Page 37 of Pink Poison

God, help me.

I slump down in a chair in an effort to clear my tantrum. If I stay upright, I'm liable to take a shot at him myself. Once was already bad enough, but twice? Fucker has to have a death wish, pulling this shit.

“So that’s where you were after we left the table,” Mack sneers, his words soaked in vitriol. “I should’ve guessed the whore would spread her legs for anyone.”

Flashing a cocky grin, Stone taunts, “Sounds like you only want her to spread her legs for you, man.”

Mack falls for Stone’sobviousbait, hook, line, and sinker. “Stephanieismine to punish, to torture—to run out of thisfuckingcity.Mine,” he spits.

Ah, shit.

Our enforcer smiles smugly as he reaches into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone and a tiny pink scrap of fabric before setting both on the table behind him. “Funny you say that she’s yours when she was screamingmyname when she came on my dick, taunted me into taking a picture of my cum leaking from her cunt, and let me take her panties to jerk my dick in later.”

“You piece of shit,” Mack seethes, clenching his fists.

“Mack,” I interrupt, “You know the rules, man.”

My best friend grits his teeth as his nostrils flare, showing just how much he doesn’t give a shit about the rules. I can’t blame him for wanting to beat down on our brother. Stone hit a nerve that he can’t take back, and from the looks of him, he doesn’t want to.

“It’s cool, Graves.” Stone tilts his head to each side. “Mack knows I’ll swing back if he goes for an extra hit.”

For fuck’s sake.

Closing my eyes, I bow my head into my hands.Guilt. Anger. Defeat.All three consume me. Everything is blowing up in my face. We aren’t any closer to finding out what happened to the club five years ago, and now, with Stevie back, old wounds are bleeding out faster than I can cauterize them. Seeing her again threw gasoline on the torch I've been carrying for her. Knowing that Mack touched her, that Stone has had his dick in her,and most recently is wearing Kash’s goddamn cut—I'm at the end of my rope.

Ican’thave her.

I can’t.

Fuck.I want her, though. I want her so goddamn bad that it hurts.

“I’d say I’m sorry,” Mack growls, “but I’m really not, brother.”

A sickening crack slices through the clubhouse as flesh meets bone. I can’t stop the grimace that sweeps over my mouth with Stone’s pained groans, knowing just how hard Mack hits when he’s pissed.

Scrubbing my jaw, I lift my head synchronously with Max’s next hit as his fist extends forward precisely on Stone’s jaw. I can’t pull my eyes away from the altercation— it's like watching an impending trainwreck when Stone's body sways with the impact.

“Mack.” I stand from my chair, torn between intervening and just letting Stone take Mack's ire.

My warning tone falls on deaf ears as Mack lifts his leg, landing a cheap knee shot to Stone's exposed rib cage. Relief puffs from my lungs as Stone recovers quickly, grabbing ahold of Mack’s leg before sending him to the ground.

Stone holds his side while crimson drips from his now crooked nose and busted lip. “Don’t make me hit back,VP,” he spits.

“Fuck you, Shawn,” Mack groans.

I force my feet towards the duo, summoning every ounce of control I have to stop their bickering before shit really does go too far. “Knock it off, both of you.”

Their eyes snap to mine, both ready to continue stoking the flames of their frustrations. I can’t say that I blame them.I’msupposed to be their leader, the one person they can count on to fix shit when it goes wrong. Butthis? I don’t know how to fixthis. Not when Max refuses to admit why he hates his stepsister. Not when I fucked up by pursuing her and thenrunning her out before Max could live out whatever fucked up revenge fantasy he had for her. Not when Stone has been pulled into her orbit. And sure as hell not when Kash has all but fucked every single one of us tonight without lube.

“Well fuck,” Kash’s voice quips from the front door. “I didn’t think you guys were going to start without me.”

“We didn’t think you would take your sweet time coming back,” I snap.

“Blondie wanted to go back to Le Papillon—” he starts.

Gritting my teeth, I flick my heated stare in his direction. His signature smirk sits firmly in place as if he’s the cat who caught the canary. It fuels my already weak resolve, the resolve that’s barely allowing me to hold my shit together. “Oh, I already know all about your venture to Lennon’s club,Kash.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Mack asks, rolling to his feet.

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