“All right. Why don’t you just calm down a little before you kill us both?”
“Calm down?” He barks incredulously. “He beat her so bad it ruptured her fucking spleen! He would have murdered her if I hadn’t stopped him, and you want me to calm down?”
Drifting around corners, I grip the oh-shit handle on the ceiling. I know the more I say, the angrier he’ll get. Whatever mission he’s on, there is nothing that will deter him from it. Hopefully, he’s thinking with a clear head.
As we pull up behind the rusted Buick, my eyes land on a shadow in the distance. There’s no denying it’s him. I’ve seen his drunk ass stumble out of his house so many times over the years, I’d know that silhouette anywhere.
“You were right, he’s fucking here.” Grayson gets out of the car and slams the door behind him. “Aye, asshole! You and I need to talk.”
I scramble for the door and follow behind. Craig glances back at Grayson for a second, only to laugh.
“I should have known you’d come to find me,” he slurs as we approach. “You never did know how to go the fuck away. Even as a boy, you were so annoying—following Savannah around like a lost little puppy.”
Grayson stops only a few feet behind him but I can tell his restraints are about to snap. “She’s in the fucking hospital. She needed surgery because of you!”
“No. She needed surgery because she’s a nosy little bitch who doesn’t know how to mind her own damn business.”
He’s never going to own up to what he’s done wrong. That man is narcissistic to a fault. He’ll sooner quit drinking before he stops justifying his actions. Grayson is battling a lost cause, but I can somewhat appreciate the effort.
“Listen to me, you prick. You’re going to stay the fuck away from her. If you don’t, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“Oh,” he feigns terror. “I’m shaking in my boots.” Getting up in Grayson’s face, he sneers, and I can smell the alcohol coming off him. “You can’t protect her from me. You’re nothing but a child.”
“Yeah?” he responds, squaring his shoulders. “Fucking try me.”
Craig laughs, stumbling backward a bit and pretending to surrender. “Enjoy your girlfriend while you have her, because next time I get my chance, she might not be so lucky.” He turns around and starts to walk away. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she knows to tell your dear old dad that you say hello.”
Gray stiffens and I watch as his eyes glaze over. He bends down, grabbing the large rock at his feet, and charges at Craig.
“Grayson, don’t!” I shout, but it’s too late.
He slams the rock into his head so hard his skull completely caves in, and Craig falls onto the ground motionless while the blood flows out.
“What the fuck did you do?” I shout, looking between Grayson and the body lying on the ground. “Hayworth!”
He doesn’t answer me. His eyes don’t even look in my direction. They stay completely trained and focused, watching the blood pool. I don’t need to check for a pulse to know there is no more life in Mr. Montgomery. He’s dead. He’s dead, and I’m in the middle of the crime scene.
“I had to protect her,” Grayson mutters.
Looking at him as if he’s gone crazy, I grab him by the shoulders and force his gaze to meet mine. “Yeah? And how the fuck are you going to do that from prison, tough guy?”
As if in shock, he takes a few steps away and sits down, staring up at the night sky. What’s scary is that he doesn’t even seem remorseful or even the slightest bit panicked. It’s like he knew what he needed to do, and he did it. Simple as that.
Grayson pauses to swallow. “There were cameras, so we were completely fucked—until Knox called a contact he knew from being offered a spot in higher level fights at The Underground.”
I look at Laney. “Your uncle. He wanted repayment, of course. Nothing comes for free, especially not with that man. He blackmailed us into fighting. It’s a rigged system. He supplies his own fighters with the best training possible and then he capitalizes on it.”
“Oh my God,” Delaney whispers, tears flowing down her face.
Savannah looks like she’s about to throw up. She looks around for Zayn. “Do you mind if I…” She points upstairs.
Zayn shakes his head. “No, for sure. It’s all yours.”
She spares one last glance at Grayson before covering her mouth and running up the stairs. Gray exhales then gets up to follow her. Meanwhile, Delaney’s murderous glare is on me.
“Go ahead, Bambi. Lay it on me.”
She wipes her face with the back of her hand. “Who even are you?”