I’m going to show her how strong she is. She can take anything thrown her way. That’s why she’s one of us, meant to be.
“I promise. No more secrets.” I hope I can keep that promise to her but if her life is in danger I might need to break it.
She leans her forehead on my bicep with a deep breath as I stroke my fingers through her long hair. The purple is really fading from her hair, the dark brown showing more.
“I need the same from you too though, baby girl. No secrets. We need to know everything.” I hate even saying that but if she keeps it to herself, it's a barrier between us and an obstacle to actually keeping her safe.
I just hope she doesn’t hear about what I’ve been up to since she’s been staying at Dalton’s. She won’t trust me ever again. Last time she saw me with Paris, she sent me a look of loathing like she couldn’t stand the sight of me. I’m trying here, but I’m not perfect and never will be. Everything I do is to keep her safe and if that means hurting her in the process, so be it.
“Not today. Just not today okay? Soon.” She stiffens in my arms and steps back with a sad smile.
“Very soon. We can’t wait long. I’ll let the guys know you need more time.” She nods and grabs my hand as she starts walking back towards the shore just as the sun starts to disappear along the water’s edge.
She suddenly stops in the middle of the beach and turns towards me with a worried expression.
“What di–did you guys do with Pay–Payne’s body and the rest of the Demon Jokers?” She stumbles over her words and does that thing again where her eyes go distant like she’s somewhere else.
“You don’t have to worry about him ever again. He’s gone for good. We sent his head back in a box to the rest of the Demon Jokers along with the rest of them scattered in hazard containers. Don’t worry about him anymore,” I reassure her and guide her back to my bike with her hand wrapped in mine as she trails behind me.
“That’s not who I’m worried about,” she mutters under her breath so quietly to herself I almost don’t hear her.
We need to have that talk sooner rather than later.
“Come on. Let’s get you back to Dalton. He’s probably going out of his mind.” I stop by my bike and watch her easily climb on like she’s done it a million times.
She grasps my palm and swings her leg over the seat while making room for me. Once I’m in front of her, her arms immediately circle my waist and hold on tight.
“Logan?” she whispers in my ear from behind, lips grazing my earlobe.
“Yeah?” I say over my shoulder, feeling her cheek rest along mine.
“You're still an asshole. Don’t betray me, or you’ll wish you never did,” she threatens darkly and in a low, seductive whisper.
Son of a bitch. Every single time. She only has to breathe or look at me and I instantly want her.
“I’ll probably always be an asshole, baby girl. Trust me,” I reply back and start my bike with a twist of my wrist, drowning out any response she would have.
Fuck. I’m screwed.
Cruz
I’ve always found it fascinating when someone is on the brink of death how much they beg, willing to give anything up to me just to see another sunrise. It’s pathetic really. They don’t deserve to live and it will be my hand to bring them to their end as it should be.
“Are you done playing with your toys, Cruz, or can we move on?” Nix questions me from his spot by the door he’s been leaning against since we arrived.
I found this abandoned factory and set it up as a shop of horrors for a few days. Screams really echo in here, bouncing back to me like a never-ending loop of torture. Makes my dick hard.
I don’t respond back to Nix. The fuckhead’s been getting on my nerves for days. Checking in with Payne and reporting everything I’m doing like some babysitter. I should just kill him. Tempting, very tempting but not just yet.
Nix rolls his eyes and fishes out his phone when it starts to ring, strolling to the other side of the building out of earshot. I turn back towards the mess in front of me and can’t stop the smile spreading across my lips at the sight. Slicking back my dirty blond hair, I walk around the area from all sides, feeling nothing and everything at the same time.
When I first grabbed the trucker outside of the hotel, I kept him alive for a couple of days until I had all the information I needed. It was easy pulling out answers to the questions I had for him, but the way he squealed like a pig as I peeled off layers of his skin until he was just a meat bag? The animalistic sounds still ring in my ears, making my endorphins high for days.
He begged for mercy but I wasn’t feeling very happy with him. By his answers, he didn’t seem to know much about the girl he picked up in the middle of the desert. But I could smell a lie, he was trying to be brave by not giving up Tillie. I was growing bored and when I’m bored, the real fun begins. He started singing eventually but what he gave me only pissed me the fuck off. He got to the part of her giving him a lap dance and never seeing her again, and that’s when I saw red, knowing he touched what’s mine. I pulled more information out of him by slowly torturing him. He told me everything by the time I was pulling his toenails off with my knife digging under his nails. He dropped her off at the bus station downtown and if he took too long to answer every single detail, I started prying out his teeth by cutting his gums with my knife.
So here we are days later, trucker Adam dead in the corner of the room and my next victim ready for a torture session. An old, abandoned tire factory is the perfect place to hear the young employee who works at the bus station sobbing for her life. Everything echoes right back to me.
“Please. I don’t know anything. She bought two different bus tickets but I’m not sure which one she got on! That’s all I know!” she cried out, her gaze trying to follow me as I circled her.
