12. Thorn
CHAPTER 12
THORN
FIVE MINUTES EARLIER…
“Maybe we were wrong.”
I glare at Frenzy and shake my head. “Night’s not over yet,” I mutter with frustration.
We’ve been patrolling the lot for hours, and there’s only about thirty minutes left in the concert. I’m starting to think that Frenzy is right: The Phantom might not be striking tonight. There’s been zero activity in the lot, and I haven’t heard shit from the guys on the inside.
“I’m gonna do another loop,” my brother says as he turns and walks in the opposite direction.
After checking in with the others on the coms, I start my last lap before the lot is flooded with people when the concert ends. I’m about to give up and head to the stadium entrance when a shout catches my attention.
“Run!”
The voice is coming from my right, and I take off in that direction. When I reach the commotion, I see a woman scrambling away to hide behind a vehicle as another female stands in front of a man leaning against a car. They’re staring at each other intensely, murder in both their expressions.
“It’s you,” the woman growls.
“You’re gonna re?—”
“What the fuck is going on here?” I demand, unable to stay silent at the way the man is leering at her.
She glances over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as I stride closer, and then she’s shoved by the man. I lunge forward and thrust my arms out to catch her before her body connects with the ground. Unfortunately, the man uses my distraction to take off running.
“Are you okay?” I ask the woman.
Rather than reply, she narrows her eyes and yanks away from me. “What the hell are you doing?” she screeches. “You let him get away!”
“I let him…” I shake my head. “Lady, I just saved your ass.”
She huffs out a breath. “You didn’t save shit,” she sneers. “And my name’s not Lady, it’s Delaney.”
“I’m Thorn.”
“Whatever.” Delaney turns away from me and glances around the lot. “Honey, are you still around?” she calls. “You can come out if you are.”
The other woman steps out from behind a car, and the parking lot lights gleam off the tears on her cheeks.
“What happened?” I demand.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Delaney says, glaring over her shoulder. “Who died and made you God?”
I snort. “I’m not God, sweetheart. More li?—”
“Um, I really wanna go home.”
Delaney and I turn to face the other woman. She’s still crying, and her arms are wrapped around her midsection.
“I need you to tell me what happened,” I tell her, forcing a small smile.
“I don’t even know,” she admits. “One minute, things are fine, and the next...”
“Do you have anyone who can come and get you?” Delaney asks.
The woman nods. “I can call my sister.”
“Do that,” I tell her. “We’ll stay here with you until she gets here.”
A look of confusion comes over her face. “Shouldn’t we call the cops?”
“No.”
“Nope.”
Delaney and I speak simultaneously.
“Um… okay.”
Thirty minutes later, the girl’s sister picks her up, and the concert is about over. Delaney begins to walk away from me as soon as the sister’s car is out of the lot, but I grab her arm to stop her.
Delaney’s fist connects with my jaw, and the pain is far worse than I’d expect from someone as tiny as her.
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she snarls.
I lift my hands in surrender. “Got it. But you can’t leave.”
“Why the fuck not?”
“Because you very well may be the only person who’s laid eyes on the man I’m hunting.”
“Hate to break it to you,” she begins. “But that was the Phantom Strangler, and I’ve been after him for years. I’m not about to let you get him first.”
“Whaddya know about the Phantom?” I ask.
She chuckles, but there’s no humor in it. “I know he’s a dead man walking. As soon as I get my hands on?—”
I grab her arm again, only this time, I hold on a bit tighter. “You’re coming with me.”
Delaney digs in her heels. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
I turn and lean into her face. “You are,” I growl. “The Phantom is mine, and I need whatever info you have on him to help me get him.”
“I work alone,” she says.
Smirking, I start walking again and practically drag her toward the stadium.
“We’ll see about that, sweetheart.”