Page 75 of Feral

“I won’t hurt you.”

The taller one holds on to his friend. “What’s up?”

“That guy you were talking to was planning to traffick you. Spread the word to your friends to keep a lookout. They aren’t just looking for a quick meet up.”

“How do you know?” he asks, jutting his chin out in defiance.

I point to my shirt, covered in blood. “We had a chat and he told me his plans.”

The kid nods, backing up just slightly. “Yeah, okay. We’ll be smart.”

“If it sounds too good, it is. Remember that.”

“Thanks.”

I nod, walking away slowly until I’m out of sight, then running through the night to get back to Yannis. I have to update Yves too. We may have a Mafia war on our hands.

Chapter 22

Yannis

The bed shifts under me and I open my eyes to see Hale climbing in next to me. His hair is wet as if he just took a shower.

“What happened?”

He brushes his fingers over my cheek. “I’ll tell you when you wake up.”

“I’m awake.”

Hale frowns. “It was unfortunately what I suspected. Ricco Bianchi has a boss named Johnny who’s pissed off about what happened and definitely stalking the city looking for who did it.”

My heart sinks. “Great. Now what?”

“You don’t need to worry about anything, love. I’ve got it handled.”

“What does that mean? Don’t shelter me, Hale.”

A slight smile pulls at his lips. “You’re right. You’re certainly entitled to know. I found one of their soldiers, as they call themselves, and forced him to talk to me.”

“Did you kill him?”

“Almost. I made a point.”

My stomach flutters. Why does his violence turn me on? “What happens next?”

“I stopped by Yves’s place and told him so my brothers can be aware when they go out to work. As for us, we’ll keep an eye on Lair. You’re here now, so we don’t need to worry about your apartment.”

I nod, pulling his arm to my chest. “I can’t believe Dimi came here on his own. He’s just like me, I guess, reckless and stubborn.”

“You’re not either of those things.” He tickles the hair on my chest. “You’re brave and determined. Lovely qualities to have.”

I laugh softly. “You’re just into me so you can only see my good qualities.”

“Not true. I can see your very soul, and it’s pure and bright and full of love.”

His comment leaves me speechless, so I tap my lips instead. “Kiss me.”

“Happily.”

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