Eat Me

ChapterSeventeen

JustinPOV

"Why are you here, Nathan?" I slid myself on to one of the bar stools at the counter. I could only assume Izzy was the one to give him my address, that, or he somehow managed to follow me home undetected. My once close friend moved to the stool opposite, bringing the bottle of whiskey with him - a smart move if he wanted to keep his head.

He poured us both another glass, eluding my question. I didn't have the time to sit around playing nice. Beverly had plagued my dreams, and most of my waking thoughts, her blood still coating my insides.

"Would you believe me if I said I missed you?"

I was ready to wipe the smirk off his face. One of my fists was already clenching at my side.

"You've got until the count of five to tell me why you're here. Count yourself lucky it's not until the count of three." I slammed back the remainder of my glass down my throat.

"You really haven't changed, man. Still holding on to a grudge not worth holding on to." For a moment, I could have sworn he looked pained. At what though? The fact he turned his back on family?

Who was I kidding? He didn't have it in him to feel.

"I know I'm the last person you want sitting here in your kitchen. And I'm not here to argue over what happened between us."

"There's nothing to argue about," I interjected. "You made your bed-"

"What did I just f*****g say?" Nathan's voice grew louder. "I'm not here for that. I got wind of some information I thought you'd want to know, but now I'm regretting even giving you a heads up."

What sort of information could he have that would be of interest to me? We didn't run in the same circles anymore. His people were his people and vice versa. I'd have been lying if I'd said my interest wasn't piqued.

"Good, I can see the cogs turning up there."

I nodded for him to continue.

"An old friend of ours came looking for me, said he had a job that needed taking care of involving some girl."

Already, I didn't like where this was going. It couldn't be her...

"Now, I know what you're thinking, and before you ask, I've been out of the game for a long time. He must be grasping at straws to have thought of me-"

"Who?" A pool of rage bubbled inside of me, ready to go full on volcano mode and destroy everything in my path. "Who is the girl they want you to collect?"

The one word I dreaded hearing fell from his lips. It was enough to set me over the edge, and my fist came slamming down on the counter as I rose from my seat. Cassandra Simmons. Cassy.

Back in the day, Nathan and I needed a way to keep funding our expensive tastes, and it made sense to utilise our best skill - strength. For a couple of years, we specialised in transport. Be it drugs, money or people. We would collect, move and drop off, no questions asked. And for a time, we were the best there was. Our operation was solid, so much so that we could have kept it up until the day we parted ways.

Call it a conscience or whatever, but stealing a child from their mother to give to their abusive, werewolf father, killed whatever vibe we had going. That was the last delivery we made. The second we received payment, the child was ripped to shreds in front of its mother at the hands of the man we gave her to. Safe to say he didn't last long after. Nathan and I took our time torturing the wolf - first went his fingers, then his ears. We chopped it all off. Would have gifted the pieces to his ex had she not jumped off the roof of a high rise block of flats after what she had just been through.

"Maybe I was right in thinking you would want to hear what I had to say," Nathan said calmly, like my sudden outburst hadn't affected him at all. "Must be special if she's got you by the balls like this. I've not seen you act like this since-"

My stool crashed to the floor behind me. I had to move, had to make use of the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I paced back and forth, bare feet tapping on the kitchen tiles.

"Who's the man signing their death warrant by asking you to do this?" My head was in shambles trying to piece it all together. There were no healed bite marks on her, so how could someone have tasted her without leaving a trace? Who f*****g knew she was different?

"Ronan. I don't know what he wants her for, just that he's hellbent on getting her." He sucked in a breath. "I know you met with Beverly last night, she called me after you left. She and this Cassandra girl are close, y'know, and she'd be a mess if anything were to happen to her."

Shocked was an understatement. His voice was different. There was a quiver, he could deny it all he wanted, but he cared.

My movements halted, and I turned, observing him gazing into his glass like it held all the world's secrets.

"That's why you came to me," I scoffed. "You have feelings for this girl and think if I help you protect her friend, you'll look good."

No words left his mouth, they didn't have to. His stare said it all.

"Fine." I didn't tell him I had my own reasons for protecting Cassy, reasons I didn't fully understand myself. He could believe I was doing it as a favor, one he would have no choice but to repay. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her, but you're gonna have to help me get to Ronan. Tell him you'll deliver the girl but you want payment up front so you'll have to meet. I'll take care of the rest."

Now that I knew she wasn't safe, I needed to get to her before anyone else. Nathan wouldn't have been the only one offered the job. I threw my glass down on the side. The sun had set and I needed to get out and make use of the darkness.

"You do know Bev told me you were asking questions about this Cassandra girl, right? I know you probably won't talk to me but-"

I stormed off, not needing to waste my time with his bullshit. "Text me when you've got something useful to tell me," I shouted back to him.

***

Beverly had told me where Cassy worked, which was apparently where she spent most of her time. It was first on my list of places to find her. I couldn't exactly tell her she was in danger - not that she was now, with me keeping an eye on her - so I'd have to gain her trust.

Light gleamed out the doors of the diner, the inside bustling with customers eating dinner. It wasn't like I could walk in and say "hey". She probably wouldn't remember me from the other night at the club. I wish I didn't remember her.

I stood across the street, scanning the windows to see if I could see her. If she wasn't there, her home would be the next stop.

A small number of staff moved fluidly around the restaurant. Among them, Cassy's inviting smile beamed. Her apron wrapped tightly around her waist only accentuated her curves, and I couldn't control the tightening in my jeans at the image of her swaying her hips.

Mesmorised, I waited for a good twenty minutes before I decided on going inside.

As soon as I put one foot in front of the other, out walked the girl my mind had been playing images of on repeat. Her hair was brushed to the side, exposing her slender neck. I wouldn't be the only one wanting to place my mark there.

I sunk back into the shadows. I'd missed my chance. Today would be a simple escort mission. Get her safely from point A to point B without her knowing she was being watched.

A clever move on her part was when she put one headphone in her ear, the other keeping a listen to her surroundings as she walked the dark streets home. After around a mile of following her, she stopped her walk and entered a corner shop.

Finally, another chance. The ding of the door rang out as she went inside and I made my move.

I'd wait outside, spark up a cigarette, make small talk and see if she wanted to go grab a drink or- Her petite body slammed into me from behind, intruding my pathetic thoughts of what I would say.

I turned to the sound of metal clanging on the concrete. I reached down, grabbing the canned drinks she had dropped.

"Cider, huh. Long day?" The words fell from my lips before I could comprehend what I was saying. It was laughable that I felt this awkward around her and as collected as I'd hoped I looked, I couldn't be sure I wasn't more than a mumbling mess.

Much to my surprise, she didn't seem to notice and we soon fell into conversation as I walked her back home.