Page 26 of Born Savage

“And I don’t know you. So, do you want to tell me why you’re looking for Scarlett like some psycho?” she asks bravely.

“Saw her get out of the car, barefoot. Shit didn’t look right. Is she okay?” I ask, though I seriously doubt this girl will give me a straight answer.

“She’s fine. It was just a bit of a rough night. Nothing that a hot shower, some Tylenol, and a good night’s sleep can’t fix,” she shares.

“And who are you?” I finally ask.

“I’m Roxy. I’ve been Scarlett’s best friend since second grade,” she answers.

“Okay, tell me everything that happened tonight,” I demand.

“Wait… You’re the new guy. Shark, right?” she asks and I feel my eyebrows pinch. “Yeah, she told me about you,” she says, seeming to answer my unspoken question.

“I’m not new, I’m fuckin’ old. Now stop stalling and tell me what happened,” I instruct through gritted teeth.

“Fine. I mean, I guess you guys are going to find out anyway,” she says, pushing out a deep breath. “I’m a cocktail waitress at Aria, and there’s this bartender that I’ve been trying to set Scarlett up with for a while. She came in last night. She was upset, so I decided to introduce them. I thought if she had a little fun that she’d relax and feel a little better. She had a couple drinks, so she left her car at the casino and came home with me. She went back tonight to get her car, but when it wouldn’t start, she ended up at the bar again. He offered her a ride home and apparently, he tried to get a little handsy with her in the car. And when she refused his advances, he left her on the side of the road,” she finishes and I feel my biceps flex as my hands clench into fists.

“What kind offriendintroduces her girlfriend to a fucking creep like that?” I growl and her lip quivers.

“I feel awful. I know it’s my fault, but I thought they were both my friends. I’ve worked with Alex for two years and never suspected he would try to force her to do anything. I never would have introduced them if I thought he was like that,” she rattles as her eyes get glassy.

“Sorry,” I apologize roughly. “It’s not your fault, it’s his. Now I need you to tell me everything you know about him, and where I can find him,” I tell her.

Within minutes Roxy has spilled all the details I need to find this fucker and make him pay.

“Stay with her until I get back,” I instruct as I pull my phone from my pocket and leave the room.

One quick phone call and I have all the real information I need. Alex’s complete background, even his mother’s fucking maiden name. But the piece I really needed is my sole focus as I hop on my bike. His current home address.

Eighteen

Shark

It’s late by the time I get to the small apartment complex. His place is dark, but as I approach, I catch the faint flicker of light, maybe a TV. My knuckles hit the door, echoing loudly in the quiet air surrounding me. If he’s asleep, he’s about to get woken the fuck up.

“It’s a little late,” he starts as the door cracks open. But his eyes quickly widen in surprise as he takes in my dark appearance on his doorstep. I’m definitely not who he was expecting.

“Shit, who are you? I…uh… I think that maybe you’ve got the wrong apartment,” he stutters.

“You Alex?” I question roughly.

“Uh…yeah,” he answers hesitantly.

“Then this is the right fuckin’ apartment,” I answer as the sound of faint moaning comes from inside. I lift my palm, planting it on the door and pushing it easily out from under him.

“Hey,” he whines in response.

“Damn, man. Didn’t even want to turn off the porn before answering the door,” I observe, seeing a laptop sitting on a small coffee table playing some heavy girl on girl action.

“I thought you might be Carly, my neighbor. Sometimes she joins me,” his face turns red as he shares more than I need to hear.

“Nope. Not Carly,” I offer before stepping through the open door and quickly closing it with a loud snap.

“I can see that. Who are you?” he asks bravely.

“Who I am doesn’t matter right now. Now shut that shit off and take a fuckin’ seat,” I instruct. Luckily, he can see I’m not someone to argue with and he does as he’s told.

“Now, let’s try to keep this nice and easy. I’m going to ask you a few questions and I want yes or no answers. Do you understand?” I ask.

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