Page 26 of Destroyed (American Street Kings 4)

Onyx started pacing. “If we find Slither before they do and kill the bastard ourselves, we’d lose them as an ally, a client, and gain our worst fucking enemy.”

“We’ve been able to deal with a lot of shit in the past,” Granite started, “but going to war with the Sixes would bring down an entirely different shit-storm, one we can’t afford right now.”

“So, we basically have two choices here.” Dutch pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “If we find Slither and have Ink here slit his throat, we’ll have the Sixes up our ass. If we find Slither and hand him to Crow, we’ll have Ink up our ass. So, we’re basically fucked up the ass either way.”

Onyx grabbed the pack of cigarettes from Dutch. “Pretty much, yeah.”

I just rolled my eyes and smiled in disbelief. “And why is it that you all seem so surprised by this? I knew the direction this conversation was going to go even before it fucking started.”

“Ink, man—”

“Nah,” I interrupted Onyx. “It’s cool. I get it. No one fucks with Crow and gets away with it. And since Neon ain’t my old lady, there’s nothing we can do.”

That was the reality of our world. Certain shit worked a certain way. Fuck with a man’s business, you died. Fuck a man’s old lady, you died. Unfortunately, Neon wasn’t my old lady, which meant Crow had every right to demand he be the one to kill Slither. If Neon was my old lady, it would have been an entirely different story. But she wasn’t, which meant we didn’t have much of a choice if we wanted the Sixes to remain allies rather than become our enemies. Even I knew we couldn’t afford to not have the Sixes on our side. It was just the way it was, and there wasn’t shit we could do about it. But luckily for me, Crow would never get that chance. Slither was already mine—my little secret, chained and hanging from a ceiling, primed and ready for me to fucking slaughter. No one knew about it, which meant no one could do shit about it either.

Onyx straightened, his forehead creased as he frowned in my direction. “You cool with this?”

“Sure.” I shrugged. “It is what it is. I’m not an idiot. I know we can’t deal with the Sixes right now. We got enough going on.”

Granite moved in next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t have to. The relief on his face spoke volumes. Even though he no longer wore the president cut, this club was still his life, just like the rest of us. But something changed for me. Something shifted, and my entire world spun on its axis. Nothing was the same for me anymore, and even though this club meant everything to me, she meant more. After what happened today, the universe just proved to me that I made the right choice by keeping my secret, by not including any of the guys in my plan. It was a shitty feeling hiding this from them, but after today, I knew it was the only way.

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and headed in the other direction.

“Yo, Ink,” Onyx called after me. “Where you going, man?”

I turned while walking backward. “I’ll meet you back at the club. I need to clear my head for a while.”

Onyx nodded. “Stay out of trouble.”

“Yeah, no promises.” I turned back around and walked off. It felt wrong walking away from my brothers and taking my secret with me. But it was the only way. I made Neon a promise the day I picked her battered and bruised body up from the sidewalk, and nothing would stop me from making good on that promise. If that meant betraying my crew, betraying the patch—then so be it. It was a sacrifice I was willing to make. Nothing was more important than her.

Nothing.

11

Ink

I slammedthe door shut behind me, and Slither lifted his head, eyes heavy and complexion pale. The sound of his screams booming from the recorder reverberated off the walls and penetrated every bone in my body. The thrill was exhilarating. Like a fucking drug, it intoxicated my blood. I could listen to this fucker scream while falling asleep—a goddamn lullaby rocking me like a little baby.

“Did you enjoy your entertainment?” The sarcasm dripped from my words.

“He’s here to hurt her…isn’t he?”

I stilled. “What the fuck you talking about?”

“Daddy’s friend is here to hurt her…isn’t he?” His voice was brittle, like he was about to burst out in tears at any second.

I stalked closer, eyes narrowed, and warning prickling the back of my skull. “Stop fucking around, Slither.”

“Don’t let him hurt her.”

His eyes were open, looking in my direction, but the closer I came to him, the more it seemed like he didn’t see me at all—like he was staring right through me.

“You’re all monsters.” His jaw clenched. “She’s only ten!” he screamed, and my heart slammed against my ribs. “Don’t hurt her. Hurt me. Not her. Please, not her.”

“Who the fuck are you talking about?”

“Please. Don’t let him touch her.”

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