Page 64 of Burn for Me

“As long as everything's still in order. Did you have time to go over the intel?”Caspian asks casually, unaware of the storm brewing inside me. I’m tempted to talk to him, to find something to ground me, but I can’t. If I do, then Jasmine—Melione—will be done for. I run my tongue over my teeth, hating how her name feels.

“Yes,” I say, keeping it short and simple, refusing to elaborate further.

“And?”

Just then, a car pulls in front of us like a godsend, cutting off the conversation. I throw my arm over Jasmine’s chest, and the sound of squealing tires prompts Sharkie to change the subject.

“Jas, how's everything? Are you feeling prepared?”

I jerk my arm away and grip the steering wheel tightly, suppressing the urge to let out all my anger on the driver who almost caused us to wreck.

“I—” My glare cuts off Jasmine's words, warning her to keep fuckin’ quiet because I still need to figure out our next steps.

Her nose scrunches, and her chest heaves as if she is holding back something. But then, like a transformation unfolding before my eyes, she clears her throat, wipes her tears away with her palms, and lifts her chin defiantly, responding with a firm, "Yes, ma'am."

Is that how it has been all these years? Does she flip a switch and change how she wants me to perceive things? I scoff, and her head turns toward me, giving me a narrowed stare.

Even though I want to yell at her for being completely idiotic, all I can focus on are the golden depths of her eyes shimmering as they dart between mine. She looks at me as if I’m the only man in the world, unable to tear her gaze away, even when it seems like smoke is about to pour from her ears.

It’s as if she’s willing to walk through flames if I ask her to. Iknowshe would, so I draw in a deep breath.

“Sounds great then. I told them not to go off the rails when you two went out. Enjoy the rest of the night; I need to take care of stuff.”Moe finally arrives, and everyone goes silent, completely caught off guard by the fact that he has something to do.“Sam, update us when you can.”

“Wait—” I quickly cover the little devil's mouth as soon as she starts to speak. I can tell from her tone that she was about to spill everything to them, but this isn’t about them or the mission. This isourmarriage.

A low growl vibrates against my palm as delicate hands push my wrist while she kicks her feet against the dashboard.

“What’s your complication?”Caspian’s voice comes through. I scan the road for police so I can take the exit toward our destination with more speed than necessary.

“Nothing important,” I say slowly.

“Sam—” I cut off the call using the button on the steering column but don’t move my hand away from her mouth.

“No–please…” Hayden’s muffled whimper comes from behind my palm. Pathetic. He wasn't a crying, whimpering mess when he was injecting that shit into my arm so my uncle could make bets on how long it’d take for me to pass out.

“You’re lying!” I snap as I dig my knife into his thigh.

“I-I swear. There was a funeral and everything! Look, man, we didn't know it was laced. It tore Hex up when he found out!” Braxton nearly cries, and my wrist turns, pushing the blade deeper as he says my uncle's name.

“Where is he?” I bite out. Carlisle is getting close to ending the War for his wife Misty, but my war’s not over until I have my answers. Brady isn't dead, and my uncle isn't getting away with yet another fucking murder if he is.

“He gathers in Newtown. But… the others, they’re harmless…”

I quickly pull my knife from his thigh and push my hand through my hair with a humorless laugh. Next door. He’s been so close to me this whole time.

“The others are harmless,” I repeat slowly as each moment of pure hell they put me through replays in my head.

“We’ve changed. Brady asked for the stuff, and we delivered it. It was just a bad batch. Like your pare–” Before he can finish, I quickly turn, driving the blade into his neck repeatedly,unable to stop. His body morphs into my uncle's pinned below my knees as I drive fist after fist into his face.

“Sammy!” He yells the nickname my mother gave me, and it only encourages me to punch harder. He took her from me. He took my cousin from me–his own fucking son. For what? Some money? A high? He’s taken everything.

His screams fade into Jasmine's sobs as her hands grasp at my wrist, pulling my hand from her throat, but it feels like I can’t stop. It’s not her, it's him.

“Sam–” She gasps, clawing and scratching at my wrists. I shake my head, trying to clear out the fog. My mind is just tricking me again. Maybe it's the drugs they gave me. Perhaps it’s a hallucination. Maybe–

Taking a sharp breath, I slam on the brakes just inches from the parking curb. I hadn’t realized how lost I had become in my thoughts until a slight sting on my wrist pulled me back to reality. Thankfully so. Usually, if I get lost in my head, it’s flashes of the past, but the last part–

Slowly lowering my hand from Jasmine's mouth, I shake it.

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