Page 16 of Thorned Vengeance

“I know who we’re talking about!” Soul shouts. “But ol’ lady or not, you don’t get to use your fear to tear down a brother.”

Malice’s chest heaves as he stares at me, and then his shoulders slump. “Thorn, I…”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I can’t lose Apple, especially not to some serial killer fuck.”

“And you won’t,” I assure him. “I wasn’t there to protect Tamara, and that’s my burden to bear, but I’ll be damned if the Phantom Strangler takes anyone else away from me and my family.”

“Okay.” He nods. “Okay. Then how are we gonna make Apple’s concert the safest place on the goddamn planet?”

Grim pounds the table, and all eyes turn to him. He lifts his hands and smirks.

“That’s fifty bucks for all of you.”

“You can’t hold us to that when we’re in the heat of the moment,” I argue.

“And you just tacked on another fifty,” he signs, grinning.

“Dammit, Grim,” I snarl.

“Up to one fifty, brother,” Soul says as his hands move fluidly before he faces Grim. “We’ll all pay up to Rogue before dismissal.”

Grim nods, and I roll my eyes. “Can we get back on track?”

Grim’s grin widens. “You’re learning.”

Over the next three hours, we talk through all potential security issues and come up with plans to overcome them. By the time church is over, Malice is less tense, and I’m as hopeful as I’ve ever been that this guy will no longer be a threat to society.

As I slap three fifties into Rogue’s palm, a hand lands on my shoulder. I glance back and stifle a groan at Malice.

“Gimme a minute?” he asks.

“Yeah.”

Once we’re alone in the room, he moves back to the table and sits. He nods to the chair across from him, and I stride over to sit as well.

“I didn’t mean anything earlier,” he begins. I clench my jaw, and he continues. “When you find yourself a lifer, you’ll understand.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “That ain’t happenin’.”

He smirks at me. “I said that once. Fuck, I said that hundreds of times, and look at me now.”

I heave a sigh. “What’s your point?”

“No point.” Malice leans forward and pushes to his feet. “But mark my words… What happened to Tamara will not happen to Apple. You, along with the rest of us, will make sure of it. I need you to believe that, Thorn.”

“I do,” I insist.

He shakes his head. “No, you don’t. And as long as you’re not confident about it, something can go wrong. And I’m telling you, nothing can go wrong in Nashville.”

With that, he turns on his heel and storms out of the room. I lower my head into my hands and quietly review all the security plans discussed in church. I’ve already let enough people down in my life. Malice and Apple are not going to be added to the list.

CHAPTER 8

DELANEY

“What’ll ya have?”

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