Page 7 of Inked Daddies

“Hey,” I say softly, crouching a little to meet her gaze. “It’s okay now. He’s done. I’m sorry if I?—”

“You scared the hell out of me,” she chokes out, cutting me off. “I thought?—”

“I didn’t mean to, Marie. I’m so sorry.”

She takes a deep, shuddering breath. “I thought he was going to hurt you. Or Sam. Or Hugo. I thought you were…”

My heart does this stupid thing in my chest, like it’s trying to climb into my throat. She wasn’t scared ofhim.She was scared forus.For me. And because I dragged it out, I made her scared for longer than she shoulda been.

I’m just as bad as the asshole on the ground.

“Marie…” I don’t know what to say. All this time, I thought I was having fun, drawing it out because I could, because he needed to be punished, but I didn’t stop to think about what she was feeling. About how this whole thing looked to her.

I wanted to play the hero, and instead I became the villain.

I crouch lower, trying to catch her gaze. “I’m sorry, Marie. I wasn’t trying to scare you. I just…” I shrug, giving her a sheepishsmile. “I was having a little fun. He needed to pay for whatever he did to make you scream like that.”

She shakes her head, her eyes glassy. “That guy could’ve killed you, Trick.”

The way she says my name—soft, broken—hits me like a semitruck. And I’ve been hit by a semitruck. That was a bad day. This is worse.

I’ve had a thing for her since the moment she came back to town, a woman grown. All curves and sweetness. That hair? I’ve dreamed of what it’d be like to wake up next to it piled on my pillow more times that I’d ever admit.

I’ve tried to bury it, ignore it, laugh it off, but standing here now, with her looking at me like that, it’s impossible to deny. Knowing she was upset for me in all that? Icing on the cake.

I swallow hard, forcing myself to look away before I do something stupid, like kiss her right here in the middle of the street. I force the words out. “I’m okay, Marie.”

“Hey,” Hugo says, his voice low as he gentles her out of his arms. “Let’s get her inside. She’s shaking.”

But she lies, “I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”

“You will be, yes,” he says firmly. “Once we get you inside. We’ll get you a cup of tea, and you can sit on Sam’s fancy chair he doesn’t let anyone else sit on.”

She sniffles and snickers. “Always wanted to sit there.”

“Sometimes I sit there when that little shit isn’t around. Don’t tell on me.” He wraps an arm around her shoulders to guide her. Her giggle is faint, but it’s there, and that’s worth everything.

I can’t help but glance over at Sam, who’s still standing over the guy, his fists clenched. He’s smarter than me. Always has been. He tagged in because he knew I was drawing it out. He knew she couldn’t take it.

I should have trusted him to make the right call.

And now, watching her with Hugo’s arm still around her, I hate myself for making her cry. I hate that I made her feel like this.

And more than anything, I hate that I’m falling for her.

4

HUGO

It’s notevery day we let one live. But we need to know what this guy was up to.

“We take him in,” Sam says. “Get answers.”

“After that?” Marie asks, her voice still trembling.

Sam smiles, trying to put her at ease, but before he can respond, Trick says, “Depends on his answers.”

She goes stiff against me. “Are you going to hurt him? He’s unconscious. It’s over.”

---