Chapter 36Evan
Chapter Thirty-Six
EVAN
I have the nervous shits.
You know, the ones you get when you haven’t even eaten anything that day, but the anticipation is too much for your body to take?
Yeah, that’s where I’m at.
No amount of Imodium is going to help me this time.
The guys are all in their positions, waiting for Storm to arrive. My head shoots up as I hear a car with a loud muffler turning into my drive. He’s here, and I have a feeling shit is about to get real. “Right on time,” I mumble, looking down at my watch.
Cain assured me that if he so much as lays a finger on me, they’ll be on him before I can even blink. And I believe him. I’ve seen Zeke in action, and that was still when he was a scrawny teenager. I couldn’t even imagine what it would be like to have all of them on someone now. It honestly would be hot as fuck to see all of that muscle pounding someone you now hate into the ground. God, what is wrong with me? It can’t be normal to think that’s hot.
“Hey,” Storm calls as he opens his creaky car door but doesn’t get out. He isn’t meeting my eyes. He’s too busy scanning the yard, just like he did the day I was at his house. But what is scanning for? I know he can’t see the guys.
“Hey,” I reply in what I hope sounds like my normal voice, not moving from my spot. “Are you okay?”
“Of course I’m okay. Why do you keep asking me that?” He finally climbs out of his car, his head searching in every direction. Maybe I keep asking because you’re acting sketchy as fuck and paranoid as hell. Not a good combination to have. I can’t even say hey without him trying to jump out of his skin.
“I don’t know. You just seem off and haven’t gotten out of the car.” I shrug, trying to keep the tension out of my voice.
“Your man isn’t here, right?” he asks while walking toward me.
My body is already wound so tight that he doesn’t even see me tense. I didn’t realize he thought Zeke was my man. “No. It’s just you and me. This is the stuff I have for you.” I motion toward the product at my feet.
He looks down at it before looking back up at me, meeting my eyes for the first time since he arrived. “Cut the shit, Evan. I know you’ve been holding out on me. I know there’s more shit in there, and I want my fucking cut,” he demands.
Um… what?
“Excuse me? You don’t know what you’re talking about. There isn’t anything more in there. I give you what I have.” I cross my arms across my chest, matching his glare.
“Look, bitch. I’ve been playing nice with this whole arrangement for years. I’m not about to be your errand bitch anymore. This business isn’t a place for a little fucking girl. Don’t make me force my way in. I’m trying to do this civilly.” His face is inches from mine, and I’m trying not to freak out, but the freak out is starting to win.
“Civilly? Be fucking for real right now. Your tone and body language are sure as hell not civil . You need to back up Storm,” I demand as I step back, trying to put space between us.
It doesn’t work, and he just takes another step forward. His hand jumps out, grabs my upper arm, and squeezes. Hard. So hard that I wince. “You’re going to take me inside and show me what is fucking mine,” he spits out. I try not to gag as I feel a few drops hit my face. Ugh, I want to bathe in bleach.
“You’re hurting me. Let go,” I grind out as I try to pull my arm out of his grasp with no luck. I’m really trying not to let the pain show, but I can feel the tears pooling in the corner of my eyes.
“Take your fucking hand off of her now,” a voice that I would recognize from anywhere growls out from behind me.
Storm pales slightly at his tone but doesn’t release his hand. “I knew you were fucking lying. Just had to fuck your way to the top, didn’t you? I just wasn’t good enough.”
“You’re done, you piece of fucking shit.” Cain steps forward as I catch something or someone out of the corner of my eye. I look over Storm’s shoulder to see Zeke step out from the side of the barn, eyes zeroed in on where Storm is still tightly gripping my arm. Storm looks behind him. I can see him trying to calculate his next move. He thinks it’s only two against one. He’s an idiot for thinking that.
“I’m going to give you two seconds to take your fucking hand off of her before I blow it the fuck off,” Cain demands in a tone that commands authority, making both of us jump.
I’ve never seen this side of Cain before. His presence commands attention, and his face looks like he’s about to do a lot more than shoot his hand off. My pussy clenches at the thought of him murdering Storm. I don’t know what that says about me. Cain doesn’t give Storm the two seconds he said before firing off a round at Storm’s feet, purposely missing him.
It does the job, though.
Storm jumps back, forgetting that Zeke is right behind him. Zeke pounces on him and pins him to the ground in seconds.
“Let me the fuck up!” Storm screams as he flails around on the ground, trying to escape Zeke’s hold.
“Not a chance,” Zeke growls before punching him in the jaw.
“You okay, hellcat?” Cain is at my side, frantically looking me over while he gently rubs where Storm had a hold on me.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” I say shakily, looking up at Cain’s face, trying to see where his head is, but his eyes aren’t on me. They’re glued to the bruise that is already starting to form on my arm.
“He’s going to pay for that,” he grinds out before storming off to where Zeke has Storm pinned.
“This is for thinking you can breathe my woman’s air.” Cain kicks his steel-toed boot out, nailing Storm right in the ribs. “And this for putting your fucking hands on what’s mine.” Cain smashes his boot down on the hand Storm grabbed me with. I grin as I hear the crunch of bones. The sound is oddly satisfying.
“Hash! Cyrus!” Cain yells, and the guys come out of the woods looking just as blood-thirsty as Zeke did. “Take him to the clubhouse. You know where I want him.”
Hash ties Storm’s wrists together while Cyrus ties his ankles before they both grab their respective ends, lifting him up and carrying him back into the woods without a word. Well, without a word from them. Storm, on the other hand, is crying like the little bitch he is.
Cain isn’t done giving orders because the next thing I know, he’s calling for Ink and Trick. “Take care of this piece of shit and meet me back at the clubhouse.” He motions to Storm’s car. “He won’t be needing it any time soon.”
Sensing Cain needs some sort of confirmation that I’m okay, I wrap my arms around him. “I’m okay, babe. He didn’t hurt me.”
“Evangeline, he fucking marked you,” he hisses out, pointing at the bruise on my arm. “That is not okay.”
I know he’s upset when he uses my full first name. “I bruise easily, Cain. You, of all people, know how pale I am. It’s what fair skin does.” I try my best to reassure him, but I don’t think that it’s working.
“He’s going to pay for that,” Cain growls before calling to Zeke. “Let’s head back. Get a head start on this while Ink and Trick deal with the car.”
My worried gaze meets Zeke’s as he walks by. I’m looking for reassurance that shit isn’t going to be crazy with this, but I find the opposite of what I’m looking for. “He had it coming, Evan. You don’t need to worry about it anymore.”
“I want you back at the clubhouse, where I can have eyes on you at all times,” Cain cuts in.
“Is that really necessary?” I roll my eyes. “I’ll be fine here. He can’t do anything to me when he’s at the clubhouse.”
“Until I know exactly what the fuck is going on and what we’re dealing with, you’ll have eyes on you. I’m done arguing about this,” Cain says before walking off in the same direction as Zeke without looking back.
He clearly needs a minute to calm down, and if I’m being honest, I need the same. So, I take extra time packing an overnight bag, making sure to pack a few nights’ worth of clothes because I have no idea how long this will take. Once I have all of my toiletries and clothes in a bag, I grab another bag out of the closet to pack Hades’ stuff.
Yes, my baby needs his fuzzy blanket and toys, too. Not to mention food.
With a sigh, I load up my car, get Hades into the back, and head to the clubhouse.