Trick Me Twice

“Carter!” Kian’s sharp hiss sounded in my ear, his arms grabbing mine and lowering them—what the fuck? When had I raised my fists? “Carter!” His voice was more insistent, as he struggled to hold me in place. “Wait. We can’t. Raine.” The words penetrated the fog surrounding me, and I stopped struggling against him.

“Look, though.” My voice was hoarse and desperate. “Look.”

Through the tiny gap in the curtains we took in the scene playing out in front of us. Dylan had Raine pinned on the bed. From where I stood, I could see her face, turned slightly to the side. She was barely fucking keeping herself together.

Raine.

I knew she was important to me, but until that moment, I didn’t realise how much.

I’d burn the world down for her.

Why the fuck had I pushed her away? Let my own issues fuck everything up? If I’d got my shit together sooner, maybe we wouldn’t be here right now.

Dylan’s hand moved between them, and I tensed, every single part of me on edge, needing to get her out of danger, when I saw her lips move, and after a few moments, Dylan moved off her.

My relief was instantaneous.

“What’s going on?” Kian murmured, although I knew he wasn’t really asking me a question. They both disappeared from the room, and then a minute later, the back door was sliding open, and the security light came on. We barely jumped back in time, escaping to the shadows where the others waited.

“You’ve got ten seconds.” Dylan’s nasally voice sounded loud in the quiet night. “Ten…”

Before the word had even left his lips, Raine was running, her movements almost sluggish, slower than usual. What had that fucker done to her?

My eyes returned to Dylan. At this moment in time, it was more important that I keep an eye on him. He stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him, still counting. I watched him move further away from the house, my whole body vibrating with the need to run at him.

“What do you say?” Kian’s low voice sounded close to my ear. “Shall we give him a show?”

I smiled at the dark intent in his tone. “Fuck, yes. One he’ll never forget.” Turning, I spun my finger in a circle, seeing Xavier’s nod, and we began to move towards Dylan, keeping to the shadows. Reaching up, I set the switch for my mask to the flashing position as Kian did the same, knowing the others would follow our cue.

“Oh, Dylan?” I called out. “I think you have something that belongs to me.”

He spun in a circle, all the colour draining from his face, and then he swayed on his feet. He knew he was trapped, surrounded by us, and he had nowhere to go.

“Get Raine,” I said softly, trusting that the girls would help her out. She needed her friends right now, and I needed to teach Dylan Rossiter a lesson he’d never forget.

Stepping forwards, I got right in Dylan’s face. I watched as the light from my mask flashed across his terrified features. My rage was boiling out of control as I looked down at him, and I raised my arm.

A small body came barrelling into me from the side, and suddenly everything else was forgotten as I swept a shuddering Raine into my arms, breathing in her caramel apple scent. “You came,” she choked out. “You came for me.”

“Always.” That was the only word I could get out, because the lump in my throat was too fucking big. Taking a huge step back from Dylan, I held on to her, trusting the others to keep Dylan cornered. Eventually, I lowered her to the ground. “Did he hurt you?” I asked in a low voice.

She hesitated, and dread crawled through me. “Not physically. He-he drugged me. Twice. And it was him. Be-behind all the other stuff.” Her voice trembled.

I spoke very calmly. “Listen to me. I want you to go and wait for me in my car. Can you do that?” She nodded, and I ran a

reassuring hand down her back before I released her. “You’re safe now,” I murmured, before glancing over at Preston. He nodded, coming forwards and taking hold of her arm gently, and I handed him my keys before I returned my attention to a struggling Dylan, who was being restrained by a masked Kian.

“Everyone else can leave us.” I raised my voice. “This is between me and Rossiter.”

“I’m staying.” Kian’s voice was threaded with excitement, and it almost brought a smile to my face. Almost.

“I’ll keep an eye on the grandma,” Lena muttered, before following the others down the side of the house. Once they were gone, I stretched out my arms, cracking my knuckles, enjoying the anticipation, before I nodded at Kian to release Dylan.

“I’ll give you a ten-second head start. Just like you did for Raine. Ten…”

As Dylan stumbled away from us, I laughed, letting him run down the garden, losing himself in the shadows. “Make sure he doesn’t escape down the side of the house,” I told Kian, then flicked the switch on my mask to turn it off.

“On it, but I’m playing, too.”