I wander into the kitchen. I have no real plan. I just know Violet’s in there, so I follow my gut.
She’s standing with Cammy and Stella at the counter. All three of them are dicing veggies for a salad. When I walk in, Violet’s eyes flick up, and a huge smile takes over her face. But she keeps chatting away with the girls like she’s known them forever. I come up behind her and lace my arms around her waist.
“Ladies,” I say, greeting Jackie, Penny, and the rest of them. I plant a kiss on the top of Violet’s hair and breathe her in. God, she smells fucking outstanding. Clean and sweet and delicious. “What’s for dinner?”
Stella’s eyes are wide as she stares at me, my arms still locked around Violet’s waist. “Uh, salad. Phantom said we could pull chicken out of the deep freezer, so we’ve got wings in the oven.”
I kiss Violet’s head again and then steal a carrot she’s chopping from the cutting board. “Sounds good.”
As I leave the kitchen, I hear Jackie’s jealous whoop.
“Girl, what the fuck is that pussy made of? Shadow’s got it bad.”
I shake my head, relieved when the rest of the women—Violet included—break into laughter. She fits here. She fits me. In fact, now that I have her, I can’t stand the thought that she’s only got a few more days before the roads free up and she’ll be clear to go on to whatever’s next. Another job, back home to Tallahassee.
I don’t have time to give it a lot of thought, though, because suddenly, a security alert blares through the compound. I’m on my phone, swiping to the security app to check the footage.
“Driveway.” Phantom is steps ahead of me. He points silently to Savage and Viper. “It’s go time.”
“How many?” Viper asks.
I peer down at my phone. A skinny, deranged-looking motherfucker is pointing a baseball bat at the front door of the compound. He’s screaming so hard, I can see the spittle flying from his mouth, but I have the app silenced so I can’t hear what he’s saying.
“Keep Violet in the kitchen.” I point to Jizzy. “She gets out of here, and I’ll separate your dick from your balls so fast, they’ll start calling you Jizz Queen. You got me?”
His eyes wide, the prospect nods, looking terrified. “Yeah, yeah, Veep. I got you. I’ll keep her inside.”
“In the kitchen,” I stress. I don’t want her seeing or hearing what’s about to go down.
I slide my phone back into my pocket and point to Savage. “Make the call.”
Then I open the door and head outside.
The second I hit daylight, I can see the guy doesn’t just have a baseball bat. The bat’s got nails hammered around it. I hold up my hands in front of me, intentionally trying to look like I’m reasoning with him. I don’t take my eyes off the man.
“Hey, man. You’re on private property, and I don’t know you. What’s the problem here?” I ask, keeping my voice calm, hands visibly raised so he can see I don’t have a weapon.
The guy is raging, seething, and ready to burst. He points the end of the bat at me like a pointer. “You’re fucking hiding her. Is she here against her will? A captive?” He searches the surroundings with his eyes, as if he’s going to spot Violet handcuffed to a tree. “Violet!” he screams. “Violet!”
Fucking Clive.
I shake my head and keep my hands in plain sight. “You need to take your janky-ass weapon and get the fuck outta here before I start to think you’re planning on using it.”
“Violet! Violet James, you fucking whore! Come out here and talk to me!”
Clive starts dancing around, pointing the tip of the nail-studded bat at me like it’s a wand, and screaming into the air.
I keep my hands visible, but fury sears through my chest, and it takes all my self-control not to rip the bat from his hands and tear his shoulder from his socket in the process.
“Get the fuck out of here, Clive!” I shout.
“Fuck you! Fuck off! Violet!” Clive continues his screaming rampage, bobbing back and forth from one foot to the other.
I realize now that he’s dressed like some punk wannabe burglar. Nasty-looking gray jeans, a dark gray hoodie, and combat boots make the skinny, furious guy look comical. Pathetic. This is the man Violet was manipulated by. I can’t let myself think for a second this is a man she could have loved. He’s tall and wiry, with lean muscles and a bony face. He’ll put up a fight, but I won’t have to break a sweat to take him down. I just have to keep control of my temper so this fight is the asshole’s last.
I want to finish him for good. Make sure he’ll never get close to Violet again.
I cross my arms over my chest so there can never be any question where my hands were and what I was doing with them. “You’re the loser who Violet dumped, right? The skinny needledick who lost his home and had to shack up with a librarian so you weren’t on the streets. Is that right?”
