Page 24 of Whips and Chains (Saint View Murder Squad #2)

LEVI

I ’d twisted something in my ankle when I’d jumped out of the way, but the sharp pain disappeared the instant Violet’s panicked screams ripped through the night.

All I could see in the back of my mind was her covered in blood. It had been Toby’s blood last time, but I was terrified when I opened my eyes, it would be hers.

“Violet!”

That was Whip’s shout, but it echoed the one in my head. Both of us staggered to our feet, the van disappearing around a corner, already forgotten because getting to Violet was all that mattered.

Glass covered the road, sparkling in the moonlight like jagged diamonds. It would have been pretty if it hadn’t been accompanied by shouts of terror.

Whip and I both reached her at the same time.

My gaze raked over her in a panic through the broken windshield.

There was blood in her hair and trickling down the side of her face, but it didn’t seem too bad.

The woman I’d seen with her at work earlier that day was in the passenger seat, her eyes wide, and she had herself braced up against her door, as far away from the broken glass as she could get.

A brick sat on the center console between them, a white note wrapped around it, held in place by thick elastic bands.

Dread pooled in my stomach at the sight of it.

I already knew what it was.

But Violet had to be my first priority.

Whip beat me to it. He grabbed her chin between his fingers, twisting her face so she was looking at him. “Hey, sweetheart. You’re okay. Breathe.”

She instantly calmed down at the sound of his voice. He held her frightened gaze, and he breathed deeply and evenly, until her breaths matched his.

Something passed in the air between them. An understanding. A comfort. One he seemed so good at giving her.

Jealousy curdled inside me, and I shoved it away, knowing I had no right to it.

But then it was replaced with anger. And I couldn’t stop the words spewing out of my mouth. “What the hell are you doing here? We told you to stay at the club!”

It wasn’t the first thing I wanted to say to her. It wasn’t even the last thing I should have said, but my heart pounded at the sight of her blood and the realization of how lucky she was the brick had landed between the two women and not right in one of their faces.

She dragged her gaze away from Whip and narrowed her eyes at me. “Last I checked, I wasn’t a dog you could tell to sit and stay. And you weren’t my registered owner.”

I ground my teeth at how reckless she’d been. I fully understood she’d gone through something traumatic, and she’d been acting out of character, but following us, when she knew we were going hunting, was straight-up dangerous.

“You could have been killed,” I grit out.

Her eyes blazed. “Seems like I could be killed at any moment, anywhere, so what difference does it make if it’s at Psychos or here?” Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “There’s someone trying to kill me, Levi. What part of that don’t you understand?”

The problem was I understood every part of it.

And that’s what terrified me.

I was so stupidly in love with her, all I could think about was losing her.

Not that I’d ever really had her. But at least she was alive. The thought of her hurt, or worse, left me feeling so sick I could barely breathe.

X’s footsteps thumped down the alley behind us, and we all swiveled in his direction.

He pulled up short a foot or two in front of me, then leaned over, resting his hands on his knees, breathing hard, like the short sprint he’d just done from the car hidden in the alley to where we stood now on the street had been a marathon.

He even squeezed out a wheeze. “Sorry. Would have been here earlier, but that rat had me holed up in the car and was eyeing me like I was a snack.” His gaze shifted to Violet. “Omelet? What are you doing here?” His eyes darkened when he noticed the blood and all the glass.

“They followed us,” I said dryly.

X winked at her. “I know that orgasm I gave you in the camera room was good, but you could have just called me if you wanted another. No need to follow me.”

Nyah let out a little snicker of nervous laughter.

Violet just glared at him. “Thank you for broadcasting that to everyone—”

“Actually, we already did that back in the camera room.”

“X!”

He cringed. “Right. Sorry. Not the point.” He reached across Violet, offering Nyah his hand. “I’m so sorry. We haven’t officially met. I’m X. Licker of Violet’s pussy.”

“Oh my God, I can’t even with you.” Violet’s face was beet red as she turned to the other woman. “I’m so sorry. We’re seeking intervention for his lack of brain-to-mouth filter. Are you okay?”

Nyah brushed some glass off her lap. “I’m fine.” She cringed at the gaping hole in the windshield. “This car we stole isn’t though.”

My mouth dropped open. “You stole a car?”

Violet shot me a glare. “Like you can talk! Mister Biker, Ex-crim, Probably Stolen Hundreds of Cars Not to Mention Murdering People in His Lifetime!”

I shot a glance at Nyah, and she waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, don’t worry about me. Mafia kid. I’m down with all the killing. Nothing new to me.”

X clucked his tongue and then leaned down to whisper to Violet. Though we all heard it because nothing about X was ever actually quiet. “Violet, I think you should probably reassess who you hang out with.”

She shoved him away. “Oh, don’t worry, I am. I’m currently very much reassessing the three psychopaths I’ve found myself in bed with!”

X winked at Nyah. “It was a foursome.”

We all just stared at him.

But he clearly had zero realization that he was the world’s biggest blabbermouth. When nobody filled the silence, he, of course, did. “So, uh, what were we talking about?”

Whip sighed. “How about we discuss the brick currently sitting in the middle of this apparently stolen car?”

Violet stared down at the brick on the center console. Her fingers trembled.

I wanted to grab them. Wrap my hands around them and rub them gently until the tremble disappeared.

But I couldn’t, because I kept fucking things up with her. And she looked like she’d rather stab me than accept comfort from me.

Violet yanked on the handle and shoved the door open. “I can’t do this right now. I need air.”

She got out, and on the other side, Nyah did the same thing. They moved to check on each other, embracing at the front of the car, clutching each other close.

The three of us watched them in silence, until X murmured, “Anyone else really want to know what’s written on that note?”

For once, I agreed with him.

I leaned through the open door and picked it up. Pulling off the rubber bands, I unwrapped the note. My gaze skimmed over it, and the churning, sick feeling in my gut intensified. “Fuck.”

Violet’s head snapped up. She took one glimpse of my expression, and I could tell she knew that what was written on that page wasn’t good.

Not that any of us thought it would be.

“Read it out loud,” she demanded, her mouth pulled into a tight line, her fingers gripping Nyah’s.

I really didn’t want to be the one to voice the words written on that page. But I wouldn’t make her read them either. I inhaled a jagged breath and recited the words that left me cold and dead inside.

“Tick-tock, boys. The countdown has started.

One by one, you’ll all be departed.

She slipped through my trap, but only just barely.

Next time, I won’t be playing so fairly.

Next time we play, she won’t be so clever.

You’ll beg for her life.

I’ll end it forever.”

The silence that dragged out after I read the last line felt like it lasted forever. Until Violet choked out a laugh. She coughed, but the laughter didn’t stop. It turned hysterical while I watched her, just wanting to wrap her in my arms and hold her and tell her everything was okay.

Except she wouldn’t welcome my touch.

And absolutely nothing was okay.

She laughed until tears streamed down her face. “Well, that’s just great, isn’t it? Just fucking fabulous.”

She spun around in a circle, then tipped her head up to the sky. “Come get me then, you asshole! You’re always watching me, aren’t you? Stop playing these fucking games and just come get me if you want me that badly!”

None of us said anything

There was no comforting her. No reassuring words to say that weren’t out-and-out lies.

None of us were safe.

Especially not her.

W hip drove back to Saint View in silence.

I knew tomorrow we would have to return.

To find shops or houses that might have some video surveillance we could watch.

Something that might give us some sort of ID on who was driving that van, though I was already certain the license plates would come up as stolen.

And we still had our target to hunt down.

But the night was rapidly turning into day.

None of us had slept. Violet was bleeding, though she wouldn’t let anyone touch her to address the cut on her head.

We dropped Nyah off at a shitty little house not far from Whip’s place, and all four of us left in the car watched like hawks as she crossed the patchy lawn and let herself inside with a key that was hidden in a planter box.

I let out a grunt of disapproval at her lack of security, which only pissed Violet off more.

“Her things are still at Psychos. She left everything there to come help me. Sorry she doesn’t have her keys on her.”

“Doesn’t change the fact, leaving a spare in the planter right next to her door is dangerous,” I muttered.

She glared at me. “Anyone ever tell you you’re as bad as a helicopter parent? Is there anything you don’t find dangerous?”

Yeah. Her, tucked up in my bed at the clubhouse, with the door locked and my brothers on patrol, behind the imposing metal gates and the new security surveillance system that had been installed once the guys all started settling down with women and babies.

That was where I wanted Violet. And until she was there, safe and sound, I was gonna fucking hover.