Page 74 of Dealing Dirty
It’s nearly six o’clock in the evening.
The sun set long ago, and with it went my last shred of hope.
Micah’s voice cuts through the worry with a promise wrapped in fury. “We’re going to find them, D.” The weight of his hand gripping my shoulder keeps me from losing it altogether.
The Pack has been on the hunt all morning and afternoon with nothing to report.
Jack tsks after ending his call with Kenneth. “He’s beside himself and spitting mad. I’d hate to be the sorry asshole on the receiving end of his rage when we find them.” Tossing the device onto a table nearby, he raises a hand to scrub his beard. “What’s the word from your sister?”
Sasha was more than happy to get involved when I called her early this morning. As soon as she got off her shift, she started collecting our separate accounts from last night and went straight to combing the streets.
“She’s been at Lucky’s for the last hour, scoping out the place. Said it took her a couple of hours to get the owner to comply to her questioning, but it seems she’s found a way to persuade him.”
Jack smirks. “I knew that badge would come in handy.”
If there’s a will, there’s a way, and Sasha will surely find it—even if it involves using a little force.
The likelihood of finding a kidnapping victim alive drops significantly after the first twenty-four hours. Painful knots tug at my stomach as I unlock my phone for the fortieth time today.
It’s been twenty-two hours.
“Don’t go there, D. I can see the wheels spinning. We can’t let ourselves think like that.”
He’s right, but it doesn’t fix the dread.
“Is Cass okay?” She’s got to be worried sick and probably sharing some of our guilt. Hell, there’s plenty to go around.
“She’s been a wreck all day, begging to help us find them.” Dark hair threads through his fingers. “I feel terrible, but I’ve asked her to stay with her mom. It’s too risky with the baby, and I need to know she’s somewhere safe.”
My scalp gets a similar treatment as I pull the strands until it stings. My nails are raw and chewed to the quick.
“This is all my fault.” The confession escapes on a whisper.
“Derrick—”
I whirl on Micah, feeling an intense craze bubbling. “Don’t you get it?I did this to her.”
Their silence seeps into my pores, making the pressure in my jaw unbearable.
Juliana was right. She’s more than capable of handling herself, and as much as I wish it was, it’s not my job to swoop in and play hero. When I caught that ugly prick touching her, every cell exploded with the desire to maim him. Blind rage coaxed an unknown fury deep in my soul to emerge, and in that moment, nothing was going to prevent me from protecting her.
I’d wanted to make him suffer for daring to get so close to the woman I’m forbidden to have, and now that the chaos has long worn off, I’m disgusted by the selfishness of my actions.
Taut muscles now grow slack at the memory of how Juliana’s piercing eyes filled to the brim with betrayal. The bastard knew what he was doing when he told me she’d enjoyed his touch, and like the Neanderthal that I am, I fell hook, line, and sinker.
Juliana made it abundantly clear that she wanted to be leash-free, and what did I do? I made to claim her as mine.
Our deal was simple enough: no kissing and no exclusivity outside of sex.
But her rules have done nothing to curb the unbearable longing to be next to her. To feel her soft, sexy curves pressed against me or her mouth teasing me with dares and near-kisses. She seeks me out, wreaks havoc on my body, and leaves me wanting, thirsting, and begging for her touches.
Trepidation builds like a frozen fortress.
What if I never hear her snorting laughter or bask in the light of her smile again? A fissuring sensation cracks through my body, and I rub a fist over my chest to ease the ache. Juliana is only to blame for one thing and that’s softening this heart enough that it broke clean down the center.
“Any of us would have done the same had we seen that piece of shit with her,” Jack says, moving to the spot where we’d fought.
“What I don’t get is why he would risk doing something so ballsy with all of us here,” Micah murmurs.
