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A laugh bubbled to the surface. Maybe he and I weren’t that far removed from each other after all.
I was a firm believer not only in karma but that the world gave us what we needed to survive. Maybe I was sugar coating everything, including horrible murders, but what Easton and his brothers had gone through was horrific. Unimaginable.
There was no doubt he wanted to protect me and would stop at nothing to try to make that happen. Somehow, I had a feeling that things were rocketing out of control. Had he been trying to tell me he wanted me to leave? I wasn’t certain and I hated it.
A lump formed in my throat as I stared into the rearview mirror. What I’d chosen to do was risky, but I wanted to help. Instead of acting mortified that Easton was who he was, I would use his influence and stature in the community to get what I wanted.
Answers.
Guards.
Before Easton had left for yet another meeting, he’d mentioned guards would arrive at his house within thirty minutes to keep me protected. He seemed appeased by that fact, resigned to utilizing what were merely the perks of the Saints’ world. Like health insurance or a 401-K.
Fortunately, they wouldn’t know I was gone given I’d parked in Easton’s several car garage. That would buy me some time, even though returning might be dicey.
I’d gone to bed, trying to make sense of everything knowing he’d killed those young men. Maybe I was trying to make it okay in my mind that Zane had been murdered.
And that I had wanted to see it happen, the moment the bastard had died. As sick and twisted as it was, there was no denying what I’d thought about almost all night long.
What he’d told me hadn’t really mattered, at least not about the way I felt about him.
I was falling hard and fast, although I wouldn’t call it love just yet. I had to temper my feelings knowing it was entirely possible I was infatuated with the man and his brain, especially when we’d put together a potential bestseller.
Time would tell.
However, I didn’t care whether or not I was crossing the line between right and wrong. I needed to know the truth about who was threatening him.
As I pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, I scanned the road behind me to ensure I hadn’t been followed. The place was closer to his house than in town, which limited traffic, but I still felt the creepy crawlies all over me. I would try to hurry but had yet to figure out what to say to these guards if they saw me returning to my plush cage.
I climbed out, still feeling as if eyes were on me. As I walked into the little place I’d been a couple of times, I felt another layer of resolve building. I glanced around the room, finding her quickly. I headed to the table, glaring down at her, still partially uncertain what I wanted to say or how I would react.
When Josie lifted her head, she had dark circles under her eyes. She gripped my hand, yanking me into the seat. On the table was a thin manila file, which already put me on edge. She was here to destroy my life. Of that I was certain. “I was so worried when you didn’t come to graduation. I thought the worst.”
“As you can see, I’m just fine. We were working and I never really wanted to attend in the first place. You knew that.”
She nodded and took a sip of her coffee, which allowed me to see her hand was shaking.
“What did you want to tell me that seems so desperate?”
“It’s my dad. You know who he is.”
She glanced at the customers, keeping her voice low.
“Yes. Why?”
“He’s convinced some people that Easton is the devil. He has proof. Did you know he killed a couple boys recently? Boys? One went to our school.”
“And you father has proof.” She felt it necessary to remind me of Dylan’s death.
“Yes. On the entire family. Which is why you need to go back home.”
I was ready to laugh. “Why?”
“Because my father is out for blood. He’ll take you down if that’s what needs to happen.”
“Because of political gain?”
She was acting far too odd, as if something else was going on. I’d never seen her so stressed. So I decided to throw out a carrot for the hell of it. “Look, I know you don’t want to hear this but I’m in love with Easton and he’s not a bad guy. I will stand by his side if your father or any other man attempts to bring him down.”
