Page 20 of Hellfire

“You need to get that beast of yours under control, Tank.” She spit the word with so much disgust that I couldn’t hide my flinch.

She loved to use my insecurities against me. In the end, he was stronger than me. That fact terrified me. My growl was deep and feral. Those club members around us fled to avoid my wrath. Her satisfied smirk told me I gave the exact reaction she wanted. I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face.

I shouldn’t have let her goad me like that.

As I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, vanilla invaded my nose.

My gaze darted to the left. Katrina, with a plate full of food in hand, looked completely uncomfortable. Instinct told me to comfort her, but the rigid set of her spine had me stopping in my tracks. Her eyes darted back and forth between me and Diamond. My beast whimpered at the fear in her eyes. I wished I could explain to her what she saw. But in the end, it’s my fault. I let Diamond get to me.

Diamond grabbed onto my arm again. I didn’t stop her, too ashamed by the hurt on Katrina’s face.

“Have we met?” she asked in a tone that wasn’t welcoming.

“No, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just bringing Tank breakfast. Molly said he never comes to eat with the club and I just thought…” she trailed off, a blush crept up her cheeks.

“You didn’t have to do that, pretty girl,” I murmured.

Our fingers brushed when I took the plate from her. Katrina tucked her silky black hair behind her ear bashfully. Her vanilla scent deepened with brown sugar. My mouth watered.

“After everything you did for me, it’s the least I could do.”

The small smile she gave me sent my heart racing. Diamond cleared her throat in irritation. Never liking when she wasn’t the center of attention.

“I’m Diamond. Tank never mentioned you before,” she said, rubbing herself on me like a cat claiming their territory. “You must know who I am, right?” There was a twinkle of possessiveness in her eyes.

“Oh, um, no. It’s nice to meet you?” Katrina greeted.

I needed to stop this from escalating. She was like a dog with a bone. She would do just about anything when she felt threatened.

“Katrina, why don’t you go find Nate? He’s on the porch.”

Her gaze fell at my words, understanding I was dismissing her. She gave me a nod and rushed out the door without sparing a backwards glance. My heart caught in my throat. It had to be done. Sighing, I yanked my arm and looked at Diamond in disgust. Her eyes flashed triumph, a wide grin overtaking her face.

“Diamond. We are done.” I growled.

“Why, because of that slut?”

Anger flared in her eyes. I gritted my teeth to keep from lashing out again and took a deep breath to steady my nerves.

“Stay away from her.”

Diamond’s eyes narrowed at my threat. “Or what? Scar won’t be too happy when he hears you threatening me, Tank.”

Her eyes were filled with so much venom and hate. I couldn’t remember a single reason why I’d ever cared for her. She was manipulative and selfish. Everything Katrina was not.

I scoffed and shook my head, not caring if she had Scar under her thumb. I was done, and she just made me hurt someone who didn’t deserve it for the last time.

Chapter Nine

Katrina

Angry tears welled in my eyes as I forced myself not to slam the door behind me.

How could I be so stupid?Tank wasn't different. Men were all the same.

"Hey, Katrina. You okay?" Nate asked. He was sitting on the ledge of the porch, one leg propping up a book while he leaned against the pillar. The early morning sun highlighted his curly red hair that was in a messy halo around his face.

“I just met Diamond,” I grumbled.

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