That Emerald Vow (The Crimson Creed #2)

16. Chapter Sixteen

“ S TOP! Please!” he pleads.

I prowl towards the asshole tied to the chair. “Wouldn’t that be nice . . . for you. But you never stopped when the women asked . . .”

“Or when the little kids asked,” Adrian adds. “So, we sure as hell aren’t about to.”

Taking the boiling hot water, I throw the entire bucket at him. His screams echoing through the building are music to my ears. Liam runs a trafficking ring with women and children—making millions off of their services. It wasn’t just forced sexual labor, but also people who wanted to perform their sick, murderous fantasies. Anything you could think of, Liam serviced . . . Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.

We can get creative too.

“And this is why this is my favorite part of the job.” I grin, looking at my partner in crime, who also looks amused.

“Yeah, it’s definitely not the worst part.”

My phone chimes in my back pocket, and I go to look, frowning when I see it’s Ethan. “Everyone is in the safe house.”

“Good,” Adrian says as he grabs Liam’s head, which is slumped forward. “Fucker fainted from the pain.”

Looking at his body, I am not surprised. There are slashes up and down his body with bruises also forming where we took turns with our fists. Words don’t work on people like him. Pain and fear are the only true way to serve justice.

“Fuck.”

Adrian shakes his head as he looks to me and leans against the table with the many different torture devices—his favorite being the electric shock machine. I personally prefer using my fists or the double-edged, curved knives. “Well, guess this gives me enough time to grill you on why you automatically frowned when you looked at your phone.” He’s smirking at me as he wiggles his eyebrows.

“Shut the fuck up.” I grab my knife and wipe the blood off using the rag from my back pocket.

“Oh, shit. Is Damon Hayes in love?” he teases me.

I unconsciously start flexing my hands. “Love isn’t for me.”

“So you weren’t hoping that it was Charlie on the other end of the phone?”

Forcing a deep exhale, I shake out my hands. “Fuck, man. She’s fucking with my head. I don’t get it.”

He’s smirking at me. “That’s what it was like with me and Lily. We were friends at first, ya know? Normal one day, and the next, everything changed. We went from friendship to something much deeper. She went from being my best friend to becoming mi reina. I realized she was my comfort, my constant—the color in my world of gray.”

Immediately, Charlie’s beautiful green eyes flash in my mind, making something flutter deep in my core. “I think I get what you mean . . .”

“I never thought I’d see the day when you were smitten,” he says, smiling warmly at me. “It’s a nice look on you.”

One side of my mouth quirks up as I say, “It’s been fun getting to know her. She’s so . . . free . . . But also reserved with her heart. Makes me want to know her more. There’s no one else like her. ”

“I don’t know, D,” he says, making me twist my head to the side. “Sounds like she’s the mirror image of you. You both shine bright despite what life has thrown at you—spreading light to those who are stuck in the dark. All the while, there is a storm raging within you.”

I’m not sure how to respond to that. I’ve never been one to shy away from compliments, as I’ve forever been a cocky motherfucker. But when it comes to emotions, I’m as lost in the sauce as anyone else, and hearing such kind words is throwing me for a loop. “Thank you,” I stammer out.

“You’re a good guy. And she’s clearly much better than you,” he says, teasing me. “This can be good for you. I think you owe it to yourself to see where this goes.”

Chewing on my bottom lip, I flash through the few memories I do have of her. All I want to do is be around her, and when I’m not, she’s all I can think about. “I think you’re right. I don’t know what will happen.”

“Go. Text her, you dork. I’ll take care of this asshole,” he says, patting me on the shoulder. “Maybe take a shower first.” He scrunches his nose. “You stink!”

I laugh. “‘Cause you smell any better? I don’t know what the hell Lily sees in you.” They have something everyone dreams of having. I could tell even when we were younger that they were end game. Maybe that will be Charlie and me. That thought scares me.

“The same thing you think Charlie will see in you, man.” He chuckles.

I wipe my hands on the rag as I head towards the door. “See you later.”

“See ya.”

“Fuck! What happened?” I hear Liam scream.

“Have fun for the both of us,” I shout as I exit the compound.

Taking out my phone, I scroll to my text thread with Charlie. I ask her if she wants to go out to eat before setting my phone in the cup holder of my truck to head home.

I knock on Charlie’s door, immediately nervously combing my fingers through my hair. She opens the door soon after, making my breath catch in my throat.

“Hey, little gem,” I say. “You look beautiful.” She really does—even in a simple pair of jeans and tee. I don’t think she could wear anything that would make her look bad.

“Thank you,” she says, smirking at me. “You look all right.”

I grin at her and catch her looking at my cheek. My dimples have been known to be irresistible. “Oh, you know I look hot.”

“Mmm. Maybe.”

I bend over dramatically, offering my hand. “Your chariot awaits. The princess needs her sushi.”

She lets out the cutest giggle before taking my hand. “Yes, yes she does. Let’s go.”

“How was the rest of your night?” I ask.

“Ha. Definitely less eventful,” she says. I open the passenger side door to let her in. “Thanks.”

Closing the door, I quickly make my way to the driver’s side. “Yeah. Can’t really top sharing all your deep, dark secrets.”

“Definitely not.”

“We finished taking down the trafficking ring this morning.” I turn to look at her before I put the truck in drive to pull out.

Her eyes light up. “Tell me more.”

“It’s this man named Liam Harrison. Well, he was named . . .”

“What did he do?” she asks intrigued.

“He was trading women and children to people who were using them for sex, torture, and their own vile games. ”

“The people were taken to safety? They are the ones from last night, right?”

“Yeah, some are in safe houses until we can find more permanent options. But those who had family or friends to return to . . . they were reunited.”

“That’s amazing. Lily and I get rid of them, but you guys take down bigger monsters . . .” There’s an awkward pause.

“Yeah. We still have the biggest one yet. We’ll get X together.”

“Yeah . . . So how did you get Liam?”

It’s nice to be able to talk to someone about this who understands but isn’t already part of our crew. “Alex doesn’t bother us when it comes to people outside of her network—”

“No, what did you do to make him pay?” she asks as her voice takes a husky tone.

We’re at a red light, so I can turn to look at her. She has a twinkle in her eye and is leaning towards me with intrigue. I never would have guessed I would find this hot—someone excited over violence. But my God, she looks sexy. I tell her all about every little thing we did to Liam. “I am not sure what happened after I left. But I assure you Adrian made him pay until his last breath.”

“Good,” she growls.

We make it to the restaurant she picked out, and I decide to rip the Band-Aid off and take a risk. “So, I’ve been thinking . . .”

Charlie’s eyes immediately go on alert. “Yeah?”

It starts to make me lose my cool. “I—uh—It’s been really nice getting to know you, and I—”

“I’ve loved getting to know you too. Our friendship has definitely been a highlight,” she says, not daring to meet my eyes.

My jaw ticks at her using that godforsaken word again. I’ve never hated a word more.

At that moment, I realize that without even trying, Charlotte Thatcher has made me fall for her.

Is this how Adrian felt with Lily?

Falling in love feels like a slow progression that builds and builds, but it also feels like it all happened at once. I think I knew the moment I laid eyes on her that first night, but I didn’t have the words to explain it. I guess love at first sight really is a thing.

“Yeah, it’s been great,” I say quickly. “I want to continue getting to know you and am excited to join forces.”

“Yeah. Same here.” She laughs nervously.

I didn’t truly believe this could be something more until the moment the word friendship came out of her mouth again. It’s now cemented deep in my bones that Charlie and I are meant to be more than that. That word feels wrong to describe what this is.

I can wait for her. She is worth waiting for. Plus, I don’t believe she only wants to be friends—not with how nervous she looks. She’s scared, and I get it, ‘cause so am I.

I smirk at her. “Come on, little gem, let’s head inside.” Her eyes light up every time I call her that and it makes my heart skip a beat.