Chapter 6
Preston
“I’m sorry—what?” I snapped, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring at X.
He’d just come home and told me he’d gone to see Shane again, despite knowing he should have given it longer.
He really had no patience, but he was going to run Shane off if he kept on like this—or worse, Shane was going to make him disappear.
He sure had the means to do so, and then what?
I’d be left alone again, and fuck, I couldn’t go back to existing like I’d been before X. I needed him.
“I went to see him,” he repeated.
“You were supposed to give him space,” I reminded him, exasperated. “You can’t push a man like that, X. He’s not like me. Hell, he’s not even like the shady mother fuckers you fight.”
His eyes suddenly darkened, and the leather of our couch creaked beneath his grip when he gripped the arm. “I know,” he rumbled. “I played my cards too quickly.”
My heart dropped to my feet. X didn’t get truly angry over anything, but what he was exhibiting now? That was pure rage. What the hell had happened? Even in the ring, X was calm and collected. Completely chill. He was happy in the ring. But this… I’d never seen X like this before.
“X… what did you do?” I whispered. This was out of the norm for X. He didn’t get like this, even when other people were taunting him in the ring. Even when they used me as a way to try to rile him up. But standing in front of me now, he was furious. At Shane. At the man we both wanted.
And when X got angry, he got reckless. And reckless was dangerous.
“I didn’t do anything,” he told me. “Not to him.” He lifted his gaze to meet my eyes. “I swear, Preston. He’s fine. But when I told him what I know, he threatened your life.”
My gut churned, and my face paled. “What?” I breathed, choking on the single word. My blood ran cold, and goosebumps rose on my arms. I suddenly felt very cold. What the hell had X done?
He quickly erased the distance between us and gripped the back of my neck. He rested his forehead on mine and massaged my neck muscles. I closed my eyes, letting him ground me and hold me together, even though I was scared out of my mind. Would Shane really come after me?
“I will not let him touch you, Preston. I fucking swear it, you hear me?”
Even though my fingers were trembling, I opened my eyes and reached up, cupping his face in my hands.
“Give him space, X,” I pleaded. He gritted his teeth, clearly not liking that idea.
I stroked my thumbs over his cheeks, knowing it soothed him.
“Please, X. Give him time to cool off. For my sake, at least.”
I knew the for me would get him to think about his actions. He ran his eyes over my face, and after a moment, he nodded, just as I knew he would. “Alright,” he rasped.
“Give me your word, X,” I pleaded. “Promise me.” X had never broken a promise to me yet, and I was counting on him not breaking this one.
Sighing, he nodded, though I knew he didn’t want to agree. But if X would do anything, he’d do what I really wanted him to. And I wanted him to give Shane space and let this situation cool off. “I promise.”
This was possibly the stupidest decision I could’ve made.
X had remained at home with me for the past two days, saying he needed to be there to protect me in case Shane decided to hold true to his word.
But after two days, I needed a little space, and X was getting restless.
So, he went to train, and I decided to be the fucking insane one out of the two of us for once.
I stared up at the neon sign that named the shop Ink Rage and swallowed thickly. Who was being the reckless one now? I thought bitterly.
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?