Hunt

As if he heard me, he texted me back.

Mason: You’re smart, loyal, and strong. I believe in you.

Hmmm.

The suspicious part of my brain perked up.

Me: And when would you want me to pay you back?

Mason: It’s not when, Phoenix. It’s how.

I frowned.

Ah. Now I see. You think you’re going to get some ass.

Mason: Make some free time for me next week. I’ll have you over for dinner.

All of that sounded like he was trying to fuck. But turning him down harshly was not smart either.

Me: I’ll have to think about it and let you know.

Mason: Think about it. Talk to you later.

I put the phone back down and returned to making sure Cain and his brothers weren’t here. Thank God I never caught sight of them.

Yet, my body remained on edge. It was like my gut told me that they were coming and that I better watch out.

He’s not here. No danger is near. Calm down.

Still, my anxiety rose in waves.

Someone tapped my shoulder.

I jumped, saw that it was the bouncer, and relaxed. “Hey, Jimmy. What’s up?”

The big bouncer frowned. “Some stupid kid tried to come in with a fake ID.”

“O-kay.”

“When I told him to get the fuck out of here, he said that he needed to talk to you.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Is he a tall, white kid with an eye tattooed on his neck?”

“That’s him.” Jimmy nodded. “Talk to him and get that kid out of here.”

“I will—”

“Hamilton sees the kid and he’ll lose his fucking mind. Shit like that will mess up his liquor license and you know he just got it back—”

“I’ll do as you say, Jimmy. We’ll be quick.” I headed off, happy to at least get some fresh air.

What does Devin want?

I got to the door, opened it, and stepped outside. Nervous, I gazed around. I spotted a group of smokers on my left.

Devin stood by the alley opening on my right and smoking a cigarette.

I headed over.

He turned and gaped at me. “Damn, Nix. So sexy. Maybe, you and I should—”

“Absolutely not.” I got to him, snatched the cigarette from him, and threw it to the ground. “What’s up? Did you want to talk to Quin?”

“Well yes and no. I was already going to come here for her because some old guy keeps coming through late at night with puppies.”

“What the fuck?”

“I think he’s on some serial killer-pedo shit.”

“Definitely.” I checked my watch. “When does he come around? I can be there and—”

“Yeah, but Phoenix, then I had to bring you a message too.”

“What?”

Devin raised his hands in the air. “This huge dude came through looking for you.”

My body stiffened.

“Well, he’s been sitting around the park all week, carving wood and reading a book. It made me anxious, but he never did shit. Sara got antsy and begged me to say something to him.”

“What? A week?” I stepped back.

“Yeah. I know you told me to be on the lookout for some guy, but even though he was huge, he seemed chill. He never bothered us. Plus, that pedo-serial killer guy with the puppies had my head crazy and I slipped up—”

“Don’t worry about that. Just tell me everything.” I frantically scanned the area.

“He never looked at any of the girls or guys. He just read this book and carved the wood. But still, he made me uneasy, so I went up to get a feel of him today and—”

“What did he say to you?” Terrified, I looked across the street. I didn’t see Cain. Yet an uneasy chill surrounded me. There was a cold draft rising along my skin and sending shivers up my back. I swore I could sense him near.

He’s close.

“Don’t worry.” Devin shook his head. “I pretended to not know you.”

“But what happened?” I kept on searching the area for him.

“After he sat on this picnic table all day and night carving wood and shit, only leaving for a few moments at a time, probably to piss—”

“Devin, come on.”

“Sorry. I went up to him tonight because I figured this motherfucker is searching out some of us to hurt.”

“And?” My heart boomed in my chest.

“I got to him with my guns and did just what Quin showed me to do. I flashed them and told him that there wasn’t anybody to sell around there.”

“O-kay.”

“And he told me he was looking for a woman named Phoenix. He described your tattoo.”

“Fuck.” I hugged myself.

“He gave me money too. Uh. . .it was only. . .a hundred dollars. I could give you fifty dollars from it—”

“Keep the money. What did you tell him?”

“I told him I didn’t know you. And that was it.”

I leaned my head to the side. “He accepted that and left?”

“Hell yes. He left.” Devin beamed with pride. “He saw my guns. He knew I wasn’t fucking around.”

“No. That doesn’t sound right.” I looked down the street and then in the other direction.