Page 48 of Vicious in the Dark

A heavy tread behind me preceded Ruthless’s gruff voice. “Nice job, Baby Girl. You haven’t lost your touch.”

“Of course not,” I quipped, enjoying his praise in a naughty way. “Can’t let myself get rusty.”

“Let’s get him up on his feet.” Ruthless leaned down to grab Derek’s arm. He waited for me to rise and move out of the way before dragging Derek up into a standing position.

“Watch it,” the slimeball cried, trying and failing to pull free of Ruthless. “My goddamn wrist is broken.”

Ruthless glanced at me and raised a brow. “Shit, Mave. You already did half the job for me. Now what will I break?”

A sinister grin exposed Ruthless’s dark side. It still made me swoon.

“How about a leg?” I suggested, winking at Derek. “Or the other arm.”

“Fucking bitch,” Derek muttered, scowling at Ruthless’s vice-like grip. “Isn’t this enough? I probably won’t be able to ride my damn bike now.”

Ruthless stiffened, his smile fading. “What the hell did you just call her?”

“Nothing, man.” Vigorously shaking his head, Derek went into panic mode. “I swear. Just letting off some steam.”

His cold, dark gaze landing on me, Ruthless said, “Arm or leg, Mave. It’s your call.”

“Come on, man. That’s not necessary. I’m sorry.” With each word Derek’s voice rose in pitch. He struggled to break free from Ruthless who easily held him.

I eyed the squirming coward, wondering how the Crypt Keepers found him worthy. Scooping the knife I’d thrown at Derek off the ground where it had fallen, I wiped the bloody tip clean on his t-shirt before sheathing the weapon.

“Leg,” I said dispassionately, giving Ruthless ample room. There was no sympathy for the enemy in our world.

Without hesitation, Ruthless savagely kicked the side of Derek’s knee. The crunch and pop that followed made my stomach turn. I didn’t flinch though. Not a twitch. Derek’s scream cut off as he passed out cold from the pain, hitting the ground.

Suddenly Ruthless was in front of me, backing me up against the side of the warehouse. He wrapped a hand around the side of my bruised neck, his fingers gripping my jaw. Our eyes locked. His brow furrowed as he searched me, but for what I didn’t know. I tilted my head to one side, curiously studying him. Then Ruthless’s mouth was on mine.

He kissed me with a raw aggression, an angry passion that I never saw coming. It took me by surprise. Not that I minded. Ruthless had been a harsh dick to me since I got back, but the way he kissed me confirmed that he still wanted me. Despite what made him so icy toward me, that never changed.

It also confirmed that I still responded to him. I still wondered what it would be like to lie under a man like Ruthless. Would he spank my ass and pull my hair like Maddox? Or have more of an affectionate but kinky side like Wolfe? Maybe he’d be nothing like either of them. I imagined that he’d fuck me far differently now than he would have all those years ago.

Our tongues battled for dominance as he plundered my mouth. I slid an arm around his neck, kissing him back with fierce determination. After the way he’d treated me so far, I couldn’t simply submit to Ruthless. He had to work for it. A small growl rumbling in his throat, Ruthless pressed a knee between my legs, forcing them apart.

The click of a hammer being cocked broke us apart. Ruthless whirled to face the threat, using his body to block me. Derek still lay on the ground, pushed up onto one elbow, gun in hand. Turning our backs on him had been beyond fucking stupid.

Before Ruthless could draw his weapon, the sound of a bullet being fired reverberated around us. Derek flopped back on the ground with a bullet hole in his forehead as Maddox emerged from the shadows, gun in hand.

Lips pressed into a tight line, Maddox shook his head and sighed. “We’re never getting that money back. R.J. will probably leave town now that they’ve been exposed. What the fuck were the two of you thinking? You both know better than that. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

WOLFE

“Cool it, Wolfe. They’ll be back, and you’ll see that she’s just fine. Here, take the edge off.” Ace offered me the joint he casually puffed on while leaning against my Mustang.

Plucking the joint from his fingertips, I continued to pace back and forth outside the gate blocking the rest of the driveway. Ever since Rumer Hart called to tell me that Maddox had taken Maven, I’d been unable to sit or stand still. The need to wrap my hands around my brother’s throat and squeeze kept my blood pumping hard.

“I’m sick of waiting,” I snapped, glaring down the street in the direction Maddox was most likely to return from. “I’m ready to climb the wall. She could be in there right now, locked up like an animal.”

Sucking the marijuana smoke deep into my lungs gave me only a brief reprieve from my emotional upheaval. Maddox had gone too far this time. The cocky bastard really thought he could pull a stunt like this and get away with it.

“Fuck that. We’re not climbing the wall.” Ace chuckled, making me envy his ability to stay so calm and cool. “Remember when we did that after hooking up with those two sisters? We were trying to sneak back in at like four in the morning.”

I did remember. We set off the alarm and woke the entire household. My father almost shot our dumb asses. He’d been pissed. We’d been young, maybe sixteen. Maven had come into our lives around the same time, quickly stealing my focus from other girls. She’d become my everything.

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