Page 23 of Devil's Vengeance

Spinning away again, I headed to my car. I was unlocking it when he said, “He’s screwing with you.”

Brows furrowed, I looked over at him. He looked determined, but there was an undertone of worry. I almost wanted to roll my eyes. I didn’t need his protection.

“Oh yeah? So a guy being sweet and charming to me is him screwing with me? Why? What makes you think he’d do that? Because I’m not seeing a reason. All I see is a jealous hothead throwing punches when someone else shows me any kind of attention.”

For a minute, Chase was quiet. A muscle ticked in his jaw, barely visible under the street light above us. His hands clenched at his sides and he looked torn, but when I pulled open my door to leave, he finally spit it out.

“He’s using you to get to me. We’ve got a history. He likes to steal women I’m into.”

I wanted to ask more questions about that, but I knew he wouldn’t tell me. And that reminder only irritated me more.

“Except you’re not into me. Unless you show you’re interested in women by avoiding them completely,” I pointed out with a scowl.

He ran a rough hand through his hair, grinding his teeth so hard I could almost hear it. “It’s not– Look, you’re a beautiful woman and any guywould be interested. But you’re sweet and kind, and you don’t belong in my world. It's too dangerous. I’m trying to keep you safe.”

He actually sounded sincere for a second, and it threw me off. “I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“No, I know that,” he replied, stepping off the curb to close the space between us. “It’s an old habit. And my job most days. You don’t belong around us. Just go back to your life and steer clear. You don’t need to be dragged into our shit.”

I knew why he was saying it. I’d seen evidence, heard the stories. But it still hurt that he constantly told me I didn’t belong. Maybe I wanted to. I liked hanging out with the old ladies, and the party at the clubhouse was fun. I didn’t feel like an outsider when I was there. Only one person seemed determined to chase me away.

“Alright. Fine. You want me to stay away from the crew, I will. But I’m not giving up my friendship with Lacey. And you need to stay the hell away from my dates. You might not want me around, but he does.”

A pained expression flashed across his face, but I ignored it, dropping into my seat and shutting the door. I had to wait for him to back away to pull out, but I didn't look at him. Not until he slapped his palm on the hood of my car, jogging around to talk to me.

“Give me your phone,” he demanded after I rolled down my window.

“What? Why?”

He sighed heavily, the exasperation thick in his tone. “Just do it, Mariah.”

Rolling my eyes, I handed him my phone, watching him type in his phone number in my contacts. When he finished, he handed it back to me, his voice terse.

“I know you don’t believe me now, but he’s going to show his true colors eventually. I don’t want you getting hurt in the crossfire. So I don't give a shit what time it is, where you are, none of that. If you need help, call me. I’ll come get you. And whatever you do, don’t get anywhere near his crew. Understand?”

CHAPTER 15

CHASE

The look on her face said it all. She wouldn’t call. Not unless something insane happened. But she didn’t delete my number in front of my face. She pressed her lips together and nodded, tucking her phone away before pulling out of the parking lot. I watched her go, frustration building, and dug my hands into my hair once she was out of sight. After she was gone, I let out a shout and squatted down, trying to get my head back on straight.

I fucked this whole thing up. I was so determined to keep her away, to keep her safe, I drove her into the arms of the enemy. I didn’t even know how he figured out she was on my radar. Never in a million years did I expect him to show up at the damn library. But he’d been showing up everywhere lately. I went to the library to see if I could get an idea of where his club was at now or if it was just him and a couple of his friends in the area. If it was the whole crew, I’d have to tell Croy. I wouldn’t have a fucking choice. I never expected Trick to be there, leaning in to kiss the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about.

Day and night, I thought about her. Whether she was safe. I checked on her by going to that stupid library even when I didn’t need to, and I made some comments to Lacey about her leaving the library late so when I couldn’t be there to watch over her, she wouldn’t be all alone. I thought I was fucking subtle about it. I wasn’t ever going to do anything with it. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn't want her anywhere near the club. Butsomehow Trick figured it out anyway. And now, she was tired of my shit and ditching me for someone more charming. Just like Hannah did.

It pissed me off, but it also scared the hell out of me. Hannah didn’t survive Trick’s pursuit. He dragged her down and when shit hit the fan, he let her die. I couldn’t let that happen to Mariah. I needed to figure out some way to get her away from him. Before it was too fucking late.

I came back to the library the following morning. I hadn’t gotten much sleep lately. I got home from the club, crashed for a few hours, then headed out to the library to check on Mariah. I only ever stayed long enough for her coworker to show up, but I couldn’t go back to sleep after I left. Once I was up, I was up and my shitty sleep schedule was weighing on me. It made me slow on the uptake, and I didn’t notice at first that someone from Trick’s crew was watching the library. I only noticed when a flash of light reflected off their bike from where they parked across the street. Not Trick himself, but I recognized the asshole from Lacey’s club.

I thought about confronting the guy, but after last night, I knew Mariah’s coworker would call the pigs again if I started something. I didn't want her preventing me from being there to watch over Mariah. Instead, I stayed where I was, watching him watching her until I got a call from Croy I couldn’t ignore.

“Yeah, Prez?” I asked, my voice lowered because this was a fucking library.

“Where are you?”

I could lie, but I’d done enough of that in the last few weeks. At least now I had an excuse to be here without anyone getting suspicious. “Library. Visiting a fling. Did you need me?”

He grunted, ignoring my explanation completely. Good. I didn’t want him questioning it. “We need security for a drop tonight.”

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