AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Roland’s eerie smile of victory only makes my skin crawl further.
He knows he’s won.
Without looking at her, I grab Zoey’s tiny hand in mine and bypass Roland in the hall.
“Go back to your room, Zoey. I can’t stay with you tonight.”
“No.” She shakes her little head, pulling my hand so I step farther away from the man who is going to hand deliver me to that fucking psychopath. “Come with me.”
I crouch so we are eye level with each other and hold both of her hands in mine. I want to fight, to scream, to take her and run away, but I can do none of those things, and for a moment, I just drink in her innocence and hope. I’ll need it to get through what’s next.
“It’s okay, little doe. I’ve got this.”
“But Gray,” she starts to protest but stops when I pull her hands up to my lips to kiss her fingers.
“Go to your room, Zoey. Do that for me, okay?”
Reluctantly, she nods and starts walking away. My gaze never leaves her. I need to make sure she reaches her destination before I have to go back to mine. When she arrives at her bedroom door at the end of the hall, she looks back at me. My forehead furrows, though, when I realize she’s not looking at me at all, but at the man who is now standing too close for comfort behind me.
“If you hurt him, my guardian angel will kill you just like he killed my daddy. I’ll make sure of it.”
She gives him her meanest glare and walks into her room, locking it behind her just like I taught her to.
“Stupid bitch,” the monster behind me scoffs, but I tune him out, overcome with relief now that she’s safe and out of his grasp.
It’s only when I feel Roland’s fingers dig into my shoulders that I remember this nightmare isn’t done yet.
Not for me at least.
“Come on, Gray. It’s playtime.”
Cold sweat drips down my neck as I swiftly pull myself out of bed, pick up my phone and car keys, and rush out of the door, intent on finding Zoey wherever she is. Living with Alaric must have given her a false sense of security if she thinks she can just go out at this ungodly hour and come back unscathed.
But I know the truth.
Monsters rule the night.
If she keeps tempting the devil, sooner or later, he’ll come for her.
CHAPTER7
Zoey
With my hands on the steering wheel, I glance over at my phone on the console and smile. Maybe I should have a word with Alaric and tell him he’s dropping the ball where Gray’s tutoring is concerned. I mean, did Gray really think he could put a tracking device on my phone and I wouldn’t notice? Does he think I’m that naïve?
I shake my head and chuckle.
“Ah, Gray, you have to be a lot smarter than that to pull a fast one on me.”
Although there could be another explanation as to why he would assume I’d be clueless to his sly ways. Maybe he doesn’t know that Alaric came clean with Layla and me years ago about what he did for a living. Now that I think about it, that does sound more than likely. Most of the hitmen my father thought were safe enough to bring home to meet us didn’t have families, and only a seldom few of those who did shared the truth about their day job to their loved ones. I guess not everyone is as open-minded and accepting as Layla and I. Then again, not everyone has had the same horrific childhood experiences we did, which allowed us to understand that some evils are justified.
“Come on, Gray!” I slap my steering wheel. “I saw you kill a dude tonight, and I didn’t even flinch. Hello! If that doesn’t give you an inkling that I’m in the loop, then I don’t know what will.”
I let out another giggle and turn up the volume on my radio so I can sing along to the tune. The streets open up for me, and I take advantage of it as I press the pedal to the metal.
God, I love New York at this hour.
Sure, I should be asleep back in the dorm, especially since I have classes in the morning, but I’ve always been a night owl. Plus, after Gray left me all hot and bothered, there was no way I could fall asleep. I was too wired, too on edge, and I needed something—someone.As luck would have it, when I picked up my phone to mindlessly scroll through my social feed and saw that it had been tampered with, I knew exactly whichsomeonewould scratch my itch perfectly. First, though, I need to have a little fun with him. It serves him right for leaving me high and dry.
