Page 64 of Infected By Virus

“What did he ever take from you?” She’d heard they had a friendly rivalry back in high school, and then they had that blowout, but that was all she knew.

“More girlfriends than I care to count. He got everything I ever wanted. You, Celeste, everything.”

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Pump the brakes.

“Me? Celeste? You never had either of us.” At least not to her knowledge.

He leaned down with their noses almost touching. “I saw you first, but when we walked up to you and he opened his mouth, you didn’t even see me. Then Celeste, she promised we’d be together if I helped break you two up, but that was a lie. She just wanted him for herself. Got herself knocked up on purpose.”

There was so much to unpack in what he’d just said. Rae didn’t have time to process it. Because as soon as the last syllable left his mouth, he pulled his body and his fist back.

If the rage in his eyes was any indication, she wouldn’t come out of the other side of the coming blow the same.

Rae shut her eyes tight and waited …

Waited for a blow that didn’t come.

Barker’s weight was shoved off her with such force it broke the legs of the chair. She was sure her legs would be bruised from it. She heard flesh against flesh, but before she could turn in that direction, a man she didn’t recognize was sliding her away. She was still cuffed and attached to one leg of the broken chair.

“We got you, Rae. I’ll get you loose in a minute.”

With that, he stood at Virus’s back, partially blocking her view of the two men on the floor. She could see enough to know Virus had Barker pinned on the ground.

Virus was landing blow after blow.

“Pull it back, brother, if you want any answers.”

Virus shrugged off the other man’s hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t need no fucking answers. I got all the answers I needed when he took my woman.” He answered the other man casually, but never stopped looking down at Barker, slowly lowering his face to hover above him.

“And when I saw those pictures in your apartment. You’re fucking sick. Pics of my woman when she was alone. My son with an X on his face. I know all I need to know.”

Virus’s voice was cold and calm. He glanced Rae’s way, and she held her breath.

“Look away, sweetheart.”

His tender tone was a direct contradiction to the rage that simmered in his green eyes.

There wasn’t a doubt in her mind that Barker wouldn’t be walking out of the yoga studio. Oddly, it didn’t disturb her as much as she expected it to. No. Not when he laid out his plan for her. Not when he threatened Adam and Harmon. Coupled with what Virus was saying, Barker was a bigger threat than she ever imagined.

Virus landed a few more punches.

“How dare you put your fucking hands on what’s mine?” he spit out and punctuated his fury with another punch. The tenderness of just a second ago was gone. Barker’s head snapping to the side was sickening, but she didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him. If she could get up, she’d do that and worse.

“You think everything is yours.” Barker’s words were garbled by the blood pouring from his mouth and nose, not to mention the swelling that had already set in.

Virus’s only answer was with his fist.

Barker didn’t know when to stop.

“She was mine in Vegas, you know. I put my hands all?—”

Virus’s action halted his words. He’d extracted a knife from somewhere and was waving it in his face.

Rae was frantically trying to free herself; she didn’t know if it was to run or to join Virus, she just couldn’t lay there helpless attached to a broken chair.

“You touched what’s mine once. I’m going to fix it so it doesn’t happen again.”

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