Page 46 of Ruthless Deliverance

“You’d be delighted to know my name is in fact Mr. Politeness.”

“How’d you come to that conclusion?”

“It’s the Italian translation of Garbo.”

“Is it your real name?” I ask as he confirms it is. “Then you really aren’t living up to your potential.”

There’s a slight smirk on his lips as I turn and walk out of the school, my notebook clutched to my chest. There’re a few guys out in the parking lot in football gear but thankfully no Creed. I don’t have the time or patience to go another round with him at the moment. Now, I have even more to discuss with Philip. Because Garbo being there to watch me feels more like it was for Philip’s benefit than mine, or maybe it just feels like that because of how much I’ve been screwing up.

39

CREED

Releasing the ball, it sails down the field. Practice hasn’t officially started, but I was ready to get out here and Marco was ready to catch some passes.

“Bruh, I need to talk to you.” Beau hurries onto the field.

“Busy.”

“It’s serious.” Beau hesitates before glancing around. “How well do you know your little girlfriend?”

Every muscle in my shoulder tenses as I turn to face Beau. “Why?”

“She’s a narc. So is Garbo. I just heard them talking.”

Fuck. “What did you hear?”

“I saw her walking into the school and wanted to apologize for earlier, but when I finally found her, she was walking with Garbo, so I followed them.”

Apologize my ass. “Leave it alone.”

“What the hell do you mean leave it—” Beau goes silent as I feel his judging eyes on me. “You already knew.”

“Yeah. Why do you think I was trying to get so close to her?” I throw a pass down the field to Marco then look to Beau and hope he’ll buy all of this. Because I don’t need him stirring shit up just yet. And I need to get myself situated because the only thing I want to do right now is protect her. From everyone and everything. And I can’t explain it to even myself at this point, but I need her to come out of this safe, even if it costs me severely. Her. That’s all that matters right now. “I’ve got it under control. So, keep it between us, and don’t let her know you’ve figured out who she is.”

He remains silent for a beat before taking a step forward, “Are you sure you have it under control? From the looks of it, she has you under control.”

“Exactly what I want her to think until I can figure out what she knows.”

“I know one thing; it explains how the bitch was able to get in such good hits. She’s a pro.”

“Something like that.” He wants to ease his damaged pride over how she broke his nose. Twice. “Now, act like it’s any other day, and I’ll tell you when we’re making a move.”

“You’d better. Because you really acted like you chose her side.”

“I needed her trust.” That is the actual truth. Although, I’m not sure I’ve done that fully. Beau seems satisfied enough to drop it, but this changes things. It changes everything. She changes everything.

40

DANI

I find Philip in the kitchen, standing at the island, a mug in his hand. Coffee. The man drinks it 24-7. When he notices me standing across the room, he sets down the beverage and points a judgy stare at me. “You’ve been busy.”

“Well, I’m sure Garbo has kept you in the loop.”

There’s a hint of shock on his face but it doesn’t remain long. “I wanted to make sure you had backup if needed.”

“For what, sarcasm? Because he’s good at that.”