Page 91 of Fallen Creed

“People?” She glanced back and forced a laugh. “Nobody can help.”

“Nora, Ted...me.”

The last one stopped her, but when her eyes met his, they looked sad. She looked resolved to her fate when she said, “He’d destroy us all.”

Creed was so focused on Libby he didn’t notice Grace. Her ears pinned back, her tail tucked. Only now did he hear the low-pitched snarl.

As if on cue, the trailer door whipped open, bringing in Ariel with a howling gust of wind. Her eyes were on fire. Her face was white but pinched with anger. She slammed the door shut, and that’s when Creed noticed she had the gun again. Her index finger curled over the trigger. She poked at him with it as if the gun were simply an extension of her hand.

“That son of a bitch stole my phone.”

—69—

Libby stayed planted sitting at the table. She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes when Ariel glanced over, letting out a long sigh. She pretended she didn’t have time for this nonsense when, in reality, her heart hammered against her ribcage. Her palms were slick with sweat, and she already felt her hair sticking to her forehead.

“I told you we couldn’t trust him,” Ariel said, bobbing her hand and the gun with every animated gesture.

Libby had stolen Ted’s gun, never once imagining how easily it could be taken from her. Despite all her recently earned street creds, she really wasn’t good at this. Maybe she and Ariel weren’t as much alike as Libby thought. Killing seemed to be a natural instinct for Ariel.

No, it was the drugs. They could make you do things you’d never believe you could do.

“We can’t just let him walk around here,” Ariel insisted. “The minute we turn our backs, he’s stealing stuff.”

At least, she was deferring to Libby like she needed permission. But she was so unpredictable. More and more, Libby was seeing her as a liability instead of an asset.

To his credit, the dogman stood perfectly still. She noticed he’d somehow eased himself in front of his dog. While Ariel pleaded her case, she didn’t see his finger tap the side of his leg, signaling for Grace to quietly scoot behind his legs and edge against the lower cabinets.

Libby tried to catch a glimpse of his eyes. She didn’t expect to see fear, but could she tell if there was any truth to Ariel’s accusation? A flinch? A tell? Anything? She thought she was pretty good at keeping her emotions in check, but this guy had her beat.

That’s when she saw it.

The cell phone was exactly where Ariel had left it while she smashed and mixed her designer drugs. It was the drugs that were now making her hallucinate, triggering paranoia and igniting her anger. The sight of the phone eased the tension from Libby’s shoulders.

“Your cell phone is on the counter,” Libby told her, pointing to it.

Chaotic situation diverted. Now she could tell her to put away the gun.

Ariel’s eyes flicked to the counter and just as quickly darted over to the dogman. The accusation was still there. Was she using the phone as an excuse to get rid of him, and now she was angry because Libby blew her ploy up?

Whatever was going on in her drug-addled mind, Ariel’s intensity did not diminish, nor did her firm grip on the gun.

“He wasn’t a part of the plan,” she whined, keeping her eyes on him. “He’s going to ruin everything.”

“He didn’t come here to hurt us.”

“But just his being here will end up hurting us. Don’t you get that?”

“So what? Your solution is to kill him?”

Ariel hesitated. Maybe she was reconsidering. Then she smiled.

“I could just shoot his little dog.” And this time, she shifted the gun’s aim to his feet.

“You’ll have to kill me first,” he finally spoke, but didn’t budge.

“Oh, so brave,” Ariel cooed in mock admiration. “Taking a bullet for your sweet little dog. She bites, by the way. Not so sweet.” Her face scrunched in a scowl, then gave way to another smile. “How about I give you both half a chance?”

“Cut it out, Ariel,” Libby told her, but she could tell Ariel wasn’t listening to her any longer.