8. Chapter 6
Eli
This girl is nothing but trouble.
God, I swear. If I could, I would wrap my hands around her beautiful neck right now. Her eyes would fill with tears, and she would choke on her breath. Flushed, whispering one word. Please…
My open palm slams against the steering wheel, and I press down on the gas pedal.
“Fuck,” I hiss through clenched teeth.
Focus. You’d better come up with a good excuse, or your head will roll until dawn.
Since when do I even care what some girl thinks? Are you kidding me? The last thing I’m going to do is justify my behavior to that feisty, sassy, wild mouse. Brilliantly smart, yet still a mouse.
My brothers would have a field day if they saw me now. Ryker’s gaze would say, “I told you so,” while Theo would stare at me as if I’d lost my mind. And he’d be partially correct.
My heart is pounding. Rage at her and at myself is coursing through my veins.
This is illogical. Ever since Ryker asked me to monitor her, something inside me has snapped. My focus shifted to Zoe the moment the spotlight found her.
For the second time, I dragged my lousy ass to her apartment door, and for the second time, no one answered. That’s why, with the maniacal persistence that defines me, I bombarded her phone. She eventually answered and had the audacity to dismiss me. Me!
The music was so intense that I struggled to make out her words. I needed to find out her location. I just had to.
For the past few days, whenever I called her, she ignored me.
And I didn’t like that, not one bit.
I reach Maximus in eight minutes. Never will I admit it’s because of my breakneck driving. I pull the Escalade right up to the curb, where a line of girls has formed. Two bouncers are keeping order at the entrance.
A girl with shoulder-length black hair and a leather jacket is talking to one of them. The red fabric of her skimpy dress hugs her hips and round bottom. They look like juicy apples I would love to cup in my hands. She has long, slender legs—perfect for wrapping around my waist.
The girl looks… Stunning.
My mouth waters, and I run my tongue over my dry lips. I’m acting like a starving predator that has just spotted its prey. Intrigued by this sight, my cock hardens.
I’m about to get out of the car and make my move when the girl, laughing at the bouncer’s words, shakes her black mane. Her hair sways as she does so. My heart skips a beat when she glances over her shoulder. Right at me.
No, this can’t be real. What the fuck have I done to deserve this?
My heart picks up its rhythmic beat again; a wave of heat washes over my body. For a second, I close my eyes. Opposing feelings wrestle within me.
The girl says something else to the bouncer and moves in my direction. It doesn’t escape my notice his gaze doesn’t leave her hips and ass.
Removing his eyes seems a fully justified and reasonable decision.
The Escalade’s door opens and Zoe jumps in. Her cheeks are flushed, eyes shining like two stars, and those red lips… Jesus. I have a clear idea of the place I want them.
In the only way I know how, I suppress my growing attraction. “What the fuck are you wearing?” I hiss.
Zoe looks confused. She isn’t smiling like she was a moment ago. She doesn’t fire back with her usual sharp retort, the words that typically fly out like a crack of thunder. Instead, a quiet stillness settles around her, and the air is thick with unspoken thoughts.
“It’s called a dress, asshole.” A flicker of irritation appears in those green eyes.
That’s good. I can work with that.
“It looks like you borrowed it from a fifteen-year-old friend, or they released a defective model. The bottom’s missing.”
“What?” Zoe lowers her gaze to her bare thighs. Her cheeks turn scarlet and her eyes narrow to slits as she looks back at me. “Fuck you, Eli.”
If only I could…
She grabs the knob, trying to leave, but I thwart her plans. My finger presses the button, locking all the doors before she even reaches out.
She blinks, annoyed, and clenches her jaw. It’s a war of two hearts, and I don’t intend to lose. I never lose.
“What are you doing? Let go—”
From the corner of my eye, I see the bouncer she was talking to earlier waving for me to drive away. I ignore him.
“Raven,” I interrupt her.
“What now?”
I swallow. “You dyed your hair. And cut it.” I couldn’t be any more obvious. “You’re different.”
Zoe rolls her eyes. “I’ll take that as a compliment. Unsophisticated, but we’re all learning new skills.”
She folds her hands, which makes my eyes wander right there. To those round…
A guttural growl escapes me. I press my lips together to keep from saying how sexy she appears.
Looking at her tousled hair, I want to run my fingers through it and feel its softness. Pull on it.
This isn’t good.
I can’t take my eyes off her. I’m trying with all my might to hide what I’m thinking behind a mask of indifference. Hoping she won’t see me behind it.
A knock on the window interrupts my thoughts.
On the passenger side, one of the bouncers rests his hands on my car. He tries to look inside, but the tinted windows prevent him from doing so. So I press the button, and the window rolls down.
“Could you move your fucking ass—” he starts, leaning in to reveal his face.
But he falls silent mid-sentence. His eyes land on me, and I already know what’s about to happen. With a stony expression, I stare back at him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Montgomery,” he says, a muscle twitching in his face. “I was unaware it was you. Let’s pretend I said nothing.”
I nod once and close the window, trapping us inside. Stepping away, the big guy periodically casts anxious glances our way.
“Jesus. Does everyone in this city lose their mind the moment they see you? They fear your name like it’s fire.” Zoe’s shoulders slump as if she has lost faith in humanity.
“Apparently not everyone.” I shoot her a pointed look. “News travels fast. There’s no hiding who I am.”
“Let’s go already, lover boy.”
I sigh, shift into gear, and pull away from the club. My plan is to drive her back to her apartment and escort her to the door.
Silence fills the car until Zoe looks away from the passing scenery and says, “What was so urgent that it couldn’t wait until I returned your call?”
“You know deep down you never would have picked up the phone. I understand this from personal experience.”
Those few minutes of driving didn’t help me calm my anger or lift my foul mood at all. Quite the opposite. Seeing her in that outfit, a fresh wave of anger flooded my insides. And it seems I can’t shake it off.
From what I know about the girl sitting next to me, she’s a nerd who never leaves her cave. Give her a computer and internet access, and she won’t see the light of day for a week. None of this is her style, and maybe Ryker was right that something’s going on with her.
“What were you even doing there?” I change the subject, which is convenient.
“What do you think? I went there to dance. To have fun. To meet new people.”
My head swivels toward her so fast that I hear a crack in my neck. It catches her attention, and she stops staring out the window. Her green eyes blink, her little nose wrinkles. “What now? Look where you’re going, or you’ll crash us.”
“Did you meet someone new?”
That single question carries so many hidden meanings. Did you meet someone new? Did you meet a man? Were you dancing with him? Did you let him touch you?
Don’t go there, Eli, or blood will flow down the streets.
“None of your business, but truth be told, yes. I met someone.” A small smile appears on her face, and I grind my teeth.
“Name.” My sour mood becomes even more unbearable.
“Oh, don’t play games with me. I wouldn’t tell you his name even if you tied me up in the basement and tortured me.”
“Don’t tempt me, Raven,” I say before I think. It’s becoming a habit that my brain can’t keep up with my tongue around her.
Zoe huffs. “Why do you even care who I’m dating? Don’t you have a life of your own? Someone to kill? Some secret society to run?”
How I got the brilliant idea to pick her up from that club is beyond me.
“Watch your mouth. It’s going to get you in trouble.” I stop at the intersection when the light turns red. I take a second to process what she said. “You just met some guy and you’re already dating him?”
Zoe turns to face me and stares for a whole minute. “That’s right. Do you have a problem with that?”
The line between keeping an eye on her and stepping into dangerous territory is damn thin. I take one step and cross it. “Yes, I do. You don’t know the guy. You know nothing about him. Don’t know what his intentions are. And you’re going to date him. Why?”
My breathing quickens. Zoe’s chest is rising and falling faster too, and I can see it even through the jacket covering that part of her body. And thank God it is.
“What kind of question is that?” she snaps. “Why am I dating a guy? Why not?”
“You’re fully aware of the reality you inhabit. You know what the Pact is. And you’re aware of your sister’s spouse. Grow up and look around you. The world is a swamp we’re stuck in. Don’t be like most people, who turn a blind eye to the fact that the world is nasty and pretend it isn’t.”
The sharp tone of my voice matches my anger, and after my last words, I take a deep breath.
Something changes in this girl’s eyes. They soften and glisten.
Zoe swallows. When she speaks, her voice is much fainter. “You think I’m irresponsible and childish too.”
It’s not a question but a statement. It hits me I’ve just struck a nerve.
Seeing this, I soften my voice too. “Who told you that, Zozo?”
But she just shakes her head. “Never mind. You don’t understand. None of you understand. That’s what I was trying to do tonight. Grow up.”
She’s right. I don’t understand any of this.
A car horn snaps me back to reality. The light has turned green. We pull away.
“What do you mean?” I bring up our discussion again.
“Nothing.”
“Zoe—what did you mean when you said you wanted to grow up tonight?”
Her arms wrap around her waist as if she wants to defend herself from me.