Page 62 of Surrender
He wanted to own them.
To mold them into what he saw as perfection.
And women like Darcy and Roxie, and most likely the other girls who had gone ‘missing,’ who ended up being stronger than he gave them credit for.
So, it then became a challenge.
“My suggestion for you would be to get the hell out of my establishment,” I demanded, my fists clenched at my sides. Images of Darcy’s lifeless body flashed into my mind, the way she couldn’t move, couldn’t fight, had no chance of surviving his assault if it hadn’t been for Rafe stepping in. “We don’t take kindly to men who slip drugs into drinks so they can attack women.”
He tried to play it cool, but I never missed a tell, and the way his eye twitched as he pulled a small notepad from his pocket was a surefire sign I was hitting a sore spot.
“Technically, the police are consideringyour establishmenta crime scene right now,” he drawled, lifting his eyes with a sadistic smile, meant especially for me. “So, whether you want me here or not, isn’t your choice.”
Self-control was something Rook taught me a long time ago.
When to swing, when to hold back.
And when to bury the rage so deep that they didn’t see it coming until it was too late.
My fists were already balled at my sides, and they itched with the need to make Carrington bleed. But I didn’t move. Not yet. Because that’s what he wanted, to provoke a reaction. One that he could use against me.
And I wasn’t going to give him that.
Not today.
But his time would come.
I rolled my shoulders, standing a little taller and holding my arms out. “You’re right. Have at it. I was just surprised because I bet it’s not often the DA drops by the scene of a simple assault,” I commented, enjoying the way he cleared his throat, clearly not prepared to deal with this side of me over the side that wants to kill him.
“Well, you see,” he started, scribbling a couple of thingsdown before looking up again, and this time, concentrating his attention back on Roxie. “It’s not very often that we have women who were physically assaulted and refused to cooperate with officers. So when you take that into account and how this place is known to have criminal connections, we begin to see some red flags being raised.”
“That’s funny.” Roxie scoffed, taking a seat back at her vanity. “I was sure snakes couldn’t see red.”
Carrington’s lip instantly lifted into a sneer. “You, young lady, are fortunate those men out there have decided not to press charges—”
“Charges,” she exclaimed, leaping to her feet. “That fucker punched me in the face! l was defending myself.”
“And now you’re obstructing a police investigation by refusing to talk about what happened,” he snapped, matching her energy and tone. “I could haul you down to the police station right now—”
“But you won’t,” I cut in smoothly before he could launch into one of his bullshit power plays. “Because then you’d have to drag those guys down to the station, too, and once my lawyer got them talking, I imagine he’d question them about why they have been sneaking around this place, digging for dirt about The Exiled Eight MC.”
His jaw locked, nostrils flaring.
I bet he’d asked them to be strategic. To ease into it and not just ask outright with names, but that’s what happened when you sent in idiots to do your dirty work.
He snapped his notepad shut, quickly glancing around to make sure we were alone.
Off the record.
“You’re quite the knight in shining armor, aren’t you, Mr. Brooks?” he hissed, clenching his fists at his sides. “First Darcy, now Roxie. Who will be the next lucky lady to be rescued?”
Oh, he was salty all right. Trying to use my government name like a slur.
And I probably could have walked away in that moment, knowing he was already fucking seething with jealousy, but I couldn’t help one last shot to make sure he knew who the fuck he was dealing with. “I’m not sure yet,” I answered with a shrug. “Maybe Jasmine. Or Kylie. Oh! Michelle?”
Something shifted in his eyes, turning them dark and cold.
You could see him making the connections.
