Page 49 of Massacre

I drew a deep breath and started down the stairs, the old boards shifting and moaning beneath my feet. The air thickened as I descended, my heart beating a mile a minute. At the bottom step, I looked over to find him standing there, waiting, looking directly at me. The heavy iron-barred door preventing him from escaping.

He stood rooted in place, his eyes never leaving mine as I tentatively walked over.

“Someone left me a note.”

“Did you bring it?”

I nodded. With trembling hands, I slid the key into the lock.

It turned with a soft click.

Around me, the darkness seemed to shift, and I knew that whatever happened next, everything was about to change.

The second the door was open, I found myself in his arms as he hugged me tightly, and I asked, “You’re going after him, aren’t you?”

I felt his body stiffen. “Yeah, baby. I am.”

Shaking my head, I pulled away from him, wrapping my arms around my waist. “That’s why King and Reaper locked youdown here. You wanted to leave earlier, but they wouldn’t let you?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand this, Massacre. Why is this man so important? I mean, I know he’s bad news, and correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought there was safety in numbers.”

“It’s not that simple, baby,” he solemnly replied. “If I don’t stop him now, he will never stop until he finds and kills everyone I care about.”

“Reggie and his family?”

Massacre nodded.

“Your mom?”

He nodded again.

“Me?”

Stepping close, he cupped my face and vowed, “Never. I will die before I let him near you.”

“It was him, wasn’t it? The man I met at the bar. That’s why you are leaving. You are protecting me again.”

“Always.”

“What if I ask you to stay?”

“Please don’t do that, baby. Don’t make me go back on my word.”

I tried to say the words, but they tangled with my tongue, like heavy stones lodged in my throat. His eyes were fierce, pleading with me almost as if every ounce of his resolve trembled in the tension between us.

When I sighed and nodded, he whispered, “Promise me you’ll stay here where you’re safe.”

“You mean stay in the clubhouse under lock and key?” I mulishly replied.

“Just until I get back.”

“And how long with that be?”

“Two days.”

My head snapped up to his. “Two days?”