Bayou

Chapter 18 ~ Debt

Chapter 18

"Croc! Stop!" I ran after him, legs propelling, arms pumping. When I'd resigned myself to telling him the truth, I hadn't anticipated what it would mean. I hadn't thought about how he'd react. The truth was, I didn't blame Danny. Not entirely. I blamed myself far too much for that. I'd made the deal. I'd agreed. If I'd said no, he would have left it at that, and I'd have gotten the same treatment as everyone else. "Croc!" I sped up, pushing myself to my absolute limit, but he didn't listen, and he was too far ahead.

He turned the corner at the side of the house, disappearing from view, and by the time I caught up, he had Danny by his throat, pressed against the tree with his feet dangling a foot above the ground.

"Croc!" I sprinted the final stretch between us. "Stop!"

Danny kicked his legs and clawed at Croc's hand, face red and eyes wide.

I jumped onto Croc's back, successfully knocking his balance enough to make him lose his grip. We tumbled sideways as he simultaneously regained his footing and maneuvered me safely to my feet.

Danny hit the ground hard, and before Croc could get back to him, I threw myself into his path. "Stop! You'll kill him!"

"I know." He took a step closer. "Go inside."

"No." I held my ground, eyes pleading. "Croc, I understand, and I appreciate that you care, but you can't kill him. You can't kill people. It's a rule."

His jaw tensed, lips thinned. He shifted his attention back to Danny and sneered. "What will you pay her for the protection she's offering you?" He bared his teeth, waiting for an answer, and when he didn't receive one, he repeated the question in a deafening roar, "What will you pay!"

Danny was silent, and so was I. The world froze over, icy and solid, and Croc was the king of it all. He was a statue, the kind that hung off ancient towers to stand gaurd. He was terrifying, and no matter what side he was on, I wanted to hide. I wanted to pretend Danny had never arrived and go back to my tree. But I couldn't do that. I couldn't let Croc kill him, no matter what he'd done.

I swallowed hard and took a breath. "I know you're angry—" I paused, needing to be careful with my words. He wasn't himself, and his rage felt like a fire on the verge of spreading. If I didn't contain him soon, he'd burn us all. "But I'm not blameless. I agreed. It was a deal." Another pause. "It was mutual."

"Mutual?" He shook his head, looking at me as if I'd lost my mind. "I may not know everything it is to be human, Willow. I may have never left this swamp, but I'm not stupid. I understand what mutual is."

"He wanted something," I said. "I could have said no. I'm sure better women did. He didn't force me to take the deal."

"Did you want to?"

I paused, swallowing back the bile. "I wanted to live."

"That's not what I asked. Did you want to?" he snapped.

I flinched. "I had to..."

"You had to..." His lip curled, and he focused back on Danny. "Did you? Did you have to?" He took a step forward.

I held up a hand. "Croc..."

"He owes me a debt. I've kept him alive. I've given him food. I've offered him protection." Each word was quiet, but somehow scarier than the ones he'd shouted. "He needs to pay me."

Danny shifted, then shakily pulled himself upright. "I can. I can give you information. I can tell you about—"

"You'll give me whatever I want!" Croc roared.