“You’re seriously leaving?”
I nod, questioning all my life decisions.
“Wes.” She buttons her jeans and shakes her head.
“I know. I know.” I turn and stride down the hall, chickening out from discussing this further. In the bedroom, I pull out fresh black jeans and a plain black hoodie. When I walk back out, Callie’s interrogating Noah, who is not giving her anything.
“And why are you both in head to toe black?” She points at me and then Noah. Callie’s chest is flushed and red from my mouth. I’m going to fucking punch my brother later for interrupting us. Because I have a feeling Callie and I won’t get to finish what we started. If I had to guess, she won’t let me get away with not answering her questions, and I can’t do that. Which means she’ll guess the worst, and she’ll basically be correct.
Noah fucked this up for me. My stomach clenches. Of course it’s fucked up for me. I am fucked up. I don’t deserve someone like Callie.
“We’ll be back in an hour. Two, tops.” I tuck my hands in my pockets. Callie’s too smart. Too perceptive. Too inquisitive. I love all those things, but it’s not helpful right now.Although I guess it’s pretty obvious we’re up to no good if we’re dressed in black running an errand in the middle of the night.
“Let’s go, Wes.” Noah’s at the door, waiting impatiently, watching the app on his phone where he can see that Chad Smith is on the move. We’ve scouted him, we have a plan, and we are here. It still feels rushed, but at least I’ll have Noah’s back.
“Well I’m coming.” Callie tries to walk toward the front door where her impractical heels are lined up next to my shoes.
“Absolutely not,” Noah and I say at the same time.
“You are one hundred percent safe here,” I murmur, stepping close and slipping a hand along her jaw, then letting my hand slide to gently envelop her throat. She swallows, and I can feel it under my palm. “We’ll be back in a few hours.”
Maybe I can fix this later. Maybe there’s a chance.
Then her eyes narrow, and she swats my hand away. I consider pulling out the zip ties and making sure she stays put. She sighs and turns her back on us. I’ll take that as agreement.
“Lock the deadbolt once we’re out.” I follow Noah through the door. I hate to leave her like this, but we’ve got a top-notch security system in the apartment, and she’s truly safe here. When I hear the bolt slide shut, we leave.
Half an hour later,we’re crouching in the shadows, watching Chad Smith fuck another sex worker from behind in an alleyway. She’s moaning, but definitely not in a good way, and maybe crying. I clench and unclench my fists to stop from going over there and beatingthe shit out of him.
I adjust my black balaclava, and Noah does the same. There are no security cameras around here because all the businesses are shuttered and the city doesn’t care about this poor-ass, broken-down neighborhood. But we still have to be careful.
Smith’s sad cock slides out of the sex worker, and he roughly smacks her ass. He’s only half hard and tries to shove himself back into her. I grunt in disgust. The poor woman, who looks very young but is possibly over eighteen, yelps and tries to get away, but he shoves her against the concrete wall, her head hitting hard as he pushes between her legs. He holds her there, growls in frustration, and reaches down to pull on his dick.
“Get on your knees and turn around,” Smith says with fury in his voice. He pushes her to the ground. Like it’s her fault he’s soft? She braces herself on the ground but doesn’t turn. He’s going to hit her. Any second now.
“What the fuck are we waiting for?” I grind my teeth. Noah takes the lead when we’re out on a job, but I can’t just stand here.
“Hey!” Noah shouts, already in motion. Smith looks up and takes a step back from the young woman. She takes the opportunity to crawl away from him to the main road. Then she stands, pulls her dress down, and sprints away.
Chad is attempting to tuck his cock into his pants when we approach him. Struggling, it looks like, so he’s either high or drunk.
Noah’s eyes fall to Smith’s tiny, limp dick, and I know he’s thinking about cutting it off. But that would look too rough. Too targeted. Too… serial killery.
Then there’s a soft cry from further down the alleyway.
“What the fuck?” I squint and make out another person with her back pressed up against the wall, a woman wholooks like she’s trying to melt into the cold brick wall. “Hey, are you okay?”
“No,” she whimpers and backs further into the shadows. Her voice is young. Way too young.
Right. The teenaged girlfriend.
“That’s my girl, stay the fuck away from her,” Smith has the nerve to shove me in the shoulder, and I fight the urge to punch him. “Come here, baby.” He waves his hands, and out of the shadow a very young woman—no, definitely still a girl—walks. She’s shivering in a tube top, short skirt, and open jacket. The poor thing approaches Smith gingerly.
She’s a fucking child. I want to strip off my hoodie and give it to her, but my tattoos are too distinctive to reveal.
“Sorry, just so we understand, you were fucking a sex worker while your underage girlfriend watches?” Noah’s voice is soft and incredibly dangerous as he keeps a steady focus on our target. I know that voice. I’m guessing my brother is reconsidering cutting off this man’s dick.
“I don’t see what fucking business it is of yours.” He pulls the girl against his body, his arm tossed around her shoulders. “Who the fuck are you guys?”
