Chapter 23

LENNOX

My foot slams down on the gas pedal, the engine roaring as I tear down the streets towards Stevie's place. Fury churns inside me like a boiling cauldron, the thought of someone so close to harming her driving me to the edge of madness. She said she's okay, but the thought of what could've happened... I grip the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turn white. The need for revenge pulsing through my veins, a primal urge to rip apart every member of Sweet Dreams who dares to cross our path. They think they can touch her and get away with it? Not on my fucking watch.

I fucking knew she wasn't safe there, but even I have to admit I didn't think Sweet Dreams was bold enough to make a move in broad daylight. But she was right, she can handle herself and she proved that today. Not that I doubted her, I just hate that it even had to come to this. Even now I want to be the one to protect her, to keep her safe from all this shit, despite knowing she doesn't need me. The thought of someone laying a hand on her, of her facing all of this alone, drives me insane.

As I skid to a stop outside her apartment, I barely take the time to lock the car before rushing through the courtyard. Pulling out my keys, I use the one I copied of hers to let myself in. I peer outside, scanning the courtyard before closing the door behind me and locking it.

The place is eerily quiet except for the sound of running water.

"Stevie!" I call out, my voice harsh with worry.

"I'll be out in a minute," she replies, her tone shaky. I can hear it in her voice—she's shaken up.

The kitchen and living room seem untouched so I make my way to the bedroom, peering inside. The sight makes my blood run cold. The body of a hulking man lies sprawled on the floor, blood pooling around his head. His face is a mangled mess, his nose crushed, and a bullet hole right between his eyes. The stench of sweat, blood, and death fills the room. He looks like a brute, someone who's used to getting his way through force. But Stevie handled him. She took care of herself.

Steam billows out from the crack in the bathroom door. I push it open slowly, my heart pounding. Stevie stands under the shower, her arms wrapped around herself, her head down. She looks so small, so vulnerable, and it breaks something inside me.

"Stevie," I say softly, stepping into the bathroom.

She looks up, her eyes filled with a mixture of relief and pain. "I'm just making sure you're okay. I'll go get started cleaning up," I say, but she can see right through me. I'm not leaving her side.

I turn to go, but her voice stops me. "No, Lennox." She reaches out, her hand trembling as she takes mine, pulling me inside.

I follow her lead, stepping into the shower and under the hot water, fully clothed. The water soaks through my clothes, making them cling to my body, heavy and uncomfortable, but I don't care. All that matters is her. Stevie looks up at me, uncertainty in her eyes. She wants me, but she's conflicted and confused. I can see it.

I don't know all the details about what happened here tonight, but I know the end result. Stevie killed a man, and the fact that she wants me right now, is conflicting to her. People don't expect to want intimacy after taking a life, but what they don't know is the rush that comes with it. The power that floods through you, when you pull the trigger.

It's the same rush I get when I start my fires.

She begins to undress me, her hands shaking. "We can't be together," she whispers, her voice breaking. "We're toxic, Lennox. We'll destroy everything and everyone around us. We'll destroy each other."

I chuckle, a dark sound that seems to echo in the steamy bathroom. Not what I expected to come out of her mouth, while she's stripping me down in the shower, but I'll take it. I let her undress me, helping her by kicking off my boots and stepping out of my wet sweatpants, tossing them to the tile floor outside the shower before she lifts my shirt over my head. Free of my clothing, I tilt her chin up, forcing her eyes to meet mine. "If being with you means watching the world burn, I'll pour the gas and fuck you while the flames devour everything in their path," I say, my voice low and rough.

I mean every word of it. Now that I have her, theres no fucking way I'm spending another day without her.

She doesn't reply, just looks up at me with those big, conflicted eyes that seem to always see directly into my soul, and then I can't hold back anymore. I pick her up, wrapping her legs around my waist and pressing her against the cold tile wall as our lips crash together. It's intense, angsty, and full of passion.

My hands roam over her wet skin, feeling the heat of her body against mine as she wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me in closer. I kiss her roughly, my tongue exploring her mouth as she moans into the kiss. I can feel her desire, her need, and it drives me wild.

I position myself between her legs, my cock hard and ready. I thrust into her, the hot water pounding against our bodies as I fuck her roughly against the wall.

Her soft moans echo around the shower, her nails digging into my back as our bodies come together.

"Lennox, please," she whimpers, before sinking her teeth into my shoulder. "Please don't stop. I need you,"

"Fuck," I growl. Her admission does something to me. It's everything I needed to hear and never thought I would. It alone nearly has me ready to combust. "Mine," I grunt. "Take what you need, lil spark. I burn for you, only you,"

Her lips find mine again, and I swallow her sweet sounds like the greedy fucker I am. Wanting all of her. She feels so good, so perfect. I pick up the pace, the water splashing over us as I pound her back into the tile wall. Her moans and gasps fill the bathroom, a symphony of pleasure and pain.

"Lennox," she whispers, her voice breathless. "Harder. Please."

I comply, thrusting into her harder, faster. The sound of our bodies slapping together echoes in the steamy room. She wraps her legs around my waist tighter, pulling me deeper inside her. I can feel her nails digging into my back, tearing at my inked skin, the pain only spurring me on.

"Fuck, Stevie," I growl, my voice rough with need. "You feel so fucking good."

She's close, I can feel it. Her body tenses, her moans growing louder. "Lennox, I'm gonna?—"

"Cum for me, Stevie," I command, my voice low and urgent. "I want to feel you let go,"

With a final, desperate cry, she shatters around me, her pussy clenching and spasming as she comes. The sight, the sound, the feel of her coming undone pushes me over the edge. I thrust into her one last time, my release crashing over me like a tidal wave.

We stay like that for a moment, our bodies pressed together, the hot water pouring over us. I slowly release my hold on her thighs and set her down, my hands still holding her close. She looks up at me, her eyes filled with a mixture of satisfaction and something else.

"There's no more you doing shit alone," I say softly, my voice firm. "From now on, we will do it together. Toxic or not, I don't give a fuck. We'll take on Sweet Dreams together. Because you're my lil spark, Stevie. And I'll be damned if I let anyone put you out."

After our intense shower, the rest of the day with Stevie is a strange mix of domesticity and underlying tension. We made some food together, and she introduced me to this reality show she's obsessed with called, Love Island. At first, I'll admit, I was skeptical, but watching the dumb shit these couples do to each other is actually kind of hilarious. Though there is this one idiot on there I can't stand, Jacob.

Two timing fuck.

Stevie laughed—a lot. Her laughter was the most genuine I've heard from her in days, and for a few precious hours, it feels like she's forgotten about the dead man in her bedroom. She seems more like the girl I met in the bar weeks ago, fiery, care free and defiant.

I think about how much has changed since that night. So much has happened, so many battles fought, and still, she remains this careful, fiery, defiant lil spark even if it is hidden by a layer of stubbornness and fear right now.

She's still in there.

Which is all I need. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure she can be that girl again, the one who lights up a room with her presence, unafraid and full of life. The one who's unapologetically herself, despite what others think.

Thats the girl I fucking want.

As night falls, it's time to deal with the body we spent all day ignoring. It's dark enough now that we should be able to get rid of it without being seen. This time, I'm not involving Greyson. This time, Stevie and I are doing it together. Alone. We wrap the body up in a bed sheet. It's a messy job, the blood-soaked carpet making everything more difficult but we manage. The guy is heavy, and it takes all of Stevie's strength to help me roll him over. The iron rich stench of blood and death fills the room.

"Throw anything with blood splatter into a garbage bag," I instruct her. She nods, her face set with determination.

"Do I even want to know why you have a whole box of latex gloves in your closet?" I ask, finding it odd she would.

She smirks, as she pulls a glove on to her hand, "Well, I do handle a lot of herbs and plants and not all are so forgiving when they come in contact with your skin," she explains. I furrow my brow, again, not the response I was expecting, but it does make sense, I guess."

"Right," I reply, nodding in agreement. She smiles, and gets to work collecting stuff from around the bedroom and shoving it into the black garbage bag. Grim watches us from his carrier, his eyes wide.

Once everything is ready, and we've made sure not to leave any trace of this dead piece of shit in her apartment, I carry the wrapped body to the trunk of my car while Stevie keeps a lookout. She brings the garbage bag and Grim in his carrier. After placing Grim in the backseat she tosses the bag in the trunk with the body and she scans the area nervously.

I close the trunk, and pull her in for a hug, holding her close to calm her racing heart. "It's going to be okay," I whisper, my voice steady. "We'll get through this."

She nods against my chest, her breath warm on my skin. Thankfully Stevie was able to dry my clothes after our little shower together, though I spent most of the day in one of her fuzzy robes. Not that I'm complaining. That shit is soft as hell against the skin.

I need to buy myself one now.

Taking her hand in mine, I guide her to the passenger seat and help her inside. When I get in, she looks at me, her eyes reflecting a mix of guilt and vulnerability.

"Lennox, I'm sorry for lighting your hood on fire," she says quietly. "I didn't know what this car meant to you. I wouldn't have done it if I knew."

I smirk, shaking my head. "Oh I know you would've done it anyway, lil spark. That's why your my fucking girl. It's why we work, and why you get my dick so goddamn hard."

She laughs softly, and the tension in the car eases a bit. I take her hand in mine as we drive off to the junkyard. Her hand is warm and soft, a stark contrast to the cold, harsh reality of what we're doing.

The drive is quiet. I glance at Stevie, her face illuminated by the passing streetlights. She's scanning the area, always alert, always cautious. Good. She should be, but tonight she doesn't have to worry. She's with me, and I'll do everything in my power to keep her safe.

I squeeze her hand, and she squeezes back, a silent promise between us. The road stretches ahead, dark and endless, but with her by my side, I feel a strange sense of hope. We'll get through this together. We'll take down Sweet Dreams, one way or another. Because she's my lil spark, and I'll be damned if I let anyone extinguish her light.