Page 39 of Swan

Motherfucking Christ.

This shit wasn’t fair.

This shit was crushing.

My girl had gone numb.

Gone into her mind.

I clenched my jaw as tears filled my damn eyes.

My daughter was covered in his blood. I’d wiped away what I could, but it still covered her.

I clasped the back of her neck, trying to bring her back from the numbness with touch. I had a feeling that no matter what I did or said, nothing would register.

And I didn’t want to tell her it’d be all right.

It wouldn’t be for a fucking long time.

Not after she’d witnessed that.

Fuck me.

I wanted to hurt someone. To kill.

I’d even shoot the bitch that caused all this in the head right then and there if I had a chance. It’d been lucky the brothers had taken her out of there, or I would have.

Most of all, I wanted a way to take Swan’s pain away.

To ease the utter devastation that poured from her.

“Griz, you hear me?” Lan said.

I blinked and nodded. “Yeah, got it. We stay for the cops. Tell them you and Parker have the cunt in cuffs and are on the way to the station.”

Lan and Parker were private investigators as well as detectives. Shit had slowed in the PI business, so they went back on the force and only took jobs that didn’t give their man Easton a hernia.

“She’ll be at Vi’s for however long we can keep her. We’ll get answers.”

“You damn better.”

There wasn’t any way that this was just some random crazed fan happening along Lockland and Swan. She’d been sent, and the proof was in the recording I’d gotten. She’d said, “They told me.” I wanted to know who “they” were because I had a feeling all this was just to get rid of my daughter.

I ground my teeth and stretched my neck.

I needed to know.

And I’d find out. One way or another.

Then, once I did, I’d fucking go hunting, because whoever organised this knew that the bitch was a crazed fan. A fan that would do anything to get her way. She’d even murdered Lockland’s security out in their car. How she’d managed that fucking confused me.

That cunt was gonna pay, but she wouldn’t be the only one.

When the cops arrived, they tried to push Swan for answers, but she just sat in a chair staring over at the floor where Lockland had been. Even though I’d moved us away and thrown another few tablecloths over the spot, she couldn’t look away from the area.

“Fuckin’ enough,” I warned, moving my hand from the back of Swan’s neck to her shoulder. “Give her damn time to process, and she’ll have answers. For now, you’ve got enough witnesses to understand what went down.”

The cop stood, glaring at me. There were a lot of them on the force who didn’t like anyone who wore a patch. This guy was obviously one of them from the way his upper lip rose.

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