“Of course, she’s not,” I agree. “Kerri is staying with us.”
“Only until Daniel is dealt with,” she’s quick to add. “Then I’m going home.”
Havoc’s jaw is clenched so tight, I’m shocked he doesn’t crack a few molars. Perfect. This is precisely what I hoped would happen. My two besties having an instant animal attraction. Now I need to get them to drop their bullshit long enough to, you know, let each other in. But that’s a task best left for another day because we have a problem bigger than their miserable, nonexistent love lives.
Goddamn Daniel-fucking-Davenport.
It’s going to be satisfying to see that bastard get his comeuppance not only for cooking onyx and distributing that crap in Mayhem but also for what he did to me—twice.
As if trying to rape me wasn’t bad enough. But to send in thugs to beat the snot out of me? That’s a double dose of low. If anyone deserves street justice, it’s him. It’s because of men like him that the Unholy set up their kingdom here in Mayhem. It’s the perfect haven for outcasts and outlaws. And as I climb up inside Jester’s Jeep, pride surges through me that I’m among the privileged few who call this town home. I may not be a criminal like the Unholy, but Iamone of society’s rejects.
After experiencing the world outside of Mayhem for seven long and miserable years, I learned life is better when spent living on the razor’s edge of sin and virtue. Tip too far in either direction, and one or the other will slice your soul in half.
Thankfully, I have excellent balance.
19
Jester
“It’s light. I can carry it myself, thank you.”
I roll my eyes at Kerri as I haul the single piece of luggage from the trunk of her white BMW. “I’m an asshole, not a heathen. My mother would rise out of her grave to smack the shit out of me if I wasn’t mannerly.”
She gives me a tight smile, and I realize it’s going to take a miracle to crack this one. But I knew that already. Faith explained how Kerri is the reserved type. Not a problem. If I can handle Malice and Havoc, I can break through this one’s defenses. In fact, I’m going to make it my mission because Faith loves her, and that makes her family now, too. Simple as that.
I’m also not blind. Havoc couldn’t stop eyeballing her all day. Hilarious. Bet your sweet ass I’m going to have fun with these two. But first, we need to do a little housekeeping. And by that, I mean we need to murder Daniel Davenport.Fucking awesome. Killing him will be a privilege. A gift of sorts. A two-for-one, if you will. We eliminate the problem of onyx,andI get to torture the motherfucker who hurt my girl twice.
Hi-fives all around.
God, I can’t wait for tomorrow.
This time, Crow isn’t hesitating. He did that once and look what happened with Wraith. Crane sent Jamie’s friend Thomas here to snatch her. Right out from under my damn nose while I was in the shower. We learned from our mistake. Now, we’re going right in. Straight to Davenport’s house. Well, Discord is anyway. The plan is for him to slip in, grab the bastard, and bring him here for us to play with. And oh man, am I going to play. I’m even bringing my favorite toys. The pointy ones with the sharpest blades.
Crow gets him first because he’s the boss.
But I get to kill him—and I don’t intend to give him a quick death. In fact, I might make it take days.
We’ll see how it goes.
Faith walks ahead of us, entering the house first. She leaves the door open, and I lose sight of her as she drags her tired ass up the stairs. I stand aside to allow Kerri in because I’m a gentleman. When I drop her bags by the bottom step, a chill works its way up my spine in a weird, silent warning. I’m about to ignore it, but I haven’t lived this long in this world without my instincts being on point.
A quick scan of my living room reveals not a damn thing out of place, but something is…off. Like the air in the house is too thick. Too heavy. A glance in the kitchen rings a warning bell in my head. I grab Kerri’s arm when she walks by me to stop her from going upstairs. My fucking stomach drops to my feet because Faith is already up there.
A shake of my head and a finger to my lips stops Kerri from voicing whatever question she might have. Instead, she mouths “What’s wrong?” and I point to the ceiling as I call out Faith’s name.
Fuck me when she doesn’t answer.
The silence drills into my ears, piercing my brain like a million knives. Each breath is painful as I slip my cell phone from the pocket of my jeans. I slap it in Kerri’s hand. “Call Havoc.” I shove her outside and lock the door behind her.
Once she’s safe, I race to the dummy vent in the living room and grab the Desert Eagle I keep stashed in there. Faith’s continued silence kills me as I cross the space and dash to the kitchen.Sonofabitch. The back door is closed, but the lock is busted. It’s a good guess to assume that whoever broke in is still here—and they have my girl.
Now look, I’m not a man to give in to hysterics. If I were, I’d be charging up the stairs like a lunatic. But I don’t know what’s up there.Whois up there. Dramatic bullshit can get Faith killed (I can’t even think about her being…unalive). I kept my shit together when we got to Gomorrah and barged into the torture room where I saw my best friend chained to a concrete floor like an animal with his body torn to shreds. With Faith’s life in my hands, I can damn well stay calm now and be smart. Lead with my mind and not my heart.
I stalk up the stairs and stay focused. Stay crisp, even as every second feels like a lifetime. God only knows what I’ll find, but if even one fucking hair is out of place on Faith’s head—
“Call him.” The command is harsh and low. Clipped, but not annoyed. It rings out like a thunderclap in the quiet and moves my feet faster up the stairs.
“Luke, what’s taking you so long?”
