Something hideously close to fear flashes through Doug’s stoic expression before he frees my wrists and leaves without another word.
Rubbing the sore skin, I unsubtly check out the woman attached to the aggressive footwear.
Blonde hair. Pouty lips. Gorgeous face.
Looks like a biker Barbie with the leather jacket and skintight pants she’s wearing. I would pay good money to see what her Ken doll looks like.
“My marriage proposals usually arrive by mail.” Tilting my head, I feel a smirk creep across my face, “Better luck next time.”
“Oh, Vector.”
The sultry purr fills the room. She sidles closer, letting the poor lighting illuminate her beauty all the more.
“You wouldn’t last a day married to me. Especially when you’ve been such a bad boy.”
A thick folder slaps down between us, the sudden noise making me flinch.
The woman smiles, all teeth and no sweetness as she drags one long fingernail across the personnel file lying between us. Unease slithers through my skin when I finally notice her eyes.
There’s something wrong with her eyes.
“You’ve been busy.” Playfulness tugs at her lips, matching the dip in her voice, “Just last week you made front page news.”
“Assault charges will do that.”
“Mm, especially in a town like Silverwood.” Blonde curls spill over her shoulder as her head tilts to the side, “Although this isn’t your first rodeo with the law, now is it?”
I stay silent, knowing there’s no way in hell I can afford a lawyer.
“Does the name Vincent Vin ring any bells?”
When I don’t answer, she sighs, as if my lack of participation is far more disappointing than expected.
“The world gets painted in black and white. Good and bad. And yet, when the lines of grey threaten to destroy the only life you’ve ever known, suddenly you get shoved into a role you never intended on performing.”
Her words ring true, but I meet her stare with nothing but contempt.
“What do you want?”
“I want to help you, Vector. I want to give you a chance to be the person everyone expects you to be.” A small smile tugs at her mouth, “The best part is I’ll pay you for it.”
I glare at her, hating the way my name rolls off her tongue.
“People like to think there are two sides to every story, but we know better.” Her lips press together while her eyes stay trained on my face, “When the hero shoves his loving wife down the stairs, he doesn’t become the villain. That spot is saved for the son who does whatever it takes to protect his family.”
Discomfort pricks at the back of my neck, “No chargeswere pressed.”
“Not that time. But what about Jerrell Thompson? The boy who beat your brother until he could barely walk. Did he deserve to wind up with...” She pauses, pulling another page out of the folder, “Two broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, extensive facial damage-
“You didn’t see what he did to Sky.” I snap my teeth, cutting her off, “You didn’t see the fucking blood he left all over the bar because that asshole felt like picking on someone who wouldn’t fight back.”
“Your brother isn’t a fighter, is he?”
“No. He’s...”The good to my bad,“Small. Fragile.”
She smiles as if her point has been made, “Not everyone wants to push back. That’s where people like us come in. We take back what was taken from us. Punish those who deserve to be punished.”
My eyes narrow, “I’m not out here playing some sick game of judge and executioner.”
