Blowing out a soft breath, I pushed open the door to the tattoo shop, the bell above my head jingling, announcing my presence to everyone. Shane, Zeppelin—the owner—and Miranda—the receptionist—all looked up at my entrance. Shane just looked at me, giving nothing away. I hated how empty his gaze was. I didn’t know what version of him I might be dealing with—the one who threatened my life, the military serviceman, or the chill tattoo artist.
“You here to get a tattoo?” Miranda asked, popping her gum right after.
“Um, maybe?” I said, really not sure what my plan was from here. I never expected to actually have the guts to walk into the shop, honestly. I’d never gotten a tattoo before either, so the thought of getting one made me extremely nervous. And a little nauseous. I was a doctor, but I really wasn’t a fan of needles.
“He’s not,” Shane gruffly muttered, making the decision for me. He set down his tablet and pencil before standing, then jerked his chin toward the door I’d just come through. “Let’s go outside.”
“Shane?” Zeppelin questioned, frowning at me, distrust burning in his gaze. He’d clearly already decided he didn’t like me. Wasn’t sure how to feel about that when I’d done nothing to him.
“I’m fine,” Shane assured him before walking past me and out the door, expecting me to follow.
“I don’t know what fucking game you and that other guy are playing at,” Zeppelin said as I turned to follow Shane, “but just know, if you fuck him up, you’ll wish you’d never met him because my family will come after you both legally and illegally, got me?”
Suddenly feeling a little sick to my stomach, I nodded once, then headed out the door. Shane was sitting on a bench when I made my way outside, and he looked over at me expectantly. “Take a seat.”
I dropped onto the bench next to him and slid my hands between my knees, crossing my legs at the ankles and tucking my feet beneath the bench. I knew it was an attempt to make myself seem smaller, but I didn’t know what to expect with Shane. He was still giving me absolutely nothing.
“I wanted to apologize for X’s behavior,” I said quietly when Shane didn’t bother saying another word.
“Apologize…” Shane mused. His voice sent shivers down my spine. It was so deep and husky, like he didn’t use it very much. And I liked it. Why was I attracted to the violent ones? “Why?” he finally asked. “His actions have nothing to do with you.”
I frowned at him. They had nothing to do with me, yet he’d threatened my life. Still, I didn’t say that. Wasn’t too keen on finding out if he’d meant his words.
“They might,” I confessed. “I found X when he was barely conscious and bleeding out. Took him to my place to take care of him and help him recover.” At Shane’s arched brow, I explained, “I’m a doctor.” He nodded once. “And he became… obsessed with me. And I liked it, so I let him stay. And I’m worried he thinks he can just do whatever he wants with you because I essentially enabled his behavior.” I swallowed thickly. “He’s not… normal.”
“He’s a sociopath,” Shane said bluntly. I swung my surprised eyes to his. He shrugged. “He’s a textbook sociopath. Not hard to spot when you know what to look for, Preston.”
“I got him to agree to give you some distance,” I blurted. Shane cocked his head to the side the slightest bit. “I don’t know how long that will be, but I want you to know I’m trying.”
Shane hummed, looking back out over the park. We were quiet for a while, and then he said, “He told you I threatened your life, I’m assuming?”
I pressed my knees harder together, squeezing my hands between them. “Yeah,” I whispered.
Shane nodded. “I don’t touch innocents, Preston. I merely needed to find a weakness in him because unlike him, I don’t go digging into people’s pasts, no matter what connections I may have at my fingertips.” He looked over at me. “A man like X does not frighten me. But you should warn him to be careful with the information he has. There are people who would gladly wipe both of you off the earth and make you nonexistent in the system if you let what you know get leaked.”
“I…” I swallowed thickly, my blood running cold. Somehow, that was even more frightening than finding out Shane had threatened my life. “I never asked to know any of this,” I confessed.
Shane sighed, but he didn’t seem surprised by that either. He’d probably managed to put two and two together and figured out X had told me. “Then keep your mouth shut, Preston. Your boyfriend has shoved you into a very dark and cold world. And no offense, you don’t fit.” He held his hand out expectantly, and I frowned at it. “Give me your phone.”
Frowning, I tugged my phone from my pocket and handed it to him. “Unlock it,” he ordered.
I quickly typed in my passcode, then handed it back to him. He went into my phone log and called a number, then hung up the phone after a moment without ever putting it to his ear. “You have my number, and now, I have yours. If something happens, Preston, you need to call me. Your boyfriend may be a fucking idiot—” my lips quirked despite my trepidation— “but I don’t think you are. And you didn’t ask to be thrown into the middle of all this. You’re not responsible for X’s actions. Sociopath or not, it’s his duty to make sure he fits into society.”
With that, he stood, then walked away, heading back into the shop. I sagged back against the bench, my heart racing and nausea swirling in my gut. What the fuck had X gotten me into? Would someone really come for me and X if they found out what we knew about Shane? And could I really trust Shane, who’d threatened my life and used me as a way to get beneath X’s skin, to protect me if I needed it?
Chapter 7
Shane
He’d been following me for the past two blocks now. I’d felt his presence the moment he began tracking me. X, while damn good at remaining in the shadows and not being seen, couldn’t hide from someone like me. I was always aware of my surroundings, sometimes almost too aware, and there was something about X that stuck with me. Only a fool would fail to remember the unnerving way he stared at people.
He wanted me, that much was obvious. There was an obsessive gleam in his eyes when he looked at me. He wanted me badly enough to uncover secrets no civilian should ever know, and his dumbass had put his innocent boyfriend in the middle of it all. X could probably mostly handle his own, if his busted knuckles were anything to go by. He was clearly some kind of fighter, more than likely illegal. But Preston? Nah. He had that whole good boy thing going on, and his hands were clean as fuck and soft as a baby’s skin. Probably had never seen a drop of bad blood in his life.
I paused and uncapped my water, tipping my head back to guzzle some. After capping it once more, I turned and crossed my arms over my heaving chest. “I know you’re there, X.”
For a moment, he didn’t show himself, though I could still feel him watching me. But finally, he slipped out from between two buildings. He was wearing a pair of blood stained joggers, black Forces, and a blood-stained t-shirt. Dried blood lingered on his cheek from a cut, and he had a bruise near his temple. His lip was split, and he looked like he hadn’t been home yet.
I cocked my head to the side. “You look like shit,” I mused.