Page 72 of Needing to Fall
When Lynx put the truck in park, the unease coursed through my veins. I almost felt like I was on one of those crime scene shows and a bunch of cameras would jump out at me at any time.
“No one’s in there. It’ll just be the three of us,” Lynx said, resting his hand on my thigh, obviously sensing my nerves going aflame.
Giving him a soft smirk, I placed my hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. “What do we do?”
I might have lived on the streets for a year and done some questionable things, but taking a man covered in duct tape into a scary as hell house was something I had never done, especially when I just wanted to ask him questions and find out why. Nevertheless, I trusted Lynx, so whatever was about to go down, I would follow his lead, wherever that might go.
“First, get out of the truck.”
I giggled and immediately wiped my features clean. I should not be laughing at a time like this, but Lynx had a way of making me feel at ease during anything, even this.
“Right.” I opened the door and jumped down, the chill from the night making my skin prickle.
Lynx came around the truck and opened the door to the back where Trey was, grabbing him by the ankle and pulling him out. Trey plummeted to the ground and cried out from the fall. His eyes were locked on Lynx’s angry ones.
Trey began shaking his head back and forth, mumbling something through the tape. Lynx gave Trey a kick to the side, and I jumped. This was definitely not the Lynx I knew. This was darker, sinister, demanding, and it probably made me a sicko, but seeing him so strong over Trey was a huge turn on.
“Gotta carry the fucker,” Lynx said, picking Trey up around the waist and walking to the door. “Babe?” he called out.
I hightailed it to the door.
“It’s open.”
I turned the handle, and the door creaked open as if it hadn’t been opened in hundreds of years. I searched the wall for a switch as Lynx brushed by me. A loud thud then sounded right before Trey’s groans.
Locating the switch, I flipped it. Nothing. I tried again. Nothing. We were lucky the moonlight was flowing in, lighting up the room in a soft glow. Still, I wanted lights. I wanted to see what was going on. I didn’t like the unknown.
“Babe.”
I looked to Lynx.
“Over there.” He pointed to a rotted old chest that had a lantern sitting on the top. “Here,” he called out before tossing me a box of matches. Luckily, my reflexes were pretty good, and I caught them with ease.
I lit the match and then touched it to the wick, bringing the lantern to life. The space was something I would have stayed in when I was living on the streets. The plastered walls were falling down, and the hardwood floors looked so tattered I was glad to have shoes on. I inhaled the smell of mold or mildew. It must have been coming from the only sitting spot in the room, a dirty, stained couch. It was funny, because back in the day, I would have loved to have something as dirty as a couch to lie on instead of crawling under the viaduct to sleep. It was strange how life changed.
“All right,” Lynx said, tearing off the tape from Trey’s mouth as he continued to lie on the floor.
A yelp of pain streamed from his lips at the yank. Lynx then kicked his taped up legs, only for Trey to let out another sound.
I stood back, taking it all in and trusting Lynx.
“What the fuck, man?” Trey barked out with more balls than I thought he should have considering the menacing, murderous look on Lynx’s face. Most men would cower in a corner. Hell, if I didn’t know Lynx, I would.
Anger pulsed from every angle of Lynx’s body, and his jaw ticked before he said, “The fuck is, you told Reign here shit that wasn’t true. That shit caused problems. Now you’re gonna tell us why the fuck you lead her to Devin.”
My heart clenched at the mention of Devin, but I didn’t let it show. I wanted answers. I deserved them.
“Fuck off. Do you know who I work for?” Trey antagonized Lynx, which I thought was a really, really bad move.
Two kicks to the gut had my hands instantly coming around my stomach, like that would protect me from the blows, as if they were really happening to me.
“I know exactly who the fuck you work for, asshole. Unlike you, I get my information right the first time.” Lynx picked Trey up by the arm and threw him to the couch. It was amazing the strength Lynx had. “Also unlike you, I talk to people. I know a lot.” Lynx’s eyes glared into Trey’s.
I wondered who this man worked for and if we were going to be in trouble because of it. I knew how the streets worked, and blowback occurred all the time. I didn’t want that for Lynx and me. I wanted to know why Trey had done what he did, but not at the cost of us getting in trouble from big players.
“Fuck off,” Trey repeated before Lynx slapped him across the mouth. Trey spat blood out onto the floor. “He’s going to take you out, motherfucker,” he chided.
“Oh, yeah? Okay, then tell us the information, and we’ll all get out of here.” Lynx surprised me by changing tactics as quick as a shark.
