Blue(78)

At the first sight of her, my heart stopped and my stomach twisted. She was covered in blood, trembling in the hallway, and even knowing it wasn't her blood, I was ready to destroy someone or something for the fear in her eyes.


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There's no doubt who did this and why, but I don't share my thoughts with her. At this point, she's not in a frame of mind to comprehend, let alone talk. Coop, Ry, and Tommie arrive not too long after.

Tommie brings her laptop to me, muting and angling it so Carys can't see when she plays the recording of Greg's death. The cameras in her apartment are still operational and while I no longer watch the feed-I've been meaning to have them taken out-now, I'm glad we never got around to it.

Before leaving, the killer makes a point to look up at the camera. He knew where to look and the fucker smiles. It's one of Franco's no-necks, like I thought.

"I figured as much, that and the dice." My eyes flick to the pair of dice resting on the coffee table-Franco's calling card, a message for me. The dice make sense, since my father was a gambler. He wants us all to know that he can get to Carys whenever he wants. Our offer is interesting and possibly something he'll agree to, but his real enjoyment is this shit, wielding his power and tormenting us. He's messing with us. This is all a game to him.

"What?" Carys's voice croaks as she looks up at me, puzzled.

"The dice are from Franco, letting us know it was him. You know, my father was a gambler, dice." She nods and frowns.

"Anyone call Tripp?" Coop asks. Tripp was watching Anna tonight.

"Shit, no," I swear, frustrated with myself for not thinking about it sooner.

With Franco behind this, she's in danger. Out of all of us, she's his most likely target. Coop's already calling and before I can think the worst, he's talking to Tripp and giving me the thumbs up.

"They're good. Tripp's headed to your place now with Anna. If you don't need me, I'm going to check out her place and make sure nothing's off."

He's already shrugging on his jacket. I nod and he's out the door.

"Why Greg?" Carys asks out of the blue.

Ry gingerly sits beside her, taking her into his arms. "Greg was no longer useful to him. In fact, depending on what he knew or discovered about his sister or otherwise, he may have been a liability. He served his purpose and this way, Franco also gets to send us a message."'

"What message?" Carys's brain is likely in a fog, crashing from the rush of adrenaline.

Tommie crouches in front of her, placing her hand on Carys's knee, and gives her a warm, reassuring smile.

"Carys, don't worry about that right now. It's going to be okay."

Carys's gaze finds mine and immediately settles. She slides back into my arms and sighs as I squeeze her to me. 

Ry leaves to close ranks like we talked about and get his mother. He'll take her to stay at his house. We're not taking any chances. We'll have to deal with Franco soon.

As Tommie calls the cops, we settle in for the long haul. It's hours of endless questions before we're allowed to leave. The sun's rising and it looks like it's going to be another warm day.

At my dingy apartment, I make her take a hot bath. Afterward, even though the day has begun, I insist we take a nap. As we lie in my bed, I pull her back tight against my front, arms wrapped around her. Her thighs clench; it's subtle, but knowing her better than I know myself, I don't miss a thing.

She rolls over in my arms and peers up at me with the smallest of smiles. Her hands roam lazily along my back, sending delectable shivers up my spine, and my cock twitches in response.

Her lips rove over mine, tasting, curious and unhurried. My pulse hammers and my cock hardens with her in my arms. Our kisses become frenetic, her tongue licking and sucking along my jaw, neck, and chest as she rubs against my hardening erection and emits breathless whimpers.

I let her lead, let her take as I savor her mouth and hands worshipping me. Her touch is hot, like flames licking at my skin. As her hand slips into my boxers, she curls her fingers around my cock. I hiss as she squeezes and clasp her hand.

"Sweetness, you need sleep."

"I need you," she whines.

"You have me and I promise, I'll make it up to you. For now, we need sleep."

With an eye roll, she kisses me with a tease of her tongue before huffing and relenting. With a smirk, her gaze softens and for a moment, we simply stare at each other.

She leaves me ravenous, greedy and needy for our future. I could have her now, but she needs love and comfort, not sex. I can wait. The struggle is real and never-ending, but the worst is behind us. We're together, and I don't plan on ever letting her go.