Page 123 of Stone

“Abe’s ol’ lady, Iris, will be sortin’ out cleanin’, kitchens, and stock. The club girls will help. If she tells you bitches to clean, you clean. That extends to cooking, laundry, and gardening. Hell, if she tells you to hop on one foot while singing ‘TheStar-Spangled Banner’, you obey. In return, I’ll provide living quarters and pin money. The more chores you carry out, the more you earn. What you do on your back is up to you, but I’ll make it clear now, you ain’t gettin’ paid to fuck—you do that on your own time—your gettin’ paid to be maids. You also clean yourselves up. Bathing and grooming have just become part of your job description. Health checks are compulsory and will be carried out every few months, paid for by the club. Congratulations, ladies, you just scored yourself jobs with health insurance included. If you don’t like it, walk now. No hard feelings.”

I turned my back on Seth, slipped off my leather jacket, and handed it to a grinning Abe.

“We fight this out, and it’s done, over. You were told what would happen if you disrespected my ol’ lady again. I’ll admit to you all right now, she’s not my ol’ lady anymore, but she was when she no doubt swallowed every ounce of pride she possessed and came to you, pregnant, for help. You did worse than turn your back on her; you abused her. It stops with us now, Seth.”

He bowed his head, shamed.

Pulling my fist back, I swung and smashed it into his jaw, thanking God it was my left arm and shoulder injured.

Seth went down.

My skin felt too tight to contain my blood and bones. Everything was jarring; the light was too bright, the sounds too loud. The past months reared up before me. Enlisting, leaving, deployment, Kuwait. Losing Mom and Elise, then losing myself, and the red mist turned bloodthirsty.

Grief and pain gripped my chest, and I roared, desperate to get it out.

Jeers filled the parking lot, the men voicing their excitement at the prospect of some bloodlust. Shouts of encouragement,aimed toward Seth and me, rang out with demands to punch harder.

I leaned down, grabbed his hair, and dragged him to his feet. My fists pummeled bone, causing a crunch that made my stomach clench with satisfaction.

Seth tried to fight back, and a loose punch hurtled toward the side of my face. I ducked left and jabbed his throat.

He turned his head to the side and spat blood and maybe a tooth. “Fuckin’ asshole,” he panted.

I bounced on the balls of my feet and thrust another jab in his kidneys, and deafening bellows went up from the brothers.

I pulled my fists up in front of my face and punched repeatedly. The last pummel hit him square on the temple. His eyes rolled, and he let out a quiet groan, sinking to the ground.

Shouts and cries filled the air as I methodically began to kick. I was so caught up in the red mist that I couldn’t stop. Emotion rushed through my chest. I had to get the pain out, and the only way I knew how was through violence.

Visions of Leesy floated behind my eyes, taking over my mind and body. I kicked and snarled like a wild animal, doing everything I could to dispel the pain in my fucked-up soul. My sense of awareness didn’t exist. It was me and her and the ache that I knew I’d feel every time I breathed too deep, because she’d left a void so deep, I knew I’d never plug it.

She was the love of my life, and I’d lost her.

Suddenly, hands grabbed me and hauled me backward. Awareness came rushing back with a whoosh, and I stared, stunned at the bloody mess of a man on the ground before me.

A cold realization smashed into my chest.

Elise was gone.

It was done.

Over.

And I knew I was about to break into pieces.

Scrambling to my feet, I staggered toward Abe, holding my bloody hands out imploringly. “Get me outta here. Please.”

He took one look at me and leaped into action, bundling me into his truck. He ran around to the driver’s seat and jumped in, shooting me a worried glance. “Stay at our place tonight, Stone,” he crooned softly, as if appeasing a wild animal as he started the engine. “You’re gonna be okay. Everything will be okay.”

We peeled out of there like the Devil himself was on our tail, and as I stared sightlessly at the scenery flashing past, I knew one thing down to my bones.

Nothing would ever be okay again.

Life without her would be agony.

Chapter Thirty

Stone

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