Verek (Savage Kings MC - South Carolina #3) - Lane Hart Page 0,25
comes out from the back and stands behind a row of glass display cases. There’s a large, fresh yellow stain on his faded green T-shirt that must be food. Knowing this nasty asshole was likely one of the men who raped Tessa makes me want to slam his face into the glass. I refrain, clenching my fists by my sides before I try to stick with the plan.
“Do you have any nice jewelry? I’m looking to get my mother something for her birthday next week,” I lie as I approach the cases.
“We’ve got a few necklaces and watches,” he says while narrowing his eyes at me. “Where you from? I haven’t seen you around town before.”
“I’m just passing through, on my way north from a quick trip to Myrtle Beach, and decided to stop for some gas in town,” I tell him.
“Oh.” His pale blue eyes gleam like he just found a lottery ticket. He thinks I’m a sucker who will buy his worthless shit and pay twice what it’s worth.
“How much is that watch with the diamonds,” I ask, pointing to the feminine one on the end.
“Let me check the price.” He pulls out a set of keys to unlock the cabinet. He reaches for the watch and then quickly tugs off the tag that was on it. “This one is two thousand,” he says, placing it down on the counter and shoving the price tag into his pocket with the keys like I didn’t see his sleight of hand. If I had to bet, the watch is probably a fake and only worth about twenty dollars.
Still, I pick it up to examine it, turning it this way and that.
“It’s a nice one, but that’s a big price tag,” I tell him when I put it back down. “Let me think about it while I grab a bite to eat. How long will you be here tonight?” I ask.
“I’ll be open until nine,” he says when he places the watch back into the cabinet. “Since you’re a tourist just passing through, I guess I could probably let it go for fifteen hundred.”
“That’s a great deal,” I say, going along with his bullshit. “Still need to think about it and hit up the bank.”
“Right. Sure. I get it,” he says with an attitude. “It’s not in your price range. Just say so, buddy.”
Before I lose my temper with him in here, I turn around and say, “See ya,” then push through the door, glad to be out of there and getting back to Tessa. I know she doesn’t like being left alone, especially in an unfamiliar place even in broad daylight.
“So?” Tessa asks. “How did it go?”
“Well, I have no idea if he’s one of them or not, but he’s definitely a dick,” I mutter. “He’s probably twenty-nine as Reece’s research said. Do you remember a guy with a mullet? I don’t remember seeing one when you all did the sketches.”
“Yes!” she says without hesitation. “There was a mullet! I forgot about it until you mentioned it since I was so focused on their faces for the sketch artist.”
“So you remember him?” I ask through gritted teeth. “His name is Floyd.”
“I do remember him,” she agrees with a nod. “He-he was the one who pulled out a chunk of my hair and then put it in his pocket.”
“Your hair? He kept it?”
“Yes. It hurt. He was weird – even the others thought so.”
“I noticed,” I mutter.
“They all told him it wasn’t smart to keep my hair because of DNA and all, but he said he didn’t care, that it was worth the risk.”
“Wow. I can’t fucking wait to kill this sick son of a bitch,” I grumble. “He said he leaves at nine, so that should give us plenty of time to check out his house and then hunker down inside around eight thirty.”
“Okay,” she agrees. Nine o’clock can’t come quick enough.
Tessa
* * *
Floyd’s house is dirty, just like what I remember about him. As soon as Verek mentioned his hairstyle, I immediately remembered it and the face of the man who went with it.
While I told him about the creep pulling out my hair and keeping it, I didn’t tell him that Floyd was the one who took a certain, very painful virginity of mine. It felt like he was ripping me open. They all wanted to hurt me, but that was probably the most agonizing. I couldn’t even scream with the tape over my mouth as the other