Page 36 of Severed By Vengeance

“Tori, where did you meet? What did she say?”

The young girl reached the bottom of the stairs and hung her head, long braids falling over her shoulders.

“She was scared and didn’t want to come here. So we met at Clover Market.”

It would make sense she’d want to meet at a public venue, somewhere she could quickly disappear into a crowd should the need arise. Smart girl.

“Did she say where she was going?”

“She said it was safer not to know details.”

“Fuck,” I cursed, running a hand over my face.

“Eva.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Rayne said if you were smart, you’d get out of town before Yuri gets you too. I think she owed that guy money and some favors. But that’s all I know.”

I put a hand on her shoulder and offered a small smile. “Thank you, Tori. Call me if you learn anything else.”

She nodded and glanced briefly at Derek before bolting back up the stairs.

“Let’s get out of here.” He threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me toward the exit.

The same group of men watched in silence as we crossed the street. He followed me and opened my door to his untouched Bentley before sliding into the driver’s side.

“Where to?”

“The market.”

“Eva, it’s been hours. I doubt she’s still there.”

I rested my head on the seat and turned to face him. “I know that. But she’s close with Carmen, one of the vendors. She must have gone to say her goodbyes. Maybe slipped her some information.”

He tipped his chin and pulled into traffic without saying a word.

“What did you say to her?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Say to who?”

I huffed an exasperated sigh. “Derek, don’t play dumb with me. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

His grin was so fucking sexy. I almost wanted to slap it off his face for making me feel this way. Giddy, like a damn teenager. And horny. So incredibly horny.

“You were there. You heard everything I had to say.”

“So you didn’t threaten her with violence? She just ran off for no reason.”

He turned to me as we came to a stop at a red light. While he had a smile on his face, there was something almost sinister in how his eyes burned through me, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“I won’t tolerate anyone disrespecting you. I don’t care who they are. And Evangelina,” he rasped, reaching over and tipping my chin, thumb caressing the side of my jaw,“I don’t make threats.”

Instinctively, I knew the conclusion to that statement.

Promises.

He made promises.

A chill raced through my body. Derek was a dangerous man. He exuded authority and walked with a fearlessness I’d never seen in even the bravest men and women I’d worked with throughout the years. It was like he knew he was untouchable. But why? What did it mean? And, more importantly, why did I want to look the other way?

Guilt settled in my stomach as I shamelessly waved off the red flags flashing like neon lights in front of my face. I knew I should ask questions. But I didn’t push the subject any further. And let the quiet fill the suddenly awkward void between us.