Page 147 of Arran's Obsession

He was dead.

All this time of him being missing, I hadn’t lost hope. I’d believed this just another drunken escapade, and my soft-hearted father would reappear, recuperate for a few weeks, then get back into life as normal. But it wasn’t to be.

The clink of handcuffs pulled my focus back to Convict. Belatedly, I realised I’d got his name wrong. He was Roscoe. Shade was Connor. What a night for getting a full understanding of Arran’s crew.

“Sorry for both things,” Convict finished. “Arran will see that your dad is avenged. He’ll clean up Peters and right the wrong.”

I squinted at him, several things becoming clear at the same time. Arran had gone afterPeters. Peters was no longer the small-time dealer who’d scared my mum into crashing her car, but a major supplier who Convict feared.

I spluttered the words. “Jordan Peters is who my dad went after?”

Convict nodded, but my heart had sunk all the way to the cold stone floor of the basement. I’d lost my father, but maybe I’d lose Arran, too.

Chapter 44

Arran

The low drone of an engine pierced my consciousness, the fast-moving vehicle I was in bumping on a road. Darkness surrounded me, a thick blindfold over my face. I raised my hands—goddamn it—cuffed to my seat belt.

Furious, I wrenched in my seat with a growl of rage, but it was like I was in a hole, the drug I’d been injected with clouding my senses and muffling sound.

“Fucking hell, hold still,” Shade’s voice came from nearby.

Another needle stabbed me, the small prick of pain enraging me further, though I was defenceless to avoid what I couldn’t see. I waited for the horrible ebb of unconsciousness, but it didn’t come.

Instead, my brain fog cleared. My breathing evened out.

“I’m going to remove your bandanna now.”

A hand touched my face, the material pulled away. Instantly, I took in my ex-best friend at the wheel of the car we’d arrived in.

He scowled at me. “Don’t fucking panic, and stop looking at me like that. Everything is fine.”

Fury darkened my vision. “You fucking stabbed me, Connor.”

Shade rolled his eyes then returned his focus to the road. Around us, dark countryside sped by. “A necessary evil. And don’t forget ye gave me permission to do exactly that if ye were about to do something stupid.”

I recoiled. “Permission?”

“Don’t ye remember?” He put on an English accent. “If I ever do something stupid for a woman, stab me.”

I stared at him in absolute outrage, unable to connect the dots of what had just gone down. I had said that, back when I’d taken Gen to the Great House for our week’s hideaway. “I didn’t mean it literally.”

“Bit late to tell me that.”

I lifted the handcuffs. “Am I a prisoner?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. That was just to stop ye from lashing out and making me crash. Here.”

He tossed a set of keys to my lap. I grabbed them up and undid the cuffs.

Confusion filled me. If it was anyone else in the driver’s seat, I’d strangle them with my bare hands, but Shade was the last person I’d ever thought would betray me. Nothing made sense. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to explain what the hell you did and why.”

Shade sighed. “What do ye remember?”

His drug was messing with my head, but the scene returned. The dark car park after a downpour. Our target ahead. Another man creeping in from the shadows.

“Gen’s father,” I spat.

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