into a deep growl. “Holden, I know the cunt I’m speaking to very, very well.” He repeated slowly, making sure Holden held his gaze now.
There was so much there in that one line that made Holden go completely mute with understanding.
“Now you understand why you hold no sway over me,” Thames continued. “You don’t get to watch my soul bleed out of me for years and then expect me to fear you. I’ve been to hell before; I know that place like the back of my hand. You motherfucker, you hold no strings on me. I will kill you if you ever show your face around my place again. I will fucking stomp your head flat to the ground like I’ve done before if you look at my girl with that smile again. Now get the fuck off my driveway before I consider going back to prison.”
Holden’s body was tight with anger, but his mouth remained shut. He forced a single nod at Thames, and Thames stepped back. Holden slipped into the driver’s side and slammed it shut. Thames didn’t budge as the car started, but Holden let the window roll down. Not looking at him, his final words were, “Don’t make us your enemy, Thames.”
“Come back with Number One and then we’ll talk,” Thames retorted. “Until then, fuck off.”
Scowling, Holden reversed out of the driveway and sped down the street.
Thames didn’t move for a very long time. His vision was spotty and his body trembled. When he finally blinked out of the dark haze he was in, he glanced around the sunny street, noticing kids playing a few houses down. His gaze stopped at his neighbour, a middle-aged family man sitting on his porch swing, staring straight at him with a stunned expression. The second his eyes connected with Thames, he looked away.
Chapter Nineteen
Charlotte
I watched Conor lead Holden out of the kitchen. They spoke in hushed tones for a few more minutes before Conor led him out of the house.
What in the fuck was that about?
Feeling uneasy, I waited for Conor, but he didn’t return for a long time. I could smell the strange guy’s scent in the air, knew he’d been in the kitchen for a while. His smirk got under my skin the second I saw it, and his words…
I see why you rejected the girl I sent you.
My skin prickled with anger.
He chose his words, dissecting my reaction – and confusion.
What girl did he send to Conor? It couldn’t have been while he was here because he had never left the house, but then what other time was there?
Then a light bulb flickered on inside my brain.
The day he’d gotten out of prison he’d been in the city.
I felt his presence now, watching me from the entrance of the kitchen. I didn’t turn to look at him right away. I was too busy fuming, feeling tightness in my stomach.
“What the hell was that?” I quietly demanded.
“Just someone I know,” he answered vaguely.
“No bullshit,” I hissed, looking at him with hard eyes. “No secrets, Conor. Just tell me.”
He didn’t flinch at my tone. His expression was flat, even understanding. “A guy I met in prison. I share a lot of history with him.”
Okay. I absorbed that explanation, nodding, trying to get my heart to calm down. Why the hell was it beating so hard anyway?
Conor’s entire body looked rigid. I caught the end of his fingers trembling. Spooked, I looked at him, focusing on his flat expression, realizing slowly it was a look I knew so well. It was the one that warned of bad things to come. I felt alarmed.
Something wasn’t right.
“Conor,” I whispered tightly, waiting for his eyes to connect with mine. “Conor, don’t go there,” I pleaded. “It’s a bad place, baby.”
He shut his eyes, and I watched him carefully as he took in deep breaths and went someplace deep in his mind. Very slowly, the shakes in his fingers stopped and his shoulders relaxed. My mouth parted in surprise as I watched Conor calm himself down.
When he reopened his eyes and met my confused stare, I asked quietly, “Where did you go just now?”
“To a quiet place,” he answered simply, looking calm. “A place they can’t touch me.”
The silence filled the space between us. That empty look was replaced by softness, and it should have consoled me that he brought himself down, but I felt my heart squeeze tightly. Instead, I wondered how often he’d had