Page 55 of Haunted Prey

PART 3

SUSPICIOUS MINDS

CHAPTER TWELVE

EMERY

She was quiet now, but I could still feel the heat coming off her, the tension in her body, her heart hammering under my hand. She’d fought like a damn wildcat, my fierce little rabbit, but now that we’d come into our side of the city, she stopped fighting and went still, staring out the window, looking confused, not understanding where we were taking her.

Just to hold her like this was everything. I thought I could keep her like this forever. I didn’t want to let her go. Now that I had her back, someone might have to pry my cold dead fingers off her.

I knew she was upset, knew I’d have to calm her down, show her she was safe.

I was beginning to realize what a fucking stupid idea it was to grab her like this. She was scared, really scared. I told myself I never wanted to see her scared of me like this again. Yet, the others said tonight was our best chance, but that we needed to be covered, needed to hide our faces, couldn’t give ourselves away.

So I donned a mask again and was forced to hide.

I wish I’d done it another way, but the twins were willing to help as long as I did it their way. And I couldn’t risk gettingcaught. Uncertain of who else might be watching. Or guarding her.

My hold tightened on her thinking of that motherfucker who shot me. Let him try to take her from me again and see where he got put in the ground.

I closed my eyes as Dom raced back to the church.

No, I needed to get my head clear, needed to drain these violent tendencies out of me. Let the past burn away. I was smart enough to understand I needed to get my act together, needed to leave the anger and terror behind.

For Eve.

And for myself.

As Dom turned down a desolate road toward our home, she trembled against me, her face turning away from the window. I wished she’d turn and look at me instead, look me in the eyes so I could stare at her, feel her, know she was real, and this wasn’t some bittersweet dream. I almost asked her to until I felt something wet hit my hand.

Oh, baby. What have I done?

Her tears hit my arm and I was scared now, because if she turned and looked at me teary-eyed, I might break.

I’d promised so many things in the dark. Anything to have her back. But this had been the price, and I was a selfish piece of shit.

You’re right, Em. You are. Can’t do anything right. That’s why she’ll leave you.

I didn’t allow myself to react to Nina’s words even if, for once, she was probably right.

I wanted to comfort Eve instead. But we were turning into the church, driving down into the garage, and I wanted to get her inside first. Then I’d do whatever I had to, to fix what I’d already fucked up.

As Dom pulled in next to Lez’s Dodge Hellcat and parked, I kept hold of Eve while getting out. She didn’t struggle this time, just gazed around, still confused, probably wondering why we brought her to an abandoned church. Her mask had slipped off in her struggle so I got a good look at her. Her face was wet from tears, pale, with dark circles under her eyes. I knew this wasn’t all my doing. I remembered she looked that way ever since they put her in that hellhole, Severfalls.

“Where are we?” she whispered. I wasn’t sure if she was asking me or just thinking out loud, but I decided to answer.

“Somewhere safe. Like I promised.”

She looked at me, and I thought maybe my heart stopped for a second as her eyes finally locked with mine. She didn’t say a word, just searched the darkness where my eyes lay hidden behind the mask.

As we stared at each other, Dom moved around us and took out the wheelchair from the trunk. Lez cursed as he opened the car door.

“Please don’t do this,” Eve’s friend begged.

Eve peered around me. I barely moved my eyes from her to notice Lez carrying the girl out of the car while Dom had her chair and was starting for the door leading inside.

Lez still had his knife pressed to the girl, as if she could actually do anything.

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