Chapter 22
GARRET TAKES me into nearly every store.
I don’t ask how much anything costs. I just stand there while he speaks with the clerks, watching the way their faces soften when they look at me—not because they care, but because he’s buying something.
“She looks like a size two.”
“I want the latest collection,” he replies.
The woman behind the counter blinks slowly, reminding me of a sleepy cat. “Which one?”
Garret picks up a black leather boot embossed with two interlocking Cs in white.
“All of it,” he says, as if she’s new and doesn’t understand his language yet.
Her eyes widen slightly before flicking to me. “Are you sure?”
Garret tilts his head and nods. “I’m sure. Also, if she touches it, add it. Spare no expense.”
I swallow thickly. Did he just say he doesn’t care how much everything costs? I lean over a nearby display, running my fingers over a small leather bag—one Amy would love. My eyes flick to the price tag.
Fifty-seven hundred. I snatch my hand back like it burned me.
“Do you like this one?” Joan—the store clerk, according to her name tag—immediately lifts the bag, eyes expectant.
I glance between her and Garret, panicked. “I was looking for a friend, but I changed my mind,” I say quickly, hoping to escape the moment.
“Get a new one. Gift wrap it.”
I snap my gaze to him, stunned. Is he serious?
The corner of his mouth lifts in a slow, knowing smirk, and I swear my heart stops beating altogether.
By the time six rolls around, I want to collapse—preferably into the fountain at the center of the promenade. “How much did you spend?” I ask, panting slightly from exhaustion.
Garret laughs like it’s nothing, but I know it isn’t. His arms are loaded with glossy designer bags, the strings looped around his wrists like bracelets. Every time I offered to carry something, he refused.
“A lot,” he finally says.
“How much is on that card?” I press.
“There isn’t a limit.”
I stop walking. “What?”
I’ve never heard of a card without a limit. Whenever I tried to buy something and miscalculated in my head, my card would decline. “That’s not possible.”
He shrugs, unbothered. “It’s not going to be a problem for you anymore.”
My stomach clenches. He makes it sound so simple—like I’m his responsibility now. The moment I’ve been dreading all afternoon finally arrives.
I inhale deeply. “How can I pay you back?”
Every store he walked into, he dragged me along. Every luxury brand, every exclusive collection, he bought it all. Shoes. Clothes. Perfume. Handbags. Silk underwear. His SUV is stuffed to the brim, overflowing with shopping bags.
He spares me a glance, then effortlessly shifts the car into drive. “I want you to smile. That’s how can pay me back.”
My insides melt into liquid fire.
A smile. That’s all he wants in return.
I was so sure he was evil, but now… I hope he’s not.
The next day, the hope doesn’t last long.
I see it before I even step onto campus—the flashing red and blue lights, the cluster of news vans parked in disarray, the yellow crime scene tape stretched across the quad. The main entrance is blocked off. Cops won’t let anyone through.
I don’t know who did it. But I have a very good idea.
Luke was found nailed to the cross outside the church—upside down, naked. His eyes were missing. His tongue was cut out. The words “A LYING TONGUE IS A PERSON WHO SEEKS DEATH” were carved into his chest.
I shudder violently.
The police are asking questions, but they don’t have any leads.
I do.
Because I know who could have done it. And why.
Garret.
I don’t know how I know, but I do. It was Luke who told me about Garret and Cassie. It was Luke who made me confront Garret. It was Luke who couldn’t stop looking at the door that night in the bar.
Amy rushes up to me in the hallway, breathless. “Did you hear about Luke?”
People are crying. A makeshift memorial is already set up on campus—flowers, pictures, candles.
I nod, but her expression tells me everything. She knows—or at least, she suspects. “Yeah, it’s crazy,” I say. “One minute he was there, and the next, he…”
“Got nailed to a fucking cross,” Amy supplies. “I wasn’t fond of him. He was a little pushy, but shit… that’s a fucked-up way to go.”
My stomach twists violently.
What if Garret changes his mind about me?
“Hey.”
I turn around. Garret is standing there, watching me with soft, careful eyes—like nothing happened. Like today is just another normal day.
“Hey,” I reply, wrapping my arms around myself, suddenly grateful for the new sweater he bought me.
He leans in, pressing a kiss to my cheek, and I swear my toes curl inside my new designer boots. “Did you give your friend her gift?” he asks, expectantly.
Amy perks up. “She did! I keep asking if she won the lottery.”
Garret smiles—a slow, knowing curve of his lips, like the cat that got the cream. “I think she did. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
My stomach tightens. What the hell does that mean?
“Anyway,” Amy chimes in. ”I hope you don’t mind, but I’d like Rose to hang out at the Babylon tonight. My treat.”
I glance between them.
Amy is waiting for his permission.
Garret smiles, but it’s calculated—like he’s plotting something. “Sure,” he says, sliding his hands into his pockets. “I’ll meet you there.”
“Okay.”
Before I can react, he presses a second kiss to my neck—lingering just long enough for his teeth to graze my skin. I swear I feel him smile.
He walks away, completely unbothered, as if he didn’t just claim me in front of everyone.
“Damn,” Amy mutters, watching him go.
“What?”
“That boy is crazy about you.”
I almost burst out laughing. If she only knew. “Why do you keep thinking that?”
“You should see the way he looks at you. When I asked if we could hang out, he wanted to murder me for taking you away.”
I shake my head. “You’re imagining things. We both saw who he was with, remember?”
Amy doesn’t look convinced. But deep down, neither am I.
Because something about what Luke said doesn’t add up. And now, Luke is dead. His body was carved with a message.
A LYING TONGUE IS A PERSON WHO SEEKS DEATH.
Was it Garret’s way of telling me Luke lied?
Or was it a warning meant for me?
Instead of Babylon, Amy decides we should go somewhere else.
We take an Uber across town to a dive bar near Ohio State. The place is smaller than Babylon but looks bigger from the outside. Inside, it’s evenly spaced out with a rustic, lived-in feel—mismatched tables and chairs, two pool tables, an area for darts, and a bar positioned at the center. The music isn’t bad either, probably because people pay to hear what they want.
“I thought we needed a change,” Amy says, sliding into a booth just as Timeless starts drumming through the speakers.
I text Garret to let him know. I don’t bother sending the address—I know he’ll find me anyway. The tracker he has on my phone makes sure of that.
Except for the night I stayed in Amy’s dorm.
I have a feeling he knew, but he didn’t mention it. That’s the thing with Garret—he’s quiet. Unpredictable. I never know what he’s going to do or what his motives are.
The thought of Luke still lingers in my mind.
I should feel bad. I should feel remorse.
But when you’ve lived around death for as long as I have, when you’ve been surrounded by people who do nefarious things, a dead body isn’t shocking.
It’s a norm.
I’ve seen worse.
Amy stiffens suddenly, her eyes widening. “Oh my God.”
“What?”
“Don’t look now, but that guy—Leo? He’s here. Right behind you. Playing darts.”
My spine stiffens.
Slowly, I turn over my shoulder.
Leo’s laughing with one of his friends, smiling as he bends to pick up a dart from the floor. His shirt clings to his broad chest, the words OHIO FOOTBALL printed across in bold white letters.
Our eyes connect.
Shit.
I whip back around, praying he didn’t notice me.
“Shit,” Amy mutters, lowering her head. “He’s coming this way.”
“Hey, beautiful. Aren’t you going to say hi?”
Leo’s grinning down at me, easygoing as ever.
I hadn’t expected him to walk over. He hasn’t called or texted my other phone—not once.
I check it every day, but not for him.
For John.
And deep down, I have a terrible feeling that one day, he’s going to show up.
That I’ll have to pay for staying with Garret.
Or worse—he already knows my fate.
And he’s simply stopped caring.
“Hi,” I say, forcing a polite smile. “I didn’t want to bother you when you were busy with friends.”
Leo leans against the booth, bracing his hand against the top of the seat behind me. His smile deepens, cocky and sure. “You could never bother me.”
Amy’s brows shoot up at his confidence, but then her gaze shifts past him, locking onto something behind me.
My stomach drops.
I don’t have to turn around to know. I sense him before I smell him—Garret’s exotic cologne drifting through the air.
“You’re in my way,” Garret says scathingly.
But he’s not alone.
Leo straightens, stepping aside to let him through. He doesn’t expect Garret to slide into the booth right next to me, nor does he expect the seething glare Garret sends his way. I barely have time to process before my eyes shift to Azriel, who’s standing beside him.
His gaze flickers between Amy, me, and Leo, assessing the situation. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?” Azriel asks, his gaze trailing over Amy’s face—lingering a little too long on her chest—before snapping back up to her eyes.
Whoa.
I’ve never seen him act this cocky before.
Amy’s face flames bright red.
“Amy, this is?—”
“Azriel,” she cuts in, rolling her eyes dismissively. “I know. I tried signing up for tutoring once, but he said he was too busy.”
Azriel doesn’t flinch.
“I was,” he replies dryly before turning back to me.
“Are you okay?”
His eyes narrow playfully, but I know what he’s really asking.
I meet his gaze with a knowing smile. I see what you just did.
Azriel’s protective instinct is kicking in.
I like him, but I know where his loyalty lies.
And Amy? She’s Prey—just like me.
“Hey, man.”
Leo claps a hand on Azriel’s shoulder, greeting him like an old friend.
Azriel doesn’t so much as blink. He merely lifts his chin, utterly indifferent.
Leo doesn’t take the hint.
Instead, he slides into the booth next to Amy, making himself comfortable.
Azriel’s jaw tics, but he doesn’t say anything.
A small smile tugs at my lips.
“Aren’t you abandoning your friends?” Azriel asks, gesturing toward Leo’s crew across the bar.
Leo doesn’t miss a beat. “They’re fine.”
I swallow hard as my eyes dart toward Garret.
He’s watching Leo like a predator. Unblinking. Seething.
Leo, for some reason, seems immune to the death glare currently directed at him.
Then, just to fucking test fate, he smirks and winks at me.
“Wink at her one more time, and I’ll rip your eyelids off.”
Garret’s voice is low. Deadly.
“That’s your only warning.”
“Garret—”
But before I can stop him, he yanks me out of the booth.
Drags me outside.
Pushes me against the brick wall of the building.
The sun dips below the horizon, casting the alley in shadows.
Time slows.
His body presses against mine, heat radiating through my clothes.
“Because you’re mine,” he growls.
Before I can speak, his lips crush against mine.
I gasp—and he takes advantage, plunging his tongue deep into my mouth.
His hands grip my thighs, lifting me off the ground, and I wrap my legs around his waist without thinking.
“Mine.”
He squeezes my ass, his fingers digging into my flesh.
“He doesn’t get you,” he murmurs between kisses.
“I get you. I want you. I need you. I’ll save you, Rose.”
His words are a promise. A plea. A curse.
“What’s it going to take, huh?”
His breath is ragged. His hands shake with restraint.
“For you to see it?”
I can’t think.
I can’t think when he’s like this—dark, feral, unhinged. When he presses his cock against me, rolling his hips so I feel exactly how hard he is. “What about—”I start, but he cuts me off.
“I’m not with her. I’m not with anyone. Can’t you see, Rose?” His voice is wrecked. Desperate. “I can’t be with anyone else. I can’t come with anyone else.” He bends his knees, grinding against me. “Feel that…my little Darkthorn. His dick is big and hard pushing between my black leggings. The rubbing my clit. “Fucking feel that?”
My head spins.
“I have to beat you out of my dick knowing you’re sleeping in my bed every night.” He presses harder. I ache. “Do you know what that’s like?”
My body wants him but my mind doesn’t understand logic. It only understands him and his words. “I want to fuck you, but I can’t. Not until you want me. Not until you say yes. Because I can’t hurt you, Rose. I’ll die…I’ll die knowing you’re not breathing.”
I don’t stand a chance. I know it now. I’m falling for him.