Chapter 24

Killian Savage

I snap my bracelet as I lean against a brick building across from Derek's thrift store. I watch the windows of his store, my reflection staring back. I debate whether I'm going in or not while thoughts of Tori circle in my head like a merry-go-round. Thoughts about her, thoughts about me and the kind of man I should be for her, and the fact that I don't know if I can be that man.

I look off into the distance with a flick of my eyes, past the boundaries of this little town. When I came here, I was a man without ties. Without passion aside from rage. I had nothing holding me back, not one goddamn thing, from making the Lillian pay. And now? Within more than a few days, I found myself tied down. I find myself with the desire to dig in roots, and it's all thanks to one woman.

How did she do it? I didn't even realize it until last night how much she'd wiggled her way past my hard exterior. Past my defenses. But she found a crack and pushed her way through. Maybe she made the crack herself. If she did, she did it without me looking.

Despite how many times I try to mend that crack, try to weld it closed, she remains. A constant thought in the back of my head. A smile on my lips. A dire need to tell her everything – all the dark and twisted things that make me who I am.

She represents a future I might possibly be able to have.

She said she's going to help me get my revenge, but does she know everything I have planned for him? Will she be able to stomach it? Would she hold the axe for me when I can no longer swing it?

And when it's over? When he's no longer breathing, could I just walk away from her and go back to my life like I'd planned? It was hard enough to turn my back on my family's graves, my heart and soul, just to do this. How can I do it a second time with Tori?

The door opens to the thrift store, and Derek pops his head out. I internally cringe when the wind catches his comb-over and makes it flutter in awkward ways.

Behind his glasses, his gaze immediately finds mine. A scowl crosses his face. From across the street, he shouts, "Are you just going to stare all day, or are you going to come in?"

I readjust the bracelet so it settles comfortably, and then I push off the wall to stride across the street. At first, I had considered walking away from what I'm about to buy, but the more I thought about Tori, the more I believed I needed it.

Tori left for work this morning, and it took everything in me to not go with her. To not hover at her store like a shadow in the corner. She reassured me that she wouldn't be alone, however, so I have to have faith that the Lillian won't do any of his bullshit with others around. That's not usually how he's done things, so I use that to tame my unease.

Derek steps outside to hold the door open for me, and I step in, breathing in the familiar scent of stale, used clothes.

"A beautiful day," he greets. "A rare one it would seem. Maybe it'll dry up all the ponds we seem to have grown."

"Sure."

"You don't give much away, do you?" he asks to my back.

"No," I answer.

"So, what will it be this time?" he asks as the door closes behind us. "Another outfit?"

Outfit. As if I'm here to dress in something new every day. He hasn't a fucking clue.

"No," I say in a deep voice, swiveling my gaze around the shop until I find a few cases along the wall. I start to make my way toward them.

I hear Derek's footfalls along the tile as he follows close behind me. I can practically feel his brimming questions when I reach them and bend to peer inside. "Is this all you have?"

I quickly glance at him, only to find him uncomfortably stuffing his hands into his pockets. "What – uh – what are you looking for?"

"A gun," I rumble.

Derek's eyebrows raise above his large glasses. "What could you possibly need a gun for?"

"Hunting," I answer simply, righting myself to a full standing position as I stare him down. It's not a complete lie. If the Lillian even tries anything, I'll pull the trigger. It'll be open season for bastards. Screw my drawn-out plan so he can feel every inch of pain that I've felt since the moment I stepped foot into my home. If I see him anywhere near Tori, I have no problem with ending his life before he can take her.

He clears his throat and rocks back on his heels. "I see. Mind if I ask what you're hunting for?"

"I mind."

"Right." He pinches his lips together as he considers me, and I know then and there that I'm going to have a fight getting my hands on one. "Should I be worried?"

I flex my jaw and flare my nostrils. "Do you have one or not?"

He sighs and glances at the case. "Those knives are the only thing you can buy here. I don't sell guns at my store, and you can't get one in Utah unless you're a resident."

My jaw clenches so hard that I'm surprised my teeth don't crack. That is not what I wanted to hear, and my gut drops in utter disappointment that curls with a sliver of fear. "Do you have a gun I can borrow?"

His gaze snaps to mine. "No," he spits. "I don't like guns."

"Do you know anyone who does?"

His lips thin into a fine line, and he carefully says, "I get the feeling you're not hunting for anything with four legs for a pelt you can throw over your shoulders."

"What I need it for is none of your concern."

Without looking at it, he taps the glass case's surface. "A knife is all I can sell you. Take it or leave it."

"Fine," I bite out. It's not what I want, but it'll have to do. Somehow. I point to the case at one particular knife and add, "I'll take that one."

Wordlessly, he travels to the other side of the case, grabs a set of keys from his pocket, and inserts it into the lock. The lock clicks, and he slides the glass door open. He carefully picks up the knife by the hilt and takes it to the register. I follow him while digging money out of my pocket.

As he rings me up, he grumbles, "You know I'll have to report this to the sheriff, right?"

I don't answer him and pass him the money instead. I know that, legally, he doesn't have to. He'd do it to relieve his conscience.

He hands me the bag with the knife inside. "You're trouble, Killian. I can smell it."

"Then take a big whiff," I murmur angrily. With the bag in my hand, I walk out of the store.