Page 15 of Inked Daddies

Preacher’s face darkens, and his eyes shift to me, Trick, and Hugo. “And you three took care of him?”

“We weren’t about to just stand by,” I say simply.

Trick adds, “The police have him now.”

Preacher’s jaw tightens, and for a moment I think he’s about to yell at us for letting the bastard live. But then he sighs, his shoulders sagging slightly. “Thank you,” he says quietly. “I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to her.”

I nod, glancing at Marie. Her honey-brown eyes meet mine, and for a split second, the rest of the world fades away.

But then Preacher is guiding her inside, and I’m left standing in the driveway with Hugo and Trick, my heart in my throat. As we head back to the truck, I stop Trick with a hand on his shoulder.

“Stay here,” I tell him quietly. “Keep an eye on the house tonight.”

Trick nods, his usual grin fading into something more serious. “You got it.” He disappears into the shadows. Their property has plenty of them. It’s surrounded on three sides by a swamp,so there are too many places for someone to hide. But knowing Trick is here puts me at ease.

As much as I can beat easeafter seeing Marie scared shitless. I know Trick will keep her safe, but every step back to the truck is more effort than it should be. I want to stay here, keeping watch over her. But Trick is better at stealth than me, and if we’re all here, Preacher will worry this is bigger than I think it is. So will Marie, and she’s been through enough tonight. I don’t want the three of us out here to spook her.

So, Hugo and I climb into the truck. As soon as the doors are slammed, I speak my mind. “The fuck were you thinking, saying that shit about wanting Marie?”

Hugo leans back, his expression calm and unreadable. He’s always had that French sensibility about him, like nothing can faze him. Tonight, though, I saw him fazed. When he had his arm around Marie, holding her close after I put the beat down on that asshole, Hugo looked like his world was shook up.

“I’m not thinking,” he says after a moment. “That’s the point. This isn’t about thinking, Sam. It’s instinct. She will be mine. Ours, if you like.”

The thought is too tempting and too dangerous. But his wording catches my ear. I glance at him, my chest tightening. “Instinct?”

“Aye,” he says simply, his tone matter-of-fact. “It’s like breathing. I see her, and I just…I want her. And I know you feel it too. I see it on your face when you look at her. It’s the same face Trick makes.”

I can’t object to what he’s saying, no matter how much I want to. Hugo, for better or worse, is the best reader I know. He can see a person’s life story in the bite of their lip, the flick of the hand,the way they grimace ever so slightly when you ask the wrong question. It made him perfect for our old job, but when he turns those skills onto us, it’s grating.

“Don’t read me.”

He lifts a shoulder. “It cannot be helped. Old habits and all that.”

“I have more faith in you than that, Hugo. Adapt.”

“What is that saying about old dogs and new tricks?”

“You sound like you’re feeling old. Old habits, old dogs. Feeling your age?”

He sighs. “Oui. But she makes me feel young again.”

“When it comes to Marie, try feeling nothing. Because that’s all you’re ever going to get with her. She’s Preacher’s kid. Don’t forget that.”

He chuckles but says nothing else on the matter. Which is Hugo for, “I’m not going to follow your order.”

I sigh in frustration. I can’t stop him from doing whatever’s on his mind, but I’ll be damned if I go along with it.

“You like her too. Don’t lie.”

His words settle heavily in the air between us, and for a long moment, neither of us says anything. Because as much as I want to argue with him, as much as I want to tell him he’s wrong…I know exactly what he means.

7

MARIE

The shower scalds my skin,but I let it.

It feels good to stand under the hot spray, washing away the fear, the adrenaline, the dirt, and the grime of the night. I scrub harder than I need to, as though if I just work at it long enough, I can erase the lingering shakiness in my legs and the tightness in my chest.

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