Page 71 of Devil's Vengeance

It hurt my heart to hear him tell the story. I could hear the pain in his voice. The regret. He carried that with him for years. Blaming himself for her death, even though he wasn’t the one who brought her there.

“By the time I got there, she was dead. Caught in the crossfire. Trick was nowhere to be found.” His hand on his stomach clenched into a fist. “I actually worried about him. I thought maybe he was taken or hurt and they just hadn’t found him yet. Turns out he ran when the shooting started. Lefther behind. He admitted it himself. Told me she should have kept up with him. He didn’t feel an ounce of fucking remorse.”

“Which is why you’re so hell-bent on hurting him,” I murmured.

He shook his head. “No, sweetheart. I’m not just going to hurt him.” He looked at me again, the determined fury painted across his face. “I’m going to kill him. You want something real with me, you should know the truth. I’m not a gentleman. I’m not a good man. And I’m not going to stop until that asshole is in the ground where he belongs. He preys on innocent women and feels nothing about hurting them to make himself look good. He killed the sweetest woman on the planet, who trusted him with her life, all because he couldn’t be bothered to leave before he was ready. If he would’ve taken her home when she felt uncomfortable, she would’ve been fine. He’s just as much to blame for her death as I am. And I’m going to end him for it.”

A part of me wanted to argue with him, but this was probably at least a decade-old wound he’d been carrying. No amount of arguing was going to change his mind. And he was right. I said I wanted something real. This was real. In his world, this was how you handled people who screwed up. I’d either have to learn to accept that or walk away. And the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to even consider that option. Because despite his need for vengeance, Chase was a good man. A gentleman. He went out of his way to protect women and put them first, no matter what. He was so determined to protect me, he was willing to sign up for a lifetime with me after only knowing me for a few weeks. No matter how hard he argued with it, he was a good man.

And if I didn’t help him, he’d die trying to get back at the man who stole his first love.

Despite being unbelievably comfortable, thanks to Chase being pressed up against my back, I didn’t sleep well. Partially because I was still worried about Trick showing up and attacking me and my family. But also because my mind was busy doing mental gymnastics all night, trying to figure out a better plan than what Chase told me Croy suggested.

None of the ideas I came up with made any sense. It was either too obvious and Trick would see right through it, or too dangerous. I didn’t want to do anything that would put the general public in danger. So unless I figured out a way to be in the library alone without tipping off Trick, I didn’t have a clue what to do.

I was groggy and grouchy when I finally dragged myself out of bed. It was early enough that I wouldn’t have to deal with Angelica pestering Chase for an invite to the clubhouse, but I had to be careful to get out of the house without running into my mom. She already held back once on meeting Chase. If she found out he stayed the night, that interrogation would definitely make me late for work.

Thankfully, she had another morning of goat yoga to keep her busy, so I waited to wake Chase until she was headed out and dragged him out of the house not long after. He seemed bemused by my determination to not interact with my family, but I didn’t stop to explain things to him. And he couldn’t ask on our way because we still drove separately. He wanted me to have an exit plan if something went down.

Regina arrived before me, so the library was already open when we arrived, but it didn’t stop Chase from doing his perimeter search. I let him go without a fight, because I wasn’t winning that argument, and got comfortable in my chair behind the circulation desk.

“He’s back again, huh?”

I jumped nearly three feet in the air, letting out a startled squeak. Which, of course, had Chase racing back to check on me. I waved him away, pressing a hand to my heart, and shot Regina a frown.

“You scared the hell out of me.”

She chuckled, handing me a mug of coffee in apology. I took a sip as she sat down beside me, feeling the caffeine do its thing. I would’ve made some at home before we left, but I didn’t want to linger and potentially deal with my mother coming home early or something.

Regina cleared her throat, giving me a significant look after Chase disappeared down an aisle again.

“Well?”

I shrugged. Since she knew enough of the truth, I felt like I could be honest. “He knew Trick was a bad bet, too. He’s trying to protect me.”

Her brows furrowed, and she pressed her lips together tightly. “You know, before yesterday, I would’ve said that was a bit much. But his sticking around might not be the worst idea. You do realize he’s probably just as dangerous, right?”

I tipped my head back and forth. “Yes, and no. His club is dangerous. He isn’t. He’s saved my life twice already. I trust him.”

Nothing that had happened so far had changed my opinion on that. I could trust Chase with my life. I just wasn’t sure I could trust him with my heart.

CHAPTER 43

CHASE

Croy told me to stay away from Mariah during the work day. He wanted her to be used as bait and Trick wouldn’t get near her if I was there. But until Mariah agreed to the plan, I wasn’t budging. I didn’t hover, since Trick was ballsy enough to show up while Bear was nearby, but I wasn’t leaving. I walked around the library, checking emergency exits and any other access Trick might have to get in. All the emergency exits were alarmed, which meant if he was coming in, there’d only be one way to do it quietly. None of the windows opened large enough for anyone to slip through and there was no way to force it from the outside. The windows were even shatterproof, so he wouldn’t be busting through them without a lot of noise. It’d give Mariah enough time to call for help, and me enough time to get to her.

I was coming out of the bathroom after checking the windows to make sure they couldn’t be used as an entry point when I ran into the coworker. She was a shrewd older woman, her eyes almost always narrowed on me when I walked past. I was going to just ignore her, but she sidestepped me, stopping me with a hand up.

“Hold on. I have a few questions if you don’t mind.”

“Depends on the question,” I replied, mirroring her when she raised an eyebrow at me. That shit didn’t work on me. She’d only get answers if I felt like giving them.

“How worried do I need to be? Should I give her more time off? Encourage her to take a leave of absence?” My brows furrowed, and she sighed heavily, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’ve hardly left her side since that slimy biker showed up. I know you’re protecting her. And considering her last bad date tried to kidnap her, I appreciate your concern. But if it's safer to keep her home…”

“It’s not. If he is stupid enough to come for her, it’s safer if it happens here. She’s down the street from the police station and there’s that silent alarm that’ll help.” I didn't mention the cameras because I hadn’t gotten approval from Croy yet. If he said no, I was fully committed to paying for it out of pocket, but I preferred to do it in-house so Lewis could watch over the feed. If a security company set it up, it would only be used to look back on the incident, not catch people in the act.

The coworker nodded slowly. “Yes, I suppose you’re right. Do you think he’d do anything in broad daylight? That seems extreme.”

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