Page 44 of The Echo of Violence

“Everything alright?” I ask, doubting he’ll answer.

He surprises me. “She wants to stay at Carnage for a few days. Visit with her uncle and his old lady.”

“Okay.” I wait for more, but he says nothing else. “She is bound to want to see her family sometimes, Scope. You know that.”

“She’s unhappy.”

I study his face, and it takes me a second to connect the dots. “And you think if she returns there, she might not want to come home.”

His jaw clenches as he nods. “She asked if she could go home for a few days. Home, Eightball. But this is her fucking home.”

“She loves you. She loves all three of you. She’ll come back.”

He turns around and sighs before frowning. “I need to find her a friend.”

I chuckle. “That’s not quite how it works. You can’t just put out an ad and wait for people to apply for the position.”

“Why not?”

“Because most of them would apply to get close to you and the brothers. People have been curious since we set up shop here. I expected fear, but since we’ve mostly kept to ourselves, they are just nosy.”

“What the fuck do I do then? I can feel her slipping away, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

“You’ve gotta find a way to let her live her life. She’s your queen, I get that, but she is more than the cut she wears declaring her yours. She’s young. She has hopes and dreams. Look around you, Scope. This is not what she went to college for. Hell, this place probably resembles her porn star friend’s movie set. She isn’t pulling away because she doesn’t love you or us. She just needs more than this.”

“What about the girl? The one from the Mexican place. Mercy seemed to like her.”

“Jinx?”

“Yeah her. Is it me, or does that sound like a road name?”

I jolt at that, remembering the conversation I had with her earlier. “She said she isn’t affiliated with another club.”

His sharp eyes turn to look at me. “And when did she say this?”

I groan and run my hands through my hair. “I bumped into her tonight at The Watering Hole.”

“You find out anything useful?”

“Define useful?”

“Does she have a hidden agenda for coming here?”

“I want to say no, but she understands the basics of club life better than most civilians.”

“You think she’s a club slut. Come to get info?”

I shake my head. “No, but I’m not sure I can trust my judgment.”

“You fucked her, didn’t you?”

“Yep.”

“You didn’t bring her here. Did she push for it?”

“No, the opposite, in fact. We fucked at the bar, and then she disappeared before I’d even gotten rid of the condom.”

He grins. “I like this chick. I’ll let you tell Knight you fucked the girl that’s fucking with his head.”

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