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With that, Easton gives me a nudge in the back of my ribs, propelling me forward. I quickly follow, knowing damn well I have no other choice. As we leave the gruesome sight behind, I realize without a doubt that Zade knew I was there the whole damn time. He knew I was watching and still killed that man right in front of my eyes.
Zade DeVil truly is a monster. A cold, callous murderer. And yet despite all of that, I can’t help but want to know him.
Chapter 21
OAKLEY
MyhandsshakeasI sit between Easton and Sawyer in the back of Zade’s Escalade, Easton’s knee pressed up against mine. Zade watches me through the rearview mirror, and despite not once looking up to meet his rattling stare, I can feel it like lasers on my skin.
What the hell have I allowed myself to be involved in? These people, this organization, it’s too much.
The Escalade pulls to a stop, and for the first time since getting in the car, my gaze lifts to the window, and I’m surprised to find us back at the college apartment complex. I could have sworn after catching me at the Empire compound, I’d be back in that cement prison. My brows furrow, but I don’t dare question him on it. If I get to be at home in my own bed, with privacy, then I’ll take it. It beats being Zade’s prisoner.
I’ll never be able to understand Zade or the decisions he makes. There’s no rhyme or reason to this—at least not one I can see. Though something tells me he has a reason for every last thing he does.
We get out of the Escalade and hover, unsure if Zade would actually allow me to go if I started walking. Easton stands beside me and Zade nods to him. “Go with her. Sweep her apartment and then meet me back in mine. We’ve got some shit to deal with.”
Easton nods and I don’t hesitate, taking off at a brisk pace to get back to my apartment. Dalton watches the way his friend falls in beside me as his arm brushes against mine.
My gaze falls to the ground, so confused by all of this. Dalton is giving me mixed signals. He’s so hard, so demanding and forceful, but at other times, I’ll catch him watching me, teasing me, wanting to be near me. I don’t get it, but it doesn’t matter. He betrayed my trust. He destroyed any chance of something growing between us, whether it was friendship or something else.
They’ve all been dishonest. Dalton set me up to be kidnapped and Sawyer stood before me, insinuating that he’d take me by force. Now that I know him a little better, I realize that’s not who he is. Sawyer is sweet and kind-hearted, and while he’s just as cruel and callous on the outside as the rest of them, there’s something softer hidden beneath. But there’s no denying that back in the concrete prison, his words were terrifying.
Easton Cross is the only one who seems to have been honest with me. He was real from the start, and while something warns me to run from him, I’m drawn to him as well. Down in that dungeon with the blood spurting from the doorman, Easton’s arms around me somehow made everything alright. I know he’d never hurt me, and something has me wanting to cling to him. But that doesn’t mean I should trust him.
Zade, on the other hand, has done just about everything humanly possible to ensure I despise him. Kidnapping, holding me hostage, and my all-time favorite, his hand locking around my throat and squeezing the life out of me. I could see it in his eyes. If I had pushed him just a little more, he would have not thought twice about killing me.
All I know is Zade DeVil is a different breed. He’s unpredictable and wild, and that scares the shit out of me.
Easton and I walk side by side and he holds the door open for me as we make our way into the hallway of our apartment complex. My arms are crossed over my chest, concealing the fact that my hands haven’t stopped shaking since watching Zade slaughter that man.
Easton clears his throat and pulls his hand up in front of him, and it’s only then do I realize that Venom is wrapped around his wrist. Has she been there this whole time? Down in the dungeons, the tunnels? I hadn’t even noticed, but why would I notice a snake when there was someone being brutally murdered in front of my eyes?
We move in front of my apartment, and I fish my key out of the back pocket of my jeans. Lifting my hand to the door, I try to slide it into the lock, but my hands are shaking more violently now, every passing second only getting worse. “Here,” he says, laying his hand over mine and steading it before guiding the key into the lock. He gives it a twist and the door unlocks, slowly swinging open before me.
We stand out in the hallway, a heavy tension growing between us. “You know,” he starts, those dark eyes looking down at mine. “We may be monsters trained to kill and do the things others don’t have the stomach for, but we’re your best shot at survival.”
I swallow hard and drop my gaze to the snake in his hand, watching as she slowly weaves through his fingers, unable to bear the look in his eyes. He was so earnest, so honest and real, and yet I can’t help the feeling that he doesn’t believe a damn word he’s saying. “I, umm . . . I just want to get to bed and try to forget any of this ever happened.”
Easton scoffs as he pushes the door further open and waves me in before him. “Easier said than done,” he tells me. “That image is going to be ingrained in your mind for the rest of your life. Witnessing something like that for the first time isn’t easy. But for the record, you’re doing better than I did.”
“Yeah?” I question, watching as he starts his sweep of my apartment.
I find myself following close by, not trusting the rest of the apartment until Easton’s checked it out. “I was twelve when my old man thought it’d be a great bonding experience to take me on a hit. He had me hold down some guy and watch as he gutted him right there on his kitchen floor, his organs slipping out as though they had a mind of their own,” he says, moving down to Cara’s room and quickly checking over it, somehow not making a sound as she sleeps inside. He gently closes her door before turning back to me as though he hadn’t just told me the most gruesome thing. “I threw up all over the poor bastard. It wasn’t a pretty sight.”
My lips scrunch in distaste. “That’s . . . wrong in so many ways. Why’d you have to tell me that?”
He shrugs his shoulders, finishing his sweep and hovering in my living room. “I thought we were sharing stories,” he admits before giving me a tight smile. “Your place is clear, so you’re good to do whatever you gotta do. But don’t be surprised if you find one of us sleeping on your couch.”
He goes to leave when I find myself calling after him, and he turns back, waiting patiently for me to figure out what I need to say. “I . . . I don’t understand why Zade killed the doorman,” I question, my voice breaking. “He gave him what he wanted. He got the name. He didn’t need to do that.”
Easton presses his lips into a hard line before shaking his head. “Zade was never going to get what he needed,” he admits. “The name he gave . . . the motherfucker was lying in a desperate bid to save himself.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because giving us Percy’s name is about as useless as if he’d given us one of ours.” My brows furrow as Easton takes a second to consider what details he’s comfortable sharing. “Percival Winchester is Zade’s mentor. He’s . . . Well, he was more a father to Zade than his old man ever was.”
My brows shoot up, my mind whirring with the possibilities. “And there’s no chance he could be behind any of this?”
