Page 14 of Fast & Dirty
“Maddox wants to fuck my girl. He doesn’t fucking understand that she’s mine.”
“Fuck you. You may have seen her first, but that doesn’t make her yours.”
“Shut the fuck up. Both of you. You two want to tear each other apart, fine by me. Fight it out in the ring tomorrow.” A moment passes of silence. All I can hear is the blood still roaring in my ears and our heavy breathing. I glare at Maddox before facing Linc.
The second I see him, all I can think about is how he brought me on, even knowing I was undercover. How he patched me, knowing I was a cop. He has no idea I know. It feels like everything is crumbling around me. Fuck. My girl left me, the only girl I ever fucking wanted. My best friend wants to sleep with her. And the only people I ever considered family have known for years that I’ve been lying to them. Something hard drops in the pit of my stomach as my heart lurches in my chest.
I open my mouth, but the words don’t come out. I slam my mouth shut and clench my fists, wanting to beat the shit out of Maddox all over again. Anything to get rid of this pain pushing down on me. I don’t know how to tell Linc. How the hell do I tell him? My blood runs cold and all I can hear is a pounding in my ears.
I hear Maddox spit in the trashcan before he says, “Blake’s got some prick’s info for Roger, Pres.” I glance over at him and he gives me a tight smile. I give the same tense smile back and relax my fists. Even after knocking him around, he’s still helping me out.
It takes a minute for Linc to register what Maddox just told him. I see the moment it finally clicks, because his face lights up and a smile takes over his face; a rough chuckle barrels through his chest. “Well, it’s about damn time.” His left hand comes down on my shoulder and squeezes before he grabs me in a bear hug. What the fuck? “Who told you?”
Pinch pipes up before I can respond and says, “Maddox was fucking around with him, Pres. So I told him.”
Linc’s smile slips. “What do you mean?” Before anyone can answer he adds, “Who told you we knew you were a cop?” I feel my forehead pinch in confusion. Why the fuck does it matter? I’m not going to question Linc though. You don’t question Pres.
“I did.” Pinch looks curious too. His normal smile has faded and his eyes are darting between the three of us. I’ve rarely seen him anything other than happy as a pig in shit, so seeing him eyeing the fuck out of everyone is making my own nerves race through me.
“Damn it, Pinch!” Pinch cringes at Linc’s outburst. “You cost me twenty grand.” Linc starts shaking his head before smacking Maddox on the back of his. We all flinch at the sound, because it sure as hell wasn’t a love tap, and Maddox takes a step closer to me. As if I can protect him from Pres if it comes to that.
“What the hell’s wrong with you, Maddox?” Linc’s hard eyes bore into Maddox’s as he asks, “He’s the closest thing you’ve got to family, and you didn’t tell him?”
It’s easy to see Maddox’s confusion on his face. He parts his lips to respond, but nothing comes out. His eyes shift hesitantly to me and then back to Linc’s before he points out, “Pres, you told me not to.”
“I told you not to do a lot of shit, but that didn’t stop you two, did it?” I press my lips into a hard, tight line waiting for Maddox to respond. How does he know about that? And what exactly does he know? I’m not admitting shit.
He clenches his fists and opens his mouth, but nothing comes out. His eyes find mine and I shake my head slowly, silently telling him that I didn’t tell Linc anything.
Linc rubs his hands down his face and mutters, “Dammit Maddox, you owe me twenty grand.” He shakes his head one last time and looks at the two of us like we’ve disappointed him.
“You two get your shit settled. But if you wanna fight it out, you do it in the ring. I have to call Roger.” Link slams the door shut on his way out, cursing us under his breath.
The three of us stare at the closed door.
“That’s why he didn’t tell me?” I look between the two of them slowly. “Because of a bet?”
“Who the fuck would bet twenty grand on that?” Pinch’s brows are knitted and he runs his hand through his hair in confusion while sitting back in his seat. Silence settles over the room.
“You know I meant what I said earlier.” Maddox’s voice breaks the quiet.
“Which part of what you said?” For the life of me, I don’t know what he’s getting at. But if it’s about Marie, we’re gonna have problems.
“Maybe between the two of us, we can keep her.” Motherfucker just won’t let it go.
“Don’t make me kill you, Maddox.”
He holds up both hands in surrender, but refuses to shut the fuck up. “Just listen to me.” I shake my head and curl my lip as rage pumps through me. “I know she’s not just a piece of ass.” His words make me pause, but only for a second.
“You think she’s going to listen to you when you show up at her place?” My eyes dart to the floor for a split second in doubt before meeting his.
“You think she’d listen to you? But not me?” I sneer and resist the urge to spit.
“Calm the fuck down, Blake.”
“Fuck you! You’re trying to take her from me!”
“I’m not taking anything from you. I want to share her.” My hands tighten into fists, making my split knuckles scream in agony. I tilt my head and crack my neck. My body’s on edge and I want nothing more than to take out all this pent-up energy on Maddox’s face.
