Page 118 of Depraved

“Yeah.”

“Is she okay?”

“Yeah, man. She’s fine. Just a few bruises. But Trick says she’s pretty shaken up.”

“Fuck!” I kicked at the fucking floor. “Pythons?”

Ink nodded, his entire face contorted with malice.

“Okay, get Onyx and Dutch. I’ll meet you guys upstairs.”

“Gotcha.”

Jesus. The Pythons seemed to have it in for our women. First Neon, and now Tanit. Just showed these fuckers didn’t have a moral bone in their goddamn bodies. We didn’t target women. We didn’t use them as pawns in our rival wars. Women were off-limits. No matter what, you never fucked with women and children.

Goddammit.

I stepped inside the room, and Alyx was sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

“I have to go sort some shit out.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah.” I made a meek attempt at looking calm. “Everything’s fine. Just something that needs taken care of ASAP.”

Alyx brushed her hair out of her face. “Does this something have to do with the Pythons?”

I studied her, contemplating how much she really needed to know about our business with the Pythons. “Yeah.” It was a simple answer, one I would not elaborate on.

She nodded and rubbed an arm across her shoulder. “Okay, well. You better go, then.”

“Alyx,” I tilted her face up to mine, “this conversation isn’t done yet. I will make you say it.” I placed a gentle kiss at the corner of her mouth. “Because you and I both know it’s the truth. But I need to hear you say it. Soon.” It wasn’t a threat. It was a vow, a promise, a fucking guarantee that I would not stop until she fucking admitted she was mine. All mine.

I took a step back and picked up my cut from the floor. “I won’t be locking the door again.”

Her eyes narrowed, seemingly confused. “You’re not?”

“You’re free to walk around down here.”

Her gaze cut to the ceiling then back down. “What do you mean, down here?”

“We’re at a safe house, and this is like an underground bunker. We needed to make sure you and Neon were safe.” I slipped my cut over my shoulder and walked to the door. “But just know the door leading out of here will be locked at all times. Not to keep you in. To keep the bad guys out.”

A hint of a smile tugged at the end of her mouth.

“Are you not one of the bad guys?”

I shot her a cocky grin. “My sweet ballerina girl, I’m far worse.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

GRANITE

The skin on the back of my neck prickled with warning. As I took a drag of my cigarette, the red coal lighting up in the dark, I could feel the malice hanging in the air. Something was coming. It was so fucking close, I could practically reach out and touch it.

I glanced over my shoulder at Dutch. “Everything is secure at the safe house, right?”

“Yeah, man. We got Manic and Ink there. You know no one is getting close to Neon with Ink being there.”