Page 32 of Devil's Game

“I have a surprise for you,” Spade whispered, his breath skating over the shell of my ear as he buried his face in my neck.

I barely had my arms wrapped around him before he was lifting me up and swinging me toward the door.

“Spade,” I hissed, hastily twining my legs around his waist, so I wasn’t awkwardly hanging off him like a rag doll.

“I found them.”

I pulled back, needing to search his face to make sure I’d heard him right. “You found them?” The blood drained from my face as shock rattled my bones.

“I found them.” He grinned, his violet eyes twinkling with mischief as he expertly opened the car door and lowered me onto the seat. “And I even got you a present.”

He nodded toward the back, where a brand-new baseball bat laid, the setting sun glinting off the veneer of the tan wood.

Excitement buzzed through me as I pulled it onto my lap, admiring the weight of the solid wood.

“Let’s do this.”

Chapter Ten

Giana

“Are you sure thisis it?”

My throat tightened as I glanced across the dilapidated parking lot, long weeds peeking up through the large cracks in the asphalt. Dirt coated the windows, but it appeared that someone had attempted to clean them, judging by the streaky circles rubbed into the grime. Thankfully, the poor attempt at cleaning allowed for a blurry line of sight into the restaurant.

Despite the disrepair the diner had fallen into, there were usually a few cars in the parking lot, since it was still one of the only places to get a quick meal. But, tonight, there was only a single car parked beneath the overgrown trees we were nowhidden among, the burned-out lights in the parking lot helping to keep our forms shrouded in shadows.

“I’m sure,” Spade whispered. A shiver slithered up my spine as his breath caressed the shell of my ear, a mix of desire and anticipation swirling in my chest. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pointed to one of the farthest windows.

Sure enough, silhouettes of two men huddled over either side of the table, their features hidden beneath the thick layers of dirt on the building, yet the hulking figure of one of the men looked familiar. Recognition clanged through me. It was the bulky guard who had stopped me in the airport—the surviving one, at least.

Chewing at my bottom lip, I tried to push away the anxiety clawing at my insides. If it had been anywhere but here, I would’ve been vibrating with excitement at the chance to slam my bat into the fucker’s head, delivering each cathartic hit like I’d unleashed on his counterpart a few weeks ago. But this place had memories swimming just below the surface, threatening to pull me into their depths.

“Do you know why they’re here?” I asked hesitantly, trying to catch a glimpse of either Pam or Greg.

“No idea.” Spade shrugged, his calmness only adding to my unease. “I’m assuming they got hungry while doing Tommaso’s dirty work for him.”

“Spade . . .” I trailed off, my lips contorting into a grimace.

Why did I still feel anything for these people? Kellan had said that they had guys watching the diner, and that was enough for me, but I couldn’t help the small part of me that wanted to rush in there . . . and do what?

“I know, sugar.” His fingers threaded through my hair, drawing my gaze to meet his. Electricity flashed in his violet eyes, a burgeoning storm ready to decimate anything in its path. “I know that this is your parent’s diner, and trust me, it’s takingeverything in me not to go in there and kill them, too, but I know you’re not ready for that.”

I sucked in a sharp breath at the vehemence written across his face. I knew he would too. He would kill anyone who’d ever hurt me, if I asked him to, and he’d never look back.

“I don’t want to kill them.” A weight lifted off my chest at the admission.

Spade’s head tilted, like a wild animal prevented from hunting its prey. “Why?”

I sighed, glancing back to the diner as Pam’s silhouette strode from the kitchen to the booth with the two killers seated at it, her hands laden with plates of food. “Because I can put what they did aside. I can set the boundary that I don’t want them in my life anymore without killing them.”

Spade frowned, the simple statement seeming to crack his worldview.

“Hey.” I spun to face him, my hands cupping his face to force his gaze on me. “What I choose has nothing to do with you or what you endured.”

His expression shuttered, assuring me I had hit the nail on the head.

Spade hadn’t told me the story of his own escape, yet, and I hadn’t pushed. I still wouldn’t, not until he was ready to peel back that layer.

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