“Not the club’s problem,” I tell him simply.
“Make it a club problem. The way I see it, we fuckin’ take them bastards down, we move into their area.”
“Why? Why now? You never wanted their shit before.”
“And you never wanted to keep a bitch before. We all change plans, yeah? Let’s just do it. Let’s move in and take that shit over.”
“That’s not my only plan, Demon.” I don’t want to admit this to him and I won’t go into detail, but for the most part, he needs to understand that my mission in life has shifted. The things I once wanted are no longer options for me.
“What the fuck else could you possibly be doin’?” The smirk on his face drops when I look up.
“There are others I need to get out of the way first.”
“You gotta give me more than that.”
Shaking my head, I sigh. “It’s personal. I can’t give you all that you want. You want me to stay a part of this club, I need you to give me that space.”
“Is this about Tara? Did you find the traffickers that killed her? Is that what this is?” Demon asks but I remain silent.
The silence between us bothers me. I don’t like this. I don’t like having conflict with Demon of all people. He’s been there for me through more than I can say but this, this is personal on more levels than one.
“I don’t like it. Whatever this shit is, I don’t like it brother. We’re family and we take care of each other.”
Fuck! I hate when he pulls that card.
“I’m killin’ the Mayor and half of his staff.” The words come out and Demon stares.
Chapter 15
We eat in silence. I bring my beer to my lips and take a long pull but my eyes stay lingering on hers. She doesn’t look up. She doesn’t even move. Just sits there eating without a fucking care in the world. Is it strange that I want her to have that? I want her to have no cares at all. I want her to be comfortable and not have to worry over anything, but it’s hard for me to accept this new side of me she brings out.
“You’re a submissive,” I state. Evie finally looks up from her plate and shrugs. “Well, are you?” I know she is. At least to me she is.
“Not for him I wasn’t.”
“Why not?”
“He didn’t deserve it,” she states firmly. I narrow my brows, resting my elbows on the table as I glare at her.
“And I do?”
“You’re different. You want to hurt me and you do, but not in the ways he did. He deserved nothing from me.”
“Have you forgotten the part where I kidnapped you and held you in my basement?” I ask her, because frankly I’m beginning to wonder what the hell is wrong with this girl. She doesn’t seem to want to leave even if I give her that option. Which it’s not. Evie sets her fork on the table before sighing and looking up at me.
“I know why you kill them and I agree with it.”
I slam my fists on the table in front of me, watching her jerk back. Shoving out of my chair, I stand to my full height and glare down at her.
“You don’t know shit!”
“You don’t think so?” She challenges me back, shoving out of her own chair. She stands and moves around the table coming to stop in front of me. Her eyes are laser focused. “Human trafficking.”
“What the fuck?” Reaching for her, I grab her around the throat, pulling her body into mine.
“How do you know?” I snarl in her face.
“You aren’t the only one who hears things and knows things, Drake.”
Fuck, she just keeps pushing me and pushing me and I’m so close to breaking. “What do you know?” I keep my eyes on hers, needing to determine if she’s lying, because all it would take right now is one lie and I would snap her neck. Just one.
“I know there is far more going on here in good old Savanah, Georgia than just tourists. I know there’s a ring of sick motherfuckers that needs to be stopped,” she hisses each word, making my cock hard.
“And what the hell did you plan on doing about it?” Her eyes hold mine but they are lacking her usual confidence. Even though there’s a spark to them, something’s missing. Maybe it’s just my twisted senses expecting her to be more like me. Whatever it is I can’t place it and that bothers me.
“I…I don’t know.”
Releasing her throat, I take a step back and try to collect my thoughts. Evie turns on her heel and walks out the back door. It should bother me. I should be afraid of her running, but I’m not because I know she isn’t going anywhere. Turning to the counter, I grab another beer and head outside to talk to her. I see her sitting on the bench under the tree. Making my way over, I don’t know how I feel.
“This is personal to you,” she utters without even looking up at me. Unfortunately for me, this girl can read me and I don’t like that. Sighing, I sit next to her and look up at the stars.
“I had a friend when I was little. She was my age. We played all the time as kids. Our parents couldn’t separate us for long. One day we were outside playin’ like always and a van pulled up. I thought I was the biggest of the two of us but I wasn’t. I was fuckin’ weak back then. I didn’t know shit but at age seven you think you do. Anyway, the fuckin’ van doors slide open and three guys climbed out. She was ready to run just like she’d been taught to do and I was ready to fight like I was taught. Should’ve listened to her. When she was taken, it really fucked me up. I think that’s the first time in my life that I ever thought about killin’ someone. I wanted those assholes dead and I didn’t care how I had to do it. My dad…that shit just added fuel to the already burnin’ fire,” I tell her, letting my voice trail off.
“What happened?”
“They came up talkin’ to us all nicely. Usin’ the old ‘I lost my dog bit’. Fuck, we were seven and I didn’t know much back then, but when they grabbed her, I lost it. I fought as hard as I could. I guess they didn’t want to deal with a fighter. The guy who was grabbin’ me hit me so hard I saw fuckin’ stars before tossin’ me to the ground. I kept fightin’ though. Kickin’ and hittin’ as much as I could. I remember lyin’ there, shakin’ my head tryin’ to get my vision to come back into focus. When I got up off the ground, I stumbled as I ran at them, screaming. She…she fuckin’ cried for me. Screamed for me. I tried but that van sped off with a piece of my goddamn soul in the back. I never forgave myself for that.”