Page 161 of Darling Psycho

“Spit it out. Where the fuck is she?”

“They took her.”

They. Took. Her.

“Who the fuck arethey?”

Lawless wanted to grab the innocent by the throat and choke the answers from her. He held onto control. Only just.

The girl thrust a sheet of paper out at him, along with Angela’s rose gold cell phone. “Said... said not to call the cops and to give you this when you came looking.”

Lawless,

Sorry, it’s come to this, but you just don’t LEARN to back the fuck off.

Now we’re even.

She’ll be delivered back to you in three days once the business is concluded.

In how many pieces depends on you, my friend.

Do nothing.

Wait for instructions.

Not even a beat later, as the words exploded through his head, he snarled. “Do you have CCTV?”

“I...”

“Answer me.”

“Yes. In the back room.”

He stormed through, and after briefly familiarizing himself with the system, he hit rewind only several minutes back.

What he saw put ice throughout Lawless’ body.

They came in from the back way.

No wonder the cashier looked terrified. One of them held a gun to her head, making her write the note.

The other man cornered Angela. Taking the snacks from her hands, he tossed them back on the shelf.

Lawless took stock of their features in seconds, burning them to memory, knowing who he would kill first.

It was not a case of if they touched a freckle on her face. They’d touched her, taken her, threatened her life, threatened Lawless.

They’d all die and in a spectacular, painful fashion.

There was no tape to wipe, but Lawless digitally erased the video footage for that day and warned the cashier to keep her mouth shut. He could have been a little more diplomatic, but he had no civility in him as he strode out of the gas station. Guessing the black Escalade that pulled out while he waited probably had his woman inside.

She didn’t shout for him. While the fucker talked to her like any other stranger, she didn’t shout out for Lawless, but she turned her head as if looking for him, panic on her face.

What did they say to make her walk out on her own steam like that?

It had to be a threat.

And if he knew his badass, it was more than likely a threat againsthis lifeand not hers. He motivated Angela as she did for him.