Page 34 of Haunted By the Storm
I release his throat and step back to regain control. Killing him now would be too quick, too merciful. I want him to understand exactly what will happen if he ever goes near Camryn or Emily again.
"Here's what's going to happen," I say, my voice steady despite the rage pulsing through me. "You're going to tell your buddy Cantlay that the Fury Vipers are now involved in your debt. That changes the equation considerably."
Eric's eyes widen at the implication. "You'll pay it?"
"No," I say flatly. "He's going to forgive it, or he's going to have a much bigger problem than one deadbeat gambler. But that's for us to handle."
"He won't just forget fifty grand," Eric protests.
"Then he'll be scraping what's left of you off the sidewalk," I reply without sympathy. "Either way, your debt to him is no longer Camryn's problem."
I nod to Shadow, who releases Eric's twisted arm, allowing him to slump against the wall. "As for you," I continue. "You are never to contact Camryn or Emily again. Never to look at them, speak to them, or think about them. They don't exist for you anymore. Understand?"
"And if I don't?" he challenges, apparently still not grasping the seriousness of his situation.
I smile; it’s a cold expression that has made hardened criminals wet themselves. "Then I'm going to hurt you in ways that will make you beg for death long before I grant it."
To drive the point home, I step forward and propel my knee into his groin with brutal force. He doubles over, retching, as pain radiates through his body. I grab his hair, yanking his head back to look at me.
"That's just a taste," I promise. "Cross me on this, and I'll make sure there's nothing left of you for Cantlay to collect."
I release him, letting him fall to his knees. "Consider that a warning. Next time won't be a conversation."
As we turn to leave, Eric's voice, thin with pain, stops me. "She never told me," he gasps. "About the baby. She never told me."
I look back at him, contempt flooding my veins. "Why would she? You weren't a father. You were a nightmare she had to survive."
We leave him there, bloodied and broken in the alley, a warning delivered that even a fool would understand. Butas we walk back to our bikes, I know it isn't over. Cantlay won't simply write off fifty grand, even with the Fury Vipers involved. We've just traded one problem for another.
Still, that is club business—something we can handle. The important thing is that Eric won't be bothering Camryn or Emily again. I've made sure of that.
"Feel better?" Shadow asks as we climb onto our bikes.
I flex my bruised knuckles, considering the question. The rage is still there, banked but not extinguished. It won't be fully satisfied until I know Camryn and Emily are permanently safe.
"No," I admit. "But it's a start."
The memory of the confrontation fades as thunder crashes outside my window, bringing me back to the present. The storm is moving away now, the gaps between lightning and thunder growing longer, the rain softening to a gentle patter against the glass.
I scrub a hand over my face, exhaustion finally catching up to me. It's been a hell of a day, from confronting Eric to that unexpected kiss with Camryn. A kiss that changes everything and nothing all at once.
Because the facts remain the same: Camryn and Emily need protection. Eric might be temporarily neutralized, but Cantlay is still out there, and he'll want his money. The threat has shifted, not disappeared.
And then there's the more complicated reality: Camryn deserves better than me. Better than a man whose first instinct is violence, whose life is intertwined with a world she clearly wants no part of. A man whose road name is literally the thing she fears most.
Yet when I kissed her, she didn't pull away. When I held her during the storm, she relaxed into my arms rather than tensing up. When I promised to keep her safe, she believed me.
That trust is both a gift and a burden, one I'm determined not to squander.
My phone buzzes on the nightstand, pulling me from my thoughts. A text from Ace.
Meeting tomorrow, 9 a.m. Cantlay situation.
I text back a quick acknowledgment then toss the phone aside. Tomorrow will bring new challenges, new decisions to make. But for tonight, I'll allow myself to savor the memory of Camryn's lips against mine, her body pressing close, and the trust in her eyes when she looked at me.
For tonight, that's enough.
CHAPTER NINE
