Page 146 of Deserter

“Celia, your old man ever tell you of the time he took out the Serpents?” Cobra asked. When I shook my head, he continued. “See, now that’s surprising to me. Grey loved to throw his muscle around back then, tellin’ everybody how his club was the best. You know the trouble with that?”

When he calmly stood up and slipped the suit jacket from his shoulders, I scooted back on the carpet, and up against Manny. He tugged me to my feet and pressed the tip of his switchblade against my throat, forcing my back up against his chest.

My breaths became short, erratic bursts of air and I locked eyes with Hawk, pleading with him to intervene.

“You can drive out a nest of snakes, but if you don’t kill every last one of them, they come right back. Only this time, they’re mad as hell. Manny here, he was with Los Dictadores—Silent Phoenix slaughtered his brothers over a bitch and started a goddamn war.”

Night Molly got hurt. Guy was a gangbanger and we went after him. They were hanging out at a strip club run by a rival and the minute we stepped foot inside, we broke the goddamn agreement.

Had I known then what he’d meant?

I wanted to vomit. To scream. To cry. Instead, I stayed silent, praying it was enough to keep them from hurting me or my girls.

“And I’m here for me,” Hawk gritted out as he moved in front of me. “I ain’t been a prospect in years, but Grey put me on babysitter duty with you. Why?”

“I don’t know,” I whispered. “Take the money. Just don’t hurt us, please.”

Cobra’s mouth flattened into a straight line as he shook his head. “I hate to—I do. I noticed you at some of the early games. Your old man was dead, making you off-limits. When I began asking around, I realized that one of Grey’s own men was stealing from you. Right under your nose and you never saw it.”

A heavy feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and my mouth fell open. “Hawk?”

Hawk looked away with a clenched jaw. “I wasn’t getting my cut of the profits.”

“When I found out, I planned to take him out before stepping in. Nothing gave me more satisfaction than imagining Grey rolling over in his grave at the thought of a Serpent watching over his family. I held a gun to his head and he suddenly couldn’t shut the fuck up,” Cobra continued with a wry grin. “But, you. You won’t break as easily, will you?”

“You’ve sent your message. Now leave.”

He curled his index and middle fingers down the front of my dress before pulling me toward him. “No, sweetheart. We’re just getting started.”

I lifted my chin and narrowed my eyes, holding my ground even as my insides quaked. “You aren’t going to kill me.”

His other hand came up to caress my cheek and he leaned closer until his lips were right at my ear before whispering, “No, but you’ll wish you were dead when we’re done with you.”

Manny’s arms locked around mine, drawing them back toward my spine as Cobra’s hand fell away. It came back as a fist, slamming into my cheek and knocking my legs out from under me.

They let me fall and I mashed my palms against the carpet fibers, fighting to get back up. The room spun slowly, like the carousel at the fairgrounds, and I fell back with a groan.

The girls.

I have to keep the girls safe.

It was the last thought I had before the room went dark.

Icy water soaked my face and filled my nostrils. I was back in the bathroom atLeather & Lace. Remington staggered toward me, his throat flayed wide open, giving the appearance of two smiling mouths.

Mouths that wanted to devour me.

When I blinked, I was sitting in the shower with cold water cascading down my dress. Cobra knelt beside me and when I looked up, he shook his head with a sigh. “You know, I really thought you’d be able to take a hit like a man, Celia.”

My eyes fell shut and he stroked my cheek roughly. “No, no. Look at me. You have to stay conscious, okay?”

I shook my head, the movement sending jolts of pain down my spine.

I was yanked to my feet and dragged away from the water. I forced my eyes open again and blinked until the room came into focus. My reflection met my gaze in the bathroom mirror with Cobra grinning over my shoulder.

My cheek was swelling to the point that it was impairing the vision in my right eye and my nose was streaked with dried blood and black bruising.

Manny and Hawk had disappeared. “Where… are… they?”

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