Page 134 of Peaks and Promises

Clenching my teeth, I held myself back from lunging at him.

He laughed and pulled out the gun, letting his arm hang at his side. But the message was clear.

“I wish I could just shoot you,” he said, shaking his head with dismay. “Stryker wouldn’t give a shit, but if it made Roxi mad, I’d be in trouble.”

“If you’re not going to kill me, what are you doing?”

Licking his bottom lip, he stepped in close. My back tightened, and I tasted bile in the back of my throat.

“I won’t stop until I have my son.” His voice was low and menacing as he traced the barrel of the gun down my cheek. “I know how much you hate Mayhem. How hard you’ve tried to keep him away from us. But you already failed. You’ll never be rid of us. And Nate’s going to turn out just like me.”

I swallowed hard, my stomach turning at the stench of cigarettes on his breath. A car turned up the street and he stepped back, slipping the gun into his pants. With another malevolent grin, he took off between the buildings and disappeared from sight.

The car drove by, but it wasn’t anyone I knew.

Shaken and dripping with rain, I hurried back to the restaurant to call Reese.

CHAPTER 32

Reese

Fury pulsed through my veins as I parked outside the Copper Kettle. I had one job. Keep Summer and Nate safe. I shouldn’t have left her alone.

The rain had almost stopped, but thunder still rolled in the distance, and the smell of wet pavement hung in the air. I got out and went into the restaurant, my back rippling with tension.

Summer glanced over her shoulder from her place at the counter and hopped off the stool. In a few strides, I was there, scooping her into my arms. I held her tight against me for a long moment as anger and relief surged through me in waves.

Pulling away, I cupped her cheeks and searched her face. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me.”

My jaw tightened, and she ran her hands up my chest.

“Reese, I’m okay.” Her tone was soft and soothing. “Let’s just go.”

Leaning in, I brushed her lips with a kiss, then led her out to my dad’s truck. I scanned the street, but the weather had chased most people indoors. And there was no sign of Axel.

Instead of driving straight to my parents’ place, I took a roundabout route to make sure we weren’t followed. Summer remained quiet, gazing out the window.

“I shouldn’t have left you,” I said, eventually breaking the silence.

“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have gone to the ATM.” She huffed out a frustrated breath. “I’m so angry right now. I want to rip off his balls and shove them down his throat.”

Involuntarily, I flinched at the image. Although I wanted to do worse.

She twisted in her seat and looked behind us.

“We’re not being followed,” I said.

“Sorry, I know you’re watching. But he’s going to try to follow us at some point.”

“I know he is.”

“He’s patient. He doesn’t seem like he would be, considering he also has a temper. But he is.”

“Prison probably made him more so.”

“I bet it did.”