Page 193 of Fury

“Reich showed up at Butler’s yesterday. Tania was there, and he took her when she left his place.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “Took her?”

“Held her hostage to piss Butler off and—”

“No.” She put a hand to her mouth.

“Butler and Catch got her out. She’s at the Jacks’. I saw Grace there earlier this morning, I thought maybe she would’ve called you.”

“She did but I had my phone off. I just saw that she’d called as you walked in.” She swallowed hard, her breaths coming faster. “What did he do to her?”

“It’s what Scrib did to her.”

Her brow knit, face went pale. “Scrib? What’s Scrib got to do with anything?”

“Seems he and Reich are pals. Scrib wants to do business in our parts, and Reich brought him in.”

Her eyes hung on mine. “What did he do to her?”

“Cut an F into her chest.”

She stumbled back. I grabbed her, setting her down on the bright yellow couch. “Hey, hey. Look at me. Look at me, Lenore.” I slid my arm around her pulling her close, her head falling on my chest.

“No, no, no. It can’t be. Can’t be...” she murmured against my skin.

I smoothed a hand down the side of her cool face. “They’re eager and desperate.”

“That’s a lethal combination,” she breathed.

“I’m not letting this stand. My boys got Reich tied up at my club. I’m heading over there now, but I had to see you first. I had to.” I took her cold hand in mine and she didn’t pull it away. I brought it to my lips and kissed it. “I had to.”

She pressed deeper against me, curling into me, and my muscles tensed, my heart knocked in my chest.

This, once more. This.

“And Scrib?” Her lips moved against the base of my throat, the skin burning there.

“I’m going to take care of Scrib.” My fingers sifted through her hair. So soft, the scent of flowers rising. Not sweet, but edged in green. Clean, fresh air bottled in a forest after the rain. I buried my face in the purply blue and black waves. “I’m going to keep him away from you. I won’t let him get to you.”

Her nails dug into my flesh. “So many years have gone by, but...oh shit. I still see his face sometimes. Hear that voice of his. Feel that—”

“I hear his laugh.”

“That fucking laugh.”

I kissed the top of her head, holding her tighter. “They’re not getting away with this.”

She looked up at me, our choppy breaths mingling, her eyes dark teal pools of swollen emotion.

My thumb grazed her quivering bottom lip. “Serena—”

“We gave up so much to stay safe from them, keep those around us safe, and yet even after all this time, it’s as if everything we went through doesn’t even matter.”

I raised her chin with my hand. “Baby, I’m putting an end to this shit. And they’re gonna pay.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll keep you safe.”

---