Page 44 of Defiant (American Street Kings 2)

I closed my gaping mouth. But the grin on his face made it clear his question had double meaning.

“Come on. You heard the man.” He gestured for me to walk the other way, and I glanced at Granite one more time. But as I turned, I noticed the dark-haired woman still standing in the exact same spot, glowering my way, arms crossed and animosity toxic.

“Who is that?” I asked Manic without looking at him.

He glanced her way. “Oh, that’s Tanit. Sister of an old lady. Now, go on, before Granite has a hernia.”

“What’s an old lady?”

He raised a brow, the scar moving with it. “Do I look like a crew Q and A? Now, hustle. I want to get back in time to see the brothers kill each other.”

“O…kay.” I blinked, not exactly sure if I should try to say anything else. So, I turned and walked the other way, listening to his footsteps behind me.

As we got to my bedroom door, I stopped. “Can I go to Neon’s room instead?”

He crinkled his nose, his lips pouted. He shrugged. “Why the fuck not. Go, go, go.” He rushed by, pushing me farther down the hall.

What a strange man.

A little unsure and slightly uncomfortable, I slowly stepped in the direction of Neon’s room. The more steps I took, the faster I began to walk. The entire situation was too unsettling, and I needed to be around someone—someone familiar. And something told me Granite would be occupied for quite a while.

I gently eased the door open, peeking inside to see whether she was awake. The doctor stood by her bedside talking to her, so I knocked.

“May I come in?”

The doctor looked at me then down at Neon, whispering something before approaching me. “Sure. She’s awake. Just don’t stay too long. The more she rests, the better.”

“Thanks, Doctor.” I smiled and waited for him to leave before making my way around the bed.

Neon’s eye opened, and the corner of her mouth curved. “Hey, Swan Lake.”

“Hey.” I pulled up a chair and took a seat next to her. “How you feeling?”

“Well,” she took a breath, “I have an idea that if I say I feel better than I look, I’ll be lying.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Nah. It’s okay. I can handle it.”

I reached out, tucking a strand of faded blue hair behind her ear. “When your bandages come off, I think we need to go with a nice bright pink.”

Neon snorted. “I’d rather be blonde again than color my hair pink.”

“You’re a blonde?” Somehow, that surprised me.

“Yes. And just know I’m dying inside from shame.”

I let out a laugh and sat back in the chair, trying to imagine the wild, pixie-faced Neon with subtle and soft blonde hair. But I couldn’t picture it. Not with her hard and tough exterior. The goth look I’d come to know fit her perfectly. But then again, living with these beasts of men probably did that to a woman. You’d need a thick skin, strong personality, and tough attitude to survive in this world.

“You good over there, Swan Lake?”

“Hmm…yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“I dunno.” She closed her eye briefly. “With being kidnapped and all, I bet it’s fucking with your head.”

I pulled my legs up, placing my feet on the chair and pulling my knees to my chest. “Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

“Horse crap. First, you’re kidnapped, and now you’re stuck in a basement with a bunch of savages. No one can be fine with such shitty living arrangements.”

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