Page 33 of Ravaged By the Dark

“Well, I had to make sure this was a serious question. Why don’t you just fuck someone else? Like you said, it’s not like you have a lack of women throwing themselves at your feet.”

“I can’t. I like this one. But, I don’t know what to do. Should I stay away or go for it? I mean, look at this mess yesterday. How am I supposed to have a relationship with anyone when just being around me may get them killed? I’m so messed up.”

“As usual, you are overthinking this.” Trev sighed as he placed his drink down on the table. “Honestly, I’m not sure why you are bothering to go to so much trouble. We both know it’s not going to last, and mythical evil chasing you has nothing to do with it. Your MO is always the same. You’ll get bored and move on. Although, I must say it’s nice not having a parade of trash walking through here every morning.”

“Is that a hint of jealousy I hear?” Arek smiled at his brother’s annoyed expression.

“Hardly, I have better taste than sluts and whores.”

“Ouch, that’s harsh and totally uncalled for.”

Trev mumbled to himself, a classic sign that he was annoyed and done with the conversation.

“Fuck the girl, don’t fuck her, stay away from her or don’t—hell, you could simply use the hands God gave you and yank the fucking thing. I really don’t care how you get your dick off. What I do care about is our mission.” Trev tapped the tablet and brought up a picture. The screen filled with a photo of a mugshot of a man. “This is your Ice Man.”

Arek picked up the tablet and studied his target’s image. He was a good-looking guy, well built, and he understood what X had meant about his eyes. They were silver, and even in the photo, they held a coldness that only came from killing. Based on this arrest record and the flags on his account, he wasn’t going to be easy to intimidate or takedown. All the charges to date had been withdrawn, but Arek was about to make one conviction stick. This was exactly what he needed, a challenge to get his mind off a certain aqua-eyed beauty.

His lip curled up in a snarl as he took in every feature of the man in the photo. Ice Man looked like he’d been in a fight or two and had a memorable scar to prove it, and he settled in to fantasized about all the shit he planned on doing to that pretty face.

Time to pay your debt to society Ice Man.

Renee hadn’t slept well for three nights now. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Arek’s stupid face. He hadn’t reached out to her since their time at the arcade, as screwed up as it was.

And then there was that passionate moment that she couldn’t get out of her head. The way he’d touched her had her tossing and turning, wanting more. Then the way he’d protected her and J.J. from those guys…

She’d watched the news. She understood what he’d done even if he hadn’t come out and said it. Renee expected to feel horrified. But the truth was, she and J.J. could be in coffins right now if it weren’t for him, and it was not exactly far-fetched to think as a soldier he’d killed before either. On the flip side, they wouldn’t have even been there if it wasn’t for him, but how was he supposed to know that three armed men were going to storm an arcade? What the hell was the world coming to anyway?

She rubbed her forehead as she stared at the textbook and the same line she’d read a thousand times. She simply couldn’t focus. It was useless, and Arek was to blame, stupid men and their stupid sexy bodies and their stupid smoldering blue eyes.

“Nae Nae, can we play cars?” J.J. held up the little car that Arek had fixed and held out the other to her in his hand. She stared at the car, just another reminder of the annoying man. He was like a bad itch she couldn’t scratch.

“I can’t tonight. I have to work, but Francine will be over soon, and you know how she loves to play cars with you.” Renee smiled, knowing it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Yeah, but she’s slow,” J.J. whispered. He turned and trotted off, plunking himself down on the rug in the living room.

As if she conjured the woman, the key sounded in the lock, and Francine pushed her way in the door.

“Francine! Come play cars,” J.J. yelled.

Francine laughed as she closed the door and shuffled into the kitchen.

“Let me say hello to your sister, and I’ll be right there,” Francine called out. “Hello, my dear.” Francine paused, her face falling as she looked her over. “What’s wrong? Did that Tyson do something? That boy is no good. His mama said he had the devil in him, and I didn’t believe her then, but God rest her soul, she was right.”

“No, it’s not him, at least not this time.” Renee peered into the living room to make sure J.J. wasn’t listening and lowered her voice. “I got a call from a real estate agent this morning. My mother is selling the house, and that is after she took out a credit card in my name and ran it up. Luckily that got sorted out as a case of fraud, but I can’t take any more of her…crazy.” Renee’s voice hitched. “How can she do this to us?”

She’d been strong all day, but saying the words out loud made it all too real. Francine wrapped her arms around her, and she let the tears silently flow. It felt good to let it all out, to lean on someone she knew she could trust, even if it was only for a moment.

“That woman, I don’t know what happened to your mama. She used to be such a kind woman, and now….”

“She’s a bitch,” Renee hissed and pulled away from Francine to wipe her eyes. “I’m worried she’s going to try and take J.J., and I know it seems stupid considering she left, but she’s so erratic, and I can’t help thinking she will try and use him as leverage for more money… I couldn’t bear that, Francine, and I don’t have any more to give. He’s always been more mine than hers and….” Fresh tears filled her eyes, but she choked them back. “I need to take him and run. I could make it work. I could stay hidden. I just need to get out of this state.”

“Don’t talk like that. It’s not going to happen. Why don’t you come live with me? I don’t have much, but we could make do.”

Renee gave Francine a warm smile. “Thanks, but I need to get away from here. Between my mother and Tyson, I need a fresh start.”

“Francine, you wanna see my tiger? Arek won him,” J.J. announced as he burst into the kitchen. Francine raised an eyebrow in question.

“Arek, the man you saw the other week? He was nice enough to treat us to a day at Pacific Park,” she explained.