Page 85 of Property of Player

The words catch in my throat, and he turns to capture my eyes.

“Tay, I’d do anything for you. I wish you felt you didn’t have to hide shit like this from me.”

“I wanted it to be over with him. I wanted it to be my past. I wish I’d never met him. I just wanted to leave all that behind me.”

“’Well, it didn’t stay there, and now I’m going to deal with him.”

“How?”

“He’s a dead man walking, babe.”

“You can’t kill him. I don’t want you to risk going to prison over scum like him. He’s not worth it.”

“Taylor, don’t you get it? It’s not him. It’s you. You’re the one who is worth it. You’re worth everything. I will keep you safe. I will not let that man continue to breathe the fucking air after what he did to you.”

“Please, Player. Promise me you won’t commit murder for me.”

“Don’t fucking ask that of me, Tay. I can’t give you that, and if you knew me at all, you’d know that.”

He swings his legs over the side of the bed, and I sit up in a panic and press myself to his back, my arms wrapping around him. “Don’t go. Please. I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight.”

He squeezes my hand. “I don’t want to fight either.” He kisses my knuckles, and the sound of motorcycles carries to us through the window.

“That’ll be Gage and the club. I’ve gotta talk to them.” He stands and slips into his jeans.

“Talk to them about me? About Randall?”

My phone on the nightstand vibrates with a text before he can answer.

Player picks it up and reads it, then shows me.

RANDALL: I picked up a load of Power Life Batteries to deliver to Richmond. You should see this trailer. It’s painted up just like the company’s NASCAR racecar. All neon green and black. Looks cool as hell with my black and silver rig. See you in a couple of days. You better be there when I get back.

There’s a selfie of him and the trailer.

Player takes my phone and types a response from me.

TAYLOR: Where are you now?

RANDALL: Cincinnati

Player sends the photo to his own phone, then finishes dressing.

“What are you going to do?” Now he knows where Randall is, and I’m afraid Player is going to do something that leads him down a road there’s no turning back from.

He turns and cups a palm to my cheek. “Gotta go talk to the club. Wait here. Get some sleep. I won’t be long.”

After he leaves, I sink into the covers, my mind a whirl. It feels like everything is spinning out of control.

Chapter twenty-five

Player

Gage slumps in the chair at the head of the table. Exhaustion is written on his face. “So, tell me what you know about this guy?”

Myself, Drae, Cruz, and our enforcer, Slaughter, are the only members in the room for this discussion.

“He’s a long-haul trucker,” I say. “He’s coming back from the West Coast with a load right now. He’s currently in Cincinnati.” I pull the photo up. “This is the trailer he’s hauling. I need to get this out to every chapter between here and Ohio. We’ve gotta get eyes on this thing. I want him dead.”