Page 30 of Blood
The scream he lets out this time is unholy, like a dying animal. Wolf steps away from Asher, confident now that he’s not going anywhere with two bullet holes in him. He gives me a nod.
“Your blood will be spilled,” I whisper. It’s not audible over Asher’s screaming, but I don’t care. I aim at his head and pull the trigger twice.
23
Wolf
Everleighdoesn’tmovethegun, so I gently remove it from her shaking hand, then tuck it into my waistband and gather her into my arms.
“I shot him,” she whispers into my chest.
“I know, baby. He deserved it.” I run my hands down her back. I pause, not sure if this is the right time, but I need to know. “Everleigh…what did he do to you? Did he hurt you?”
She shakes her head but doesn’t lift her face. Her words are muffled by my body. I pull her back a step, then pick her up, cradling her close to my chest. I settle on a sofa, holding her in my lap.
Asher’s bleeding body is still next to the bed, his groin mangled from Everleigh’s vicious shot. I’ll have someone clean it up in a bit. My priority is Everleigh right now.
I stroke her hair back from her face. “Everleigh. What did he do?”
She sniffles and shakes her head. “He didn’t…you know…what he was going to when you walked in. He just slapped me and um…put his fingers in me.”
Fuck. If the asshole wasn’t already dead, with his dick shot off, I would be doing him the courtesy of removing his favorite organ. How dare he touch my girl? A bruise is rising on her cheek. I run my finger over it lightly, and she hisses at even the slight contact.
“We’re going to my place. I need to make sure you’re okay.” My gaze roams over her wrists and ankles. My jaw tightens at the rope marks already forming.
“I’m fine, Wolf. We need to take care of…” She shrugs in the direction of Asher’s body.
He can rot right here for all I care, but I pull the burner phone out of my pocket and text a number I know by heart. “I have a buddy who will take care of it. Don’t worry; this is what they do.”
She studies my face for a minute. “Wolf…how did you find me? I haven’t even been to his apartment before today. I had no idea he lived like this. I knew his address—that’s it. He pulled away from our family when he moved out. I guess I understand why now. But I wanted him back. I wanted my big brother back.” Her words break on a sob. “I spent all this time trying to get back in his life, and this is…”
She cries quietly against my chest while I rock her.
When her sobs fade, she pulls her head back and meets my gaze. “How did you find me? I know I didn’t tell you where he lived or where I was going.”
I take a breath. “You know I’m not a good guy. I did time in prison a few years ago for running drugs. I gave that up, but now I’m a mercenary. A killer for hire. I take jobs that pay well, do them well, and leave no trace. And I have nothing else in my life. I had a sister once, but…” I tighten my jaw. This isn’t about me right now. “Anyway. When you have money and no morals, it’s easy to do almost anything. I knew you’d go to Asher’s apartment. I paid someone for his address.”
She relaxes against me, apparently satisfied for now. I let her breathing even out. We’re going to come back to the way she got here, though. But that talk is for later.
I let her sit for a minute before I shift to get her moving. “We’re going to my house now, Everleigh. I’m going to take care of you. And once you’re healed, we’ll have a little discussion about running from me.”
I feel a shiver run through her, but she just nods.
She looks even smaller than her usual tiny self as she sinks into my couch. The bruise on her face is blooming in garish shades of blue and purple. She gives me a soft smile and lifts an ice pack to cover her cheekbone.
“How are you feeling, baby?” I sit at the edge of the sofa and grasp her hand. I never want to let go of her again.
I’m pretty sure she has a fractured cheekbone, and she’ll have a decent black eye in the next few days, if not the next few hours. I check the whites of her eyes again. In another lifetime, I was working toward being a paramedic. I know the signs to look for to make sure she doesn’t have a concussion, internal bleeding, anything life threatening.
Everleigh whimpers when I touch her cheek. The ice is helping, but she’s still in pain. I rummage in the first aid bag beside me, finding some ibuprofen. When I hand it to her, she obediently swallows it down.
She takes a sip of water from the glass I hold out to her, then hands it back. “Wolf, I can’t stay here.”
“I have this townhome. You need somewhere to stay, and you need someone to keep an eye on you for a few days while you heal. You also need someone to keep you safe. Just because Asher is gone doesn’t mean the Kings have given up. So, until I know it’s safe, you’ll be with me.”
She glares at me, but her vitriol fades as I brush the hair back from her forehead. She tilts her head slightly. “You told me that Wolf is a nickname. What’s your real name?”
I wince slightly. “Phillip. Phillip Wolfson. You can see why I go by the nickname.”
