Deceptive Games (Watch Me Burn #2)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

SKEETER

Fear mixed with anger as I stared at Rory, her naked body covered in blood. I had no idea what the fuck she was doing at Liam’s house, but if Slash was here too, then it wasn’t good.

What the hell had he gotten her into?

“Answer me!” I barked, losing my cool. “What did you do?”

She looked exhausted, her hands shaking slightly and her terrified eyes pinned on me.

When she still didn’t answer, I turned my glare to Slash, who smirked.

“You should be thanking her. You were right about Liam, and she dealt with it for you.”

“What does that mean? Where is he?” I demanded, stalking closer and yanking my shirt off, forcing it over Rory’s head to cover her trembling body.

Slash could claim to hate her, but his eyes kept flicking over her with interest.

“Dead in the van. I’ve called some of the guys to come and help clean up, so get her out of here. I don’t want to deal with your impending argument or the meltdown she’s about to have,” he grunted, pissing me off more. If he’d dragged her into this mess, then it was his fault if she had a meltdown.

Had Liam hurt her? Was the blood on her skin hers, or his?

“Get in the car,” I said sharply to Rory, trying to rein in my anger.

“But I need to help Slash—”

“Get in the fucking car, Aurora!” I snapped, tossing my keys at her. “I’ll be out in a second. Diesel can drive the Corvette home.”

Surprisingly, she nodded and walked outside without another word, leaving me with Slash.

“She’s fine. I bet you’re hard as a rock after seeing her covered in blood,” Slash joked, and I had to force myself to keep my hands by my sides instead of putting my damn fist through his face.

“What is she doing here? This has your name written all over it.”

“She’s doing as she’s told. You thought Liam was sketchy, so I sent her in to find out for you.

She did a good job, I don’t know why you didn’t think of it before.

If you have a hot piece of ass on your dick, you might as well make her useful,” he said with a shrug, running his eyes around the room with amusement.

“I may have underestimated your little girlfriend. She’s quite the blood-thirsty killer. ”

“She’s fucking innocent, Slash. Don’t drag her into our bullshit. You wanted her gone, and you got your wish. Why the fuck are you trying to bring her back in?” I hissed, stepping closer and considering knocking him the fuck out.

A dark chuckle left him as he waited for me to swing at him, a taunting smile on his lips.

“She’s far from innocent. Innocent girls don’t let their flings cut them up, and they sure as hell don’t murder someone. She’s stubborn, but she wants to fit in. Dangle some safety and belonging in front of her and she’ll do anything we ask of her.”

I swung a fist at him and caught his cheek, but he barely reacted.

“Stay the fuck away from her. This ends now.”

“Does it?” His fist shot out when I wasn’t expecting it, making me stumble back a step. “If I tell that bitch to bark like a dog, she’d better drop to all fours and fucking howl at my feet. This is my crew, so fall in line, Skeet.”

“What are you going to do if I don’t? Punch me some more? I’m so scared,” I scoffed, shaking my head and turning to leave, but I paused when he replied.

“Rein it in or that girl you like so much will find herself on the inside of a cell. I think having fingerprints all over the murder weapon will make it a pretty open and shut case, don’t you?”

I turned, the cold look in his eyes mirroring mine.

“You’d go as low as getting a high school girl locked up? She did us a favor, so why the hell would you punish her for it?”

“Punish her? I’d do it to punish you for choosing her over us.

I don’t give a shit if she rots in a cell or not, she means nothing to me.

She means a lot to you though, so the ball’s in your court.

Do as you’re fucking told or I’ll force you to in the only way I know will work.

That walking gash might be useful after all,” he said flatly, and if I didn’t think he was bluffing, I would’ve beaten his ass.

Rory wouldn’t handle prison, so I bit my tongue and stalked out to my car, refusing to let Slash do that to her. You’d have thought that after a lifetime of friendship that he’d back off with this one goddamn thing.

I opened the driver’s side door and slid in, slamming my hands against the steering wheel out of frustration. I did it again before remembering I’d told Rory to wait for me in the car, and I glanced over to find her watching me silently.

“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I scowled, trying not to raise my voice.

“I helped you.” Her voice wavered, telling me she didn’t believe her own words and was second-guessing everything.

“We’ll talk about it at my house. I don’t want to fight with you while I’m driving,” I said sharply, starting the engine as I waited for her response, but I didn’t get one.

After a moment, I put the McLaren in reverse and drove towards home, trying to figure out how I’d get Rory out of this. Even if Slash didn’t have the murder weapon, Rory’s DNA was likely to be all over Liam’s house. Door handles, light switches, everywhere.

People who weren’t born into the life of crime didn’t usually have a criminal mind, which meant they touched things and didn’t try to cover their steps in case something went wrong.

If Rory was on a job for Slash in that house, she wouldn’t have known to keep her hands off shit to avoid incriminating herself, and he was an asshole for not telling her.

He’d done this on purpose to back her into a corner.

We didn’t speak the entire drive, my annoyance only growing when we walked inside and she still didn’t speak.

“You going to tell me what happened, or do I have to pry it out of you?” I snapped when she met my gaze.

“It’s a long story.”

“Then start fucking talking, Aurora. Since when did you and Slash start hanging out, huh? Did he drag you there then tell you to kill Liam, or did you know the plan all along? Did you walk into that house with orders from Slash to kill him?” I demanded, stepping against her to look down at her, but she didn’t flinch back from me.

The stubborn woman glared right back at me and put her hands on her hips.

“Slash said if I helped him with something, he’d let me fight. He just wanted me to see if Liam would spill crew secrets, that’s all.”

“So why did I walk in on you covered in blood and Liam dead in the van? Did Slash force your hand? Did Liam hurt you?”

She sighed, running a shaking hand through her hair and cringing when she remembered it was covered in drying blood.

“I panicked. Between Liam touching me and him talking about killing you, I didn’t think. I grabbed his gun from the counter beside me and shot him. He had to die.” Her voice was strained and she glanced away from me, her guilt and conscience getting to her.

That was good, because it meant she wasn’t like me.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” I asked in a low voice. “You could go to prison, Aurora. You murdered someone and left your fingerprints all over the place.”

“Slash said he’ll handle it,” she said firmly, and I hated how she seemed to believe that.

I moved towards her, my hand wrapping around her throat lightly to keep her in place.

“You really think that? You’d trust Slash with your life?

You got rid of his problem and gave him the perfect scapegoat.

What happens when the cops start sniffing around?

Slash won’t want it connected to him, and he’ll let you take the fall.

All you did was leave him with the murder weapon and other damning evidence.

” A flicker of worry flashed across her face, and my fingers tightened a little more. “Did you fuck Liam to get him to talk?”

“No.” Her pupils expanded slightly and her answer was quick, making me narrow my eyes.

“Were you going to let him fuck that tight little cunt?”

“I’d do anything to keep you safe,” she said sharply, shoving me with annoyance, but I didn’t move. “I wanted to help, no one forced me. If fucking Liam got me the answers Slash wanted, then it was worth it.”

I rolled my eyes, tightening my fingers to hold her attention. “So you had a choice? If you’d said no, Slash would’ve been peachy about it?”

“Um, yes?” It sounded like a question, not an answer.

She gasped as I shoved her back against the wall and pressed against her, her eyes going wide.

“You know I hate it when you lie to me. I don’t give a fuck if Slash dangles the best temptation in the world in front of you.

Never meet up with him in secret, and don’t do his dirty work for him.

He’s one of my closest friends, I’ve known him for almost my entire life, so I promise you that he’s a bad person.

Do you know what could’ve happened if Liam caught onto you?

” I asked, my voice turning soft, and my hold loosened a fraction as I dropped my forehead to hers.

“Liam’s always been a sadistic cunt. He would’ve tortured you, raped you, and then killed you. ”

“I had it handled.”

She had no idea the type of man she’d been in a room alone with.

My heartbeat picked up the pace at the thought of what I could’ve walked in on if Liam had caught onto her.

This was why I hadn’t wanted her around me. She was blind to the dangers in my world, assuming she was safe among us.

“Don’t turn your bravery into stupidity,” I murmured, stepping back and lifting the shirt over her head to toss it aside, running my eyes over her blood-covered body. “Where did he touch you?”

“I don’t—”

“Where did he fucking touch you, Aurora?” I growled with frustration, my lips trailing across her neck as my hand dropped between her legs. “Did he touch you here?”

“He kissed me a lot and fingered me. He was just starting to push his dick inside when I killed him,” she blurted out, whimpering as I pushed two fingers inside her roughly, biting her neck harder than necessary, but I was pissed that his hands had been on her.