“Crystal,” I growled, my eyes blazing holes through his skull.
“Let this happen, boys. It’s just business. Shit, she’ll have a way better life than whatever farm shit we found her in. She’ll go off and live on some rich old fart’s yacht sipping champagne and sucking cock all day.”
I saw red. I actually saw blood cloud my vision, and I almost lunged across the desk right there to kill Jeb with my bare fucking hands.
Miraculously, it wasRomanthis time who put a holding, cautionary hand on my arm and shook his head quietly.
“Let the sale happen, boys,” Jeb repeated, looking at his phone and seemingly missing his near brush with death. “Let it happen and you’ll be one step closer to being free of your debt. Now get the fuck out of my office and make sure that little kitten is ready for tomorrow.”
* * *
“We haveto move on this.”
I glanced my friend, my face cold.
“Colt—”
“Iknow, man, I know.”
“Her, us — enough is enough, brother. We need to get the fuck out of this place.”
“Got any plans that involve us not dying?”
I smiled wryly as Roman’s face went grim.
“She’s not going tolastpast tomorrow. Not if who Jeb says is coming is actually swinging by. Hell, one ofthosefuckers will scoop her up.
We’d only met Jeb’s bosses from out east once, and that was enough. That time, I’d watched one of them put cigarettes out on some poor girl’s arm, and made herthank himfor it.
Fuck that.
These were the worst, most toxic pieces of human scum on the earth, and I’d bedamnedif I let a sweet thing like Johanna fall into their hands.
Of course, there was more than just her being sweet. There was the feeling I had welling up inside of me for her that I wasn’t sure what the fuck to do with. Icaredabout her, and not just in a passing “I don’t want her to get hurt” way, in a way that wentdeep. I’d only just met this girl, and somehow, she’d found a place inside of me I’d forgotten about a long time ago.
Really, I’m not sure if I’d ever known about it.
Something about that innocence, and that pureness, and that beauty inside and out had broken through the armor and the barriers I’d put up my whole life. And now she was sitting next to my heart.
I just didn’t know what that meant.
But Ididknow I’d move heaven and earth to make sure she stayed safe and away from those monsters, and I’d break down the gates of hell to take her back from the devil.
“Tomorrow’s tomorrow,” I said, my voice icy. “And wewillfigure something out, man. But right now?” I shook my head.
“Right now, we just need her,” Roman finished for me.
I looked up and grinned. “Yeah.”
“You’re feeling it too.”
I smiled, looking away and sighing.
“You’re thinking about taking on the whole damn world to keep her safe, right?”
I glanced back at my buddy and chuckled. “You a fucking mind reader now?”
“Nope, just right there with you.”