Page 41 of Prince of Pain

“I’ll take her home, but I don’t want Archer going there. It’s not the guys’ fault that she’s a fucking mess, she’s an adult, but he’ll start taking shots at people and you know it,” I snorted, turning to face him. “I can handle her, she listens to me.”

“I’ll come with you.”

“Thanks, but I’ve got this.”

“I don’t care. I can drive and you can deal with her,” he said firmly, and I knew he wouldn’t budge.

“Ugh, fine.”

I carried the kit out to the garage and tossed him my keys, not arguing about him driving my car. He drove fast when he needed to, so I wasn’t worried.

Sure enough, he ignored all road signs on the way, only slowing once we got to Blackwater.

“Why aren’t these other boys helping her? Why’d they call you?” he asked calmly as I guided him to the right street.

“They’re trying, but she’s being aggressive.”

“She’s a tiny girl.”

“Yeah, a tiny girl with a knife. She’s asking for me, so here I am,” I muttered, hating how easy it was for her to get me to show up. “She’s driving me insane, but I don’t want to abandon her either. I understand her.”

“You understand her? She’s a mess. You got bad, but not that kind of bad.”

“I hid it well, that’s all. We’re both addicts. She feels comfortable talking to me about things because she knows I won’t judge her for it. When we get in there, can you just stand back and let me deal with it? She'll flip out if you get in the way,” I warned, a little surprised when he agreed.

Wolfe was waiting for us out the front, his eyes skimming over Hunter for a moment before landing on me. “Get your psychotic girlfriend out of here. Lock her up in your basement and dry her out or something.”

“She’s fine until she comes here and you drug her up,” I deadpanned, making him scoff.

“She’s not high, she’s just drunk. If you give a fuck about her, you’d do something about it.”

I shoved him, getting in his face. “She’s a grown-ass adult. You think it’s my fault that she’s like this? It’s hers. I never once blamed you for my addiction, I chose to fuck myself up. What she’s doing to herself is exactly that, her own doing.”

“Boys,” Hunter said sharply, and Wolfe narrowed his eyes.

“I didn’t think you wanted your family to know where we lived?”

“He’s just here to drive so I can help Tempest. It’s not like he hasn’t picked me up from here before anyway. Where is she?”

He rolled his eyes and started walking with us, motioning to the house. “She’s under the dining table. I tried to drag her out, but she pulled a knife out of nowhere and tried to stab me. She can bleed out for all I care, I’m not getting cut up over her.”

“What set her off?”

“Not too sure. Channing was being a dick, but that’s nothing new. She had a fight with one of the other girls earlier too, and she’s had multiple rounds in the bedroom with Mase since she got here. None of that would set off the meltdown she’s having.”

It was quiet inside, other than Tempest’s hysterical screaming, and Channing clenched his jaw at the sight of my father beside me. Luckily, he kept his mouth shut about it.

Mason was standing near the table, distress written all over his face. He had a small cut on his arm, telling me he got too close to the hissing hellcat, but I ignored him and squatted in front of the table, finding Tempest’s wild blue eyes on mine instantly.

She tried to swipe at me too, but she paused when I spoke. “Temp? Channing called and said you wanted me to come help you. Can you stop stabbing people and come out for me?”

“Ry?” she mumbled, leaning forward a little to see me better, giving me a good look at her. Her makeup was streaked down her cheeks, blood all over her arms and hands, and I saw a cut on the inside of her forearm. It was still bleeding, and she looked a little pale.

“Why’d you want to see me?”

Her face scrunched, and I knew she was going to start screaming at me before she even opened her mouth. She was losing the plot.

“No one fucking understands me! You do! They’re all laughing at me!”

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