Page 96 of Tyrant

Hung out together.

It’s me, Demo, Vic, and Peri. Ourbrood.

Demo is chewing on pills like candy and Vic is sucking on a joint like that chained up, cuffed, blindfolded slut was sucking on Luc. Peri just sits on the ground, back against an old stone wall, one leg bent, staring forward. He drinks from a bottle of whiskey like he doesn’t taste it. I haven’t seen him blink in a few minutes.

“So, when is yourclaimedgetting herhandoverceremony?” Vic asks.

“Never,” I blurt out.

Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that.

“What do you mean by that?” Demo asks.

“She’s not getting out of my sight until this shit settles,” I say. “I want to know who is trying to hurt her. Kill her.”

“Since when does life fucking matter to you?” Peri calls out without looking my way.

“What the fuck is your problem right now, Peri?” I ask. “You’ve been acting like a miserable prick. Wanting to pick a fight with Demo. Now you’re running your mouth at me.”

“Yeah?” Peri asks. He looks at me. “Have a fucking drink, dickhead.”

He flings the bottle of whiskey at me with serious force behind it.

I punch the bottle away, but it hit directly on my middle knuckle. And, fuck, if that doesn’t really hurt. Not to mention that whiskey is splashed all over me.

I take one step and Vic gets in the way.

“Fuck yourself, Vic,” I growl.

Peri climbs to his feet. “Come on, Ty. Let’s go for it. All three of you even. You fucking walk around here like fucking kings. That’s right. Fuck you. All of you.”

Peri spits on the ground and turns and starts to walk. Vic opens both his arms because he now has to keep both Demo and myself from chasing Peri down and splitting his skull open like a coconut.

“It’s what he had to do,” Vic says.

“Throw a fucking a bottle at me?” I ask.

“No, Ty, not that. I’m saying he’s acting like this because of what he had to do. That situation.”

“The guy that was fucking the prostitute I killed,” I say.

“The family of that guy,” Vic says.

“What happened?” Demo asks.

“He took the order to handle something,” I say. “He offered himself up for it. Fuck. He can’t deal with it now, can he?”

“He’s processing it,” Vic says. “It wasn’t an easy one. Okay?”

“Innocents,” Demo says.

“Most of them are,” I growl.

I turn away and think about Calvin. The way I beat that guy senseless. Tied him to his bed. Drilled a screw into his leg. I fucking tortured the guy because of some stupid shit he did to Serafina back in high school.

“We’re all fucking psychopaths,” I say with my back to Vic and Demo. “It comes with the territory.”

“He’ll be okay,” Vic says. “Just give him a second to breathe.”

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