Page 52 of Haunted

“Get out of the car, asshole.”

I should’ve expected Duncan to be the one they sent afterme, though I could’ve done without his dramatic flair. Bastard probably dented the hood of my car with his meaty paw.

Stepping out before he decided to pound it again, I rounded the hood on a mission. Nothing, and no one, was going to stop me from tearing the world apart in the name of justice for my Little Bird. I was a bull and all I saw was red. Until I saw stars. Both the literal and figurative kind.

One minute I was charging the man I respected more than anyone on the planet, the next I was sprawled on my back looking up into the night sky.

Fuck, that hurt.

“How’d that work out for ya?”

He towered over me like I was some ant he could crush beneath his size fifteen boots without breaking a sweat. Actually, he’d just done it, knocking the air from my lungs and the wind from my sails with one sweep of his leg.

“Not very well,” I groaned, flipping onto my hands and knees, then pushed to my feet.

“The hardest part is yet to come. Should I head to Home Depot to buy plaster to fix Lanie’s walls or are you gonna be able to hold your shit together.”

“How bad is it?”

“It’s not pretty, but your girl’s a fighter.”

“I should’ve been there,” I snarled.

“How? For fuck’s sake, Keaton, you didn’t know she existed two months ago.”

“Not then. Tonight, goddammit.”

I walked away from him, needing a moment to collect my thoughts. The constant flow of guilt was pushing at me from all sides, crushing me with its intensity. Reality was a bitch of a pill to swallow.

“You finished with your snit so we can put this predator behind bars?”

“Did Nelson say whether he found anything else on him?”

“Nothing yet. On paper, he’s a saint, but we both know the only time you’re squeaky clean?—”

“Is when you’re filthy dirty,” I finished. “What’s the plan?”

“First order of business is for you to let go of whatever bullshit blame you’ve laid on yourself.” His words struck like his left hook: strong and lethal.

“How would you feel if the roles were reversed?”

“Kid, I was in your shoes before you knew how to tie them. Except the woman I loved was hurt while I stood there and watched.” I was stunned…frozen on the spot. He’d never been so open about his past and I was afraid to breathe for fear he’d stop talking. “You wanna know what true guilt feels like? Try looking in the mirror every day and knowing there was nothing you could do to stop her pain. Then you come talk to me about yourso-calledguilt.”

Duncan turned to walk away, but hesitated, reaching into his front pocket. I heard the distinct pinging sound of two objects hitting the ground as he tossed something at my feet before delivering one final shot.

“Is she the one?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Then why are you out here?”

There was no time to respond before he hustled up the stairs, taking them two at a time before disappearing through the door, leaving me on the sidewalk wondering the same thing.

“Shit.”

My foot slid across something round with the first step I took, nearly taking me to my back for the second time in ten minutes. Glancing down, I saw the reason behind my slip and my engine trouble. I had to give props where they were due. Pulling the spark plugs out of my car was an ingenious move, even if Duncan was an asshole for doing it. I knew I should’ve never given him the spare set of keys to my car.

After picking them up, I made my way inside, ignoring the concerned glares from my team as I strode across the room. Henley’s jeweled eyes widened a fraction when I didn’t simply stop in front of her. Instead, dipping down, I scooped her into my arms—bridal style—before taking a seat with her ass on my thigh and her legs draped across my lap. The wariness I’d witnessed flit over her features when I came back in wasn’t lost on me, in fact it made me feel like an even bigger dick for storming out the way I had. She’d been through hell, and my behavior only added to her worries when I should’ve been comforting her.

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