Page 85 of Queen Of WildCards

Aweek away from this place was supposed to remind me of my roots.Remindme whereIcame from, help me control the beast inside myself.Instead, all it had done was remind me whyIleft my fucking country to begin with.

Myfamily had always beenYakuza, as long asI’dbeen alive, as long as they’d been recording their history.Butthey hadn’t always been dishonorable men.Thenewer leaders ushered in a world of violence and bullshit that went against the code established generations before, when samurais and seppuku were popular and gunning down innocents to make a statement was not.

Thesenew men cared only for the power and wealth that came with it.Theydidn’t care about their neighborhoods, the places their families grew up, lived, thrived.Theyruled with fear and took from those weaker than them, offering no protection, helping none on their way to riches and glory.

Fuckanyone in their way.

Iremembered thatI’dabandoned those practices becauseIhad always wanted to be an honorable man.

AndhereIwas, chasing a woman against her will down my own fucking hallway, planning all manner of unmentionable, unthinkable acts against her person to punish her.

Hell, ifIhad my way,I’ddrag her right back into the commons and shove her to her knees, fuck her raw, and leave her there with my seed splattered against her ass for the others to see.

Shewas ours, but she wouldn’t control us.Sheneeded to learn, even though she chose to stay here, she wasn’t one of us.Shemight be a little jaded by life, but she wasn’t aWildcardand never would be.

“Oh,MissStanton, you might as well unlock that door and give yourself over.IfIhave to break it down to get to you, it won’t be pretty.”

Iput my hand against the door and waited.Surelyshe’d be smart enough to see the error of her ways.

Whenthe sound of a lock being disengaged wasn’t forthcoming,Islammed my hand against the wood, growling under my breath at her stubbornness.

“I’llgive you one more chance,MissStanton.Then,I’lldrag you out by your hair and show you whatIdo to bitches who think they’re in control here.”

Ihardly recognized the manIwas becoming.I’dalways had such a firm grip on this nasty side of myself, but around the doc,Ilost all grasp on my sanity.Shemade me feel thingsI’dlong since stopped feeling, made me half out of my mind with frustration and anger and rage and–

Fuck,Iwanted thingsIhad no business wanting, felt thingsIhad no business feeling.Shetwisted my whole fucking existence and set it on its head, and she’d been doing so since she first sprayed me in the fucking face with that watered-down bullshit excuse for mace she carried in her purse.

“Fuckoff,Ace,I’mnot coming out,” she yelled through the door, fanning the flames of my ire even higher.

Ireared back and slammed a booted foot right in the middle of the door, just missing the lock and handle.Thesatisfying sound of splintering wood beneath my heel made my cock hard in my pants, and with another heft of my foot, the door was left swinging from its hinges, a little worse for wear but still somewhat solid.Itgaped open to reveal a very pissed-offMalloryStanton, standing dead center of the room, in one of my tees, no less, and a short pair of shorts, her arms folded over her chest, her hair in a convenient ponytail, staring me down likeIwas the one in the wrong here.

Fuckthat.Thiswas my compound, my crew, my fucking castle, and if anyone was in the wrong here, it was the bitch playing at queen without permission.Shewas nothing more than a little girl putting on her mother’s shoes, makeup, and fancy pearls, dancing around the room pretending to be a grown-up.

“You’replaying with a dangerous man,MissStanton,”Ipurred, stalking her like a big cat stalks its prey.Icircled her asIstepped into the room, and she turned with me, keeping her eyes on mine, never backing down.

Good.Ihated when they backed down.Ihateda fucking coward.

Thisone had spunk.Maybenot a lot of brains, but she had spunk.

Shelifted a brow and smiled that lopsided grinSpadewore half the time. “Whatmakes you thinkI’mnot used to playing with dangerous men, huh?”

Isnorted. “Justbecause you’re flinging pussy around and using it to mind control my fucking men doesn’t mean it’ll work on me, sweetheart.”

Herother brow joined the first as her lips twitched. “Notyour sweetheart, asshole.”

“Youare whateverIsay you are,MissStanton.You’remine,and as such,I’llcall you howeverIplease.”

“Youcan call me anything you want,Iguess,” she sassed when my back was to the far wall and hers was to the door, “butIwon’t come when you call just because you demand it.Evendogs have their limit.”

“Goodthing you’re not a dog, eh?”

“Theonly bitchIsee here is you.”

Withthat parting shot, she took off, slamming the door in my face as she fled the safety ofJoker’sroom.Brokenthough it was from my earlier assault, it still hung me up, andIgrowled and snarled with frustration as my hands clawed at the broken wood, flinging it from my path.

“WhenIcatch you, bitch, it’s game over.You’renot going to like your consolation prize.”

Mytaunt echoed down the hall, but she gave no indication of where she was.

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