Chased (Savage Men 3)

We’ve been growing closer over the past few weeks, and it’s surprising to this day that she’s accepted all my darkness so easily. When I asked her if she still wanted me, she didn’t lie. When I asked her if she hated that I was a killer, she didn’t say yes. And when I told her I couldn’t stop doing what I do best … she didn’t deny me my needs.

She’s so strong. I admire her. And I feel so goddamn lucky to wake up next to her … and that she hasn’t run away. She’s so goddamn perfect, it almost hurts.

With hazy eyes and a rumbling stomach, I pick my phone up from the cabinet and stare at the number on the screen. Brandon? What does he want?

“Yeah?” I say, picking it up as I get out of bed to yawn.

“Did you see the news? They found the bodies.”

“Hold on, I have to put on something first,” I grumble, stepping out of the room so I don’t wake her.

“Okay,” he replies as I put on some shorts.

“Yeah, I’ve seen it. And?” I say, thinking about the moment I saw it on the news and immediately turned it off. I’ve been keeping Syrena away from the television ever since the news broke out. I don’t want her to relive that stuff. “Anything special?”

“Police aren’t saying much, but I talked to my guy on the inside, and he says they don’t have a clue who could’ve done it. They just think it’s a feud between mafia families or some shit.”

“Fine with me.”

“So you’re not worried at all?”

“They won’t find us. They never do,” I reply.

“Right. Well, I’ve got other news too that I thought you might want to know …”

“What is it? Cut the suspense,” I growl.

“Graham’s gone.”

My eyes widen, and I clasp the phone tighter. “What? How? When?”

“I don’t know. I just got the news from one of my other contacts at the police. They think he’s dead.”

“You’re sure about this?”

“It’s looking like it. There’s blood everywhere in the compound, and all the cages were empty too.”

“What about the others that were there?” I ask. “A woman and a man.”

“The girl’s been found. The guy’s missing.”

I slam my fist on the table but then remember to be quiet. “Fuck,” I hiss. “I wanted to go kill him myself.”

“Should’ve done it when you had the chance.”

“I know, all right!” I bark. “Just tell me if we can find the two. I want to make sure they’re safe at the very least.”

“Okay, well what do you want me to do?”

“Fuck, I don’t know. We have to do whatever we can to find them. I promised Syrena. And we have to make sure Graham’s dead.”

“I’ll ask my connections. Hopefully, we can pinpoint their location. The girl shouldn’t be too hard, but I don’t know about the other one.”

“Right. Also, find out what the fuck happened to Graham. I don’t care how much time it takes or how hard it is to find the information. Just get it. I want that son of a bitch down under the ground before he even attempts to contact me. I don’t want Syrena finding out about him or their connection. Ever.”

“Their connection? What are you talking about?”

Of course, I hadn’t told him yet. I just forgot. “He had her mother too.” I hiss. “And that ain’t even half of it …”

“Holy shit.”

“Yes. So do your fucking best to get a hold of them. All of them.”

“Got it,” Brandon replies.

“Thanks,” I say.

“No problem,” he says, before I hang up the phone.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, trying to put things away in my mind.

That’s when I hear her voice behind me. “Who was that?”

“Oh … just Brandon,” I say, smiling as I turn around.

“You were talking about Graham,” she says.

“Yeah. It’s nothing important.”

“It is,” she says.

Her tenacious voice makes me swallow away the lump in my throat.

“You said something about him having my mother too?”

My face contorts, and my lungs constrict.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

How much did she hear?

Too much.

It’s too late to deny things now. She knows what she heard, and I doubt I can ever spin it in a different light.

She clutches the doorjamb and licks her lips. “Tell me the truth, Chase.”

I nod, taking another deep breath.

I can’t lie to her. Not anymore.

Nothing I do will rinse away all the bad I’ve done. All the evil that’s seeped into my bones.

When I look at her, all I see is that birthmark on her neck … the image replaying in my mind over and over again. That mark is etched into my soul … and hers.

And she doesn’t even know it’s there.

Or what it really means.

I lower my head and rub my lips together. Deep down, I know I have to tell her. If I want her love and trust, then I need to be honest. No matter how badly it’s going to hurt.