Page 24 of Devil's Vengeance

Frowning, I bit back the urge to ask why. He wasn’t going to explain it to me. Prez had an order; I followed it. Plain and simple.

“Alright. I’ll head back to the clubhouse.” My gaze flicked back to the guy watching the library. What were the chances he was watching me and not Mariah? “Now, or–?”

“Tonight. Knox will text you the details.”

He hung up before I could reply, but that wasn’t unusual for him. It wasa little surprising he was doing the calling, though. Instead of putting my phone away, I shot off a text to Bear.

Chase:Why the hell is Prez calling me directly for a job?

Bear:Bunch of idiots ate some gas station sushi. Do your business before coming back here. All the toilets are fucking rank.

I made a face. Too much information. But not exactly surprising. I had a sneaking suspicion it was either Clink or Viper’s idea. My money was on Viper. Clink wouldn’t want to interrupt his sex life for a stupid bet.

I got the message from Knox a few minutes later. It wasn’t a lot, we didn’t share shit over text. That’d leave a fucking paper trail. All he sent was a time and a place. No details. I sent a thumbs up back and pocketed my phone, heading for the circulation desk. Some nights Mariah left work early. I wanted tonight to be one of those nights.

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Her voice carried over the quiet as I approached the front desk. I could hear the smile in her voice. “Okay. I’ll see you tonight.”

When I came around the corner, she was on her phone, a smile pulling at her lips. She looked gorgeous at this angle, the sun coming through the windows turning her skin more golden. I had one night with her and it wasn’t fucking enough, but I was afraid of what would happen if I let her get too close. And now, despite my best efforts, she was being drawn in anyway. If I hadn’t avoided her in the first place, she might trust me enough to avoid Trick when I warned her away.

Her face fell when I approached, and she said goodbye to whoever she was talking to. It felt like a kick to the gut. I did that because I was a fucking idiot. It’d take work to crawl out of the hole I dug. I aimed for casual, jerking my chin at her phone.

“Who was that?”

Her eyes narrowed. “None of your business. What are you doing here? You haven’t been here for days.”

Yeah, because I’d been busy chasing down Trick. He convenientlystayed out of sight when I was trying to find him. I wasn’t about to tell her that, though. She thought I was jealous. She wouldn’t believe me anyway.

“I was looking something up. Was it the girls? I can give you a ride if you want to let loose or something.”

Suspicion was carved into her face, reminding me of just how badly I fucked up. She didn’t trust me. It irritated me. Not because of how she was reacting, but because it was my own damn fault. I could tell her I just wanted to keep her safe, but at this point, she wouldn’t believe me without an explanation and I wasn’t going to get into all that with her.

“Why are you suddenly okay with me hanging out with them? You just told me last night to stay the hell away.”

It took work not to grimace. “I realized it’s easier to look out for you if you’re with the rest of the old ladies.”

Not the right thing to say, apparently. Her expression flattened, and she gave me major fuck off vibes as she said, “I don’t need you to look out for me. I’m fine. Now if you don’t need any actual help, I need to get back to work. I have to get out of here early. I have a date.”

Son of a bitch.

“Mariah–”

“No, Chase. Thanks for thinking of me, but I don’t need your protection. I can take care of myself. Excuse me.”

She got up and walked away, pushing a nearly empty cart of books as a bullshit excuse to escape me. So not only was she ignoring my advice to steer clear of Trick, she was going on a date with the asshole on the night when I had to work. I couldn’t even send someone to follow her because then they’d ask why and I’d either come off as a jealous ass or I’d have to spill who the fuck Trick was and why he was dangerous.

With a frustrated growl, I stormed off, shoving the library door open so hard, I nearly cracked the glass. I could feel the stares of the patrons of the library, but I ignored it, heading for my bike. If I wanted a shot at convincing Mariah to trust me, I needed to walk away. She was safe enough for now in broad daylight with so many people around. I needed a fucking ride.

MARIAH

I watched Chase go with a frown. His sudden switch from cold and distant to attentive and concerned was jarring enough, but now he was acting almost violent. Last night, he even attacked someone. I didn’t know who the hell he was anymore. He kept knocking off every perception I had of him and giving me something different to deal with until it felt like I had whiplash from all the quick changes. I almost asked if he was okay, but that might make him think I was open for conversation, and after the way he spoke to me the night before, I wasn’t. He made himself clear. Now he needed to stick to his own damn rules.

Pushing the thought away, I returned the books to the floor and headed back to my desk, stopping to poke my head into the kids’ room on the way.

“Regina?”

“Back here,” she called through the stacks. I found her sitting on the floor in the back corner, stacks of books surrounding her. When I tipped my head in question, she shrugged, a small smile on her face. “A mother with her little boy came to visit. He was autistic and overstimulated with the new environment. I sat down with him to help her because she looked overwhelmed, and we went through every book he could reach. I think it helped, but it’s quite a mess to reorganize.”

Sounded like her. She’d rather have a mess and a happy child than an upset one and a clean library. She looked toward the door with a frown. “Is everything okay out there? I thought I heard a bang.”

---