Page 72 of Filthy Liar

“Enough is enough,” Piston growls. “We fight and end this.”

“How?” Atomic asks.

Guts snorts and stands to his feet, slamming his palms down on the table. “What the fuck have we been building our numbers for?” he asks. “This is the goddamn time to use all these men we’ve brought into our fold from all over the state.”

A low roar rumbles through the room. He is not the only one who is thinking this. Who believes this. I don’t blame him. In fact, I agree wholeheartedly. They’ve been building this club for over three years. It’s fucking time.

“Then war it is,” Atomic snaps.

I can tell he wanted to solve this on paper, but he has got to realize that paper hasn’t been working. Not with these people. They need their goddamn dicks slapped is what they fucking need.

Atomic’s gaze flicks to Nash, and he arches his brow as if to ask him if the decision that’s been made is acceptable. Nash knows the expression itself is smart-assed, but he doesn’t give a fuck. None of us does.

We are all exhausted, sick of this shit, and ready to end it. Sure, war means that there will be a bit of a rough road, but it also means that when this is done, everyone is going to know just who the fuck we are and who the fuck has the biggest dicks in the South.

“Won’t be my first, won’t be my last. Let’s do this shit.”

Atomic jerks his chin, and then I watch as he lifts his gavel and slams it down hard.

“War.”

The room erupts in a roar of agreement. When the noise dies down, Atomic holds up his hands, palms facing us, to continue quieting everyone down. “But we aren’t done today yet. We still have Vixen and Blur to discuss.”

“Both of them gone,” Gnaw snaps. “Maybe that’s the start of war, maybe not. But both of them gone.”

“I have to agree,” I murmur.

Atomic’s eyes widen. I’m sure he’s surprised that I agreed to kill Vixen, especially since I was the one who was fighting to get hersisteraway from the Southern Mafia. But that was when I was under the impression that she wasn’t a betraying bitch.

Now I know.

So she can fucking go—and go, she will.

“Then let’s get it done. And let’s start planning this shit,” Atomic says.

As a group, a single unit, we all stand and follow behind him—in a single-file line. I’ve never felt more like a soldier in my life, but here we fucking are. One after the other and then another, marching straight for the metal warehouse.

All except Fate and Strings, who are in charge of bringing Blur and Vixen to us. A few moments later, we’re in the metal building, waiting for them as they’re being hauled inside. They don’t look any worse for wear, but the time has come.

The moment Vixen is brought to the hook in the middle of the room, tears roll down her cheeks. I’m sure they’re real, considering she knows exactly what is about to happen to her, but that doesn’t change anything.

“What about my daughter?” she whimpers.

Atomic shrugs a shoulder. “She was promised to Nash,” he says, jerking his chin toward Nash, who is standing a few feet away.

Vixen’s eyes swing over to him before she slides them back to meet Atomic’s. “Can't you just free her? She doesn’t know what she signed up for.”

Atomic snorts. “We promised protection, and that’s what she’ll get. But on our terms, not yours.”

Vixen closes her eyes slowly and keeps them that way. She dips her chin before she lifts it in the air. She’s ready to take what we dish out to her. And part of me feels guilty—but not that guilty.

DILLION

The crash courseon the register wasn't enough. Because when the entire place gets busy… it gets fucking busy, and by the time it’s closing time, I am completely dead on my feet.

Dead.

Locking the door, I turn around and press my back against the glass and slowly sink down to my ass on the floor. Ryan walks out from the back, letting out a heavy sigh as she makes her way toward me, carrying a couple of things in her hands.

---