Shades of Cruelty by Sarah Urquhart

Author:Sarah Urquhart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sarah Urquhart
Published: 2022-03-22T16:18:45+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

"What the fuck did you think I was going to do?" King glared at Dak.

"I'm not sure, but she was terrified, and as amusing as that was, I thought it best to send her away."

"That wasn't your call." King growled with an unwelcome possession. Dak's interference with Ember burned inside him.

Dak didn't flinch. Neither man could win in a fight against the other. They'd only waste energy. They were too equal and knew each other too well.

"What are you trying to say, King?"

"I don't fucking know what I'm trying to say!" King's ears rang as he tried to get a hold of himself.

"You should figure that out." Dak left, but paused at the beginning of the hall. "Are you going to check on Ember, or should I?"

"You." King shook his head. "She fucking slapped me."

"Yeah, she did. That was brave."

"Too brave."

"Not at all." Dak disappeared down the hall. King stalked off to the security office to be alone with his thoughts.

Leaning back in the chair, he rubbed his hands over his face. Ember meant something to him. What the hell was he supposed to do now? The whole situation forced him to rethink his retirement. But he couldn't have it both ways–keep Ember and come out of retirement. King let out a frustrated growl and sat up.

He needed to do something. Turning on the monitors, he started a search on Jamie Chambers—the name he'd seen running across the bottom of the screen moments ago.

Social media channels and a basic background had been quick to find. A list of his family, friends, interests, all in five minutes. King pulled up his school records and finances. The kid needed to grow up.

Deeper background checks were more Dak's specialty, but King managed in a pinch. Jamie Chambers had a reputation that made King's blood pump with satisfying anticipation. Harassment of women, theft from those same women, and allegations of rape where he'd been found innocent.

"You find Chambers?" Dak closed and locked the door behind him.

"Harassment, theft, and rape." King sounded as if a demon had possessed him. The thought of those hands on Ember brought back something inside him King thought he'd wanted gone.

Dak sat in the other chair and turned on another monitor. This kid wasn't likely connected to the situation, but they searched anyway. Dak looked into the school Ember and Chambers attended, and King looked into the family.

"How's Ember?" Dak didn't answer. King would check on her himself soon. But he wanted to know if she asked herself the same question King had replaying through his mind. What would he have done if Dak hadn't stepped in when he did?

***

Ember had expected King to follow her down the hall and to his room. Purposeful, heavy, intimidating steps. But Dak had picked the lock and leaned against the closed door with his hands in his pockets. As if he ever looked unassuming. He'd blocked her from getting out, or maybe his intention had been to block King from getting in.

"That was brave, sweetheart.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.