Page 25 of Vicious Chaos

He throws his head back and cackles, absolutely undeterred by my threat. I wouldn’t kill him. I am quite fond of my giant dope. There are plenty of places I could hit that he’d survive. Little flesh wound.

I lean into Declan at my side. “If I shot him, say outside of his thigh, how long do you think before he could fuck me in the shower again?”

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” Joe curses. “Scarlett Everhart, can you not?”

I cock my head at the older man I love more than I ever loved my real father. I should feel bad for subjecting him to hearing that from the girl he thinks of like his daughter. I should probably apologize, but I’ve already admitted Noah was better than me at something. There’s only so much generosity I am capable of in one day. “Is it weird to curse your own name?”

Declan’s deep laughter rumbles through me and a spike of lust shoots to my core. He doesn’t laugh much in front of others. It makes me all the more addicted to the decadent sound.

“I think we’ve gotten off track,” he reminds us.

“Man, I love hearing Scar admit she’s not the best at everything,” Kade mutters.

I roll my eyes. This man. “You know I always admit it when I've been bested.”

He shrugs, but I see just how much entertainment he’s getting from this conversation. Fucking shit stirrer. “Yeah?” Noah asks. At least he doesn’t have the same taunting tone. There’s only genuine curiosity in his voice. I see the same thing reflected on not only Ryder’s face, but also Tyler and Holden’s.

I shake my head. Just how narcissistic do these people think I am?

“Haven’t you ever noticed I never train Mikey or Ronan? They show up to almost every session, but never once have I instructed them on something like their form or speed. Why do you think that is?”

The two men in question smirk, their smugness radiating off of them. They don’t get down and dirty as often in the rings anymore. Don’t have the same need driving them like Kade, or even Holden, Ty, and Ian have.

They’re also a good twelve years older than me. They worked out most of their demons before I ever came along.

Ty looks around, but when no one else answers he takes a shot. “They’re already good? Already been trained by you?”

“You aren’t entirely wrong, but that isn’t it.”

Luca scoffs as he closes his laptop. “Someone had to train Scar. She wasn’t born a psycho.”

I snort. I was born as normal as could be. Well, if a wealthy heiress can be considered normal.

“Really?” Declan asks as he looks down at me. I reposition myself so I can lean against his chest and he’s quick to wrap his arms around me.

“Yupp. I met Mikey and Ronan when I stumbled into their tattoo shop.”

“Drunk off her ass,” Ronan interjects.

I flip him off before continuing. “I was eighteen, had just dyed my hair black…”

“Wait, you dye your hair?” Holden asks.

“Naturally blonde,” I answer before flipping my hair over my shoulder. “Black suits me better, hmm?” It is the truth. Even if I wasn’t concerned about hiding my true identity, I wouldn't feel right as a blonde. Not anymore. It wouldn’t feel like me.

“Anyways,” I continue. “I was eighteen and going through some changes as I tried to adjust to this new lifestyle.” Scoffs sound out across the room as I understate the process of me becoming a killer. I can’t help but smile as I finish the story. “I was too drunk for the tattoo, but they talked to me and took care of me anyways.”

“The next day, I did her first ink and then a few weeks later, we started her training,” Mikey finishes. “Ronan and I grew up together and trained in several different types of fighting styles. We learned all about techniques, forms, and control. We didn’t just teach her self defense or how to brawl.”

“Huh,” Ryder huffs. “So you’re the reason she is the way she is now?”

The two men exchange looks before throwing their heads back in laughter. “Fuck no,” Ronan exclaims. “Scar was always a crazy bitch. She habitually called Luca a pussy whenever he needed a break and continued to train even when she was practically a useless pile of limbs just going through the motions.”

“She also routinely worked through injuries, no matter how severe. Even going as far as to hide them from us. And was still dancing for Steel Roses the entire time.”

Even Joe chuckles now. “She isn’t half as hard on you lot as she is on herself.” Declan gently squeezes me, and I can practically hear him saying I told you so, even though he doesn’t say a word. Smug bastard.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I learned how important it is to take care of your body.” In my defense, when I first started training, it was the only thing I had left to live for. I wasn’t ready to play the long game. It took years for me to build up not only my strength and skills, but the mental fortitude to play this game we’ve found ourselves in.

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