Page 4 of The Devils Melody
For the rest of the ride, I settle deep into my thoughts. The memories of my past always threaten to consume me after I strike a name off our list. They creep into my vision like poison seeping through the cracks. Hands in places they don’t belong, bruises painting skin, the rich scent of blood that never really fades. I can feel it crawling up mythroat, waiting for its moment to wrap itself around and choke me all over again.
But I force it all out, gripping hard on the one thing that’s been keeping my demons at bay. The one thing that dulls out all the noise and quiets all the ghosts, even if I don’t understand why.
Nox and I finally pull into the bar parking lot. We grab a spot near the back, out of sight, and take off our helmets. The cool breeze hits my face, a welcome reprieve after tonight's activities. We step off our bikes, kicking down the stands with a quiet clink, and that's when we hear it. It’s karaoke night.
I look over at Nox with a grin, and I swear the look he gives me is nothing short of annoyance. Of course I didn’t mention that it was a karaoke bar. He wouldn’t have come otherwise, and I needed to see the one thing that draws me here.
“I’ll make sure to put your name down forCall Me Maybe, yeah?” I laugh enjoying every second of this. He flips me off causing me to chuckle, and I toss my helmet onto the seat of my Harley as we head towards the doors, the horrendous singing only getting louder the closer we get. There’s a huge neon sign hanging above the door that's flashingPour Decisions.
After killing the owner of our previous bar, I didn’t have a choice other than to find a new spot for us to drink. I stumbled across this place by accident, figuring it was just another hole-in-the-wall where no one would look too closely. Those are usually the best spots for guys like us to relax. Nothing about it stood out, untilshestepped out from behind the counter.
The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid my fucking eyes on.
She caught me off guard and captured my attention like nothing else ever had, cutting right through the noise that blared in my head. The moment I laid eyes on her, my body went still, my senses sharpened, and every nerve in my system locked onto her. I didn’t know her name, didn’t know a damn thing about her, but I needed to. I’ve been coming back here every chance I get, feeding Nox some bullshit excuse about needing time alone. But the truth is, I just don’t want to share her with anyone. Not even him. She’s mine, she just doesn’t know it yet. My own little addiction.
And yet, after a while, it started to feel as if I was betraying Nox. Keeping her a secret was just one more knife twisting between me and the only person I’ve ever trusted. I don’t want him to doubt me. I don’t want him to think this is?—
My thoughts get cut short when a high pitched voice starts yelling towards the front of the bar. “Hey man let me through. This is bullshit. I just want to ask her something real quick. Come on, you know me, Joe.”
Trying to get past the bouncer is some scrawny looking dude who can’t be older than twenty-eight. Leaning forward in his chair, the bouncer says something that I can’t make out and the kid goes white in the face.
“Yeah, fuck you, and tell that bitch I’ll get to her sooner or later.” The bouncer is immediately on his feet, rushing at the kid. Nox and I share a quick look; he needs to be dealt with.
I don’t know if it’s just a twisted instinct that the “her” he could be talking about is my little addiction, or if it’s my constant rage that lunges me forward, but I make it to the kid first. Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, I easily toss him against the wall and hold him there, his feet danglingagainst the brick. He winces, his whole body flinching as he gets a good look at me. I’m not sure what he sees but I can make a damn good guess—death.
“Maybe you should take this nice man’s advice and get the fuck out of here, yeah? Unless you need my help in doing so?” I ask him, my voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to attract even more attention than I already have. Nox is next to me now, both of us making quite the imposing scene.
“You should probably get the fuck outta here, kid.” Nox isn't as intimidating as I am when it comes to looks, but his tall stature and unwavering demeanor makes him just as daunting all on his own.
“I’m thirty years old, you delinquent fuck!” he spits, trying but failing to act tough. I can practically smell the fear seeping out of his pores. I bang his head back against the brick, causing him to wince in pain. This kid needs to learn some respect.
“I don’t care how fucking old you are. You better watch who you’re talking to with that mouth of yours,” I snarl, shoving my face close to his just to further prove my point. “Now, I’m gonna put you down, and then you’re gonna drag your pathetic little ass to your car and get out of here. Do you understand?”
The scrawny kid whimpers under his breath but nods his head, and I angrily let go of him. The pathetic prick stumbles forward, nearly tripping over his own feet in his haste to get away. He doesn’t bother with another smart comment, just scurries off into the night like the vermin he is.
There are two things a person can do to absolutely boil my blood. Talking down about a woman and showing even a shred of disrespect towards Nox. And he managed to doboth in a matter of goddamn minutes. The only reason the kid has two legs to walk away on is because we’re in public with witnesses. Otherwise, he’d be crawling home.
The bouncer nods at us, eyes sharp with gratitude. “Appreciate it, boys. Kid’s been trying to get in for weeks now. Says he just wants to talk to his ex, but I'm on good authority that she doesn’t want to speak to him,” he chuckles, like he’s privy to some private joke but doesn’t elaborate further.
Part of me still believes he could have been here for her, but the other part of me couldn’t imagine my little addiction ever fawning over such a small, inconsequential excuse of a man. She doesn’t seem like the type to waste her time on someone that needed to be taught how to treat a woman properly.
I’ve been coming here for a few weeks, long enough to know that her confidence is far above that weak little shit who thinks he can bark orders as if anyone actually respects him. She doesn’t walk like a woman who settles or speak like someone who is so easily impressed. I’ve seen her little attitude come out a few times and it makes my dick hard every goddamn time. She’s the kind of woman who deserves the world burned down for her, and he wouldn’t even be able to hold the match.
I shrug, pulling at the collar of my shirt. “He won’t be back. I think I made my point clear enough.” Breaking a couple of bones could have made it a little more clear, but I digress.
Nox claps a hand on my shoulder, grinning. “Always the charmer.”
I huff out a laugh and push open the doors, immediately assaulted by the sound of some poor, pathetic drunk absolutely butcheringGuns N’ Roses’, Sweet ChildO’ Mine. Jesus, fuck. Everyone is tone deaf once they have a couple drinks in them.
Pour Decisionslooks like your average dive bar. The lighting is dim, except for the few neon signs on the walls, and the space is packed with booths and a few open tables in the center. A bartop stretches along the left side of the room with a door that leads into their kitchen, and there’s a small stage in the back where the drunk man sways against the microphone stand.
A nice, older looking hispanic woman is behind the bar holding a conversation with another bartender as she slings shots like it’s a sport. She sees us and winks as she slides a drink down the counter to a waiting hand.
Impressive. You can tell she’s been doing this for a while. I didn’t see her here the last time I came. She must not have been working.
A man bumps into me on his way inside and I take one step towards him before I feel Nox’s hand on my shoulder. “Come on,” he says, nodding towards an open table that, unfortunately, sits in the center of the room. “Let's grab a drink before you decide to start throwing people through windows.”
I give my brother a wicked grin and follow him to the table. He knows me so well.
