Page 64 of Dark Encounter
"That's it." I moved across the room and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him up and popping him in the face twice. I don't know why I hated the fucker so much, but I did.
"Erik. Fuck." Nate pulled me back as Cole popped me once in the side. I crumbled to the ground with a scream of agony.
"The hit is tonight. I heard your father talk about it with Kane. I'm a slick mother fucker, Erik, and when your turn comes to run the syndicate, I want one thing." He knelt beside me.
"What?" I barked and cupped my side. There was no way my father was calling out the hit on Grace's brother the night I was heading out of town.
"Freedom." He stood up and walked toward the kitchen.
"Didn't you ask for this, you idiot?" I rolled over as Nate helped me up.
"He needs to belong to someone powerful for a time, but that time will end soon." Nate moved back and reached out to pat the side of my face. "You alright? You look ill."
I pulled my gun from the back of my jeans and let a round off toward the kitchen. "You'll get nothing from me, Cole. Stay away from my family, or I'll put a bullet in your head."
"Not happening yet, but when my slate is clean... I'll disappear, and you'll never hear from me again." He walked back toward the living room, pausing. "You want me to prove my loyalty right now? I'll kill the frat boy for you."
"No. It's my fucking hit. I'll do it, and then I'm getting the hell out of here."
"No, you're not." Nate gripped my shoulder. "I'm not letting you make that mistake."
"Try and stop me." I turned and walked to the door, limping due to the pressure in my chest. My rib had to be poking into my lungs.
"Erik," Nate called after me as I walked out and slammed the door behind me. What the fuck was my best friend doing in bed with a cop? Was Cole a good guy or a bad guy? Did I care? No. I'd figure his shit out later. He was a mystery I didn't care to unravel just yet.
* * *
"Erik. What happened?" Grace walked toward me as I moved out of the shadows at her library event. She looked like an angel in her white dress and sparkly heels.
"You look good enough to eat." I licked at the side of my mouth and smiled at her as my heart sank.
"Answer me." She reached up and brushed her fingertips by the side of my face.
"I got into a fight with a hammer?" I smiled and flinched. My lip was busted from getting in my father's face again. One thing I wasn't willing to do was strike back. Not ever.
"I don't like it." She moved into my arms and let out a frightened sound. "Did you talk to him?"
I looked down at her and touched her cheek before kissing her softly a few times. "Yeah. He's not willing to let me go. Not ever."
She glanced down, her expression growing sad. "Okay. I understand. Just be careful, okay?" She looked back up and touched my chest. "And if you ever get a chance to come back to the library-"
"Hush, kitten. We're not through." I cupped the side of her throat and leaned down, kissing her more fully though it hurt like fuck to do it. I pulled back and enjoyed the look of ecstasy on her beautiful face. "We'll leave when you're done with your event. I don't know how long I have or how far we'll get, but I want to spend as many days with you as I can."
"No." She shook her head. "I'm not going."
"What?" A host of emotions raced through me. She was trying to protect me. "Yes, you are."
"No." She took a step back and shook her head. "Please leave. I'm not going to be the reason you keep getting hurt." Tears swam in her eyes.
"Grace. This is the life I chose to live. It's the-"
"No. It isn't." She reached up and blotted her eyes. "You're stuck in that life because of being born to a monster. Nothing is going to change that." She took a deep breath and shook her head. "Goodbye, Erik. Take care of yourself."
She turned and walked into a large group of people, her attention gone from me completely. There wasn't anything else to say. She'd given up on us because she wanted to save me, but her dismissal left me standing alone, the darkness around me growing thick.
My father had done this. He'd threatened her and me in a way that left her strong enough to turn away from me. I had half a mind to walk across the floor and snatch her pretty ass up, carry her outside and put her in the car myself.
But what good would it do?
