Dark Needs(21)

I looked down at the crooked sew job on my new arm wound then back up at Jake.

"I f*cking love you," I said.

“I f*cking love you too, Bee.”





EPILOGUE


Abby


Knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock-knock

"Just a minute!" I called out to whomever was at the door.

More frantic knocking.

"Just a freaking minute!" I yelled again, setting my open book on the coffee table, hoping it wouldn't close so I could get right back to where I'd left off. I had a thing about my books, and dog earring the page was out of the f*cking question. The clock above the TV said it was after ten. Georgia had long been asleep and Jake was on his way home, he'd stayed at the shop late tinkering on my truck which wasn't running AGAIN. I refused to let him buy me a new one no matter how much he pushed the issue. The truck was all I had left of Nan and I wasn't just about to let it go when I knew Jake could work his magic on it. Although the poor thing might have been telling me that it was time to let her go because it was the third time in a month Jake had to repair or replace something to get it back up running again.

Fucking suicidal truck.

I opened the door and had my hand on the handle of the screen door, about to tell Mrs. Flannagen for the umpteenth time that no matter how many times she stopped by on a Saturday night that Jake and I would not be attending church this Sunday or any Sunday after that, when the door flew open and I was met with a massive wall of man.

Dark and scary as f*ck.

Jake was easily six feet tall but this guy had at least a few inches on him. His dark hair was cropped close to his head, his eyes shiny black. Where Jake had tattoos up and down one arm, this guy was covered on both arms and hands and even one side of his neck. Jake's light hair and bright blue eyes made him look like the boy next door, almost angelic in a way.

This guy looked like the f*cking devil himself.

I made a move to slam the door shut but his boot in the threshold prevented it from closing, he didn't even flinch when it bounced off his foot.

"I need Jake." The man demanded. His voice deep and raspy.

I reached behind the door and grabbed the pistol from the top drawer of the hallway desk, shielding it behind my back.

"He's not here." I said. I made another move to shut the door but this time he used the flat of his hand to prevent it from shutting.

"You're not f*cking listening, I need Jake." He said angrily, his nostrils flaring.

"You're the one not f*cking listening." I said, producing the gun from behind my back and aiming it between his eyes. "He's not f*cking here."

The man actually smiled at me. And if I wasn't about to piss myself I would've taken more time to admire his very white very straight teeth surrounded by very full lips. But it was the way he smiled with his eyes, an evil glare radiating from his iris's that made even his smile scary.

"Go ahead and shoot," he said, grabbing the barrel of the gun and pressing it to his forehead. "You don't have the balls, girl" he taunted, still smiling.

I mirrored his sarcastic smile and was about to squeeze the trigger when Jake's voice stopped me. "Her balls are bigger than yours, man." Jake side-stepped the stranger and joined me in the entry way.

"I see that now." The man replied, sounding more annoyed than afraid.

"Who the f*ck is this guy?" I asked Jake. He took the gun from my hand and placed it back in the drawer. "This is Abby, my wife. Abby, this is..."

The man interrupted.

"They call me, King."




Jake

Brantley King had a dirty cop problem.

Not that the notorious gun runner had anything morally against dirty cops, they just weren't on his side of dirty. A few of the f*ckers actually made the mistake of going up against him. They either had balls bigger than grapefruits or were truly the stupidest mother f*ckers on the planet.

I didn't care either way.

I had a job to do.

Not that I was going to get back into wet work full time, but just this little taste should hold me over for a while and keep me home in bed with Bee at night.

And there was no place on earth I'd rather f*cking be, then in bed with that girl.

Logan Beach was just a two hour ride north so it didn't take me long before I was burying one of King's problems in the woods.

Well, parts of his problem.