Page 107 of Crave Me

I search his eyes for any evidence of a lie or being totally full of shit but I see nothing but determination and honesty reflected back in them. I think about my innocence that was taken fromme, the pain, trauma, all of the nightmares that haunt me while I sleep, how sick men like him can’t be rehabilitated. They’re an evil that shouldn’t walk the earth.

“Then I’d say thank you.”

Dallas’ shoulders relax before wrapping his big arms around me, and I lean into him, resting my head on his chest and taking a deep breath. He doesn’t say any more. I don’t want to ask, and I don’t want the details, but imagining a life knowing that my abuser was erased from this earth brings me another level of peace that I didn’t think was possible.

Because of Dallas.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Reid

Iclose up my station for the night, wiping everything down and folding up my chair so I can head home, when Dallas walks into Rogue. I watch him pull open the large glass door to our fishbowl and step inside. The hair on my arms raises as I read his face. He’s agitated, nervous, and still looks fucking heartbroken.

“Hey man, you got a minute? Need to talk to you about something.”

“Yeah, let’s go into my office. Blaire okay?”

Dallas follows me into my office and takes a seat casually across from me.

“She will be. Need you to do something for me. Well, not for me, for Blaire.”

“Anything,” I answer easily. Blaire’s become a good friend of mine since the day she arrived in AR, and like with any of the women in my life, I’m protective.

“Just like that?”

“Yeah, brother. Just like that.”

“I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t everything to me. I need you to make someone go away.”

My eyebrows raise as he sits back in his chair and crosses his legs at his ankles, stretched out in front of him, his arms arenext, crossing at his chest. He’s serious. I don’t know how much Sawyer told his brother, but it was clearly enough to send him my way. I know Sawyer wouldn’t have done it if he didn’t believe Dallas would take it to his grave.

“Who?”

“Andrew Cain. Released recently from Washington State Penitentiary for serving a little more than a decade sentence for child abuse, neglect, sexual assault of a minor, rape, and a slew of other shit that takes away his right to walk the earth, regardless of what the law says. I want to make sure he doesn’t ever hurt Blaire again. Sawyer and I have reason to believe he’s the one who caused her accident. We’re positive.”

I keep my face blank, internally processing while also simultaneously seething with violent anger. I understand what he wants and why he wants it. I can’t change my past failures, but I’ll be damned if I don’t protect those I care about now.

“Okay.”

“I owe you.”

“You don’t. This is my penance. It’s not your burden to bear, brother. I’ll take care of it.”

Dallas nods and walks out. He knows I don’t talk about it, and pressing won’t get any of them anywhere.

I wait for him to leave the building before I step on the small wood panel of the floorboard under my desk. It pops loose and I kneel down to remove it, making a big enough space for my hand to reach in and pull out the burner phone I keep there.

Flipping it open, I bring up a new text message to the only number in the phone.

Me:

Need a hit. Andrew Cain, just released from WSP. Make it happen.

Unknown:

You’ll owe me

Me:

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