I shook my head as I continued to pace. “I know he didn’t mean me. I know that.” I flinched, not even wanting to imagine what was happening down there now. “Tell me Creighton’s not actually killing him.” I chanced a look at her, and stopped short.
She was pissed.Pissed.“Who the fuck cares. Marshall’s been out of line for an entire week. He’s like a little kid throwing a temper tantrum. He always wants things to go his way, and for once, it’s not. Christ, Blake. Don’t apologize. Marshall knew exactly what he was saying.”
I swallowed. “What do you mean?”
She folded her arms tightly over her chest. Her eyes were glittering from her own anger. “Just that I don’t care what your guy does to him. Marshall deserves it. It’d be good for him to be knocked down a few pegs.” She eyed me in concern. “What doyouneed?”
I shook my head, not having one clue.
No, I did. I needed to go down there and figure out some way to stop Creighton because they really did not understand what I’d done.
I cursed, and pulled my phone out. I called Lassiter.
He answered almost right away. “Did he kill someone?”
A laugh escaped me because of course he’d answer that way, and of course his tone was accepting. Even hopeful. “No, but ...” I needed to think about this. Did I really want to bring Lassiter into this? He was another weapon in Creighton’s arsenal. I’d only told Creighton not toharm my housemate. I never said anything about anyone else. That’d be how he could get around me. Such a dickface.
“I need you to promise me something, even if Creighton gives you orders that go against it.”
Palma’s eyebrows shot up.
I waited, and as I did, the room seemed to shrink around me.
“Okay.”
I frowned. That was easy. “Really?”
A dark chuckle came from the other end. “Yes, Blake. What do you need from me?”
“Don’t physically harm my housemates.”
“Done. Now what do you need from me? I’m already on the way to your place. What am I going to be walking into?”
I hesitated. “I don’t know. I went upstairs. My one housemate was being an asshole—”
Palma bit out, “That’s putting it mildly.”
I continued to Lassiter, “I don’t know what I need, to be honest. I just—”
“Got it. You need a distraction. I’ll be that for you.” He ended the call abruptly.
I looked at my phone, my mind racing.
“Who did you call?”
“Lassiter.”
The voices downstairs went up another level in volume.
We both turned as if we could see through the door and down into the living room to see what was happening. Lassiter said we needed a distraction. I clung to that, knowing I’d have to process the events that happened tonight at a later time, but we were in the damage control phase. That meant getting Creighton away from Marshall.
“We need to go out.”
Palma said, “Uh. Okay. Where do you want to go?”
I was thinking. Calculating. Not to any of Creighton’s places. That’d be his territory. His men would be there. We needed somewhereneutral, where Creighton couldn’t give orders and have thirty men do his bidding.
“Octavia.” That wasperfect.
