Page 41 of Unmask (Crew of Elmwood Public #2)

I nodded as the little amount of hope I’d been clinging to deflated like a punctured balloon.

My chest felt hollow, scraped clean of optimism.

Kreed wouldn’t approve if I told Rusty about the ransom, about me being the prize they wanted, but I was tempted to spill my guts just to see his reaction.

Would his face change? Would he get uncomfortable, shifting in his seat?

Would he have no reaction at all, the kind of blank stare that came from already knowing the truth?

Rusty rubbed a weathered hand over his face, his callused fingers rasping against his beard.

“I don’t know what I can do. I haven’t heard anything specific, but I’ll ask around.

See if any of the guys know something.” He dropped his hand, meeting my eyes with what looked like genuine concern.

“The streets don’t stay quiet for long when bad shit’s going down. ”

“Will you let me know if you hear anything? It doesn’t matter when. I’m not sleeping much as it is.”

His eyes held mine, and an emotion I couldn’t quite name gleamed in them. “You know I’d never lie to you, and I won’t fill you up with false promises, but I’ll do what I can.”

The words should have been comforting, but they sat wrong in my stomach, twisting like spoiled food.

I nodded anyway, swallowing the bitter mix of hope and hopelessness sagging in my chest. Behind me, Kreed’s hand settled lightly on the back of my chair, not possessive, not forceful, just there.

“I appreciate it,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

Rusty’s gaze flicked to Kreed again, and this time, I caught the flash of darkness brewing behind his eyes, but he kept it leashed this time.

His jaw worked silently before he spoke again.

“You shouldn’t be alone. Especially with him .

” The word dripped with venom, and Kreed’s fingers twitched against the chair.

“After everything we went through to get you out of that house, I still can’t believe he’s staying with you.

” Rusty leaned forward, his elbows braced on the desk, hands clasped like he was praying or planning.

“Come to the nest. You’ll have round-the-clock protection.

No one will get through those doors without my knowledge. ”

The temperature in the small office seemed to drop several degrees, but I kept my gaze on Rusty, stirrings of wariness fluttering in my chest. Something about his words felt off. “How do you know that Kreed has been staying at the house?”

Rusty blinked, just once, but it was enough. His mask slipped for a fraction of a second before sliding back into place. “What kind of friend would I be if I didn’t keep an eye on his daughter?”

“So you’re spying on me?”

“I wouldn’t call it spying, kiddo.” His voice took on that patronizing tone I’d heard him use with Jesse and younger crew members, the one that meant he was about to lecture me like a child.

He stood slowly, moving around the desk until he was leaning against its edge.

“I know you’ve had a sheltered life because your father didn’t want you to grow up as we did, but it’s time to take the rose-colored glasses off.

You’re the daughter of a powerful crew don.

He might not be with us anymore, but there are people out there who would use you to hurt us. You’re still important to the Vipers.”

Like you? I silently questioned, so confused.

“You’re living with our biggest enemy.” Rusty’s voice hardened, losing any pretense of fatherly concern. “I know you think he might care about you, but I don’t trust him. He’s already hurt you once. He’ll do so again.”

The air behind me shifted, and Kreed’s presence dominated the office. “You don’t know shit about me, old man.”

Rusty’s lips carved into a humorless smile. “Your reputation speaks for itself.” He tilted his head, studying Kreed. “Does she know about the things you’ve done? About your past? Or have you only let her see the good side of you?”

Kreed’s laugh was hollow and empty. “You’re assuming I have a good side.”

The chair legs scraped against the worn linoleum as I stood abruptly and put myself between the two of them. “It’s probably best I leave. And I don’t need your guys stalking me. I have enough eyes on me as it is. I wouldn’t want one of them to get hurt.”

Had that just come out of my mouth? I hadn’t meant for it to sound like a threat, but when the words echoed back at me, it was precisely how they’d landed. My pulse quickened as I realized what I’d just done, issued a warning to a man who’d known me since I was in diapers.

Who the hell am I?

It was obvious that Kreed and the Ravens were rubbing off on me, their corruptness seeping into my bones like ink in water.

I couldn’t decide if I liked who I was becoming.

The old Kaylor would have never spoken to Rusty that way, but this version of me, the one standing in my dead father’s office, staring down a man who might have betrayed everything we’d built, she was different.

Harder. They were changing me, and I wasn’t sure if I was grateful or terrified.

“Watch yourself,” Rusty said as I moved toward the door.

I paused at the threshold, my hand gripping the door frame. Without turning around, I shook my head. “I have all the protection I need.”

I didn’t glance at Jesse, who was still in the lobby as we passed by, despite feeling his eyes burning into my back. I hadn’t thought about how the hell we would get home, but Kreed had taken care of it. Of course, he had. He seemed to anticipate my needs before I even knew I had them.

The familiar black town car idled in front of the shop, its engine purring softly. Evan stood as still as a statue beside the driver’s door, his broad shoulders filling out his dark suit, sunglasses concealing his eyes despite the late-afternoon light.

The second the shop door shut behind us with a heavy thud, Kreed took my hand and ushered me toward the car with an urgency that made my skin prickle, as if he was preparing for someone to come chasing after us or strike me down from behind.

His head turned constantly, his eyes scanning the street, the alleyways, and the windows of surrounding buildings.

“I really fucking hate that guy,” Kreed grumbled, staring at the shop through the window as Evan pulled the car away.

“I think the feeling is mutual between the two of you.”

“I don’t trust him,” he growled, his silver eyes narrowing. “I know you have your doubts, but I’m not wrong about him. My instincts are telling me he’s the traitor.”

The certainty in his voice made my chest clench.

I shifted in the seat, turning my body toward him so I could read his expression.

“And he might be, but it doesn’t mean he’s running a trafficking ring.

You don’t have to like him. What matters is getting Kenny home.

The more people helping, the bigger our reach.

Someone had to have seen something. Heard something. ”

Kreed’s expression darkened. “If he is behind it, you need to know that I won’t turn a blind eye. I will destroy him.”

“If he is involved, you won’t be destroying him alone. I’ll be by your side.” The vow came out steadier than I felt.

“Such violence. Dare I say it looks good on you, little raven.” His gaze swept over me, lingering with fire burning in his eyes.

Heat crept up my neck. “Don’t tell me you get hard at the prospect of me in black leather and brass knuckles.” I tried to keep my tone light, but there was an edge to it.

“Brass knuckles, huh?” He leaned nearer. “Yeah, I could get behind that.”

I shook my head but couldn’t ignore the flutter in my chest. “There’s something wrong with you.”

“Yeah,” he said, his hand reaching out to trace a finger along my jaw, the touch featherlight but burning. “You crashed into my life.”

The truth in his words hit harder than I expected. Giving in to the pull I’d been fighting, I rested my head on his shoulder, feeling the solid warmth of him, the way his breathing hitched slightly at the contact. “Touché.”

When we pulled up in front of Carson’s house, Evan cut the engine, but neither of us moved.

The silence stretched between us, heavy with unspoken words.

I stared at the familiar front door, the closed blinds, and the darkened porch light that Carson usually kept on.

The house looked hollow, abandoned, like grief had already moved in and made itself at home.

Kreed’s fingers found mine, intertwining without permission, his thumb tracing circles on my skin. The gesture was soft, intimate in a way that made my heart skip. “You sure you want to do this? He was pretty pissed last night. He might not be ready to talk.”

I stared at the front door, imagining Carson behind it, probably pacing, probably not sleeping, probably drowning in the same helplessness threatening to consume me.

My chest ached at the memory of his frantic voice on the phone, the desperation bleeding through every syllable when he’d called about Kenny.

“I have to try,” I said. “Since he isn’t answering my calls or messages, he left me no other choice.

I need to know if there’ve been any updates.

I need to see how he’s doing. Pissed off at me or not, he’s still my friend. ”

Kreed tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, drawing out the movement longer than needed. His eyes searched mine. He gave a short nod, and I reached for the door handle, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

I barely got two knocks in before the door whipped open with enough force to rattle the frame.

Carson stood there, and the sight of him made my breath catch.

His usually perfect hair was a mess, dark circles shadowed his eyes like bruises, and his clothes looked as if he’d slept in them…

if he’d slept at all since Kenny vanished.