Page 41 of Deadly Promise
That Liam was a weapon with a body count.
“See how well you know me already?” His smile felt like an understanding. I’ll always keep my mates safe, just don’t ask how.
Liam walked out, carrying Teagan’s bag. Hayden walked in, passing Liam just outside the bedroom door.
“The way he moves sometimes…” But Hayden hadn’t said it like he was admiring Liam.
“Like he’s restraining himself,” Teagan added. “He’s a wolf, Hayden. We can’t think of him in human terms.”
“Thankfully he’s our mate and not our enemy.” He stared wide-eyed at Teagan. “I bet you he’s one scary son of a bitch when he’s in predator mode.”
Teagan chuckled, loving how they always rode the same wavelength. Hayden had figured Liam out too.
They headed outside, ready to take off in Liam’s truck when Teagan felt his bladder twinge. “I’ll be right back,” he said to his mates. “I have to use the bathroom. “
Hayden groaned. “We were just inside.”
“Thanks for the needless reminder, Captain Obvious,” Teagan said over his shoulder. “Stop being a baby and chill.”
Teagan paused when someone pulled in. Aiden got out and grinned. “Had some things to do in town. Thought I’d see if you were still here.”
“Hurry up,” Hayden said when he noticed Teagan standing by the front door.
Sticking out his tongue, Teagan unlocked the door and moved hastily to the bathroom. Thank goodness he hadn’t decided to wait. Those three glasses of orange juice had caught up to him.
After taking care of his business and washing his hands, Teagan stepped from the bathroom.
And right into Edwin.
Teagan froze, his throat constricting as if invisible fingers had closed around it. The hallway walls seemed to tilt inward, narrowing his vision until only Edwin’s face remained in focus.
Edwin wore that same hateful sneer as when boots had connected with Teagan’s ribs. Behind Edwin stood Ramos, shorter but broader. Unlike Edwin’s twisted grin, Ramos looked as if he’d rather be anywhere else.
“Surprise,” Edwin whispered, raising a matte black handgun, which looked impossibly heavy in his meaty hand. “Miss me?”
Memories slammed into Teagan with physical force—boot soles against ribs, knuckles cracking against his jaw, blood slick and hot between his teeth. His legs moved backward instinctively, while his lungs seized, each breath shallow and painful as if the beatings were happening all over again.
“How—” The word croaked out, but more words refused to follow.
“Never leave your spare key lying in some drawer.” Edwin tapped the gun against his thigh. “Don’t you how dangerous that is?”
Teagan inched backward, each step measured and careful. There wasn’t anywhere to go, but his body refused to stay put.
“Stop. Fucking. Moving.” The pure hatred in Edwin’s eyes said Teagan wasn’t going to survive this.
He was facing death. Actual death. This wasn’t another beating or even a threat. Edwin was here to kill him. His hatred had festered into something terminal.
Teagan’s life didn’t even flash before his eyes, just Hayden’s smile and Liam’s voice, things he’d never see or hear again.
“Six months.” Edwin’s voice remained eerily calm. “Six months I spent locked in a cage because your boyfriend went crying to cops.” He stepped closer, forcing Teagan farther back into the hallway. “Know what I thought about every single day?”
His eyes darted between the two men as he searched for an escape route that didn’t exist.
Edwin answered his own question. “How you ruined my life. Lost my job, my apartment, and my girl left me. All because you just had to play victim.”
A laugh bubbled up from Teagan’s chest, high and brittle. “Play victim? You put me in the hospital.”
“Barely.” Edwin rolled his eyes. “Three broken ribs and a concussion. Fucking drama queen.”
