“Sure.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal and pulls his wallet out. “A word of advice…look over your shoulder every second of every day from now on. You won’t know when I’m going to find you…but Iwillfind you. It’ll be fun to play with you, torture you. You’re lucky I’m bored, or I wouldn’t be indulging you. You’re giving me someone to hunt later.”
“Fuck you,” I say just as he tosses a stack of hundred-dollar bills at me. Who the hell is this guy? He’s someone important, and this is a big-ass mistake on my part. But there’s no turning back now. I keep my gun pointed at him, watching him as I kneel, pick up the money, and shove it all in my pocket.
He tosses his keys on the ground, then smiles at me when I take those too.
“You have no idea, do you? I’m guessing you’re new here.”
He would be guessing right, but it’s not as if I’ll confirm that.
“I hope that money is to help you leave town.”
His cockiness, his whole holier-than-thou persona, makes me see red. He might be dangerous, but he’s still spoiled. It doesn’t take a genius to see that. It’s killing me not to say anything, but I don’t want to accidentally give something away.
“Oooh. You’re pissed. I see it in your eyes. What did I say to make you mad, little boy? Or is it because you expected me to be scared, instead of telling you that when you die, mine will be the last face you see. I’m excited. This’ll be fun.”
My whole body flushes with heat, anger bubbling up inside me like shaken soda, ready to explode. Fuck this prick.
But then…then when I look at him again, eyes trailing down his body, there’s a bulge that wasn’t there before. This son of a bitch is turned on by what’s happening. I don’t know how to respond to that, why a part of me knows it’s fucked up, yet it makes me even more curious about him.
Before I can dwell on it too long, I swing my arm, hitting him in the head with the butt of my gun. He drops to the ground, and I run. I throw his keys across the lot, don’t stop until I’m back in my car. Seconds later, I’m peeling away from the curb, pulse pounding, an unexpected smile on my face.
CHAPTER THREE
Rory
“Hey, bro. Areyou okay?”
My eyes flutter open, the lights overhead bright and making my eyes hurt. Fuck. That stupid bastard hit me hard. I wonder how long I was out.
“You good?” the dude kneeling beside me asks again.
“José?” It’s the guy I was supposed to meet. My head throbs, but I manage to ignore it.
“Yeah. I thought you stood me up. I came outside just as the guy took off. I saw him throw your keys.”
I nod, wincing as I try to push myself to sit up and lean against the wall. My head is killing me. I’ve hit a lot of people upside the head with a gun but never had it done to me. Can’t say I’m a fan.
“Get my keys,” I tell him.
He frowns, but probably sensing my anger, doesn’t respond. The second he walks away, I call Tiernan.
“This better be important,” he says, voice husky with sleep.
“Got hit. Fucking robbed, if you can believe that shit. Knocked me in the head. Not sure if I can drive and definitely want to figure out who in the fuck did this.”
“We’ll be right there.” Tiernan is a man of few words, butthe ones he does say always count.
A moment later, José comes back with my keys. Blood runs down the side of my head, but I don’t do anything to stop it.
“I’ll call the police.”
“No. Don’t.”
“Dude, someone hit you and took off.”
“You should go. That’s not a request.”
“I’m just trying to help,” he counters.
