She turned back to the rose bush and snipped off another bud. A drop of blood dripped down the pad of her finger from a thorn, but she hadn’t even flinched at the prick. She sifted through the flowers, ignoring the scratches to her hands as she cut more and more. She wasn’t even collecting them now. Instead, she merely cut the red flowers and let them fall to the ground.
Killing them for no reason.
She continued, ignoring me until the rose bush was bare of all buds then she slipped the scissors into her pants pocket. “Dr. Westbrook got the message.” The message being his daughter disappearing for two fuckin’ years. “Maybe he will be more productive if we allow his daughter to return. The drug needs some adjustments.”
I kept completely still, not even a facial twitch. “How is the drug coming along?”
“It’s useful. It’s been rather… difficult to come by one component of the drug.” She waved her hand as if to dismiss the conversation. “You will continue to monitor Dr. Westbrook. I will consider his daughter. For now, she isn’t going anywhere. I suspect she is in a rather… delicate condition anyway.”
Ruined, mother. You fuckin’ ruined her.
I nodded, then moved in and kissed her cheek. “Good to see you again, Mother.”
“Son,” she replied and turned back to her rose bush.
I had one more thing to do before erasing London from my life. Hunt the bastards who destroyed the girl I’d once known. Because the girl I saw on the camera at the auction wasn’t London. She was a ghost of the girl I’d been with.
And Jacob and Alfonzo were responsible. And there was nothing I wouldn’t do to kill them for what they did to her. Nothing.TorontoIF I BELIEVED in fate, it was seriously enjoying itself fuckin’ with me. Despite trying to keep my distance from London, I was thrown right back in her path within two weeks. But this time, it wasn’t me stalking her or searching for her, it was because Deck had yet to take her back to New York and she was still in Toronto.
And also in Toronto was the bastard, Alfonzo. And I knew this because I was hunting Jacob and Alfonzo. No lead on Jacob, but I’d tracked Alfonzo here.
In my fuckin’ territory.
I thought he was in Toronto for London. As it turned out, he wasn’t. He was using London to get to Emily, Sculpt’s girl. Sculpt and Emily had been the reason Deck took down Raul and the compound, and now Alfonzo wanted payback.
Well, so did I and I was using anyone in order to get it. Alfonzo was a dead man, but first I needed him to lead me to the elusive bastard, Jacob, and to do that, I had to use Chaos.
I walked up to the gate of Chaos’s backyard where I’d agreed to meet Alfonzo. As far as he knew, I’d come to buy Raven since he claimed he owned her still. Of course, it was all bullshit.
What I hadn’t expected when I strolled into the backyard was Chaos and Alfonzo rolling around on the ground fighting over a gun. Fuck. Already this situation was volatile and Chaos was a live wire.
“Jesus,” I muttered, diving for Chaos before she got herself shot, and dragged her off Alfonzo.
I wasn’t nice about it either. Alfonzo had to be played. He was already uneasy about meeting me, but word was he was also a greedy fuck.
What the fuck was Chaos doing? This had to play out my way or Jacob would slip away like he and Alfonzo had done with London for years.
Alfonzo scrambled to his feet and went to punch Chaos’s face when I caught his fist in my palm and shoved him back. What I wanted to do was take my knife and gut him like a fish, but that had to wait.
I heard the commotion inside and shoved her forward into Alfonzo. “Hurt her and I hurt you.” Then I walked inside the house, saw the girl, Emily, on top of London, and a gun inches from both their hands.
I had no idea what the hell was going on except Alfonzo had lost control of the situation and I had to get it back in order for this to go down like I needed it to.
I grabbed Emily and hauled her off London.
“Stop,” I ordered as she struggled against me.
London’s breath hitched and her eyes flew to mine. Then, as if she were terrified to look at me, she dropped her gaze to the floor.
“Raven!” I used the name Alfonzo called her because I wasn’t supposed to know her real name.
Alfonzo yanked Chaos back inside and Raven quickly kneeled, head low as she came to my side. Jesus. Fuck. Seeing that, seeing London on her knees and so submissive and terrified of doing anything except what she’d been beaten into doing, it was like setting my insides on fire.