Chapter 14
Saint
“Put down the weapon.”
Viola stood in the forest, clutching a bloody knife. Her eyes were wide and wild. Up until this point, I’d thought she was a batty old lady. Never in a million years, would I have imagined her to be a murderer.
But evidence was right in front of me—she was covered in blood. It was spattered on her jeans, her hands.
“Leave. This doesn't concern you.”
My brothers surrounded her, forming a circle. There was nowhere for her to run or hide. I never wanted to hurt a woman, even a lethal one, but she left me no choice.
I tried again. “Viola, I need you to listen to me carefully. Lay the knife—”
“Where is she?” she demanded.
Obviously, Viola meant Chloe. “Never mind about her.”
She ignored me, looking in the distance, as if Chloe might suddenly appear.
I slowly eased my Glock into the ankle holster. No sudden movements.
“Look, I'm going to put my gun away, and you'll put the weapon down.” I had to end her, but I didn’t want to pump her body full of bullets. I’d make it quick, so she wouldn’t suffer. “We'll talk this out.”
She shook her head. “No, I have to kill Chloe. Tonight. The ritual demands it.”
I took a step closer and Viola slashed at the air.
“Enough. Let’s finish this,” Crow said.
He was right. I wanted to get this over with. So, I tackled Viola to the ground, trying to wrest the knife from her grip. Viola howled, an almost inhuman sound. I squeezed her wrist until she dropped it.
“Got it!” Crow lurched forward and grabbed the weapon.
Viola wailed and screamed, trying to wriggle away from me, but I kept her pinned down with a leg thrown over her torso. Her eyes were wide, fearful, and I lost my nerve.
I couldn’t kill an old woman. Maybe we should turn her over to the cops?
“End it,” Scorch ordered.
“She’s a crazy old lady. Let’s turn her in.”
“Yes, a crazy old lady who’s killed two people.” Scorch’s expression was cold, careless. “If you don’t have the stomach to do what needs to be done, I’ll take care of it. And then we can talk about your position in the club, and whether you deserve to call yourself a Demon.”
Fuck. Scorch wouldn’t back down.
I glanced around at my brothers’ grim faces and I didn’t see any dissention in the ranks. If one of them didn’t agree, maybe we could both speak up. But clearly, they were all on board with this punishment.
“I’m sorry, Viola.” Lightning fast, I drew the knife along her carotid vein. She choked and coughed, blood spurting from her mouth.
I held onto her as her life’s blood spilled upon the fallen leaves surrounding us.
After my brothers had left, I knelt beside her cold body for the longest time. This had been a dirty job, one that would haunt me for the rest of my days.
But Chloe would be safe. And her grandmother had been avenged. I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.
Any second now, I’d haul Viola’s body over to the swamp. Kraken would take care of the evidence for me.
But I had the strangest notion, as if there was someone else in the woods with me.
And why did I smell roses?
***
An hour later, I walked into Carrefore.
I nodded to Zero who took off out the front door. Nettie glanced up and I looked her in the eye.
Nettie sighed. “I’m glad it’s over.”
“Me too.” I swallowed the lump in my throat.
“So, you took care of it?” Chloe hesitantly.
“She won’t be a problem anymore.”
After I finished putting the body in the swamp, I’d gone home to clean up because I didn’t want Chloe to see me like that. My brothers had taken care of Jeb’s body, and cleaned up the she shed. The sheriff and his crew of flunkies wouldn’t find any evidence of a crime.
Nettie stood and walked down the hall. “I’ll be in the storeroom if either of you need me.” I was grateful to have a moment alone with Chloe and I didn’t plan on wasting anymore time.
“How are you holdin’ up?” It was a lame opening, but I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m fine, more or less. What about you?” she asked.
“The same.” Eventually, we’d both get passed this situation. I wrapped my arms around her. “You’re freezin’.”
“Yeah, I’ve had quite a night.” Her face was pale as milk, too.
“We should’ve taken care of this sooner.” As soon as Camille’s body had been found, we should’ve looked into it. If we had, Jeb might still be alive.
She shook her head. “No, this isn’t on you.”
“You could’ve died tonight, Chloe.” I could’ve lost her. The thought scared the shit out of me. She’d come close to being placed in the vault, along with her grandmother, and mother.
“You kept warning me, but I went over there all by myself. I should’ve taken you with me.”
“Yeah, you should have. Promise me, you’ll never be that reckless again?” Part of me wanted to shake her, and the other, larger part of me, wanted to hold Chloe in my arms and never let her go.
“I need to tell you something, but it’s gonna sound nuts…” Chloe abruptly stopped speaking and glanced away.
“What? Tell me.”
“Saint, I think Mamie saved me.” And then she told me about a strange ball of light and a familiar scent. “Do you think I’ve lost it?”
“Let’s put it this way, it ain’t out of the realm of possibility. Bayou Noir is a strange town and just about anything can happen here. So, I believe you.” I gulped. “And I also smelled roses in the woods.”
She took in a shuddering breath. “Thank you for saying you believe me, even if you don’t mean it.”
“Chloe, I’d never lie to you. Under any circumstances. Although, I can’t tell you everything about my work with the club.”
“I know.”
“Which brings me to a question. What do you want to do about you and me?”
She licked her lips. “We kind of left things up in the air this morning, huh?”
“Yeah.” It was time to lay it all on the line. “Maybe we should… date.”
Her mouth fell open. “Really?”
“You don’t have to look so surprised,” I grumbled. The way folks around here talk, I was the male equivalent of Jezebel.
“Sorry. It’s just not something I ever thought I’d hear you say.”
“Maybe I haven’t found the right woman, until now.” Chloe is the only one I’d ever consider being monogamous with, and I intended to give us an honest to God chance and see where this relationship went.
Chloe squinted up at me. “And what about the succubi?”
“I’ll tell them I’m closed for business.” I grinned.
She bit her lip and I waited in agony for a response. Come on, Chloe, take a chance on me. Us.
“Okay then.”
I let out a whoop.
She laughed.
And then I remembered another pressing matter. “But what about you?”
“What about me? I don’t have any groupies.”
“No, you’ve just got one. Richelieu.”
Chloe snickered. “Yeah, I’m not the one he wants.”
“Could’ve fooled me,” I grumbled. He might have a thing for Maya, but Richelieu had put the moves on Chloe, too.
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I won’t be seeing him anymore.”
“Okay then.”
“So, we’re dating.”
“Yeah, you’re my old lady.” I swung her up in my arms and kissed her. “I know you’ve been through hell tonight, but I’ve thought about you all damn day. I want you. Need you.”
“I need you, too, Saint.” She wrapped her legs around my waist.
“Then let’s go back to your place and we can finish what we started this mornin’.”
I wanted to lose myself in Chloe once more, reassure myself that she was okay. I wanted her warmth, her comfort. Her light.
“Then take me for another ride, Saint.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I waggled my brows. “And this time, I promise not to be a gentleman at all.”