Page 17 of Vengeance & Sin

Instead, he turns and walks out the door. Spencer follows him without a word, but as I go to follow, I stop, lingering for a moment, unable to leave her when she still looks so sad.

“Don’t worry about Ricky. He’ll come around. He just doesn’t like things that are out of his control. Give him a few days. You’ll see he’s really a big teddy bear.” I tell her in a low voice, just in case the guys are lingering in the hall. It’s kinda true but also not something I think he would want me to be broadcasting.

She looks up and gives me a small smile. It's forced but still better than the sad look she had before.

“Good night.” I tell her as I head out and close the door behind me.

When I get into the hall, Spencer and Rick are both missing. I assume we don't have any business to handle tonight. Despite the fact that I slept for the better part of the day, I still feel exhausted. I rub a hand over my face and decide to talk to them tomorrow about everything. I'm not sure what is going on, but we need to discuss it. She might not have said anything to Rick’s parents about our involvement tonight, but that doesn’t mean she won’t.

I flop down on my back in the middle of my bed and groan. Why the fuck does everything have to be so damn annoying all the time. Can’t we have one quiet day?

A soft knock on my door pulls me from my thoughts. I know right away it’s not either of the guys because we don’t ever knock. Maybe it's Clair about something? I get up and go to the door, but when I open it, it’s the last person I expect.

Jade.

She stands in front of my door in nothing but my old shirt. It falls to her mid-thigh, her very bare mid-thigh. Her hair is out of the twin braids and hangs loosely down her back, reaching almost the end of the shirt.

My eyes get stuck to her bare legs before I can stop myself, but once I look at them, I can’t force myself to look away. It has nothing to do with how nice her legs are, though. I mean, her legs are very nice, but it’s the scars that litter them that hold my attention.

Most of them look old, but I also notice she has a few bruises in random spots that are newer based on the fact that they are still there and have yet to start fading. Just looking at them makes me clench my fists before I pull my eyes away and look back at her face.

If she notices me staring, she doesn't say anything. Instead, she smiles up at me, and I unclench my fists.

“Sorry. I know it’s late, and you're probably going to bed, but I just wanted to return this to you.” She holds out her hands, and I look down to see what she could possibly be offering me.

My knife!

My gaze snaps back to hers so fast that I have to look back down again to make sure my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me.

Nope.

How the fuck did she get my knife?

I open my mouth to ask her, but she extends her hands to me in offering. I scoop my knife out of her hands before she drops them back down to her sides.

She gives me a small smile, “I’m sorry. I took it last night because I thought I might need it, and I didn’t have another option, but I didn’t, so I wanted to return it.” Again, her cheeks flush with embarrassment, and I can’t find it in myself to even be upset, though I want to be.

She stole from me, and of all the things she could take, she took my favorite knife. But she did it to keep herself safe, and she’s giving it back even though she didn’t have to. I would have never connected it missing to her, not in a million years.

I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes out. When was the last time I was speechless? The guys would never believe it.

Fuck, neither of the guys would believe she stole it, either. That’s my thing; I’ve been lifting shit off people since before I was a teenager. Not only did she get my favorite knife, but she did it so well that I never even knew it was missing.

Before I can get my shit together, she turns and walks back to her room, closing the door and leaving me standing in my doorway like a dumb ass.

Wondering who the fuck this girl is.

Having a stranger in the house has me tossing and turning for the better part of the night. Finally, at around six in the morning, I call it quits and just give up on sleep in favor of getting up to get some coffee. I’m sure Rick is already up, and we more than likely have shit to handle today. Hopefully, it’s not anything extreme, considering I’m running on such little sleep.

I shower, throwing on jeans and a tee before grabbing my smokes from my nightstand, tucking my gun in my jeans, and sliding on my leather.

I make my way down the hall through the dining room and into the kitchen. The smell of coffee calls to me long before I enter. Rick is leaning against the counter next to the coffee pot as he waits for it to finish brewing. He looks up when he hears me and gives me a nod.

I return it before taking a seat at the breakfast bar to wait. Neither of us says anything, and a few minutes later, the pot is full. Rick pulls down two mugs and fills them both up, throwing two scoops of sugar in mine before sliding it down the counter to me and putting milk in his own. I grab it and bring it to my lips, craving caffeine far too much to worry about how hot it is.

I down my coffee in just a few sips before I get up and rinse my cup, setting it in the sink. Rick is still standing at the counter drinking his coffee as I turn and lean against it to face him. “So what’s the word today from the boss?” I ask him.

Rick doesn’t answer me. Instead, he puts his finger to his lips to hush me before his eyes dart to the doorway letting me know we aren't alone. Considering the time, I know Zander is still asleep. He never wakes unless someone wakes him up. Rick’s parents would be gone for the day already, which means Jade must be awake.

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