Page 115 of Outcast

"Who the fuck are you?" I stormed forward.

"Esteban." Rita stopped me in my tracks.

One side of Due's lip curled, wrinkling his nose. "I'm the man I always was."

"No you're fucking not!" I yelled, tensing up my shoulders. "You never said one goddamned thing about not liking the way the club was going. Or any of this shit!"

"You know why?” Due raised his voice so everyone could hear him. "Because you're their lapdog, Esteban. You have your nose so far stuck up Rita's ass, that you would never see her the way we see her."

The men at his back mumbled their agreement.

"You worshiped Javier. It would have been a wastedeffort to try and change your mind. Our entire friendship wasn't a lie. I didn't always feel like this. But when the Institution fell and Javier started making changes, bad ones, you were the perfect cover because you were so fucking loyal to the wrong people. No one doubted me."

I swung.

It was the only thing I could do. This asshole had used me.

"Don't shoot!" Rita screamed.

It didn't stop me from taking Due to the ground. I grabbed his shirt and slammed his head into the floor, then again. He groaned as I pulled back and snapped my fist across his face.

Arms looped through mine and dragged me up. "You fucking prick!Cabrón! You nasty-ass, little, bitch!"

Black edged my vision as I stared down at him, and I was able to stomp my boot in his stomach before I was fully pulled back.

Good. He fucking deserved it.

Due pushed himself up on his knees, then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. The hate that stared back at me as he watched men pull me back was alien. I didn't know him. I didn't know who the fuck he was, and I never did. He'd got one over on me and I was too fucking stupid to realize it.

Huffing air out, I was deposited back next to Rita.

She cupped the sides of my neck and stared up at me. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

I glanced at Due again, as if he were a magnet pulling me back to him over and over again.

I forced myself to look down at Rita. "I'm good." The words came out low and gravely.

"Why don't I believe you?" she snipped. For a second, thedarkness cleared up, but it only lasted for a second. "I have to share what he did. The Dirty Dogs need to know. Are you good?"

I was fucking this up for her. Cracking my neck, I stepped back. "Yeah, I'm good."

Raising up, she pressed her lips to mine, then when she dropped back, her gaze shuttered. She was ready to tear his ass up, and I couldn't wait to see it.

"Sorry about that. You know how it is when you're betrayed by one of your own," Rita said to the crowd of men. Some laughed. Most were silent. Watchful.

Several had their guns out, but somehow, Rita had stopped them from firing.

Due climbed back to his feet and sick satisfaction swelled inside me at the already swelling bruise on his face. It looked much better on him than Matías' had when I busted his face up.

"I've always been for the Dirty Dogs. Working with Amorette and the brothers has only given us an alliance. More protection. I won't apologize for that." She walked closer to Due and Matías followed behind her.

Fuck, I couldn't let him be the only one. I took three long steps too.

"But Due and his friends? They schemed to take the club back to those businesses, never mind it would start a war with Carnage Industries. Did you think of that?"

Due raised his chin. "We're not strangers to war."

"Sure, when we were on the winning side." She shook her head and gazed at the crowd again. "I won't say the Bastards would win easily, or win against us completely if it came down to it, but we wouldn't escape it alive. At least half, if not more Dirty Dogs would lose their lives. For what? To peddle flesh anddrugs? Those are the absolute worst businesses to be in."

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