Page 48 of Savage Captor (Deadly Devotion #1)

Cain would tell me to proceed with training.

Max would tell me to isolate the root of a problem and address it before moving forward.

It’d probably pay to listen to Max instead of Cain, but I don’t know if I have the skills it takes for that.

Namely, I don’t know if I have the street cred with Scarlett to have an actual, helpful conversation with her.

“You’re thinking too loudly,” Cain says flatly. “Problem with your chosen? ”

I clear my throat. “Nothing that I can’t handle.” I hope . I should probably do some very long-overdue aftercare when I get home. If Scarlett’s awake. Damnit, I shouldn’t have tied her down again. Who cares if she wrecked my apartment? I probably deserve her anger.

I need to set parameters. I’ve finally got a training schedule figured out, but nothing beyond that.

My rewards-consequences system is in progress, but a glaring blind spot I’ve left is how to connect with Scarlett.

Strangely, I genuinely do want to connect with her.

I want to build something with her, and I’m not starting off very well.

“Figure it out, or I’ll figure it out for you,” Cain says, every word laced with unspoken threat. “You know what the alternative is.”

“You’ve reminded me enough times,” I snap. “You take over her training—“

“That’s the best case scenario,” Cain says, staring hard at the road. “More likely, it’ll be decided that she’s outlived her usefulness.”

My heart thuds so intensely in my chest, I nearly lose my breath for a moment.

I clench my jaw to keep my composure and avoid drawing any further unwelcome attention from Cain.

I’m not going to let him hurt Scarlett—I’m not going to let anyone hurt Scarlett.

No way. She’s mine, and I’ll protect her.

Today was a rough day, but it’ll get better. I’ll make sure it will.

“She doesn’t have to be happy,” Cain goes on. “She only has to submit.”

But I want her to be happy . I want us to be happy, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get us there. I might’ve hurt Scarlett wrongly, but I helped heal her. I’ll take care of her, now and forever.

“Focus on your operation and leave me to handle my chosen,” I say succinctly. “Why does Eric want to meet?”

Cain slides me a look, but allows me to change topics. “For an update. To discuss next moves.”

“Are you going to tell him the details of your mutiny?” I ask.

“ Our mutiny,” Cain emphasizes. “Not every explicit detail, but enough for him to know we’re serious. He might be a young, arrogant prick, but we need him, and he needs us.”

I nod. “Fine.”

We pull up to the ghost town shortly, once again parking our car in a makeshift dirt parking lot. Like last time, Eric is already here, waiting in front of his SUV.

He shakes hands with me and Cain, looking both of us over with sharp eyes.

“Cain, Greyson,” he greets. “What’s the news?”

“Things are going according to plan. Regime change is set to take place very soon,” Cain says.

“How soon?” Eric asks.

“Soon enough,” I reply. Eric’s gaze fixed on me, and once again, something about his stare seems eerily familiar. I can’t quite place it, but I feel like I’ve met him before.

“I hope that’s true. I’m willing to invest in the Nighthawks, but I’m not in any mood to deal with bullshit.

Hold up your end of the bargain and I’ll hold up mine.

” He waves a hand at his car. A man steps out from the driver’s seat and hands Eric a thick file.

He makes a show of flipping through it before meeting Cain’s eyes.

“A little taste of what you could be getting—aside from the weapons shipments.”

The file trades hands; Cain takes a few minutes to look through it, occasionally nodding.

“Very useful, thank you,” Cain says, shutting the file before handing it to me.

I scan over the first page, only to slow down and focus up when I realize this is information on The Widowers.

Valuable information that only an insider could get—details of contractors, operations, repeat clients.

“How’d you get this?” I ask, looking up .

“Fuck’s it to you?” Eric asks, eyes flashing with warning. “I have my sources, you have yours.”

“I think what my second means to ask is whether this is valid intel,” Cain interjects.

“Are you implying I’d give you bullshit in a file?” Eric’s tone is openly menacing now. His posture has shifted, too; he’s preparing for a fight.

Looks like Cain’s prospective business partner has some anger problems. Not uncommon in our line of work, but not ideal.

Either Eric’s in a bitchy mood or something’s off here. Our first meeting was tense, but this one’s even tenser, which it shouldn’t be. We’re making progress and moving closer to a partnership, which should make all parties slightly more comfortable.

“Of course not,” Cain says. “But you know the business. You know the industry. It’s impressive that you managed to gather such intel—so it’s only natural that we might question your sources.”

“My sources are solid,” Eric says. “Some of Luther’s people are for sale, if you know which pressure points to utilize.”

“The Widowers are a black box of information,” I say. “Nobody even knows how many of them there are or what their roles in the organization are.”

“I’ve spent years studying the Widowers,” Eric replies harshly, eyes flashing with warning. “I’ve wanted to take them down for quite some time, and I have personal reasons for that. Luther’s fucked me over in ways you couldn’t fathom.”

“He killed my brother,” I say flatly.

“I’ve lost people because of him too,” he says heatedly. “You lost your brother? I had my entire family taken from me, except one. And then, the last one standing disappeared several weeks ago. ”

My eyes narrow. There’s a story here—something I’m missing. If I thought I’d get away with it, I’d press, but I don’t think Eric’s the type of man to push.

“Then our ideals are aligned, and I’m sure we’ll do excellent work together,” Cain says with a nod. “Thank you for the intel. We value your cooperation greatly.”

“I’m sure,” Eric says flatly. “My timetable for taking down Luther is rapidly approaching. If you want to be a part of that, I strongly recommend you get Boyce taken care of.”

“What’s the timeline?” Cain questions.

“The sooner the better,” Eric says. “He has someone I want. If I could manage it, I’d take him down immediately, but I don’t have the manpower. Get your shit together and get back to me.”

With a final warning glare, he gets back in the car. Cain and I watch in mutual silence as it drives away.

“That was interesting,” Cain says.

“There’s a word for it,” I snort. “Another one would be suspicious . Who does Luther have that Eric wants? His girlfriend?”

“Maybe,” Cain says. “Or maybe it’s someone far closer. I suppose we’ll find out.”

“You know something you’re not telling me,” I hedge.

“Of course I do,” Cain agrees. “When the time’s right, you’ll be informed of everything you need to know. For now, I believe we ought to return to headquarters. I’m sure your chosen is waiting for you.”

I can tell there’s no getting information out of him, and while I want to push, I know better. “I just have one stop to make on our way home.”

Cain narrows his eyes at me. “Where?”

“A plant shop,” I respond. “Gotta pick up an order.”