Page 36 of Their Stolen Obsession (Phantoms and Obsession Duet #2)
Her Predator
Saint
K noxlee was gone. We had searched for as long as we could until sirens sounded and forced us to leave. Liv was beside herself, pleading to not give up and stay for one more minute, but our time had run out. We couldn’t be at the scene of this goddamn massacre. We had to go.
“We’ve covered every inch of Pitrone’s territory. She’s not here, darling,” I had told her before taking Liv into my arms and holding her while exhaustion overtook her.
“Knoxlee made it,” Liv whispered against my chest. “I wish I knew what happened to her.”
Tears fell down Liv’s cheeks, and Sin swept them away. “We’ll do everything we can to figure out where Knoxlee went.”
Liv peered up at my best friend. “Promise? ”
I tilted her chin toward me and stared straight into her gorgeous eyes that lit up the night. “We swear on each other’s lives. Right?”
I glanced at Sin.
Sin nodded his head in agreement. “Hell, yeah.”
Liv simply laid her head onto my chest, and I lifted our obsession into my arms. She weighed nothing, light as a fucking feather, and I wrapped my blackened wings around her. I’d never let her go again.
Knoxlee had vanished into thin air. The devastation in that fact, of leaving behind someone who saved Liv, weakened her to the point she passed out in the car’s backseat after I tucked her safely away inside.
My jacket engulfed her, providing warmth from my lingering body heat and the scent of me a blanket of security.
She was protected, guarded, and rescued. We were bringing our girl home.
“I’m calling those dogs in,” I announced to Sin as I glanced back at Liv soundly asleep and grabbed for my cell phone.
“What?” Sin turned his attention from the road and snatched the device from me. “Wait.”
“No. It’s the right thing to do, man,” I argued and reached for the phone. “Give it to me.”
“You call those mutts into a rescue, and we’re screwed. The police can trace the call right back to us,” Sin explained and reached into the glove compartment. “Use the burner.”
Sin tossed an untraceable cell phone into my lap. Christ . He always had our backs. I hadn’t been thinking straight, and my head was a jumbled mess.
“Shit. Fuck. You’re right.” I hit the palm of my hand against my forehead. “Stupid.”
Sin half grinned. “Love makes us do crazy things, man.”
“Not only love…” I glanced over my shoulder and at the angel snoring lightly underneath my jacket. “Liv.”
Sin remained silent while I called in the anonymous tip to the nearest animal rescue.
The shelter answered on the second ring, and I gave the location to them with the friendly guidance to bring treats for the pit bulls.
I couldn’t bear to leave the dogs there to fend for themselves.
Each animal deserved a second chance at a fresh start and a forever home.
A lovable environment where they weren’t forced into starvation because of egotistical humans.
See?
I had a heart, and Sin did too.
Sometimes.
“Now what?” I asked as soon as I got off the call and slapped the glove compartment closed. “She can’t go home. ”
“I know.” Sin turned the steering wheel to the right. “Liv comes home with us.”
“Yes,” I agreed with a grin. “Right where she belongs.”
“She can have my bed,” Sin added.
I turned to my best friend. “Wait. What’s wrong with mine?”
“Yours is too clumpy.” Sin shrugged. “Besides, there’s no room.”
“My room is spacious. What the fuck are you talking about?” I was outraged, taken aback.
“The bed is full of your damn cats,” Sin replied.
“So?” I shot back. “You got Rocko.”
“One little pussy I didn’t even choose to be in my bed.” Sin slapped a hand against the steering wheel. “Liv will sleep in my bed and the answer is final.”
I huffed. “Fine.”
My arms crossed in front of my chest. Sin had a point no matter how much I wanted Liv tucked under my bed sheets, she deserved peace. Not multiple cats pawing at her naked body.
Fuck.
Bare-ass Liv asleep in my best friend’s bed.
I ran a frustrated hand down my face and blew out a sigh.
I’d give anything to switch with Sin. To smell her scent all around me when I drifted off to sleep.
I wanted to lie in the spot she rested and feel the way the mattress had formed around her body.
Every curve, each inch of her, sculpted against me.
“Good. I’m glad we can agree.” Sin patted my arm. “You made the right choice.”
As soon as Liv woke up, I’d sneak into Sin’s room. I didn’t give a shit if he was there. She was mine too.
I changed the subject. “What about Sebastian?”
“We’ll deal with him soon.” Sin glanced into the rearview mirror. “Liv is our top priority.”
“Always,” I agreed and punched in a number on my cell phone. “I’m ringing the doc.”
“Now?” Sin questioned with a raised eyebrow. “He’ll be fast asleep.”
I shrugged. “It’s an emergency. We’ll pay him double.”
Liv deserved round-the-clock care. I didn’t give a damn if our doctor had to make a house call in the wee hours of the morning. If he didn’t rise and shine with the roosters, I’d haul his ass out of bed.
“Do it.” The phone was already ringing.
“Hello?” a groggy voice answered on the fifth ring.
“Hi, yeah, doc. It’s Saint calling. We need you at our penthouse in a half hour,” I demanded.
A ruffling sound mixed in with a curse.
“I don’t work until seven. ”
“Listen. I don’t give a fuck,” I grumbled, rubbing my chin and growing increasingly irritated. “Don’t make me come over there, doc.”
He gulped. “Fine. I’ll be there, Mr. Sullivan.”
Good. He remembered my name from the last time I had to deal with his poor decisions. I don’t appreciate tardiness.
“See you in fifteen.”
“Fifteen? But you—” I hung up before I let the doc finish.
God. I loved playing games with him. He would arrive at our place early with all his fancy physician gadgets, ready to help Liv recover, so we could pick up all of her broken pieces and mend them back together.
“How’d that go?” Sin asked.
I replied with a grin, “The doc will be early.”
“Perfect.” Sin smiled back at me, and we headed toward our haunted home.