Page 61 of Deranged (American Street Kings 3)

“Onyx—”

“Wraith, stop looking for excuses not to jump into the deep end with me. Just go with it. Stop running and just be with me. No promises, no guarantees.” I pulled her closer, her body flush against mine, the summer breeze wafting raven strands into her face. “One day at a time, that’s all I’m asking.”

Her lips pursed as she chewed the inside of her cheek, and I practically heard the wheels turn inside her head. Pushing herself up on her toes, she placed a gentle kiss against my lips, her mouth lingering on mine, our breaths colliding. Jesus Christ, I had never experienced this before. I had never wanted a woman as much as I wanted her. It was like our souls were connected, and the thought of not being with her, of not having her was powerful enough to fuck with my head in the worst possible way.

My lips ached when she pulled away, desperate for more of her taste. And as our gazes met, she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re a good man, Onyx. I can see why she cares for you.”

“Who?”

“Alyx.”

I cocked a brow. “What the fuck does Alyx have to do with this?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head lightly, “she just made it clear that she didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“What? Why—”

“Calm down. She was subtle about it, and I get it. I get that you’re all like family, something I’ve never had.”

“Wraith, I know you’ve been hurt. I know there’s demons in your past, but don’t let it keep you away from me.”

She stepped back a little, and I hated the distance between us. “Just…take me back. Please.”

“Wraith, don’t. You’re pulling away again.” I reached for her, but she moved out of my reach, like she was afraid I’d burn her.

“I need time.”

Instantly, hope flared. Those words were better than a fucking no. “Okay.” I placed my hands on my hips, staring at her with intent. “Just know that if you disappear on me, I will look for you. And I won’t stop until I’ve found you. You hear me?” I stepped up to her and grabbed her chin between my fingers, lifting her face to mine. “I will turn this city upside down for you, woman. I swear to God.”

17

Wraith

I went straight home—tothe Python clubhouse after the ride I took with Onyx. My head was a mess, my heart in chaos. Every second I spent with him I felt him claw his way deeper into my heart. He was so sure I was the woman he wanted. But he didn’t know me—know who I really was. Everything he thought he knew was a lie. A lie that started the very first second he laid eyes on me. And on my way back home, his every word echoing in my mind, I was convinced that the certainty in his eyes was just a ripple effect of me pretending to be someone I wasn’t.

Even though it physically hurt to walk through the halls of my brother’s compound, knowing my life was nothing but a giant hole of nothing, I was smart enough to realize that it would never change. My life would never change. There was no hope for Onyx and me, because he would never accept me if I had to tell him the truth. And I could no longer live this lie. I could no longer look into his eyes, see the affection he felt for me reflect in his irises without me feeling a gut-wrenching guilt strong enough to tear me apart.

So, this was it. I had no choice but to move on—away and without Onyx, a man I had been deceiving since the very beginning. This was my life, and the sooner I made peace with it, the better. And after I got this job done for Slither tonight, I planned on telling him that I would no longer be his spy on the fucking Kings. I would do all his other jobs forever and a day—but not the Kings. Not Onyx.

Never again.

The red dress I wore was way too tight. But Glenn—or rather, Slither—insisted I wear it. Said red was this guy’s favorite color, and the tighter, the better. In the past, I didn’t give situations like these a second thought. It was part of my life, part of me paying my way around here. My way ofcontributingto the crew. Slither didn’t want me riding with them as a crew member, said women weren’t allowed to wear the Python patch. And he definitely didn’t want me being fender fluff since, well…I was his sister. Everyone around here knew they’d be as good as dead if they touched me. If they didn’t believe it, they were more than welcome to ask the corpse currently serving as fish bait at the bottom of the ocean—the body of a man whose throat Slither cut because he thought my ass was fair game for crew members. Needless to say, no other man here even looked my way after that. I was like the local leprosy patient with everyone walking circles around me. But it didn’t bother me. The less I had to deal with guys walking around with their dicks on their foreheads, the better. And myjobhere didn’t bother me either…until today. For the last ten years, I had been too grateful for what Slither had done for me to doubt my place here. If fucking clients, VIPs to the Pythons, or anyone Slither needed money, business, or information from was what it took to show my gratitude and loyalty, I did it. It still didn’t compensate for what my brother had done for me all those years ago. But today, I struggled. I struggled to put my game face on, to get my head in the right space to do what needed to be done. With every click of my heel against the concrete, doubt dug its claws deeper into my mind. I tried to focus on the profile Slither had given me. The man I was supposed to impress enough to ensure he didn’t take his business elsewhere. According to my brother, this man was the most important client the Pythons had ever had, and my performance tonight better be a game changer. With my dark hair straightened and heavy make-up illuminating my skin and lengthening my eyelashes, I was hardly recognizable as the Wraith everyone knew.

Slither waited by the door, his smile stretching from ear to ear. His split tongue and snakelike appearance never bothered me. To the world, it was a man trying to be a monster—a freak who wanted to look as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. But I knew what the motivation was behind every tattooed scale, and the tongue torn in two.

“You look gorgeous, little sister.”

I smiled. “Thanks.” I glanced at the club door and up to the neon pink sign that read ‘Jitters.’

I cocked a brow at my brother. “A strip club?”

“The Sixes own it.”

“Of course they do,” I muttered and rolled my eyes.

Slither grabbed my elbow and pulled me close, fingers digging into my flesh. “You better behave tonight, little sis. Or I swear to God I’ll—”

“I always behave,” I bit out before he could finish his threat. One thing about words, they could never be taken back. I didn’t want Slither to go there, to say something that would wreck us. He was all I had left in this world.

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