Page 68 of Graveyards & Greed

Ever since Misty had been attacked and almost killed in the parking lot of Euphoria, security was tight here. I pulled up, and the neon sign blinked at me mockingly in the mid-morning gloom. Shoving the ornate door open, I let my eyes adjust to the dark interior and looked around. The place should've been empty, but Sasha, their instructor, stood next to Luna on the center stage, watching Sylvie glide around a pole. Her leg wrapped around it as she slowly did a backbend, her boy shorts and sports bra not hiding much.

Luna clapped as Sylvie then spun like a fucking pro, and let go. If it’d been any other day, I would’ve stopped to watch and admire the view.

Sasha grinned and patted Sylvie’s shoulder. “That’s it, you sexy little thing. You could moonlight here if things at the mortuary ever get too dull.”

Fuck, no. “Lesson's over,” I barked, striding across the room toward them. I saw Milo standing off to the side, arms folded, looking annoyed and frazzled.

Sylvie turned and grinned, flashing me both dimples. “Drakos? What are—”

“You have exactly three seconds to get your ass in my vehicle,” I growled, cutting her off.

Luna sucked in a breath, and Sasha put her hands on her hips. “Hey, we’re not done.”

I pointed at Sylvie as the smile slid off her face. “She is. It’s dangerous for her to be anywhere near you two right now.” I tried to reign in my anger and fear as I faced Sylvie. “Give Milo your keys and get in my car.”

Milo walked over and held out his hand. Sylvie ignored him. “What flew up your ass this morning?” Her eyes narrowed and defiance radiated off her.

My eyebrow shot up. “Now that’s an interesting turn of phrase, considering what you and your fucking cousins have been up to this past week.”

I could see the second it all clicked. Her eyes went from angry slits to a wide,“oh fuck”expression.

Luna’s head swiveled between us. “Sylvie, what’s he talking about?”

She glanced over at Luna, then whipped her head around, as if looking for the nearest exit.

“Don’t even fucking think about it,” I growled. Without another word, I scooped her up over my shoulder, and for good measure, gave her pert ass a loud smack. She reared up, cursing me as I marched her out to the parking lot. I didn’t give one single shit about causing a scene.

“Put me down. I’m not going to run,” Sylvie demanded.

I gave her a few more sound smacks. “No, you’re not.” I tucked her inside the passenger seat and unceremoniously slammed the door on her rebuttal. Luna ran up and handed me Sylvie’s bag. Then she turned to Sylvie and held her hand up to her cheek in the universal “call me” sign.

“Thanks,” I clipped. “Now get back inside and have Milo take you home.” She stared at me, and something in my eyes must have clued her in.

“Something happened with OutKast, didn’t it?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Don’t be too hard on her. She’s been taking care of her family and everyone else around her for a long time.”

Luna’s words cut through some of my anger, and I let out a long breath. Then I walked around to the driver’s side, gearing up for a long, loud fight during the drive back to my loft. Instead, Sylvie gave me the silent treatment. I could see her mind working as she stared unseeing out the window, her arms folded across her chest.

Fifteen minutes later, I pulled into my garage and turned off the car. We sat silently for a moment before I turned to her. “Ivan has surveillance on LeBaron’s email account, and I saw the video you and your cousins sent.”

Silence hung between us until she sighed and climbed out. We went upstairs, and I took her hand and led her over to the couch. Gazing down at her bent head, I ran through the implications and probable blow-back as I tried to reason it all out.

“I’m working to keep you safe and breathing, but you’re shutting me out. And scaphism, for fuck's sake. You caused Carver’s body to rot while he was still alive, then you sent a video of it to his fucking motorcycle gang.”

Her head turned to the side, avoiding my gaze. “Fenn wanted to blow up their compound no matter who was in it. What we did only took out one man, and it’ll be something they never forget.”

“Jesus H Christ. You’ve got that right.”

Sylvie’s leg started bouncing. “Look, I get it. You're mad.”

Leaning forward, I put my elbows on my knees. “At first,” I admitted. “But more than that, I’m scared out of my fucking mind for you. I haven’t felt this kind of fear in years, and I don’t much care for it. This past week, you broke your promise to me and ditched Milo, and you shut me out. I can’t help protect you if I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

She clasped her hands together. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was afraid you would be disgusted with me and my family. We didn’t plan to kill him at first, but he admitted he was with Samuel when they raped Camilla. He… they…” She couldn’t finish.

It all made sense now. I waited, letting her get it all out. Her breathing sped up. “If you saw the video, you know he bragged about what they did to her.”

“I didn’t watch it from start to finish,” I told her quietly. She sat, breathing heavily and working to keep her emotions under control. I wanted to gather her in my arms and tell her to rage and scream and do what she needed to let it all out. But the need to keep her safe won out.

“I’m sorry, love. I’m so fucking sorry. But what you did is like waving a hunk of raw meat in front of a wild pack of dogs. And that’s what most of those men are—rabid dogs.”

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