20. Matthias
Chapter 20
Matthias
I watch as Oliver’s taillights disappear around the corner. It drives me crazy that I’m not the one taking her home, but I have something very important to take care of. I step out of the shadows and smile sharply at Jeremy.
“Shit.” He stumbles backward instantly. “Hi, I didn’t mean to run into her, I swear.”
“I thought we had an agreement. You wouldn’t go near her, and I wouldn’t have to kill you?” I slide a blade from my pocket and take my time picking at my nails. Part of the torture is always the anticipation. I won’t have long to get this done, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it. “Tell me, Jeremy. Do you think you held up your end of the bargain?”
“Seriously, I was just get...getting...coffee. I didn’t...m...mean to see her. You have to believe me.” He stutters over his words as he attempts to weasel himself out of this situation.
Unlucky for him, that’s never going to happen. “Do I?”
“What?” He’s terrified, and he really should be.
“Do I have to believe you? Because at no point did we discuss the importance of you intentionally meeting up with her. Accident or not, you should have run the second you saw her.”
He’s visibly trembling now, and I half expect him to beg the next time he speaks.
“Does she even know that you attack anyone who dates her?” He takes a step back, body turning toward the road.
I flip the knife in my hand, a flashy move I learned as a teenager. “What she knows is the least of your problems.”
That’s all it takes for him to take off, but I catch his arm before he can take another step.
He’s strong but not strong enough to stop me from wrapping my forearm around his neck and dragging him backward into the alleyway where we can have some privacy.
“I’ve been watching you, and the only reason I let you live is you’ve been good. I guess you fucked that up now.”
“Wait!” is the last word Jeremy gets to say before I slice through his throat, careful not to get any blood on me. There’s a gurgling sound emanating from his throat, but it’s quiet enough that I’m not too concerned anyone will hear him. It’d be a shame to have to buy out whoever witnessed this, but then again, it would be worth it to see the light in his eyes go out.
When he’s finally done and his body’s gone limp, I cut through the fabric of his jacket and his shirtsleeve, revealing his upper arm, where the faint white scar sits on his bicep. The tip of my knife pierces his muscle easily, revealing the black pill-size tracker.
“Can’t have people tracing you back to me, now can we.”
I clean my knife with his shirt, careful not to touch him more than necessary. No need to stain my clothes over this asshole.
Pulling out my phone, I fire off a text.
Me: I need a clean up at this location.
I drop a pin and send it to him.
Beck: Consider it done.
It’s only when I get into my car that my hands start shaking. He was entirely too close to getting to my girl.
Maybe I need to rethink the idea of putting a tracker on her.
I go through my calendar, clearing the entire thing. It’s time I pay my girl a visit and ask her what the hell she was thinking.
I pull my phone out and send a message to our brothers’ group chat.
Me: Family meeting at my place.
Me: Now
Xander: Do you have any idea what time it is?
Me: Do I sound like I care what time it is?
Damon: You woke Misty up. This better be good.
Bash: I’m pretty sure I’m still drunk from last night. I’m going to sit this one out.
Me: Like fuck you are. Get your ass to my place.
Damon: Just tell us why.
Me: Someone tried to attack Scarlet.
Xander: Oh shit.
Bash: Xander come pick me up. I can’t drive in this state.
Damon: I’ll grab the coffee.
Bash is the first to walk into my place, dropping his coat on the table near the door. Xander and Damon come in immediately after him.
“So did you kill him?” Bash asks as he takes the coffee Damon hands him, gratitude written all over his face.
I raise one brow and cross my arms where I’ve propped myself up on the wall. I’m way too worked up since getting home to sit. “What do you think?”
Bash runs his hand through his hair, his eyes glassy. He wasn’t lying when he said he was still drunk from last night.
“Did you at least get rid of the body?” Damon asks and hands me my own coffee. I set it on the table, not needing another stimulant in my system while I’m already hopped up on adrenaline. My only regret from this morning was not killing him slower.
“It’s taken care of. I called in help from the Gentlemen.” They’re a nearby mafia who we’ve become close with over the years.
Xander whistles low. “Must’ve been messy to call in the big guns. We’re going to owe them a few favors after what they’ve done for Damon and now you.”
Bash smiles. “They can ask anytime. I’m more than happy to help.”
“So what the hell happened?” Damon collapses in the chair across from me. He’s wearing the expression every older brother seems to have mastered that clearly states spit it out, or I’ll kick your ass.
“One of her exes showed up and started pressuring her. When I’d looked into him before, he’d been after her spot in the Order. I should’ve killed him then.”
“What the actual fuck.” Bash smacks both hands on the back of the sofa, swaying a little with the motion. “Can’t you close that loop, Damon?”
Our eldest brother shakes his head. “The Laurent position will stay open so long as Scarlet’s not married.”
I rake both hands in my hair and pull at the ends until my scalp aches. “Which makes her the perfect target for assholes looking to join the Order.”
Bash looks between us. “Let’s say they manage to get someone to marry her. We’d just make her a widow, right?”
I stand from my seat, rage building a fire in my gut. “You really think that would go down nicely? That they wouldn’t hurt her to get what they want.”
Xander steps between us. “Honest question. Why don’t you just marry her? It’ll null and void everything. When you have a kid, they’ll take that position.”
“I plan on it.” I roll my neck, taking a deep breath. It’s brutal sticking to my plan. With every day, I’m closer and closer to saying screw it.
“I just need to keep her safe for two more fucking days.”