Page 65 of Devil's Vengeance

“What are you talking about? I’m not going to be fucking bait for that creep!”

He grimaced, taking my elbow so he could pull me into the shadow of the building and out of sight of anyone coming in and out of the library. I couldn’t get my head around his plan. I wasn’t part of the crew. Why was I being dragged farther into this? Was this a punishment for going to Riley when Croy threatened Chase’s life?

“Listen, I know this is a stupid fucking idea. And I’m not saying you’ll be left unprotected. Plenty of guys will be around and the rest are on alert to show up if Trick does come around. He won’t get anywhere near you.”

I made an incredulous sound, crossing my arms over my chest. “Like he couldn’t get close today? He was just here, Chase! Less than five feet away from me with a knife in his hand. Why the hell would I believe I was safe after that?”

Irritation flashed across his expression for a moment. “Because they only had one person here and Trick waited until Bear went to the restroom to come for you. It won’t be the same next time. I–”

“No. You’re asking too much. It’s not just me that’s at risk here. Kids come to the library, Chase. Old people who can’t run away if something bad happens. I’m not letting you or your crew put them all at risk just because you can’t handle the situation yourself. I’m leaving. You can find Trick on your own.”

CHAPTER 39

CHASE

Part of me wanted to let her go. Croy couldn’t force her to stay. She wasn’t part of the crew and she wasn’t obligated to help us. If she left, he’d be forced to figure something else out. I would’ve let her go if Trick hadn’t come back to the library. If he was just coming after me, it would’ve been an easy choice. His showing up today proved he wasn’t going to let her go. He’d chase her just to screw with me. He wasn’t even at the house during the attack. At least, not that I could tell. A few of his guys died, some scattered. Only two were caught by the cops. None of them were Trick. He was lurking in the background, and I wouldn’t know if he was following her until it was too late if she left town.

“Mariah, wait–”

She jerked her arm away, glaring at me. “No! Can you even hear yourself right now? You want me to draw out the guy who threatened to rape me and pass me around his crew, all because I was in the vicinity of you when he found you. And you want me to do it here? Where innocent people come and go all day. Children. Are you out of your mind?”

I knew it was a bad idea. I argued against it when Croy suggested it. But he pointed out that Trick wasn’t going to let this go until he got his hands on Mariah. If I stashed her away somewhere like I wanted to, she’d be stuck hiding from him until he finally pulled his balls out of his pocketand manned up enough to face me. And I knew Trick well enough to know he’d never do that. He was a chickenshit.

She tried to walk away, but I caught her arm, dragging her back to face me. I didn’t realize how upset I’d made her until she slapped me. The crack of it was loud in the quiet afternoon atmosphere. Her reaction stunned us both. She covered her mouth with her hands, eyes wide, while I reached up to touch the stinging spot.

For a moment, I saw a flash of fear cross her face. I didn’t like that. No matter what she did, she never had to be afraid of me. So, despite the seriousness of the situation, I teased her to get her to relax.

“Next time, use a fist. It’s more effective.”

She huffed out a laugh that quickly disappeared as she shook her head. “I’m sorry. I don’t– I’m not handling all this very well. I’ve been jumpy all day, and I just snapped. I’m not this person.”

Slowly, so she knew I wasn’t going to hurt her, I drew her into my arms, resting my forehead against hers. “I know you aren’t. And I’m sorry for dragging you into this. It’s not fair to you. But you can’t run. He’s a real bastard and I wouldn’t be surprised if he followed you wherever you went and dragged you back here. I need you to stay here where I can protect you.”

Her face crumpled and her hand gripped my shirt as she leaned into me. “I’m scared, Chase.”

That confession felt like a knife to the chest. I’d heard it once before. It was the part I kept from Mariah. I kept it from everyone. I refused to let that situation repeat itself.

“Mariah? Is everything alright?”

The coworker poked her head around the corner, frowning at us. Mariah took a second to draw in a deep breath before forcing a smile and looking over her shoulder at her friend.

“Yeah. Just needed a minute. I’ll be right in.”

The coworker narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously, but eventually headed back inside.

“Pretty sure she doesn’t like me,” I commented blandly. I didn’t really give a shit if she did or didn’t, but it made Mariah snicker.

“She didn’t like Trick either. I should’ve listened to her when she told me he was slimy.”

I nodded, then frowned. “Hold on. Does she think I’m slimy, too?”

“I haven’t asked her yet. Do you want me to?”

I mean, kinda? It was morbid curiosity, seeing how I measured up to Trick in the eyes of this random ass older woman. But I doubted it’d make me feel better about all this. This whole situation was fucked beyond all belief, and I couldn’t see how we’d come back from this.

Mariah looked up at me, those deep brown eyes drawing me into her orbit. It didn’t matter how hard I fought, I still wanted her. Which was why I didn’t hesitate to tell Croy I was claiming her. It gave her more protection than if she was just some random chick who caught our enemy’s attention. I just had to convince her to accept it, and I couldn’t do that if she was primed to run.

“We’ll talk more later. You’ve got shit to do.”

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