Page 37 of That Emerald Vow

Looking up, I see Lily trying to hide her grin behind her cup of coffee.

“Shut up!”

She lifts her hands in mock surrender. “I didn’t say anything.”

I roll my eyes again as I look back to my phone, grinning from ear to ear even with the heavy pit in my stomach.

Why do people want to fall in love?

The fear of being hurt. The fear of losing someone. The fear of change. It sounds fucking terrible.

The quiet voice in my head says,But it also feels amazing.

“STOP! Please!” he pleads.

I prowl towards the asshole tied to the chair. “Wouldn’t that be nice . . . for you. But you never stopped when the women asked . . .”

“Or when the little kids asked,” Adrian adds. “So, we sure as hell aren’t about to.”

Taking the boiling hot water, I throw the entire bucket at him. His screams echoing through the building are music to my ears. Liam runs a trafficking ring with women and children—making millions off of their services. It wasn’t just forced sexual labor, but also people who wanted to perform their sick, murderous fantasies. Anything you could think of, Liam serviced . . . Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.

We can get creative too.

“And this is why this is my favorite part of the job.” I grin, looking at my partner in crime, who also looks amused.

“Yeah, it’s definitely not the worst part.”

My phone chimes in my back pocket, and I go to look, frowning when I see it’s Ethan. “Everyone is in the safe house.”

“Good,” Adrian says as he grabs Liam’s head, which is slumped forward. “Fucker fainted from the pain.”

Looking at his body, I am not surprised. There are slashes up anddown his body with bruises also forming where we took turns with our fists. Words don’t work on people like him. Pain and fear are the only true way to serve justice.

“Fuck.”

Adrian shakes his head as he looks to me and leans against the table with the many different torture devices—his favorite being the electric shock machine. I personally prefer using my fists or the double-edged, curved knives. “Well, guess this gives me enough time to grill you on why you automatically frowned when you looked at your phone.” He’s smirking at me as he wiggles his eyebrows.

“Shut the fuck up.” I grab my knife and wipe the blood off using the rag from my back pocket.

“Oh, shit. Is Damon Hayes in love?” he teases me.

I unconsciously start flexing my hands. “Love isn’t for me.”

“So you weren’t hoping that it was Charlie on the other end of the phone?”

Forcing a deep exhale, I shake out my hands. “Fuck, man. She’s fucking with my head. I don’t get it.”

He’s smirking at me. “That’s what it was like with me and Lily. We were friends at first, ya know? Normal one day, and the next, everything changed. We went from friendship to something much deeper. She went from being my best friend to becomingmi reina.I realized she was my comfort, my constant—the color in my world of gray.”

Immediately, Charlie’s beautiful green eyes flash in my mind, making something flutter deep in my core. “I think I get what you mean . . .”

“I never thought I’d see the day when you were smitten,” he says, smiling warmly at me. “It’s a nice look on you.”

One side of my mouth quirks up as I say, “It’s been fun getting to know her. She’s so . . . free . . . But also reserved with her heart. Makes me want to know her more. There’s no one else like her.”

“I don’t know, D,” he says, making me twist my head to the side. “Sounds like she’s the mirror image of you. You both shine bright despite what life has thrown at you—spreading light to those who are stuck in the dark. All the while, there is a storm raging within you.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that. I’ve never been one to shy away from compliments, as I’ve forever been a cocky motherfucker. But when it comes to emotions, I’m as lost in the sauce as anyone else, and hearing such kind words is throwing me for a loop. “Thank you,” I stammer out.

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