Read Online Return to Me (Storm Lords) by Nina Croft - Free Book Online Page B

people’s pain, when she already had enough of her own. Justin had helped her do that as well. Grief washed over her again, and she blinked back a tear.
    “Were you close?” Torr asked.
    “If you mean did we sleep together, then no. Justin wasn’t like that; he preferred guys for sex. But he was my friend. We looked after each other.” She rubbed her eyes. “I just don’t understand. What were those things? Why did they take Justin?”
    Torr shrugged. “We don’t know who they are yet, but possibly kids high on drugs. Justin was in the wrong place that’s all.”
    “They had red eyes,” she said.
    “You probably just saw a reflection from the street lights.”
    It was more than that, but her brain felt fuzzy, unable to concentrate. “What happened to them?”
    “They ran off when we got there. Cade chased them, but they got away.”
    All very convenient. “And what happened to Justin?”
    “Cade is dealing with it.”
    “He’s not an ‘it’,” she snapped. “He was my friend.”
    Torr sighed and sank down onto the bed beside her, running a hand through his hair. “Try to forget it for now. We’ll talk when you’re feeling better.”
    She glanced away. No way could she forget. If someone had killed her, then Justin would have gone after them. The rules of the street. You looked after your friends. And if you failed to look after them, then you made sure that whoever hurt them paid. You couldn’t afford to appear weak.
    For now, she would put aside her grief and concentrate on revenge. But first, she had to find those responsible.
    Justin made more friends than enemies, but it was inevitable in their line of business that they were going to piss some people off. Mostly they relied on disappearing after a job was over. But maybe someone had caught up with them. Perhaps it was tied to her arrest the night before. Would they come after her? They’d obviously planned to kill her tonight as well.
    There had been something wrong with the men who’d killed Justin. Maybe it had just been drugs, but she’d never seen drugs that could do that. She would ask around; somebody must have seen Justin leave the bar and who he’d been with. Somebody would know something .
    But maybe there was a better way. She studied Torr through her lashes and found him staring straight ahead, his eyes alert beneath the heavy lids, a dull flush along his sharp cheekbones. He was seated on the bed beside her, so close she could reach out and touch his thigh. She balled her hands into fists at her side.
    He ran a security company; he’d accessed her phone records with a speed which was impressive. He would have the resources to find Justin’s killers.
    “Will you help me?” she said. “Find out who did this to Justin and why? I’ll repay you.”
    “I promise, and I don’t expect anything in return.”
    Unease jabbed her in the gut. Why had he come into her life? What did he really want from her? Common sense told her she should get out now. Just leave, but she knew Torr was her best way to find Justin’s killers. All the same, she wanted to make sure everything was upfront. She didn’t want to be any more in his debt, than absolutely necessary.
    He’d made it clear there was one thing he wanted from her.
    She couldn’t guarantee she could provide it, and the whole idea of opening up her mind to the feelings of others filled her with dread. But she always paid her way.
    “Nobody does anything for nothing,” she said slowly. “You’ll want something from me, and I’d prefer we settle it now.”
    He turned his head so he looked straight at her. “You know what I want.” His voice lowered and a frisson of awareness ran through her. She bit her lip to concentrate her mind.
    “Not really. You want to use me to check whether people are telling the truth. And honestly, I don’t know whether I can do it. Even before I managed to control—”
    “How did you learn?” he interrupted.
    “Justin knew somebody. He said