“What?” Everly seems genuinely confused. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So you didn’t tell the man who asked about me yesterday where I was?” Elena challenges.
“Oh, your boyfriend?” Everly seems to relax a touch. “I thought I was helping.”
My heart plummets. “Yougave her up?”
“Gave her up?” Everly frowns. “No, I washelping. Her boyfriend was looking for her.”
“Knox,” Elena’s voice is quiet, barely above a whisper, but I hear the strain weighing down every word. “Move.”
“How am I the problem here!?” Everly cries.
But Elena laughs, “You got Chase killed. You almost got me killed. Where I’m from, you’d already be dead.”
“Get in your car, Everly.” My words are spoken through gritted teeth.
“Is Chase really dead?”
“Get in your fucking car,” I snap at her, “Before I move and let her shoot you.”
Real fear pales her skin, and she scrambles back toward her car. I keep my body in the way of Elena’s shot. Chase is one thing, covering up his death is easier since he has no family, no one looking for him, as much as that sickens me, but covering up Everly’s won’t be so easy.
The car door slams, and then she’s reversing at speed, gravel and dirt kicking up from beneath the tires as she peels away and guns it back down the drive.
“Why the fuck did you protect her!?” Elena explodes.
“Elena,” I step forward even though the shotgun is still loaded and aimed, “Killing her changes nothing.”
“Actually, it would make me feel tremendously better.”
“It doesn’t change anything,” I repeat.
“If she hadn’t told Rio where I was, Chase would still be alive.”
A bright burst of grief stabs me in the chest. “I know. She’s a problem, and I will handle it.”
“You know, if you hold someone under water long enough, they stop being a problem.” Elena glares at me.
I can’t help it; a small, amused smile ticks up the corner of my mouth.
“This isn’t fucking funny!”
“I will handle it.”
“If you don’t, I will, and I fear your handling and mine are two very different things.”
I finally get a grasp of the shotgun, and she releases it, yielding it to me. Shotgun in one hand, myother slides around her waist, and I drag her forward. “I will handle it.” I promise her.
“Like you handled Rio, I hope,” She grumbles.
“You’re a violent little thing,” I lower and whisper my mouth across her jaw, reveling in the way her fingers curl into me, holding on. Everly is long gone, the dust from her speedy exit now settling, andI willhandle it. Elena’s hand slips up the front of my shirt, her nails raking over my skin as my mouth continues down her throat, whispering over the hurt marked into her skin, but she whimpers, and the sound has blood shooting straight to my cock. The woman can simply breathe, and I’ll be hard.
I begin to walk her backwards, toward the house, mouth on her, hands touching, feeling and she follows, allowing me the control but behind her, Judge lets out a loud bark followed by a growl and that has Elena stiffening, growing cold in my arms.
“What is it?” But she doesn’t need to answer, not when the crunch of gravel sounds a second later followed by a deep roar of an engine. It’s the type of sound that doesn’t belong. We don’t have cars like that here in Sierra Valley for a few reasons. First, it’s impractical, with the state of the roads and themanypotholes, the suspension would get fucked within a week, it can’t carry anything and here, you need to be able to load up and go and last, no one can fucking afford it.
The sleek, matte grey Mercedes AMG rolls toward us, windows tinted just enough to conceal the driver behind the wheel.
