Five.
Four.
Three.
Two.
“You motherfuckers!”
A grin draws on my face. Giddiness washes over me. The way that one might feel when they do something good. The way happiness rolls through your body, hitting every nerve.
Marni Thorn has no idea what we have planned for her. The Rebels have a new pledge. She just doesn’t know it yet.
“Where the hell is my car?”
I draw in a long drag of my cigarette with a smirk, exhaling a laughter-filled cloud. “It’s not out there? Hmm, that’s weird.”
Her long legs stalk toward me with ambition, her open-palmed hand swings and meets the side of my cheek. “You stupid motherfucker! Where the hell is my damn car?”
More laughter rolls. The sting of her imprint on my cheek is noticeable, but not in a painful way. Instead of pissing me off, it does the exact opposite. I’m beginning to find her little outbursts sexy as hell. My dick hardens instantly as I grab her by the waist and pull her close. “You’re gonna pay for that one, baby girl.”
Hands continue to flap around, hitting my chest. “I fucking hate you! Now, let me go!”
“Where ya gonna go? You plan to run ten miles into town?”
“Tommy! Lars!” She begins shouting at the top of her lungs as she continues to flop like a dead fish in my arms.
“It’s pointless, no one can hear you.” I lean forward, grazing my teeth over the lobe of her ear. “They left. It’s just you and me.”
My words shut down her movements, her body frozen in my arms. The beat of her heart pounding against my chest. “Wh-where did everyone go?” Her voice cracks.
Trailing my lips up the crease of her neck, I stop when our noses touch. “I told you. There is a party and we are going. Now, if you’ll quit acting like a disobedient child and do what I say, we can go have a little fun while the night’s still young.”
She breathes out a sigh, reacting as if just breathing is painful for her at this point. “Why are you doing this?”
“I know that none of this makes sense right now, but someday, it will. What you need to do is quit asking questions, do as you're told, and keep your mouth shut.”
“You made a ridiculous comment about me moving in with you. Why?”
“Oh, it’s not ridiculous. You will be moving in.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Is that a question? Because that's not an option. You are moving in with me.”
“I’m not scared of you, Talon. You think that you can plant fear inside of me and keep me on a leash so I won’t go blab your secret. You can’t. I won’t tell anyone, but not because of this.” She looks down at the small space between us. “It’s because I don’t give a shit. Josh Moran was an obsessive freak. Maybe he deserved what he got. Personally, it’s not my business, and I could give two fucks about him. And I give zero fucks about you and your chain gang friends. So, let me the fuck go.” Catching me off guard, two hands meet my chest, and she shoves me backward.
In one swift motion, she’s back where she belongs with her breasts pressed firmly against my chest. Her feistiness almost more than my hungry cock can handle. It’s taking everything in me not to lay her down and fuck her in the company of every spirit in this place. Cupping her ass in both hands, I lift her up. Her legs straddle around me. The blue in her eyes shines through the darkness, landing on mine. This time, she doesn’t swing or kick. Her arms fold around my neck. “Guess what, baby girl, I’m not scared of you either.”
Her fingers rake through my hair before she fists a handful of it and jerks my head back. “Then why don’t you let me the fuck go?” She grits through her clenched teeth.
“Contrary to what you might think, this isn’t about what we did. This is about why we did it. So drop your goddamn attitude and walk with me to my car, so we can go home.”
“If I go, I want answers. All of them.”
“In time. You will know all that you need to know. Do we have a deal?”
“No. We don’t have a deal. But I will go with you. Because I’m not calling for a ride and answering a dozen questions about why I’m in this place alone.”
“Works for me.” I drop her down, and her legs catch her fall. When she begins heading for the front door, I grab her hand and pull her in the right direction. “My car’s back here.”
“And my car?” she questions. “I swear if there is a single scratch on it, you’re paying to have the entire thing repainted.
“Don’t you worry. No one scratched your precious BMW. Tommy went and picked it up from the impound, and you can have it back tomorrow.”
Her hand jerks away abruptly. “Impound!”
“Why else did you think the sheriff was here? He got a call about a trespasser from the owner of this place. I told him to tow it.”
“Was this all part of your elaborate scheme to silence me?”
Grabbing her hand once more, I pull her forward, and we continue walking. “Let’s just say that with the text messages, the video and the fact that your car was impounded on private property, we have no doubt that all suspicion could be directed at you with just the drop of your name.”
“Where is he? I mean, his body. Where did you...dispose of it?”
“Don’t worry about that. We’ve handled everything. No one will ever suspect that you killed Josh, if you just do as you’re told.”
For the first time tonight, she goes quiet. Giving me a chance to recollect my thoughts about the events of tonight. I’ve learned that this girl can turn me from soft to hard just by running her mouth. I’ve also learned that she has no idea about her part in Josh’s death. Let’s just hope we can keep it that way.
“Wait a minute? You own this place? Why in the world would you ever buy this pile of garbage?” she spits out, as if she’s had an epiphany.
“The place was set to be condemned. I couldn’t let that happen. It’s one of my favorite places in this town. It’s full of mystery, darkness, and secrets. While some may believe this house harbors death, it brings me to life. It’s a reminder that things could always be worse.”
Instead of speaking, she just nods and continues to walk. No fighting, no resistance.
Hopefully she finally realizes that she isn’t going anywhere.
Not unless I’m there with her.
This little firecracker riding copilot has no idea how much her life is about to change. Most men would feel guilty for what we’re doing, but me and the boys aren’t most men. We’ve all grown up in a darkness that has fucked up any feelings of empathy, regret, or compassion. A couple of us worse off than the others.
I look over and catch another glimpse of her innocence. Her head pressed back against the headrest as she stares out into the ugly world.
I’d suspected that she would drill me with a dozen questions, toss out some insults, maybe even try to flee from the moving vehicle, but to my surprise, she’s been quiet on the ride home. I’m not one for small talk, and I really have nothing to say to this girl, so I let the sounds of Breaking Benjamin blast too loud for either of us to get a word out.
When we reach the house, I turn down the private drive through the open gate. Cars wrap the turnaround, and a few people loiter around outside with drinks in their hands. Pulling up to the front of the house, I tap her leg to get her attention then turn down the music. She looks at me with tired eyes. “Remember everything I said. Not a word—about Josh or about tonight. Go up to the bathroom and clean up, then join me downstairs with a smile on your face.” I curl my lip. “It’s time to party, baby.”