Page 61 of I'm Sorry

“Look at Trace now? I’m supposed to be impressed by that? He’s a fucking Hellion and instead of on his way to GP, he’s what, drifting?”

Spencer shrugs. “He’s good at what he does. A natural and if he stays in it, he can quickly become a pro. Now he has a family that will always back him.” The edges of my vision darken with my anger.

“Family,” I spit, irritation bleeding heavily into my tone. The fucking audacity of these people. “A Hellion in the pro drifting scene. Right. How many people will you assholes take down to get him there…?”

“We’re not the bad guys.” Spencer pours another glass and pushes it my way.

“Keep telling yourselves that.”

“Fuuuuccckkkk…” Spencer groans when the bell over the door to the bar chimes and a broad kid, built and tattooed, steps through, a permanent scowl etched into his ruinous features.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX

SPENCER

“Let’s go.”With a heavy sigh, I stand and wrap my hand around Benny’s thick bicep. As I expect, he doesn’t budge and instead simply looks down at the contact with a snarl. A snarl that I wouldn’t mind seeing somewhere else, a little more private. He may be drunk and a pain in my ass, but he’s damn good looking.

“You think I’m scared of some Chaos pricks?” I know damn well he’s not scared of Chaos. The shit I know Benny is capable of, Sawyer, leader of the junior chapter of Chaos, doesn’t scare him.

God, I’m fucking irritated with this shit. Every day it’sChaos thisandChaos that. I’m so sick of these assholes. Is it too hard to ask for an evening of just sitting in a bar with a hot guy and talking? Even if I knew he was going to be a handful?

But here they are, a thorn in my fucking side.

“Look, I know your history, the things you’ve done. I’ve done my research.” That I certainly have. Benny isn’t the squeaky clean college boy he’d like everyone to think. The fact that he was fully a member of the Devils is even more of a turn on. At one point, he wasn’t this goodie-two-shoes, holier-than-thou version of himself. “Mr. Reformed Thug, sweet little college boy, tryin’ to clean things up. How many are under your belt? Four? Or is it five?” My voice is barely more than a hiss, but it draws the reaction I want from him.

In an equally low tone, he leans in and growls out, “Those are just the ones people know about. If you think for a second I regret them—”

“Then why’d you leave the Devils?” His alluring scent pulls me in, swirling around me in an intoxicating mixture, but I don’t let him interrupt my train of thought.

“Because I was going down a very dark path that led me to nothing but loneliness and heartbreak. Nothing but death.”

“And look where that has gotten you.” It’s a challenge. He knows it as well as I know it. The agony that trickles through his features, darkening his already stormy gray eyes, tugs at a small part of my heart that feels for the guy. I’ve lost comrades, but never anyone close to me, so I can only imagine what he’s going through. For a moment, I soften my stance and my grip on his arm. “We have to get you somewhere safe.”

He rips his arm from my grasp, a wicked grin spreading his lips. “Safe.” He chuckles darkly, turning to make his way toward the back of the bar. I follow, but make sure to check over my shoulder. The last thing I need is Sawyer noticing we’ve been here. This isn’t Chaos territory, yet, but I’m not looking for a fight tonight. “I asked for this. He’s here because of me. I know they have her and I’m gonna save my girl.”

He isn’t wrong. We know they have her, but he can’t do this by himself. He isn’t that good.

“Are you starting shit with Chaos by yourself, you asshat? I swear you and Trace are one and the same. You’re goading them and you think it will work?” He gives a drunken, dark grin. I glare at him and give him a shove toward the back of the bar. “You’re too fuckin’ drunk to take on that asshole. He’ll drive you into the dirt and you know it.”

“Just meeting with him. He’s here to help.” I scoff. He’s lost his damn mind if he thinks Sawyer Marquez is going to help anyone. Even more of a reason to get him out of here and keep him safe from himself.

“You’re an idiot. Walk,” I order. Surprisingly, he concedes.

Begrudgingly, Benny pushes through the back door. The heavy metal swings out wide to bounce off the brick wall and back toward me. When it slams against my palm, I groan, annoyed. This kid has an attitude from hell, huh? It’s getting me hot.

I should let him go. He can handle himself, and he’s out of harm’s way now. But I don’t want to. I guess part of me is looking for the fight he wants to start. Might do both of us some good to let out a little aggression. Wouldn’t mind having his hands on me either—something about his pain and sadness mixed with his volatile past.

“B. Gibbs, is it?” I call out, and he stiffens the moment the words leave my lips. The ridiculous nickname ritual he shares with Johnson. Stupid shit, but it gets the reaction I want.

“Are you trying to die tonight, Owens?” Aw, shit. I can’t help but smirk. He spins, whipping around with a near feral look on his face. The sheer tenacity of it has my heart pounding in my chest, begging for him to strike. I clench my fists in preparation. He is not a small guy.

“Thought you were above that now… Preppy.” Benny chews on the inside of his cheek as he glares at me, his chest heaving.C’mon, take the hit,I urge in my sadistic mind.

“You just don’t know when to fucking quit.”Oh, I know exactly when to quit, but we aren’t quite there yet.I stand my ground when he closes the distance between us and nails me straight in the chest with flat palms. I wheeze and stagger back a couple of steps.Shit.

He goes for a right hook to my jaw, but I drop further into my crouch and throw my shoulder into his lower ribs. Air whooshes from his lungs when we contact the ground, but he knows how to fight, his chin tucked to his chest. I take control of the altercation and land a punishing fist to his jaw. His head snaps to the side, the sound that comes out of his mouth downright untamed, wild. I let it wash over me. Fuel me. But in an instant, I’m on my back.

A grueling knee contacts my ribs and pain explodes through my torso, but I don’t let it stop me and flip him back over. What I don’t expect is Benny’s forehead to crack against mine. Stars glitter my vision and a streak of warmth flows down over my nose.Fucking shit.He’s stunned me and uses my haze to push me off of him.

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