Page 11 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

KAYLOR

A nd to think I thought I might never hear that nickname again.

Little raven. The way his voice curled around the two words did ungodly things to my insides.

How annoying and surprising was the fact that he stood in front of me.

“What is this? Why the fuck are you here?” I meant for it to come out cold, biting, but it didn’t hit as hard as I wanted.

Not when I looked at him and the ground beneath me was suddenly unsteady.

Kreed didn’t say anything at first. He just stood there, staring at me like he was trying to memorize every inch of my face as if he wasn’t sure I was real.

I understood the feeling. My eyes, despite my brain telling them not to devour him, did just that.

From his head to his toes and back up, I took in the state of his appearance, the black hoodie and jeans, the two tiny scars under his eye, the tattoos on his hand and fingers, and the stud twinkling on the side of his nose, as well as some added features like the dark circles under those silver eyes.

Only Kreed could make being tired and haggard hot.

“Did they touch you?” he asked, voice low.

I blinked, wondering what the hell he was talking about. My brain could only come up with one conclusion, but it made no sense to me. “Who? Do you mean Rusty?”

His jaw clenched so tight I could practically hear the pressure crack in his teeth.

Ew. What the hell? “Why would you think Rusty would touch me?” I asked, wondering what was going on in his head.

“Did he?” he demanded again, danger shimmering behind his eyes.

Jesus . “No. What the fuck is this, Kreed?”

The way his eyes fluttered closed at the sound of his name made my heart flutter in spite of myself. Like hearing me say it hurt and healed him at the same time. “Say it again,” he said, opening his eyes, locking on to mine.

I still hadn’t figured out why the sound of his name affected him, but it only seemed to be when I said it, giving me an edge over him.

However, Kreed showing up put a wrench in my revenge plot, which consisted of just the thought of revenge with no details.

I wasn’t prepared to see him. Somehow, his face destroyed all my damn walls.

It wasn’t fair. A face alone shouldn’t have that kind of power.

“Not going to happen.” I folded my arms across my chest, trying to contain the whirlwind in my gut.

Get a hold of yourself, Kay. “And not that it’s any of your fucking business, but I’m not staying with Rusty. I left.”

His whole body seemed to exhale as if I’d released something inside him just by saying those words. “Good.” Relief descended into his features.

Had he believed I’d been hurt? Emotions twisted in me that I didn’t want to examine. It didn’t explain why he would give a shit. I wasn’t his problem anymore. Perhaps that was the relief I was seeing.

“What’s going on?” I asked warily, then immediately shook my head. “Wait. No. I don’t want to know.” I stepped around him toward the front door, but of course, he blocked me, his frame planted between me and escape.

Kreed didn’t move. Didn’t flinch. Just watched me with that maddening calm, one hand braced against the door frame. “Not gonna happen, little raven. You didn’t think you’d get rid of me that easily, did you?”

My heart skipped, but I refused to acknowledge that he made me feel anything but rage. “I thought I made it clear I never wanted to see you again.”

He took a step closer, slow and deliberate, like every inch of ground he reclaimed was his by right. “Too bad. You wouldn’t listen to me that night, so you’ll hear me out now.”

My gaze cut to Poppy. She stood frozen by the wall, guilt written all over her face. “What the hell is this?” I breathed, betrayal wrapping around my heart.

Poppy’s expression fell. “I’m sorry. After Friday night?—”

“You set me up,” I lashed out at Poppy, and although I was hurt that she’d brought the damn enemy to where I was hiding, it was Kreed I was truly pissed off with.

I understood how she’d be worried, and I’d been ignoring my phone in fear that every message or call might be a Corvo.

Especially one in particular. Look where that got me.

He was here in the flesh, which was so much worse than a call or a text.

Poppy flinched. “I was worried, and Kreed was the only way I could make sure you were alive.”

The jerk in question moved toward me, and I took a step back without meaning to. Not that I had far to go in the foyer. “It’s not her fault. I didn’t give her a choice. And besides”—he motioned around us, at the locked door—“it proves my point.”

Was he defending her? There had to be something off with the universe, a retrograde moon. “Which is what?”

He stared at me like the answer was obvious. “You’re not out of danger. Not yet. If I can find you…so can anyone else.”

I laughed once, but there was no humor in it. “Who could hurt me more than you?”

His signature scowl deepened. “There’s more you don’t know,” he said, the admission raw as it scraped out of him.

I shook my head. “There’s nothing left you can say.”

I wanted to be mad at Poppy, especially for bringing the one person I wasn’t ready to see, but if the roles had been reversed, I couldn’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same in her position.

I was partially to blame. Of course, she would worry.

It was what a good friend did, and Poppy had been nothing but a good friend to me, my only friend.

I was the one who left her hanging. I should have texted to let her know I was okay, but I’d lumped her into a part of my life I hadn’t been ready to deal with. That wasn’t fair to her.

Ignoring Kreed for a moment, which was difficult to do because I always seemed so damn hyperaware of him, I hugged Poppy, whispering an apology. “I’m sorry I made you worry.”

Kreed, on the other hand, wasn’t going to get any grace from me, let alone a freaking hug. Not today. “Poppy can stay, but you can’t,” I told him.

He remained rooted in place, motionless like the stubborn ass he was or like someone who was used to getting what he wanted. “I’m not leaving. Hate me all you want, but it doesn’t change that I’m not going anywhere without you.”

My hands balled into fists. Oh, I wanted to hit him, to subject him to half the amount of pain I carried at his betrayal. “I do hate you.”

The sting in his expression almost made me flinch. Almost. “Good. I warned you. I told you I wasn’t a nice guy. I’m not someone you should be involved with.”

Poppy shifted awkwardly. “I’ll, uh…give you guys a minute,” she muttered before slipping behind Kreed and out the front door. Of course, he didn’t try to stop her when she left, and just like that, it was just him and me.

Again.

“Why is it so important that I live in your house?” I didn’t know why I bothered to ask. Curiosity mostly.

“Because we’re the only ones who can protect you. My father has no intention of letting you slip through his fingers when he’s so close to getting what he wants. Rusty can’t stop him, not when there’s a traitor amongst his midst.”

My brows furrowed. “A traitor? What are you talking about?”

“Look,” he said, dragging a hand through his black hair. “Someone in the Vipers betrayed your father. They fed us information.”

“It’s done. Why does it matter who the traitor is? It won’t change the past. My parents will still be dead. And you’ll still be the asshole who kidnapped me.”

His face remained expressionless, but his eyes were troubled. “You’re not wrong. What we did… It was fucked up.”

He had no idea how much he hurt me. “That’s an understatement.”

And for a second, just a second, emotion flitted behind his eyes.

Regret. Pain. Maybe even something akin to genuine worry, but I shoved the thought deep where it couldn’t reach me.

“It will be easier if you come with me instead of my father finding you. I’m trying to help you, but you know this ends with you back at the house. ”

My chin lifted. “Until I’m eighteen. That’s only four months.”

The features in his face tightened. “So much shit can happen in four months. Let me help you.”

“You hurt me, Kreed,” I said, the anger finally bubbling to the surface. “All of you did. You used me. Lied to me. You let me think I was safe with you.”

He backed me into a corner. “I didn’t lie about everything.”

Don’t touch me. God, please don’t touch me. I wasn’t strong enough to resist him. Not yet, but I’d get there. “Doesn’t fucking matter.”

“Yes, it does,” he said, firmer now. “Because I need you to understand that I—” He cut himself off. Whatever he was going to say stayed locked behind his teeth.

Good. Because I wasn’t sure I could survive hearing it.

My throat burned, and I hated how tired I must have looked. I hated that part of me still missed him even as every inch of me screamed to push him away, but I forced my walls back up. “You never stop, do you?”

He leaned in, and I had nowhere to go, our bodies nearly touching, the flutters in my belly warning me to retreat.

I caught a whiff of alcohol. “Are you drunk?”

“Not in the last hour.”