22. Silas
22
SILAS
“Fuck!” I shouted as my fist met the drywall downstairs in the kitchen.
I got no satisfaction from the dent I caused. If anything, it made me angrier.
I pounded my fists on the same spot over and over.
Until my knuckles started to throb and I could see a small trace of red left behind on the wall from my blood.
“I wonder who pissed you off enough that you feel the need to take it out on the wall. And in the kitchen, too. Rachel’s going to kick your ass,” a dry voice said to my left. The fact that I didn’t even hear Maverick come into the kitchen said exactly where my mind was at.
I scowled at him.
The fucker just smirked.
I loved my brother and would have died for the man, but sometimes, I really wanted to kick his ass.
“What’s going on with you?” he asked.
“Mila.”
The smirk disappeared from his face so fast, I would have laughed if I wasn’t so fucking annoyed.
“Oh, don’t look at me like that,” I said. “You know I am just as incapable of hurting her as you are.”
And fuck me, but the words rang true. When did that happen?
I hadn’t wanted Killian to kill the girl, but Jesus, this was something else. This was giving into Killian’s prediction when he’d said Mila would be our weakness— our downfall .
“What happened?” Maverick asked, a strange note in his voice.
I looked at the hole I’d punched in the wall. He was right. Rachel was going to kick my ass for making her kitchen look like this.
I grimaced before I turned to him. “She wants to go on birth control.”
I knew from the thunderous look overtaking his face that he felt the same way I did about the subject.
“And what did you say?”
Maverick was good at hiding his emotions from me. Aside from a momentary slip of his features, I didn’t know the full extent of his emotions and thoughts.
“I said no,” I answered.
He flashed me an amused smile.
“Fuck, but I think she’s serious. This isn’t something she’s going to back down from,” I said, and it was true. I saw the look in her eyes. Perhaps it was from having grown up in the club, or from being Daniel Hayes’ daughter, but she didn’t want to bring another kid into this world.
I could understand that.
And before her, especially during a time in my life when my brothers and I were running for our lives, I’d never even entertained the idea of kids.
I didn’t exactly entertain the idea of them now, but something about giving Mila birth control felt… wrong.
Maverick opened his mouth when the office door downstairs was pushed open, and Killian walked in with an expression that signaled he was out for blood.
Before Maverick or I could say anything, Killian shoved his phone into Maverick’s hands. I moved closer to see the screen.
It took half a second for my brain to process what I was seeing before I looked up at my brothers, a wide smile on my face.
Perfect.
With the way I was feeling, I was out for blood.
“Stupid fucker,” Maverick muttered. He looked at me. “I’m guessing you want to take the lead on this?”
I cracked my neck, my hands fisted by my side. “Hell, yeah. Unluckily for that fucker.”
Maverick nodded. “Do any of you recognize him?”
Killian shook his head. “He has a partner keeping watch just outside our perimeter. And judging by the looks of them, they’re likely patch members.”
Maverick shook his head. “You think some of Hayes’ former patch members are stupid enough to try breaking into our property?”
“Looks like it,” I commented. We had cameras installed all over the property. This fucker on our property was being careful, but even he didn’t realize how many eyes were on him right now.
If he did, he would run fast and hard out of here.
“I’ll take care of his partner,” Killian said, pocketing his phone and leaving before I could say anything.
“Something’s off with him,” I said, watching his retreating back. Something was always off with Killian, but this felt like so much more than usual.
Maverick shot me a knowing smile before he said, “Let’s go. I’ll make sure you don’t lose control and kill the fucker before we can do our interrogation.”
I rolled my eyes. This wasn’t my first day initiating into the organization. I knew what I was doing, and I didn’t need my brother on my back. But I let Maverick follow me out. If he wanted a show, there was no way I was going to deny him.
We walked out to the garden in the back of the house, and hid behind the toolshed, which, according to the cameras, was where our little intruder was heading. Perhaps he thought he might find something in here to use as a weapon.
The greatest weapon in the world would be only a hindrance in an incompetent person’s hands.
I squinted my eyes against the glare of the sun. I wondered why the fucker didn’t wait until nighttime to attack. Perhaps he thought we would be out of the house at this time, and normally, we would have. Unfortunately for him, things weren’t going his way.
We stayed there for a few minutes before there was a rustling noise.
I shook my head, and Maverick had a disgusted look on his face. Fucker couldn’t even be quiet walking into the lion’s den.
I waited until the rustling got louder, indicating he was close, before I jumped out. The fucker shot me a look of surprise, clumsily reaching down—probably for a gun—but I was on him before he could.
He was an ugly fucker. Bald with dark eyes and a goatee, he looked like he hadn’t showered in weeks. Dressed in dirty dark blue jeans and a denim jacket, he stood out on the property.
I wondered if this really was one of Daniel Hayes’ former patch members.
Everything about the fucker was sloppy.
I tackled him to the ground, landing on top of the fucker. Before he could do anything, I reached around him until I touched the hard metal in the waistband of his jeans. I pulled out the gun and threw it at Maverick’s feet, who watched the entire thing with indifference. I knew better. I knew he was enjoying the show.
The fucker took advantage of my distraction and punched me in the face.
I grunted from the pain that exploded on my lip, but I didn’t buck off him like he wanted. A tinge of blood coated my tongue, and I wrapped my hands around the fucker’s neck, pressing down and keeping him immobile.
I shot a smile at Maverick. My own blood dripped down my chin just as Killian came by.
He wasn’t injured, so I was sure he had no problem getting the other man.
“What an attention whore he is,” Killian murmured, watching me with mild amusement.
I pressed down harder on the fucker’s neck, though not too hard. Wouldn’t want to kill him until I had my fun.
And the way I was feeling, I needed all the fun I could get.
His hands clawed at me, his face turning red.
My blood dotted the man’s cheek.
His eyes took on a sheen of terror.
He knew he wasn’t going to make it out alive.
His arms weakened until they fell to his sides.
Finally, he passed out from the pressure of my hands. I let go and moved off him, sitting there for a beat.
“The other one?” I asked.
“Dead,” Killian answered. “Shot himself before I could get to him.”
His tone showed his anger.
“It’s all right. We still got this fucker to contend with,” I said. “And I’m feeling generous. I’ll even let you play with him for a bit.”
Killian smiled and shook his head. Maverick helped me up before we dragged the man away, anticipation strumming through my veins.
This was what I excelled at.
And I was going to use it to forget all that shit with Mila, even if it was only temporary.