Page 35 of Clever Deceit

“Silver,” I said sharply. “Here.”

She turned and ran to me without glancing back at the man she'd been about to attack, coming to a stop at my side. She turned and dropped into a sit, her eyes still on him, and I could feel the tension radiating out of her compact, muscular body.

She was ready to attack, and she'd never even met this guy. Maybe she didn't have to meet him to know he was trouble.

I put a hand on her head and watched, heart racing, as Tony started toward us. Damn, I was stupid. I was out here by myself without any sort of weapon and far enough away that no one back at the house would hear me if I screamed. What had I been thinking to come out here on my own? Why had I thought this was safe?

Because I hadn't thought he'd dare show his face around here when he'd already gotten in so much trouble, I realized. I'd thought he'd at least be careful.

But that was because I hadn't been thinking about this as his town. Now I remembered what I'd realized just last night: that he could do whatever he wanted in this place and he'd get away with it because the cops were all on his side.

Even if it meant attacking a girl a mile from her own home.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I slid my phone out of my pocket and put it behind my back, thumbing it open and hitting what I hoped was the first number on the call list. If I'd guessed right, that would be Warren's number. I could hear the faint sound of it ringing... and then the even fainter sound of him picking up.

Please let him be able to hear me. Please let him remember where I'd said I was going.

Please let him realize that I was in trouble and needed help.

“Fancy seeing you here, in fact,” Tony said, taking a step closer.

I tensed, trying to figure out whether I had time to run from him—and whether I'd be able to get away. I didn't think running would be a good idea if he was faster than me. He'd be less likely to be generous if he had to run to catch up with me.

I was smaller than him and definitely lighter on my feet. But I didn't want to count on being able to outrun him.

“Not really,” I said. “I live right down the road. Which you know. This isn't your neighborhood, though. What the hell are you doing here?”

Silver growled at this, like she was backing me up, and I felt a quick grin flash across my face. Tony saw the grin and seemed to take it as an invitation, because he puffed his chest out like I'd just given him a compliment or something.

“I was in the area, what can I say? Must be drawn to you or something.”

Silver's growling increased in volume at that—could she actually understand him?—and he lifted his hands again and backed up a step.

“Okay, okay. Touchy, isn't she?”

“She doesn't like people she doesn't know. And she doesn't trust easily,” I muttered.

Where was Warren? I couldn't hear him on the phone anymore, and I was worried he'd thought it was a mistaken dial and hung up or something.

“Trusts that veteran you're hanging out with, though, doesn't she?” Tony asked, and his voice had changed now to something harder. Something more dangerous. “How long you going to waste your time with him, anyhow? Does he even have a job or does he just sit around the house complaining about how hard things are? What could a blue-collar guy like that ever give you, anyhow? What does he have to offer?”

More than Tony did.

More by a mile.

Though I didn't think now was the right time to point that out.

“He makes me happy,” I said softly. “And he keeps me safe.”

Tony got several steps closer, his face taking on a truly terrifying expression. “He could never keep you safe, Lily. Not like I can. Come back to me, and I'll protect you. I'll even forgive all the things you did wrong.”

I almost laughed at that.

“All the things I did wrong?” I snorted. “You're the one stalking me, Tony. The one hurting me. Scaring me. Leaving dead squirrels on the doorstep and damaging my car. Burning down houses.”

He scoffed at that like I'd just made it all up. “I didn't do any of that, Lily.”