Page 21 of Die for You (Diamond Devils #4)

Damien

We’re going to kill him.

Finn punches Jeremiah Crowder’s address into the GPS. Wasn’t hard for Finn to track him down. The guy isn’t exactly trying to hide. He doesn’t think he has anyone to hide from.

His mistake.

We don’t talk on the trip there, gas masks already covering our faces. Haven’t said much to each other since we found out he cornered Aurora last night.

We failed her. We let him get his hands on her again. The image of him pinning her to the wall, his hands on her, has been eating me alive for the past twenty-four hours.

Luckily, she’s at the Sigma Chi party tonight with Juliet and Sienna, all three of them guarded by Luke and Trey. If Jeremiah already left to find her, he won’t get past our teammates.

“This is it,” Knox announces, voice flat. He hasn’t been the same since last night either. Nothing ever gets to him. Nothing ever manages to sour his mood. After tonight, Jeremiah Crowder never will again.

I slam on the brake in front of the two-story house. Secluded out here at the end of the cul-de-sac, far enough from the neighbors that they won’t hear any screams coming from inside.

Now we’ll use that to our advantage.

A few lights are on inside. If he’s been following Aurora around, he must know about us by now. Her three Devils. He’s either home or baiting us. Either way, we’ll find him. He needs to be taught a lesson. Needs to learn that Aurora is ours and he’ll never get near her again.

Before I can shove my door open, Knox claps a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t kill him.”

“Why the fuck not?” Killing the asshole isn’t on my agenda tonight, but it sure would solve our problems.

“Aurora needs us. All of us. And we can’t be there for her if we’re behind bars.”

I clench my jaw. He’s right, but I don’t like it. Don’t like that this asshole will continue to roam the Earth a free man after everything he’s done to our angel.

“I won’t kill him,” I agree. “Just make him feel like I killed him.”

Knox and Finn both laugh.

I adjust my gas mask to make sure it’s securely in place before exiting the vehicle.

The three of us slink up to the house, peering through windows. No sign of him.

Finn works at the lock with his pick and manages to open the door entirely too quickly for comfort.

“You executing heists in your spare time?” I ask him.

The only answer he gives me is a half shrug.

“Let’s teach this motherfucker a lesson,” Knox murmurs before leading the way as silently as possible into the house.

Lights are on in the kitchen and the living room, but the place is silent.

Not even the distant murmur of a TV from upstairs.

The hairs on the back of my neck prick up.

Maybe he’s luring us into a trap. But it’s three against one, and if he thinks he stands a chance, he’s severely underestimated us.

There’s no hint of Aurora in any of these rooms. No scrap of her to indicate that she ever lived here, let alone since she was seventeen.

They’ve only been broken up for a couple of months. Not long enough to erase every trace of her, especially if he still claims to want her. If she left me, I wouldn’t throw out a damn thing. I’d hold on to every piece of her she ever gave me forever.

He didn’t care about who she was. She meant no more to him than that leather couch or the random tapestry on the wall. Aurora was no more to him than decoration.

My hands ball into fists. He’ll never touch her again. Never even look at her again. We’ll make sure of it.

The three of us split up, scoping out two bathrooms covered in dirty laundry, a barren office, a trashed bedroom, and the living room with crushed beer cans strewn around. But there’s no one else here.

My teeth grind together and I crack my knuckles. I was really looking forward to beating his face to a pulp tonight.

“He’s not here,” Knox confirms, cheeks rosy. He was ready to beat the shit out of Jeremiah, and now he’s pissed to miss the opportunity.

“I’ll give Luke and Trey a heads up.” I pull out my phone and send a message to the group chat.

Damien

He isn’t here. Stay alert.

A few seconds later, my phone buzzes with messages from both of them.

Luke

Got it.

Trey

Aye aye, captain.

I roll my eyes. Even if Juliet’s in love with the guy and Sienna’s accepted him into the group, Trey still gets on my fucking nerves. Still, if I had to recruit someone to commit murder, he’d be my first call. Or maybe second after Juliet.

“Guess we’ll have to send him a message another way.” A twisted smile crosses Knox’s face as he surveys the bachelor pad.

Casually, Finn grabs the back of the flatscreen and tips it forward like it’s made of feathers. The TV lands with a crash on the carpet.

Knox hoots. “Atta boy!”

With a grin, I snatch the open laptop off the coffee table and snap it in half. The subsequent crack is deliciously satisfying.

I’d rather that crack come from his nose, but this will have to do until then.

While cracks and thuds fill the air as Knox and Finn destroy shit, I dig out a bottle of ketchup from the fridge to write him a cute little note on the wall. Big enough that he won’t miss it.

Stay away.

Last. Warning.