He brushes my hair to one side and clasps the chain around my neck. “I need you to promise you won’t take risks with your safety.”
“I won’t,” I agree, running my fingers over the heart-shaped locket resting in the hollow at the base of my throat. “Is this some kind of tracker, or you’re declaring undying love?” I tease.
“I’d declare undying love if I thought I stood any chance, but let’s not go there again.” He brushes his fingers along my cheek. “There is a tracker embedded in the silver. Wear this at all times so I know where you are.”
“I can do that.”
He presses in on the locket. “It doubles up as an audio recording device. Press once to activate it, and press again to deactivate it. It’s set to copy to a secure file on the cloud I have access to.”
I press down on it to switch it off, smiling at him. “You’re amazing. You think of everything.”
He shrugs it off, but I can tell my comment pleased him. “And you need to drive the Lexus all the time. Don’t get lifts with those assholes, and don’t take the Gran Turismo out. You’re making enemies left and right, Lo, and you need to take precautions.”
“Agreed, and I’ll be more careful.”
“What’s your next move?”
I chew on the inside of my mouth. I’ve been giving this some thought, and I think this is the only game play. “I’m going to call Theo and ask for a meet.”
CHAPTER 4
Harlow
IPULL INTOthe small parking lot at the front entrance of Prestwick Forest the following morning, and although I’m twenty minutes earlier than the scheduled meet, Theo is already there.
He climbs out of his SUV and hurries to my side, yanking my door open and pulling me into his arms. “Oh, thank fuck.” He buries his head in my hair, squeezing me so tight I can scarcely breathe.
“Struggling to breathe here,” I say, attempting to wriggle out of his iron-grip embrace.
He lets me go, scanning me from head to toe. “We’ve been so worried. I thought I’d have to physically chain Saint and Caz to the wall to stop them from going after Knight. They were up all night coming up with creative ways to torture and kill the asshole.” He runs his hands through his long, dirty-blond hair. It’s untied, swaying loose around the nape of his neck.
“I think we’ve got more pressing problems than Darrow Knight,” I coolly reply. “And I took care of him myself.”
Theo pulls me into his arms again, and I think this might be even easier than I imagined. He hugs me tight, and I want to believe it’s genuine, but I don’t trust any of them with good reason. Still, I let him embrace me because I’ve a new role to play.
“We thought as much, but we weren’t sure,” he says, letting me go. I take a step back, needing a little distance. “Saint was getting ready to head to the hospital and beat the truth out of Knight when you called. Whatever your revenge plan is, it better be good.”
I knew the guys would want to retaliate against Darrow, so I’ve had to get creative again. “You doubt me?”
“Never.” His hazel eyes glisten with emotion.
“Where are the others?”
“Waiting for you.” He eyes the decrepit truck I drove here. “I assume you want to ditch that?”
I nod.
“Get in my car.”
I climb into the passenger seat of his SUV, watching as he removes a can of gasoline from the trunk, pours it over the old Chevy, and sets it on fire.
“We’ll dispose of the charred remains later so there’s no way it can be traced back to you,” he says, getting in and starting the engine.
“Thanks.” I stare out the window, contemplating the next few minutes.
“Lo.” His voice is soft.
I turn my head to face him. “What?”
