Page 22 of Massacre
Valhalla hung her head and sighed. “Jesus fuck, Mass. Really?”
I shrugged, unbothered by her exasperation. “What? Just trying to have a civilized conversation.”
“Civilized?” King arched a brow, arms still crossed over his chest, but his eyes never left mine as he sized me up for the inevitable fallout. Around us, the bar’s chatter dropped to a low hum. Everyone watched and waited for the next move.
Romeo’s fists clenched at his sides, knuckles whitening. The muscles in his jaw flexed, and his rage simmered just beneath his skin.
Cash shifted uneasily, one hand resting near the holster at his hip, ready to step in if words turned to fists—or worse.
“Let’s not do this here,” Valhalla muttered, the exhaustion in her tone cutting through the tension. “Not tonight.”
But I didn’t budge. I cocked my head, a predator sizing up a rival, as my lips curled in the hint of a grin. “If you came for a fight, Romeo, you picked the right time.”
I stepped away from the bar, my boots thudding on the stained wood floor. Some of the brothers slowly stood as the air in the room became thick with anticipation. Every eye was on us, waiting for the first spark to set the whole place alight.
Romeo glared at me. His voice trembled with a dangerous edge. “You think you’re untouchable? You think you can just come here and say whatever the hell you want?”
I smiled, slow and deliberate. “I know I can.”
The silence stretched, razor-sharp.
The rules of this world would decide what happened next. And everyone in this clubhouse knew that sometimes words drew more blood than fists ever could. So when the little shit squared up, I knew he was about to seal his fucking fate.
“This is Silver Shadow territory, asshole. Amber is ours. So go fuck yourself.”
Looking at the stupid fuck, I smiled. “You are forgetting one thing, Romeo. She is my wife.”
“Who you haven’t fucked!” the motherfucker shouted, then sneered, “But I have.”
His words cracked through the room like a whip, and for a heartbeat, no one breathed.
Everything in me went cold.
My pulse hammered against my ribs, a drumbeat promising ruin.
King hung his head.
Cash took several steps back.
Val sighed and moved as I rushed the fucking piece of shit and tackled him to the ground. We hit the floor hard. Chairs scraped. Someone knocked over a glass, and it shattered, sharp and high. Romeo swung wild, but I caught his wrist and slammed it down hard against the floor, feeling a bone snap. Blood bloomed, hot and tangy, from somewhere—mine, his, I didn’t care.
His knuckles cracked against my jaw. I tasted copper and fury, my teeth rattling. Somewhere above us, Val shouted something drowned by the roar of boots and curses. Cash wasyelling, too, but his words were lost in the hurricane as I took out my anger on the fucking bastard.
My world narrowed to the heat of my fury, to the tangy taste of blood and the static buzz in my ears. Romeo snarled beneath me, twisting, desperate, but I bore down harder, speaking through clenched teeth. “Keep my wife’s name out of your damn mouth.”
The room exploded into chaos. Chairs scraped back, boots thudded across the floor, and shouts of surprise and anger filled the air. I rained down blow after blow on Romeo, my vision clouded with red.
The sound of King’s voice, tight with command, cut through the haze. “That’s enough, goddammit!” His words were like a bucket of ice water, shocking me back to reality.
I froze, my hands still curled into fists, and looked up to see Cash and another brother prying me off Romeo. The kid’s face was a mess of blood and bruises, his eyes glazed with pain and shock.
Valhalla pushed her way through the crowd, her eyes flashing with a mix of anger and concern. “What the hell did you do that for?” she demanded, her gaze flicking between Romeo and me.
I struggled against Cash’s grip, my chest heaving. “He said he fucked my wife,” I growled, the words tasting like bile in my mouth.
“He baited you and you fell for it!” she shouted.
Romeo tried to push himself up, wincing as he cradled his broken wrist. “You’re damn right I did,” he spat, his eyes burning with hatred. “And I’ll do it again.”
