Page 28 of Obsession

My mind churned with suspicion, but I couldn’t bring myself to reveal what I’d heard. Not now. Not when Hollis was feeling closer to me than ever before. I could tell in the way she touched me, the soft smile curving her lips. Even if I didn’t know what love was, it was clear that’s what she thought she felt for me, and I’d use that if I needed to.

“Okay,” she said, though I could tell she didn’t quite believe me. She leaned against my chest, resting her head on my shoulder as we sat in silence.

I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that something was off. The thought of Lyla being tangled up with Crash and Kane made my blood boil. Those two motherfuckers had caused nothing but pain and suffering in Raven’s Vale, same as me. I knew they’d only use Lyla for their own twisted purposes. But I also knew that dragging Hollis into this mess would only put her at risk, and I’d be damned if I let anything hurt her. If someone was going to put a mark on her, it would be me.

“Hey,” I muttered. “What do you say we get out of here for a while? Maybe go somewhere quiet, just the two of us.”

That’s the sort of thing women liked, wasn’t it? A date of sorts? It wasn’t like I’d ever been in a relationship before. Never wanted one. I wanted to control Hollis. Possess her. Bind her to me in every way possible so that she voluntarily stayed with me. And not once would she suspect I’d backed her into a corner and put a collar on her.

“Really?” Hollis asked, her face lighting up with surprise and excitement. “You’d want to do that?”

“Sure,” I said, forcing a smile. “Why the fuck not?”

“Sounds perfect,” she agreed, squeezing my hand as we rose to our feet.

As we stepped out into the dimly lit hallway, my ears strained for any sign of Lyla, Crash, and Kane. But all I heard was the distant echo of our own footsteps. Whatever they’d been doing, it seemed they’d moved elsewhere.

“Riot,” Hollis whispered, her fingers still intertwined with mine, “Thank you.”

I didn’t know what the fuck she was thanking me for -- all I’d done was drag her deeper into the darkness that consumed me. But in that moment, I knew one thing for certain: I’d do anything to keep her safe, even if it meant facing off against the men I considered my brothers. For the first time in my life, I had something that was mine and only mine, and I’d never let her go.

“Is it really safe for us to leave this place?” Hollis asked. “You have to stay in Raven’s Vale, don’t you?”

I paused. To some extent, she was right. If I was caught outside of town, then I’d end up back in the hell I’d escaped from. Unless they sent me to prison. And as for this small town, there weren’t a lot of places I could take her.

“What about a drink?” I asked.

“You mean at the bar?”

“Why not?” I took her hand and led her out of the house and down the street. The bar I had in mind wasn’t far. Raven’s Vale actually had two, but the one I preferred was in the seedier part of town. Of course, no one was going to fuck with me regardless of where I went.

We entered the establishment and Hollis stared at everything with wide eyes. Clearly, she’d never been here before. I wasn’t really surprised. It didn’t seem like her sort of place.

I led her up to the bar and motioned for her to sit on a stool, and I claimed the one beside her. The bartender came over, arms crossed, and glowered at me. We’d had run-ins a few times before, but I let his attitude slide -- most of the time.

“Beer for me,” I said.

“And you?” he asked Hollis.

She licked her lips. “Um. Something fruity?”

The bartender snorted. “Do we look like we offer froufrou drinks? Sorry, but your options are beer, vodka, whiskey, or rum.”

“Rum and coke?” she asked, sounding uncertain. Obviously she’d never had it before. I had a feeling tonight would be interesting.

While she was distracted by everything going on around us, I noticed someone in the corner who could get me what I needed. I placed a hand on Hollis’ shoulder and leaned in to whisper to her. “Stay put. I’ll be right back.”

She tensed but gave me a nod. I hurried over to Ben and sat across from him.

“And what does The Butcher need tonight?” Ben asked. “Drugs? I doubt it’s sex since you came in with a woman.”

“Neither. I need to get my hands on a GPS I can inject into her. I need to know where she is every second of the day. Can it be done?”

Ben leaned back and sighed. “Yeah, but it won’t be cheap. They won’t give a shit who you are, or why you want it, but they will want cold hard cash for it.”

“I want it tonight. Get the money from the dear ol’ mayor, then drop it off at the mansion. Make sure you bring it to my room. I don’t trust Crash or Kane with it.”

He nodded. “Consider it done. Might be late, though. And you’ll have to use that computer you hate so much, or your phone. It will be the only way to keep track of her.”

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