Chapter 4
Zoey
Irush to the window as soon as he shuts my door.
It feels like he stole the air from my room, making it impossible to breathe.
I don’t know what it is about that man, but there’s something about the way he looks at me that is unnerving.
His eyes are so intense. It felt like an ex-con was seeing a female for the first time in thirty years.
I didn’t know whether he would hurt me or not. But then he explained why he was here.
He's here to help my dad. And unbeknownst to me, they’ve been friends with my father for years.
That revelation was a paradox to everything I’ve ever heard about the Savage Knights.
I was told they’re dangerous and to stay away.
And yet, my father trusts them with our security system.
He even served in the war with one of those men.
That creates a bond for life. And yet… I’ve never met them before.
Or heard him say a friendly word about them.
The front door of my house opens and shuts, and I see him standing in my driveway, bracing his hips like he’s gasping for air.
Maybe he ran down the stairs. Another minute later and he’s joined by another member of the gang.
This one’s younger than Bones. His face is a lot more innocent than the one he’s talking to.
Bones has this jagged edge to him. His looks are sharper and rougher. And his left eye is painted with a tattoo that makes him look deadly. From top to bottom, he screams dangerous. And yet…it’s impossible not to notice how insanely hot he is.
I almost fainted when he tugged down the gaiter from his face and revealed his identity.
I was expecting some hideous villain hiding under the cloth, but that was far from the case.
Villainous? Yes. But he was exactly who I’d paint if someone told me to illustrate my fantasy.
I don’t think I’ve ever been so terrified and nervous, yet so incredibly flushed at the same time.
My phone starts to buzz in my hand, startling me in my socks. I quickly answer it, seeing that it’s my best friend calling again.
“Have they left yet? Did you find out anything?” Teagan asks as soon as I pick up.
“No. They’re still here.”
My dad came up not long after they arrived to tell me that there were some men here doing some work and that I wouldn’t have internet for a while. I was too busy freaking out to concentrate on my homework, so the hotspot he gave me to use is still sitting on my dresser.
“That’s crazy. I can’t believe your dad is even associating with them. So, what are they doing there?”
“They’re fixing our security system.” Which is another crazy notion.
My dad is letting hardened criminals into our home to install a new security system.
That seems like an oxymoron to me. The very men capable of breaking in are the ones securing the place.
That makes no sense. Except clearly my dad trusts them.
“Um… That doesn’t sound safe, Zoey. Why is your dad letting them touch your security system?”
“My dad served in the war with one of them. Apparently, they’ve been friends for years.” And yet not once have I ever heard of them.
“Wow. I can’t believe the Savage Knights are in your house. So, what are they like?”
Hot…. Intense… Terrifying.
“They’re younger than I imagined, and not at all what I pictured. I’d thought they’d have beer guts and beards down to their chests, but they’re all toned and kind of hot. The one who came into my room to work on my window may be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen.”
“Are you serious? Like hotter than Cooper?”
“By a long shot.” There’s no comparison.
Cooper has the handsome, clean-cut, football-jock look.
He’s tall, but nowhere near the giant that was standing in my room who was forcing my head back to look up at him.
Cooper is cute. But Bones… He’s next-level hot.
And looks like he should be featured on America’s Most Wanted.
“Can you send me a picture? If he’s hotter than Cooper, then I have to see this guy.”
“I can try.”
I look back down to my driveway, but the two men are no longer standing there.
One is out in the yard holding the end of a measuring tape by the tree.
And Bones… He’s right below my window. I suck in a gasp, realizing he could’ve heard me talking.
When his head lifts and our eyes connect, I think I have my confirmation.
There’s a smirk tipped on his lips and a sinister gleam in his stare that rocks me with a chill.
My skin prickles with little nervous bumps, and I take a step back, away from my window. Far enough away where I can breathe.
“He’s outside,” I whisper as if he can still hear me. “I think he heard me, Teagan.” I was standing right by the wide-open window, and he was directly below.
“Well, at least you didn’t call them ugly ogres.”
“Yeah, but I was just confessing how hot he is.” That’s worse.
“It’s better to flatter a killer and get on his good side than piss him off.”
I doubt she’d be saying that if she were in my shoes. Embarrassment aside, that man is dangerous.
“So, does this mean you didn’t get the picture?”
“No, I didn’t get a picture! He was staring right up at me.
It’s not like I was going to ask him to say cheese.
” My stomach is a wreck just thinking about the look in his eyes.
“If you want to see for yourself, you can come over after school tomorrow. They’re supposed to be here installing the new cameras. ”
That dangerous man is going to be back in my room. I’m hoping that by the time I get home from school, he’ll be finished with that part of the job so I can hide in here with my friend.
“I’m definitely coming over. If you’re claiming this guy is hotter than Cooper, then I need to see him.”
He may be hotter than Cooper, but he’s also a lot more dangerous.