Page 19 of Whips and Chains
X was the first to notice me. His gaze darted to the overflowing bag of clothes shoved over my shoulder. “Uh-oh. Ithink someone is staging a jail break…” He glanced over at Levi. “You probably have experience with that, right?”
Levi made a face at him.
Whip sighed, taking in the bag. “We’re sorry. You’re right, we should have told you. We thought we were doing the right thing—”
“Well, you weren’t.”
Levi nodded. “We know. We fucked up.”
“Yeah, you did.”
X threw me his most charming smile. “But you think we’re really cute, and we gave you really good orgasms, so we’re forgiven?”
I glared at him. “Not a fucking chance. The three of you can go to hell.”
I stormed to the door, but Levi grabbed my arm. “Vi, stop.”
I stared down at his grip around my wrist. “Let go of me.”
“You’ll leave if I do.”
“Damn fucking right I will. I said let go of me.” I didn’t care my traitorous body loved having his hands on me. I didn’t care that all I could think about was him gripping both wrists that tightly, raising them above my head, and pinning me to a wall so he could touch places a whole lot more intimate than my arms.
But if he didn’t let me go, I was going to use my free hand to punch him in the face.
My apartment door opened behind me, which was the first time I realized the lock was broken. But I didn’t have long to dwell on that as the six-foot-five man I’d called for backup strode into the apartment.
Fang took one glimpse of Levi’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and his voice dropped to a growl. “Get your fucking hands off my sister before I rip them from your body.”
Levi didn’t let go. “Fang…fucking hell. Hold up, I’m not hurting her.”
Fang glowered at him. “Do I look like I care about your excuses? She said let her go. Even I heard that and I was out in the damn hallway. So you have exactly three seconds to do that before I make you. Don’t think for a second I won’t fucking end you right here, right now, Reaper. You might have been my mentor, but you’ve been out of the game a long fucking time, and you have no fucking idea how pissed off I am right now.”
Levi’s fingers reluctantly unraveled from around my wrist.
Stupidly, I instantly missed his touch. But the anger inside me would have to keep me warm instead. I didn’t look back at the other two, just stormed to the door, Fang hot at my heels. Anger propelled me down the stairs and out onto the front lawn of the apartment building. Rebel was waiting behind the wheel of an SUV, knuckle-dusters around her fingers.
I slid into the back seat and glanced at them pointedly. “Were you expecting a fight?”
She shrugged, but there was a bit of disappointment in her expression. “More like was hoping for one. I don’t get to use these enough these days.” She threw a few air punches at the space above the steering wheel while Fang slid into the seat beside her.
The three men I’d spent the night in bed with had followed us down the stairs and were now standing helplessly on the lawn, watching us.
Rebel hit the power button that opened Fang’s window and yelled across him, “Well, you three fucked up, didn’t you? Dumbasses! Next time I see you, each of you is going to get a taste of these! A solid punch right to the dick!”
Each of them could have picked her up and tossed her across the room, but she was fearless. I had no doubt, if I’d asked her to, she would have been running across that lawn, aiming those knuckle-dusters at someone’s junk.
Fang clicked his seat belt into place. “Pix, the getaway driver is supposed to actually drive the car. Not antagonize the targets with threats on their reproductive organs.”
She grinned at him. “Oh, right. Sorry.” She shook her metal-decorated knuckles at my men one last time and then put her foot on the gas.
X, Whip, and Levi disappeared behind us and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Fang twisted to glance back at me. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t. I was mortified, filled with embarrassment that I’d been stupid enough to think they actually wanted me and I wasn’t just some job Grayson was making them do. I’d been a desperate, easy lay. But above all that, I was heartbroken. I’d opened myself up and had gotten stomped down in the most painful way I could imagine. But I forced myself to smile at Fang because he didn’t need me trauma dumping all over him too.
“I will be. Thank you for picking me up.” And then I added on, “Brother.”
