Page 55 of Chaos Kills

I scoff. “What, you didn’t have your black ski mask with you that day?” He responds with that repetitive silence, so I take the con and continue. “Why did you marry me? I killed your Torin’s brother.”

A few beats go by before he asks me, “Did you?”

There’s no conviction behind his question. It almost sounds sad in a way.

He’s a grown man with a blanket of sadness over him, and I’m torn between putting him out of his misery and mine or giving him a well-needed hug.

But then there’s the whole breaking into my house thing, and the latter doesn’t sound good enough unless there’s a knife involved.

“Does it matter?” I counter back. “You don’t know all the facts, but you’re still here anyway.”

He shoves his hands into the pockets of his tight black jeans, and I look for any straining lines along his black tattoos. His eyes, those deep crystal blues hold on to me and nothing more. He doesn’t look at the heavy weapon in my hands, just me.

Only ever me.

“Who are you?” My own inquiry comes out shaky, and I’m back to second-guessing everything. Is he a friend, an enemy, someone who was brought into this against his will? Why him over Ramsey?

“Protecting you.”

Two words that almost take my breath away. They’re sincere and to the point.

Are they, though, idiot?

It’s all I’ve seen. Just a handful of words and plenty of actions.

I find my grip on the gun loosening, but I don’t lower it because he hasn’t answered all my questions, and I might not like those answers.

“Why did Emilio want my dad dead?” Ozzy only cocks his head, as if studying how much of a moron I am. “Because…of me.”

I swallow, knowing that in my DNA lies my biggest enemy.

“Why didn’t you do it?”

He shakes his head, alluding that he doesn’t want to tell me that story. And I find myself thinking that’s too fucking bad.

“I don’t like secrets.” Ozzy raises his chin, authenticating that he’s not budging. “Are you Emilio’s solidier?”

“No.” I instantly recognize that he needed to tell me that answer verbally.

“Why does he trust you, then?”

Because you’re smarter than you seem.

He doesn’t offer me that piece of the puzzle either. Which leads me to the obvious.

“You’re playing him, aren’t you?”

The front door opens, and Ozzy is quick to line his spine to the wall opposite the entryway. His head is turned in the direction of who’s about to walk in so he can pounce, if needed.

I’m so stupidly drawn into what he’s doing—that he’d still protect me even though our whole conversation has taken place with my holding a shotgun at him—that I don’t see Levi walk the hell in.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he thunders out, causing me to jolt in response.

My eyes latch onto Levi, and I still don’t remove the direction of my gun. “Protecting myself from people who just walk into my fucking house.”

Levi glances over his shoulder, finding Ozzy who hasn’t moved, and rolls his eyes. “Geezus Christ, what the hell are you two doing now?”

“We were talking,” I deadpan.

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