Page 86 of Ashes of Sin

They don’t.

“They’ll make you look dead if you get fucking lung cancer. But, whatever, kill yourself, I don’t care.”

Parker knows I don’t mean it.

There are very few things I care about. My friends are right at the top. I would die for these men. As they would for me. We might not have the same surname, but we’re brothers walking the same fucked-up path seeking revenge from those who damaged our souls.

“Jesus, you really like this girl, don’t you?” Parker exclaims and blows out more fucking smoke.

Like? No. It’s worse than that. I’veclaimedher.

Claimed her with every part of my being.

I stop pacing and face him, then look him in the eye. “She’s mine, Parker.”

“Fuck,” he mutters and puts out the cigar, then props his hands on his hips. “So, how are we going to fix this?”

I just shake my head for a long moment, then glance out at the city lights.

“I have one more day until she walks down the aisle.”

I’m still hoping she replies to my message. I’m still hoping she has my sex toy inside her pussy. I’m still hoping I can wrap myself around her and make her utterly and completely mine forever.

“Whatever you need. And I speak on behalf of all the guys,” Parker says firmly. “You know that.”

I nod.

I just need to make sure what I ask of them doesn’t destroy them further.

“Side note...I found her,” Parker says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

My brows lift in surprise. I know who he’s talking about. I don’t need to ask.

“Jesus, what have you done?”

“Nothing yet.”

But he will. The unspoken words hanging heavily between us.

“She is innocent, Parker.”

Jesus, have I been that distracted with Kyra that I stopped paying attention to my friends?

Yes.

I need to sort this out. Get my girl and make sure Parker doesn’t do something crazy.

“Fuck you, Maddox. Like you can talk.” He points the dead cigar at me and sneers. “Unlike you, my father is dead. I don’t get the luxury of tormenting him. But I can torment her.”

He will too.

Fuck.

We need to call an intervention. And if he doesn’t like it, he started it the night he and Travis turned up at my place.

This is what we do now, apparently.

Or we could just hit some dark alley and revert to our fighting days. I wouldn’t mind throwing a few punches right now.