“Six months ago you what?”
“I delivered papers to a client one day and ran into one.”
“And? What happened?” He watched her. Silence. Fidgeting. “Skylar, why do they want you?”
“They think I stole from them.”
Holy fuck. He took a deep breath and blew it out. “What exactly do they think you stole?”
“Money. Drugs.” She shrugged.
He gave her a look that said that answer wasn’t enough. “Goddamn, Skylar. Does everything have to be like pulling teeth with you? Just fucking tell me.”
“One of them…Rusty is his name…it was his money…and…”
“So this Rusty thinks you stole drugs and money from him?”
“I’m sure Rusty doesn’t think anything. He’s dead.”
“He’s dead?” Shades brows shot up, and his mouth went dry. The thought of where this story was headed scared the hell out of him.
“And I’m sure his brothers think I’m the one that killed him.”
“Why would they think that?” he asked with sick dread filling his stomach.
“Because they probably found the dagger they knew he gave me for my birthday sticking out of his chest.”
“What?” Jesus Christ, what had she done?
“I didn’t do it. I swear.”
“How the hell do you even know a DK? Why the hell would he give you a birthday present?” At her silence, the pieces tumbled together in his mind. “You were his fucking ol’ lady?” he roared the question in disbelief.
She swallowed. “Shades—”
“Christ, that makes you property of the Devil Kings, babe.”
There was stunned silence in the room for a moment before Ghost cleared his throat and waded in.
“The Dead and the DKs are rivals, darlin’,” he clarified for her as well as tried to calm the situation down with a little humor. “So that kind of makes you two like Romeo and Juliet.”
“More like Hatfields and McCoys,” Shades growled.
“Yeah, and that ended well,” Ghost added.
“Holy shit.” Shades collapsed in a chair, running his hands through his hair.
***
Skylar studied Shades. He looked infuriated and maybe even devastated. Reading his body language, it was as if she couldn’t have fucked up any bigger than this. But he had to understand. She had to make him understand.
“Please, Shades. It wasn’t like that. I’m not sure you’d say I was an old lady, really,” Skylar tried to explain, really terrified now. They thought she was property of the DKs? Did that mean they’d have to turn her over?
“What would you say?” Shades looked at her intently, and she had the feeling her next words were very important. She tried to choose them carefully.
“We were seeing each other. But it was casual. We weren’t living together or anything. I…”
“He give you a property patch?” At her confused frown, he clarified. “You wear a vest?”