Chapter 19 #3
My phone rang and we ignored it, but when it rang for a second and third time, I grabbed it and hung it up.
“Fucking Hunter,” I scowled, peering down at Slash as he eyed me. “Let me handle him. Please.”
“I can’t get you involved with crew business,” he huffed.
“It’s not crew business. They keep breaking into my house and messaging me. This is a personal issue now,” I pointed out, leaning forward to give him a quick kiss. “They shot at Diesel’s truck and dragged me out. I think I’m involved regardless.”
“You can’t kill them.”
“I can injure them though, right? C’mon, shooting practice is better on moving targets, remember?” I winked, getting to my feet.
“You’re going to get us in trouble.”
“Where’d your balls go, Russo? Thought you were the boss?” I taunted, his jaw clenching.
“I am.”
“Then fucking act like it. These assholes keep bothering me, so let's handle them. When Marco first broke in, he drugged me. I think—”
“He fucking what?” he snapped, glaring at me.
“Yeah. That hellcat he took on that cut him up? Me,” I said proudly, his eyes narrowing.
“Why the fuck are you only mentioning it now?”
“Because I want you pissed off so you’ll let us go,” I said honestly, grabbing his hand. “Let me handle my shit, Slash. I’m not some weak girl that needs to fucking hide behind you or Skeet.”
“Get in the car,” he grunted, grabbing his gun and snatching my phone, powering it off. “This stays here, just in case.”
Since he had his phone, I agreed, finding a pair of sweats that were way too big, and making sure I had my gun on me too before putting some shoes on.
Slash seemed almost sober as he drove towards Mount Mercer, his hands gripping the wheel tightly.
“Did Marco touch you?” he finally asked after some silence, and I shook my head.
“I blacked out, but he said he only wanted to go through my things and see what I’d do. He seems to like playing games,” I grumbled, making him scoff.
“You don’t know the half of it. I believe he didn’t touch you. Neither Hunter or Marco are the type, no matter how badly I think about them.”
“Neither were you.”
“It runs in my family like a fucking disease,” he practically snarled, making me frown.
“It does?”
“I have an older brother. He likes long walks on the beach, murder, and terrorizing everyone that crosses his path. He gets off on overpowering women, inflicting pain and fear until he breaks them. He lives and breathes for that shit.”
“You’re nothing like him,” I said softly, his eyes flicking to me.
“How can you say that after what I did to you?”
“You snapped, but it’s not something you do for funsies. It’s eaten away at you since it happened. Sounds like your brother doesn’t have a conscience at all and has zero remorse for his actions.”
“The devil is terrified of the day he arrives in Hell,” he murmured, reaching over to rest a hand on my thigh.
“Did he hurt you?”
“My brother didn’t molest me, no. Murdered our parents and little sister when we were kids though.”
“He’s in prison?”
“Nope. He lives in Stoneleigh. We don’t talk unless we have to.”
“Why would you possibly ever have to talk to him? He sounds awful.”
He was quiet for a moment, obviously trying to decide whether he could tell me the truth or not. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to respond, he did.
“My brother is Rage Evans. He runs the Shadow Kings crew, and their MC chapter up north. Crew stuff means we have to see each other sometimes.”
My stomach twisted at the thought. Rage was always on TV for horrific things, but he never got punished. Witnesses vanished, evidence disappeared, or someone always took the fall.
He had the most soulless eyes I’d ever seen on a man.
“Damn, I thought my family life was bad,” I muttered, his hand tightening on my thigh.
“Yours is. I had good parents, and my sister was sweet. She was only five when she died.”
He jerked the wheel to keep the car on the road, making me realize this conversation was distracting him.
“Hey, we can talk about it later once we’ve pissed off the Devils,” I joked lightly, taking his hand in mine. “I’d like to hear more about her once we get back to your house.”
He nodded and became quiet, so I left him to his thoughts for the rest of the drive until we pulled up out front of a small house in Mount Mercer.
Slash revved the engine loudly, making me wince. “They’ll know we’re here, idiot.”
“We’re not sneaking,” he threw back, shutting the engine off and opening the door, giving me no choice but to chase after him.
He motioned for me to knock on the door, and I smacked my fist against the wood, glaring at it until it swung open and Marco appeared, amusement flashing across his face as he eyed me, but it fell when he inspected my eye. “What happened to you?”
“Move. Where is he?” I huffed, giving him a shove to push past. He stepped aside to let me in, and I found Hunter sitting on the couch on his phone.
He looked up, surprise flickering in his eyes when he noticed me.
“What—”
I didn’t let him finish his sentence before I punched him, the fucker grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward. I landed on his lap, his hand grabbing my chin.
“Who the fuck did this? Was it Skeet?” I thought I hid my reaction well, but apparently not because his eyes darkened and he clenched his jaw. “I’m going to fucking kill him. Where is he?”
“Don’t fucking move,” Slash bit out, hauling me away from Hunter and keeping a possessive arm around me.
“You’re okay with him beating her? The fuck, Slash?” Hunter spat, getting to his feet, but he paused when I drew my gun and aimed it at him.
“I’m not your fucking buddy,” I started as he slowly lowered himself back down to the couch. “I told you to leave me the fuck alone.”
A gun clicked close by and I glanced over my shoulder to see Marco pointing his at me, and Slash was now aiming one at Marco.
“Mark,” Hunter warned firmly, keeping his eyes on me. “Put it away and let her talk.”
“She’s fucking aiming a gun at you,” Marco snapped.
“Let her talk,” he repeated, keeping his hands where I could see them.
Marco lowered his gun and glared at Slash, letting me continue.
“You ambushed me and Diesel, intending on taking out him and Skeet,” I said bitterly, making Hunter snort.
“I’m going to do more than gun the fucker down for what he did to your face. I told you, didn’t I? He doesn’t give a shit about you. He’s going to sell you or something.”
“We don’t trade in flesh, Rivera. Never have, never will,” Slash threw back, and Hunter stood, ignoring my gun as he grabbed my face again.
“Look at her, asshole. Tell me Skeet didn’t do it.”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Like how it’s none of my business that the Psychos have been involved with the skin trade for years?” he spat, and Slash rolled his eyes.
“For the last fucking time—”
“I saw it with my own eyes!” he exploded, dropping back onto the couch with frustration. “Savage, Skeet, and Watson. Skeet was driving the fucking truck for the delivery.”
I glanced at Slash, finding confusion on his face.
“Skeet would never do that. Watson was dedicated to finding missing children and women until the day he died.”
Marco chuckled, but there was no humor in it as he leaned against the wall to watch us.
“It was a good cover-up. If Watson was playing the hero, no one would suspect him of being the guy causing the disappearances. Skeet was always a good bitchboy for Savage too. Did everything he was fucking told.”
“Skeet—”
“Skeet was never the type to hurt a woman he cared about, but here we are,” Hunter said with disgust, motioning to me.
“I earned it and practically had to force him to do it,” I snapped, getting pissed off at his assumptions.
“How the fuck did you earn a beating?” Hunter demanded, and Slash sighed.
“Apart from the fact she showed up at Wet Dreams and waved a gun at Myles, she proceeded to aim it at Skeet back at the Shed in front of everyone. She had to be punished, and we sure as fuck weren’t letting anyone else do it.”
“That’s always been your problem, you know? None of my guys would force a punishment like that. You’re the boss, man. What you say goes, so you’ve allowed that shit to happen. What would Skeet do if he found out you’ve been fucking her, huh? Would he beat her bloody over it?”
“He wouldn't—"
“Tell that to Marco and that slut that Skeet killed when he walked in on them,” Hunter bit out, his eyes on me. “I can keep you safe. Stay with me.”
“Like how you kept Lexi safe?” Slash drawled, catching my attention. “She’s sitting in Fairview Prison with no one because you got under Archer’s skin and fucked shit up between them.”
“That’s not on me!”
“No? Then why haven’t you been to fucking see her yet?”
“She only just got hauled in, asshole. She won’t be in for long, the charges won’t stick.”
“Drug possession with the intent to sell, on top of her history with prostitution and gang relations might say otherwise. She’s fucked, Rivera. Is that why you’ve latched onto Rory? Needed someone new to play with?”
“Enough!” I bit out, waving the gun at Hunter. “You will stay the fuck away from Skeet, and you can go back to not knowing I exist. Understand?”
“I’m going to put a bullet right between his fucking eyes,” Hunter said in a low voice.
“I can’t let you do that,” I answered, pulling the trigger just as I was tackled to the ground.
Marco wrestled the gun from me and pinned me to the ground, my body bucking under his to try and throw him off.
Slash slammed his gun down on Marco’s head to knock him out, grabbing my gun and aiming one at Hunter while I managed to push Marco’s dead weight off me.
“Max was in the Heights tonight,” I said as I stood, accepting the gun back from Slash as I glared at Hunter. “I’m not helping you find him. If you keep bothering me, it’s going to turn into a crew issue. I don’t want this to turn bloody, but it will if you keep pushing.”
Hunter chuckled, managing to look amused. “If you don’t want it to turn bloody, why did you show up at my fucking house to shoot at me?”
“Because I don’t give a fuck about spilling blood if it’s yours.” I turned and kicked Marco in the face, making him groan. “That’s for fucking drugging me, asshole.”
A light laugh left him as he rolled onto his back, squinting up at me as he got his bearings.
“I’ll be seeing you soon, Princess. Sleep with one eye open.”
I aimed my gun at him, but Slash put a hand out to stop me.
“Don’t make a mess. You’ve made your point,” he said calmly, flicking his gaze to Hunter. “I mean it. Stay away from my guys, and stop trying to piss off Skeet by using his girl.”
“The only one using his girl is his best friend. I hope he puts you in the fucking ground for it too,” he threw back, motioning for us to let ourselves out. “And Hot Shot? That’s the last time you shoot at me or my guys without getting shot back.”
“Touch Skeet and you won’t get the chance to shoot back,” I said flatly, leaving the house with Slash right behind me, slamming the door as we left.