Page 33 of Brightness

I wish I could tell her.

Fuck! I wish I could show her.

But she’s not ready for that.

I take another sip from the bottle as my door slams open without a knock. Usually, I’d be annoyed at whoever’s breaking into my room without knocking, but right now, I just don’t have one single, solitary fuck to give.

“You need to get your shit together,” Nycto grunts out while walking over, then he shoves my feet across the bed.

The whiskey spills from the bottle with the force of Nycto’s shove, and I bring it away from my lips. I let out a groan, sitting on the edge of the bed. “I need to do fucking nothing.”

“Can you ride?” Nycto asks, swiping the bottle away then screwing on the lid.

I shrug. “I’ve had a quarter bottle. You’re fully aware I can handle my liquor.”

“Good. I need you to go to the café. Trixie called, said some people are hanging around acting suspiciously.”

I stand, yanking my cut into place. “On it.”

“Void?” I raise my brow. “You’d best not get pulled over for a breath test, brother.”

I dip my chin and take off for my ride. If Trixie’s in trouble, at least there’s something I’m good at—letting unwanted people know how much they’re not wanted.

Hopping on my ride, I turn over the engine. My baby purrs beneath me, and for some reason, I wish Ivy was on the back. It felt so right when she was clinging to me, her arms wrapped around my waist under my cut, holding on tight. I shake away the feeling and take off anyway, the kick of the alcohol buzzing through my system.

The ride doesn’t take long. As I pull up to the café, a couple of men inside the store are obviously yelling at Trixie, so I jump off my ride quicker than I thought possible. Hoisting my gun from my jeans, I storm in, thrusting the door open so quickly it hits the wall with a thud. Loud screeches reach my ears, but the assholes don’t even stop to notice me.

“Hand it over, you stupid bitch, or I swear to God—”

I aim the gun, cocking it right at the stupid fucker who doesn’t see me coming. “You swear to God, what? Better choose your next words carefully, asshole, or this bullet will choose them for you.”

The loudmouth and his friend snap their heads toward me, eyes widening as they take in my club cut. Their hands shoot up in surrender, and they start backing up.

“Hey, man, it’s a simple misunderstanding.”

“Yeah, I figured. You’d better get the fuck out… and if you come back, I’m gonna put a bullet in your dick so you know what it’s like to be the dickless idiots you are, then I’ll shoot you between your eyes for good fucking measure.” I point, aiming at the loudmouth’s foot, then squeeze the trigger.

My gun recoils, the bullet flying out with speed and precision.

The idiot screams out in agony, jumping on the spot, leaving a trail of blood on Trixie’s freshly mopped floor.

“What the fuck did you do that for, you fucking maniac?” loudmouth’s sidekick screams, wrapping his arm around his friend in support.

“Because I am Defiance. You cross us, you pay. And just for calling me a fucking maniac, let me prove you fucking right!” Bringing my gun up again, I aim it at the sidekick, his eyes widening with fear when I pull the trigger without hesitation.

The gun recoils in my palm, the bullet slamming straight between his eyes. His body jerks with the force. The loudmouth I initially shot in the leg was being held up by the now-dead sidekick. Loudmouth goes down with him like a ton of bricks, letting out a girlish scream as his friend’s head explodes beside him. Blood spatters across the back wall like some artistic painting.

Snorting out a laugh at loudmouth cowering like a bitch, I flick the safety back on my gun and stow it away. “Now, we have an agreement, you and me… don’t we?” I mumble, my voice low and gravelly as I step closer to the loudmouth.

His body trembles as he nods frantically, slowly sliding across the tiled floor toward the door. Blood from the wound on his leg leaves a trail, creating a masterpiece glistening in its perfection. “I… I swear I won’t come b-back.”

My lips turn up, and I glance over my shoulder, my eyes meeting Trixie’s. She smirks at me like she’s enjoying the show I am putting on.

I turn back to the idiot who’s almost at the front door. “And you’re going to tell all your junkie friends that this café is off limits… right? Because we know what happens when people like you come onto our property. Or do I need to remind you?” I say, reaching for my gun again.

He throws his hands into the air, his eyes wide with fear. “No! No. I’ll remember. I’ll get the word out. This place is safe. I p-promise.”

Shrugging, I aim my gun at him for good measure anyway. “Then get the fuck out of here, asshole!”

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