Page 59 of Bloody Quarter

“You do know that I’m going to kill him, don’t you?”

“Yes,” I said, nailing the final piece into place for his coffin.

Greyson nipped my bottom lip, and with the look he was giving me, there was a good chance he would rip it right off my face, but instead, he grabbed the back of my head and kissed me hard. It felt like he was staking his claim. Cupping his face, I poured everything into the kiss. The shock and fear, and I let him take it all from me like his kiss alone had the power to fix all the cracks.

Breaking away, we were both panting hard, and I didn’t know what it felt like for him, but it was like being whisked away into a vortex and then dumped off, leaving you breathless.

“I’ll go get you a shirt, and then we better get back and help Lennox.” I nodded, not trusting my voice.

As soon as we walked out to the bar, I walked up to Lennox. “Hey, thanks for your help.”

“That guy was a fucking dick. I made him clean up his mess before the guards tossed his ass. Greyson is my brother, and no one does that to his girl,” Lennox said, turning away like the book on the subject was closed.

It didn’t matter that Sam or Matt had been kicked out. I knew that Greyson would find Sam. He’d just marked himself for death, and I was positive that he would pray for the reaper to take him before Greyson was through.

Alora

“See ya,” Lennox waved as he walked toward the exit. I waved, but I was still too much in my head to form words. Tonight was a slap in the face that at any time I could end up slipping and it not even be my fault. My hand was moving in circles as I polished the wood on the bar, but all I could picture was that alcohol coming for my face. What would’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten my mouth closed in time?

Warm arms wrapped around my body, and I sighed as Greyson dropped his head to my shoulder. “You sure you’re good?”

Turning in his hold, I masked the fear and smiled. “I am. Still a little shaken, but I’ll be fine.” He raised one cocky eyebrow in a perfect elegant arch, and I poked him in the chest. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m allowed to think about what happened. It’s how I process.”

He licked his bottom lip as he fixed me with a stare that had me wiggling. I’d never met anyone who could affect me like he did. Just a look seeped deep into my soul and touched parts of me that no other human should be able to reach.

“Want to know what I’m going to do to you when we get home,” he asked, his voice deep with the tell-tale signs of his darker urges. What exactly that meant…could be anything, but it was like he pushed a button, and my body lit up. It felt like I was glowing as brightly as the neon signs on Bourbon Street. I shook my head no. He smirked, and I gasped as he grabbed my ponytail and pulled back, exposing my neck. “Fuck, I might not make it back to the farm.”

“I’m game for whatever you want to do, but I’d prefer to get back to the farm.” His hand loosened on my hair, and I could almost feel him sucking back in the part of him that would strip me naked and fuck me on the bar for anyone passing by to see. Reaching up, I touched his cheek. “Please?”

Greyson kissed my palm and took a step back. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Why don’t you take the cash to the bank drop box, and we can sleep in tomorrow,” I said teasingly and gave him what I hoped was a sexy smirk.

“Fuck, don’t look at me like that.” He took a step back, and my stomach fluttered. I was quickly becoming addicted to affecting him like this. “You sure you don’t mind finishing the last bit of cleaning alone?”

“Go for it. I’ll be done by the time you get back.” He looked at the front door, and I pointed to the back. “Get going. I can lock the door.”

“Alright. Do you want a coffee or anything?”

“Sure.”

He stared at me, and I knew he wouldn’t go until I kissed him. Walking over, I rose up on my toes and brushed our mouths together. Cupping my face, he kissed my lips and then my forehead.

“I’ll be right back, Doll,” he said and headed to the back exit. As soon as he was gone, the place felt quiet and empty. I looked at the old-fashioned clock on the wall. It had been two hours since I took Yara out, and she should really have another break before we loaded her up to leave.

I set the cloth down on the bar and walked toward the back, cringing as the front door chimed. Shit.

“I’m sorry we’re closed.” I turned around and froze in my tracks. Mr. Landry stood inside the door, and I recognized the insane look in his eyes all too well. The difference was that I enjoyed it when Greyson looked at me like that. “Mr. Landry, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to come back another night,” I said calmly.

“Why you? Why do you get to live, and my sweet Tammy had to die?”

“I have asked myself that same question every night since the accident,” I said with a calmness that was only surface-deep. The fear that was bubbling under my skin had my muscles trembling.

“Stop saying that,” he yelled and gripped his head. The fear turned into white-hot terror as he suddenly whipped a gun out. His hand shook. I swallowed hard, unable to tear my eyes away from the piece. “It wasn’t an accident. You killed her! You murdered my baby.” He turned to lock the door and I didn’t waste a second before bolting down the hallway for the office.

I screamed and ducked as the gun went off, but I kept moving. Two more shots rang out as I reached for the office door, and one bullet hit the wall beside me. With a yelp, I tripped and hit the ground hard. Mr Landry loomed in the hallway, and I swallowed down bile as I stared at him. He raised the gun so it was level with me, and I knew this was it. I’d prayed for death. No, I begged for it, and the devil had finally sent his henchmen to collect. I’d thought it was Greyson, but I was wrong. Some would say my mistake was not locking the door, but that wasn’t the truth. My mistake was dreaming. Evil was always destined to catch up with me, and my final bell was here. The judgment for all my sins came down to this moment.

“I’ve lost everything,” he growled as he walked toward me, the gun shaking in his hand. “You killed my daughter, and my entire world crumbled around me. My wife left, and I lost my job and my home…one night, that was all it took. You did that.”