Page 39 of Savage Hate
“Oh, thank God,” I whisper, the deck of business cards dropping from my hands and onto the floor. “You’re here.”
Damon’s eyes travel from my shaking hands to Liam, and then back to me with a burning intensity.
“What the fuck did he do to you?” Damon asks. But before I can answer, he’s stalking to the front door. “You’re not welcome here,” he says to Liam. “If I ever see you here again, I will use my bare hands to make sure you never spew that vitriol ever again.”
“I’ll pray for you, Brooks,” Liam responds, his voice sickly sweet. His gaze turns to me. “My offer still stands if you ever change your mind.” And then he walks off.
Damon grabs my arm and spins me around. “What fucking offer?”
I pull away and walk to the front desk, bending over to pick up the business cards that I dropped.
“He offered me a job. Told me he’d pay double what I get paid here.”
“Jesus,” Damon breathes, rubbing his face. “That motherfucker.”
“He really hates you guys,” I add, crooking a smile.
Damon’s eyes are black holes of unfeeling rage as his fists clench at his sides. “He has a good reason to.”
I busy myself with the cards again so that I can gather the courage to ask what I really want to know.
“Does it have anything to do with Silas’s parents?”
Damon doesn’t answer, so I look up at him as I mold the deck. He’s leaning against the opposite wall, chewing on his bottom lip. I wait, watching the way his chest still rises and falls quickly from his interaction with Liam.
“It’s not really my story to tell, Lennon. All I can say is that Liam is the reason Silas and his brother, Ledger, grew up the way that they did.” He pauses. “He got what he deserved.” He rubs his bottom lip with his thumb. “Honestly, he deserved worse.”
“What did you guys do?” I ask, setting the cards back in the card holder at the front of the desk.
“You should be asking Silas whatLiamdid.”
I swallow and look down. “He’s a creep.”
Damon nods and pushes up from the wall. “Stay away from him, Lennon.”
I raise my brows and quirk a smile. “He said the same thing about you guys.”
He stops in front of me and my breathing hitches. How is it possible that a person’s eyes can be so dark, yet so alive all at once? They are two black pools into his soul, and they bore into mine effortlessly.
“Do you trust us, or do you trust him? We’re not going to make you stay here. You’re not beholden to this job.”
My heart beats faster with each breath, and I swallow as I look into Damon’s eyes. They’re full of anger, but they’re also warm. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to any of them, like the one I did with Liam today. Even when Silas ordered me to clean the bathroom, even when they insulted me, I never felt unsafe with them. I never had that fight or flight response like I did with Liam.
“I trust you,” I say quietly.
Something changes in Damon’s eyes then, and I see the shift. The feral gaze that takes over as his eyes wander down to my lips.
“You shouldn’t,” he states, his voice hoarse.
“And why not?” I ask, intentionally poking the bear. Out of all of them, Damon seems the most unhinged to me. It’s almost exciting to taunt him, thrilling to see how he’ll react.
“Because up until a few days ago, we wanted to do bad things to you, Lennon.”
I twist my lips to the side. “Like what? Scrub some toilets? It’s going to take a lot more to–”
“No,” he growls, shaking his head as he bares his teeth. “Not like scrubbing toilets.” My blood turns cold at his words, at thewayhe saysthem. It’s so animalistic. “And if Jude had his way, he’d probably still do those things if we let him.”
I shake my head and shove him away. “It’s been ten years, Damon.” I turn to walk away, but he grabs me and pins me against the desk.
