Page 13 of Scarred Souls

Then I did what any self-respecting man with an unhealthy dose of spite would do and blocked him.

“So long, Enrique.”

I put the phone back in her purse and stood beside her once more.

“Hope Garcia Lopez. What am I going to do about you?”

5

HOPE

Icame to with a start when icy water splashed across my face.

Someone stood over me, dark and menacing, with an empty glass in their hand. “Wakey, wakey.”

Ugh. This fucking guy.

“Grim?” I croaked as my vision cleared.

“Grim.” He repeated the word as though testing how it sounded. “All right. I’ll take it.”

There was a smear of blood beneath his nose as well as a cut to his lip. His tattooed knuckles were purple and red.

He placed the glass on the bar and crossed his huge arms over his chest. “That was stupid of you.”

Whatever I’d expected him to say, it wasn’t that. Yet I got the feeling I shouldn’t be surprised by anything that came from this man’s mouth.

The last thing I remembered was trying to save his ass from being stabbed. As far as I could tell, the only stupid thing I’d done was not letting Big Nose follow through with it.

I stared at Grim in confusion, so he added, “When shit got crazy, you should’ve hidden.”

“I had it under control.”

“Oh yeah? Even when you were seconds from blowing a man’s dick to shreds?”

“He deserved it,” I said through clenched teeth.

“He deserved worse. But all four of them were armed. What would’ve happened after you pulled the trigger?” Grim aimed a meaningful look at me.

Darn it. He was right. I might’ve been able to take down one or two of those jerks, but if Grim hadn’t stepped in, I’d probably be lying in a pool of my own blood right now. It didn’t mean I needed to give him the satisfaction of conceding his point.

I sat up and instantly regretted it when the crown of my head throbbed. “Ow.” I groaned and rubbed the lump beneath my hair. “What happened to me?”

“Gonzo tripped you. You hit your head on the counter on your way down.”

After rising to my feet with the speed of a sloth, I made my way to a barstool. “And the wannabes?”

“The what?”

“The baby cartel gangbangers.”

One corner of his mouth lifted. “Gone.”

“Gone? Like…to the afterlife?” It was a valid question because Grim had all the hallmarks of a killer. Brutal, unforgiving, and a flagrant disregard for the consequences of combining the two. “Did you find your scythe and escort them to the underworld while I was unconscious?”

He smiled, and it did something strange to my insides. “Unfortunately, they’re still breathing, but they left town in a hurry. Have they been through here before?”

“Not that I know of. But after what just happened, they’ll be back, and they’ll bring more with them.”

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