Page 62 of Run From Me

“Fine. Then I guess you just bought yourself an invite to the fight if you think he’s there and swear you have no idea where he is.”

He reached for me, but I had my wits enough to duck.

“I can walk, thank you very much.”

I needed to not say that if Ripple had been like this creep maybe he wouldn’t be dead. This guy might have been a bit scarier than his brother. But I wouldn’t let him know that.

“Bitch, you will fucking do as I say.”

I nodded because three against one? And Xander probably had zero clue what was going on. I was in Calliope survival mode.

“Whatever you ask. Just remember your boss likes my ability to make things disappear.”

His eyes were tiny slits as he watched me.

“Yeah. Go get dressed like you were planning to go to this thing.”

I looked at my leggings and T-shirt.

“What’s wrong with this?”

It wasn’t J this time, one of the other thugs snorted.

“The women don’t dress like that at these things. Ripple bought you some nice things, go grab one of those and some heels. Make everyone believe you’re a little Viper whore.”

My skin crawled at that last remark. I’d been kept out of so much of the Viper world, I really wasn’t prepared when it came knocking at my door.

“But I’m not one of your whores.”

I still had enough self-preservation instinct to step back toward my bedroom. But even then, when J followed me, I fought down the bile burning its way up my throat.

He followed me into the bathroom to the closet. He stood toe to toe with me in the dim little hole. He smelled of too much cologne trying to cover up the scent of weed, and… I sniffed. Gun powder.

“Did you shower before thinking this was a great plan, J?”

There was the knife again, but this time his grin stretched over his too thin lips, showing me all those rotting teeth.

“Vipers don’t have a dental plan, do they?”

I actually wanted to know because this guy needed it.

“Shut the fuck up, bitch.” His fingers twirled in a lock of hair that had slipped from the messy bun. In a blink, that knife sliced through, and he held up the newly freed hair, my hair, to his nose and sniffed.

“Princess, you are just as much of a whore as any one of the bitches that chase Viper dick. You think you have protection? Nah. Ripple just had dibs. Now put this on.”

He reached behind me and grabbed a small, and I mean small, midnight-blue dress that I’d never worn. It had indeed been a Ripple pick.

“I… I don’t think that will fit.”

He smirked.

“Fit? No one cares as long as you look like the slut we all know you are.”

I held my breath as he licked up my cheek.

As he walked away, the dead eyes that looked back at me were much different from the darkness in Xander’s.

Xander was scary because he had something behind those eyes that was dark and told me he knew exactly what he was doing. This guy? Well, he was scary because something told me there was nothing. And nothing might be more unpredictable than dark.

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