Page 38 of Pink Poison

“Yeah, Kash,” I bite. “What am I talking about?”

Stone’s heavy steps thump across the worn floors as he drags himself to a chair, wiping the blood from his face. “Someone needs to start talking.”

“Creedhappened,” Kash growls. “Stupid fucker didn’t take your agreement seriously with blondie. He sent her some bougie lingerie to the club and wanted her to wear it on stage."

That stupid motherfucker.

I should have known better.

Ishouldhave anticipated that someone like Creed Hill wouldn't leave well enough alone—especially whereStevieis concerned. I'm not a fucking idiot. She is a walking, talking advertisement for sex appeal. The woman has it in spades, and she uses it to her advantage. There ain't nothin' wrong with that—that's her God given right, and I'd kill a fucker for challenging that—but someone like Creed Hillwillexploit it for his own fucked up fetishes.

It's why I warned him off in the first place.

That, and I was jealous.

Kash snarls, dragging me from my thoughts. "I wasn’t going to let her wear something fromhim, so I marked her asmyproperty.” He shrugs like it wasn’t thedumbest, most selfish decision he could have made.

Marked. Claimed.Property.

I fucking hate that word from his mouth. It's smug, too smug—leaving behind a bitterness that was surely intended to irritate us.

“You. Did. What?” Max yells, threading his fingers through his hair.

“I don’t know what you’re so mad about,” Kash says calmly,far too calmly for his own good.“I sent multiple valuable messages. One to Creed Hill, another to Lennon—" He points to me and Mack. "And the last to you two dumbasses.”

Flexing my fists, I click my tongue against my teeth. “And what’s our message for?”

“I threw my hat in the ring with Stevie.” He smirks. “She may notlikewhat I did, but there’s no mistaking that she understands the significance behind it.”

Red filters over my vision, cutting off his arrogant words. He compromised us all, includingherwith this stunt. He knows how Mack feels about her, how I felt. He knew that she was off fucking limits, just like Stone knew. Betrayal worms its way into my veins, toxic and potent. If this poison had a color, it would be pink.

Pink. Poison.

It's her.

Sheis the poison that has infiltrated all of us.

Sheis our weakness.

She will be my demise.

My brothers' yells morph into a pitched ringing as my body moves forward until I collide with my target. Gripping my hands around the collar of his cold leather cut, I throw my head forward carelessly. Pain burstsbehind my eyes as my forehead collides with something hard, coaxing a sharp snap from one of us.

“Fuck!” Kash yells.

Hands grapple with my arms, dragging me away from him. “Stupid selfish prick,” I spit. “You’re puttingpussybefore the club—before your brothers.”

“I’m doing what you refused to do,Prez.” He juts his thumb to his chest. “I’mprotecting her because we all fucking know you won’t.”

His words hit their mark, clearing my mind and taking all of my fight with it. He’s right. Iwon’tprotect her—I can’t, not when I have to choose between her and my best friend again. My priorities have been solid the last five years in her absence.The club.That is theonlything that matters. My commitment is to my brothers, to the members who look tomefor guidance.

He shoulder checks me, forcing me to stumble back. “That’s what I thought," he snorts.

“Kash.” I sigh.

“Let him go,” Mack grunts. “Stone can go check on him.”

I drag my feet to the bar while waving my brothers off. We all have our wounds to lick tonight—no sense in prolonging the inevitable. I pull out a bar stool, ignoring the collateral on the floor as it scrapes, knocking around debris from my earlier fit. Sliding over the seat, I take out my phone from my pocket and set it on the bar top. It's shit timing, but maybe I should reach out tosomeonewho can dig deeper into everything.

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