU

Ifucking hate being on surveillance.

I’m not the guy who can sit still for a long time. I’m a bundle of violent energy that struggles to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. The only exception being when I have my little lamb nearby.

The asshole Crew has me watching is not only an ugly fuck, but also boring as hell. He’s done nothing but check in with his crew on the street since I first started following him three hours ago. The norm for the guy Davenport has running his drug network, and certainly not something that needs me watching him.

I’m about to call it quits when a black town car pulls up on the corner the asshole I’m tailing is chatting with his dealer on.

He doesn’t seem to notice them at first, but when he does, his face pales.

I lean forward in my seat, the leather of my vintage Mustang creaking as I move. I fucking love this car, and it’s perfect for work like this. Its sleek black edges fit in both the upper-class areas of the city as well as the scummy corners like the one I’m in now.

The door swings open, and out steps Charles Davenport.

What the fuck is he doing here?

He buttons his perfectly-tailored suit jacket, his gaze moving over the derelict buildings and the garbage littering the street. We’re a long fucking way from his penthouse in the heart of the city.

I watch as he moves toward the two men, each looking more terrified than the other. Chris Jones, the guy I’m surveilling, should have no reason to fear his boss. They work closely after all, and I’m sure he gets paid handsomely for running one of the most profitable areas in Davenport’s business.

I can’t hear a word they’re saying from where I’m parked down the street, but the tension is rolling off all three of them with each word spoken between them.

Quickly pulling my phone from its holder on the dash, I take a few photos and send them to Crew, never taking my eyes off the exchange, which seems to get more heated as the seconds tick by.

There’s a loud crash down the street, and I glance over my shoulder to see a rubbish truck approaching, but by the time I turn back, Davenport has a gun pointed at Jones’s head.

I snap a few more photos, watching with bated breath as their conversation intensifies, and then the sound of two gunshots fills the street. It’s broad fucking daylight. What the hell does he think he’s doing killing one of his own in the middle of the day?

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I answer without checking the display, watching as Jones crumbles to the ground, blood surrounding him on the sidewalk. “Crew.”

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