Chapter 8
North
PAST
“The name’s Mike.” His hand pops out in front of him.
“Okay.” I shrug. South glares at me from the other side of the pool table.
I don’t do people. I do not like them. He knows this and yet still insists I accompany him on these excursions to get closer.
He could have agreed to me waiting in the car and I couldn’t have gotten all the info we needed.
I don’t have to be standing right beside of a person to read their mind, I just need to know who I am looking into, but he wanted me in here. So, whatever goes down is on him.
The fucker’s trail we have been on for months went cold two weeks ago and it was right here in this damn hole-in-the-wall joint according to South.
The guy passed out in his car and didn’t drive as he was predicted to do so.
Lucky for him because he was supposed to die in that crash.
Unlucky for South, because now the guy is still South’s to watch.
South and I are a two-man team on the hard cases.
Since I can’t do the same things, he does and he can’t do what I do, we make a damn good combination together.
“Mike?” a familiar voice asks the confusion is clear. I know that voice. I have heard it recently, but where? I listen intently, focusing on the thoughts swimming in the heads around us to find the person it belongs to.
He jerks his hand behind his back and turns so fast as if the owner of the voice pulled a chain around his body, making him move at her will.
Anyone with that much power instantly has my curiosity piqued, but I know the voice.
I realized who it is before finding her thoughts.
It’s her voice. My little violent fox. A sadistic smile broadens across my face, and I turn to face her right along with Mike.
“Delayni? Uh. What are you doing here?”
“This is where I usually am. What are you doing here?” She is not talking to him anymore. Her eyes shoot completely past him and practically jabs daggers of hate into mine.
Mike opens his mouth to answer, and I step around him, flattening my palm against his chest. “I got this one, bubby.”
“No, you don’t. She was talking to me, right, Del? You don’t know this joker. Tell him to mind his own damned business.”
My tongue slides along my teeth and makes a sucking noise as I release them. “Don’t be a stupid shit, Mike,” I whisper in a controlled tone. South groans, standing up from his barstool, and makes his way through the crowd in our direction.
She doesn’t answer him. Good little fox.
Her mouth falls open and my smile widens.
This could not have worked out better in my favor.
I’m thrilled she recognized me, but if she hadn’t I would have reminded her who I was.
I stole the crayons she left behind and knew exactly what I was doing when I jabbed the safety pins through them to make them into charms for the chain around my neck.
My sole purpose was to piss her off when I saw her again.
I hadn’t questioned if that would happen, because if we had not met tonight by chance, I would have eventually showed up at her house.
“Those belong to me,” she snarls poking her finger in my chest.
“Doesn’t look like it, little fox.”
“Little fox?” Mike stutters, his attention flickering between my fox and me.
Who is he to her and why hasn’t he left yet?
I have half a notion to end his life right here in front of everyone, but it’s not what I’m here for.
Not to mention that is not what I do. I protect people, not kill them, but this guy is on every nerve I have.
“Don’t make me kill you tonight, Mike. I will.”
“Ha. Yeah right! I’d like to see you try,” he coughs, puffing his chest out like the dumbass he is.
“Well, if you insist,” I smile, gripping the pool stick between my hands and rammed it over my knee.
Shards of wood fly around us and Mike’s eyes almost bulge out of his head.
“Wouldn’t hurt my feelings one damn bit,” I twist on my feet and hold the jagged point to the soft spot where his chin meets his neck.
“Don’t hurt him,” she demands and a sharp point poke against my side.
“And just what do you think you’re going to do about it?
” I swallow the laugh creeping out of my mouth.
She’s cute. I don’t know how many people she has killed in her life, but I’m betting the number is zero.
She’s no killer. I know that with every fiber of my being.
Neither am I, but I am serious. I will take his life and not lose an ounce of sleep.
He’s already a dead man walking if he thinks he’s going to stand between me and my fox.
Nobody claims what’s mine and even if she doesn’t know it yet, she is mine.
The thought zooms through my brain and I should shut it down.
I should walk out the door right now and get as far away from her as I can, but my feet do not budge.
What could it hurt to entertain this idea just a little longer?
It’s not like I’m going to fall in love with her.
I’m getting this prick away from her and then South and I will follow after him as we plan.
“I’ll gut you like the fucking son of a bitch that you are and leave you here to bleed out,” she snarls, and it reminds me of a small animal. So protective. So violent. I knew I was right about her. She might even hate the world more than I do.
“Is that a promise?” I ask, stopping the low growl of satisfaction from busting out of my mouth.
I am going to find out what makes her tick and rip every one of the gears from her beautiful mind until she falls apart in my hands.
I am going to wreck my little fox in the best way imaginable.
I will convince her to see things as I do which is that she belongs only to me.
I don’t understand where these possessive thoughts are coming from, but it doesn’t make me mean them any less. I can’t keep her, can I?
My hand wraps around hers’ and my fingertips clutch the handle with her. I want to see how far she is going to take this. If she’s playing a game of chicken, I guarantee she is going to bail before I do.
“Wh-what?” she stutters, her fingers shaking in mine.
“If I let Mike here keep his pathetic life, do you promise to keep your word?”
“Yes. Whatever it takes. I’ll do it.”
“My terms, whatever I say?”
She slowly nods. She does not understand what it is she’s declaring, but I’m going to hold her to it regardless.
“Del, don’t make any deals with a scumbag like him. He probably eats children for fun.”
A devious smirk flashes on my face before I open my mouth. “No, I don’t usually, but I’ll make sure she swallows a few hundred of mine.” I wink in his direction, and she turns the blade in her grasp.
“I didn’t agree to anything like that, asshole,” she says in a focused tone, but her body has an entirely different reaction. Her cheeks flush and her nipples harden into peaks beneath her tight top.
“It’s all or nothing little fox. Anything, and I mean anything, goes. You’re mine in exchange for his life.”
“For how long?” Her eyes flicker to me.
“Del! You can’t seriously be considering this,” Mike barks, shaking his head in disapproval.
“The only thing you should do is thank her for saving your life.” I correct him, jabbing the broken pool stick in the air closer to his face with each word.
South gets behind Mike, his silver chain dropping out of his leather jacket, just in case Mike thinks he’s brave.
I shake my head at South. If Mike forces this, I’m down to teach him a lesson before South takes him.
South breathes out an exasperated groan, “Fucking hell. Fine, but so help me one drop of blood gets on my shirt, you’re scrubbing it out with a toothbrush. ”
I shrug, not caring what he says, but don’t disagree.
“What’s it going to be little fox? Your body…” My free hand wraps around her waist, “Or his?”
She sucks in a ragged breath, “Mine.”
Mike lunges at me and her knife slits through my shirt and pierces my skin.
The pain burns, but it’s not anything I can handle.
It’s a minor cut, that might take a few hours to heal.
I have given myself a lot worse. She gasps, retracting her knife at first, but her eyes follow the line of blood down the silver metal as if it is the most glorious thing she has ever done.
I wonder if I’m the first to be on her knife or if she has dirtied its surface with others before me.
A small smile pulls at her lips, but she covers her mouth as soon as Mike’s eyes connects with hers.
“Great going, Mike. North was being polite and now you’ve gone and pissed him off,” South groans, flipping his black hair out of his face as he notices the blood on the tip of the blade.
I lift our hands to my lips and my tongue runs along the trail of blood. “Now you.” I instruct, testing the waters to see if she is really telling the truth. I want to see how far she will let me push her.
Her wet, pristine tongue quakes as she opens her mouth and pushes it between her lips, carefully licking up and down the blade the tiny bit of blood is gone.
My cock throbs behind my jeans and I imagine how her mouth around it and not her knife.
Although, I do have to say what she did just now definitely has my attention.
“Good girl,” I praise her and run my thumb over her lips.
“De—” Mike barely gets out of his mouth before I slap him across the face with the pool stick. Blood sprays out of his mouth and across the green felt of the table. My elbow bends and I hit him on the other side before he can react. His hand flies out, cupping his jaw. “You hit me!” he wails.
“Walk away while you’re still breathing, Mike.” South cautions him, and shoves him from behind. Mike’s feet still beside us and he opens his mouth to speak.
South huffs, snatching the pool stick from me and tosses it on the table. “Really?” He eyes me hatefully.
I shrug.
“Just go, Mike. I can take care of myself,” she assures him without a hint of fear in her voice.