Page 44 of Carnival Mayhem

“Instead?” Colt prompts gently.

“Instead, I feel like I can breathe again. Like maybe there’s actually a way forward.” I squeeze Colt’s hand. “For the first time since I was sixteen, I feel light might be at the end of this tunnel.”

Nash’s arms tighten around me. “There is. We’ll make sure of it.”

I turn my head to look up at him, then back to Colt. These two men have shown me what it means to be cherished rather than degraded, protected rather than controlled. Who believe me without question and hold my broken pieces like they’re precious.

20

COLT

Ipace the length of our trailer, my hands clenching and unclenching as the rage burns through my veins. Nash sits at the small dining table, his silence more dangerous than any outburst could be. The cold calculation in his eyes mirrors the ice in my chest.

“They touched her.” My voice comes out rough. “They hurt our girl.”

Nash’s fingers drum against the table surface. “We’ll make them wish they’d never laid eyes on her.”

I stop pacing and brace my hands on the counter, trying to contain the violent urges coursing through me. The thought of those monsters putting their hands on Flora, hurting her when she was just sixteen... My knuckles turn white from gripping the counter’s edge.

“It needs to look like an accident,” Nash says, his tone measured but deadly. “We can’t have this traced back to the carnival, back to her.”

I nod, understanding the necessity for discretion even as every fiber of my being screams to hunt them down right now. “They’ll be watching her. Waiting for another chance.”

“Then we’ll give them one.” Nash stands, moving to stand beside me. His presence steadies my rage into something more focused. “We let them think they have an opening. Draw them out.”

“And then?”

Nash’s eyes meet mine. “Then we show them what happens to anyone who dares hurt what’s ours.”

I straighten, a cold smile spreading across my face. “We make sure they never hurt another girl again.”

“Never,” Nash agrees, his hand gripping my shoulder. “We protect our own, Colt. And Flora is ours to protect now.”

We stand there in silent agreement, two predators planning the demise of those who dared harm our girl. The rage still burns, but now it has a purpose. Direction. Those bastards won’t know what hit them.

“Phoenix could track them,” I say, moving to grab my phone from the counter. “He’s got ways of monitoring their movements, their messages.”

Nash nods, his expression darkening. “He owes me a favor anyway. And he’s got all those surveillance toys he never gets to use.”

I pull up Phoenix’s contact and hit dial. He answers on the second ring, his voice groggy. “This better be important. I was in the middle of coding.”

“Need your help, man. We have two targets we need to monitor. Tommy and Jake Lowley.” I grip the phone tighter. “They’re a threat to Flora.”

“Who are they to her?” Phoenix asks.

I clear my throat. “Flora’s foster brothers. And they abused her.”

There’s a pause, followed by the sound of typing. Phoenix’s tone shifts from irritated to serious. “Give me everything you’ve got on them. Phone numbers, social media, addresses.”

Nash leans closer to the phone. “We need to know their movements, any messages about Flora or the carnival. They’re planning something.”

“Consider it done,” Phoenix says. “I’ll set up alerts for any communication between them, track their phones, monitor their social media. If they sneeze in Flora’s direction, you’ll know about it.”

“Thanks, Phoenix.” I share a look with Nash. “We owe you.”

“No, you don’t. Nobody messes with our family.” More typing sounds come through the line. “I’ll have everything set up within the hour. Just... whatever you’re planning, be careful.”

“Aways are,” Nash says firmly.

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