Page 67 of City of Salvation

Boe.

Pussy also put on a whole sob story in church about how I’d attacked him. I’d already made my peace about dealing with whatever punishment the club voted on—it had been worth it and I’d fucking do it again. But then Torque piped up, giving some extra context to how it all went down.

Boe had left out one particular part, the detail about how he’d decided to taunt me about my sister. That caused Pres’s eye to twitch, his only tell when he was pissed.

Well, Boe, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

I could tell by the glare Pres shot me that he wasn’t happy I hadn’t spoken up, but I was a glutton for punishment.

The party was in full swing when I exited church. My heart sped up when I didn’t spot Nikki. I hadn’t expected her to run up to me like an eager puppy, but I thought she’d at least be sitting at the bar so I would see her as soon as I came out.

A rock settled on my chest. What if something had happened to her? Or someone caught her attention. I wrinkled my nose at that second thought. A woman selecting someone else had never bothered me in the past, but with Nikki…

“Pay up, bitch.”

I spun on my heel at the familiar bark of attitude. I’d been on the receiving end of Nikki’s tone plenty of times.

“What the fuck did you call me?” someone else said.

Nikki was over by one of the pool tables, cue in one hand while she held her other out to some dude with a shaved head. His back was to me, so I couldn’t tell if I knew who he was or not. More than likely I didn’t, because I never bothered getting to know the hang-arounds. They were a bunch of bitch ass men who only wanted tolooklike they were in an MC, but didn’t have the actual balls to get in. Same pieces of shit who’d call the cops instead of settling shit the real way- with a fight.

Nikki pulled her hand away, placing it on her hip. He was in for it now because, she was staring at him with her,“I’m not the fucking one,”look.

“I said. Pay. The. Fuck. Up. Bitch,” she said, enunciating each word like he was an idiot. Which, clearly, the shoe fit. But I didn’t like the way the asshole tightened his fist as if he was going to swing at her. He wouldn’t even be able to flinch without me being on his ass.

On silent feet, I moved in closer.

“Fuck you. You played me, you whore.” He practically spit out the last word, and I saw fucking red, plowing through people to get to her. But before I could even get there, Nikki was up in his face.

Every cuss word I knew spilled from my mouth.

She was too damn brave.

“Call me whatever the fuck you want. Unlike you, that shit doesn’t faze me. But you owe me money. It’s not my fault you’re a shit player and bet too much.” She flicked her eyes to me for the briefest of moments.

She knew where I was.

I moved behind him. My stomach did a stupid flip when her shoulders dropped ever so slightly. No one else would’ve noticed, but I did. She knew she was safe when I was around, and fuck, if that didn’t have me standing taller.

“You must be new around here because all you are is a hole for us to stick our cocks in. In fact…” He began unzipping his jeans.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Nikki said, looking at her nails as if she was talking about the weather. If I weren’t so entertained by her, I’d have shot the fucker thirty seconds prior. The sick part of my brain liked that she was toying with our victim, and I had a brief vision of her in the interrogation room with me.

Her weapon to wield.

I shoved away the thoughts, focusing on her.

The asshole wasn’t too bright, and opened his mouth again even though she’d warned him. “And what the fuck are you going to do about it, whore? I can take you whether you want it or not,” he spat.

Rage like I’d never felt flowed through me like, and in the next instant, his face hit the felt of the pool table—repeatedly. His yelps of protest were so pathetic that they only fueled my anger.

I wanted a fucking fight, to revel in the adrenaline of swinging fists and taking punches. Because the only thing that would tamp down the bloodlust that had taken route was either killing him or fucking someone.

A pool of blood appeared under where his face was landing, seeping into the felt and transforming the green into a deep crimson. Somewhere in the haze, I remembered that Nikki was standing nearby, and the burn of fury flipped to something I hadn’t felt since Kelly’s death.

Fear.

Fear that she wouldn’t be around after seeing me lose my shit like this.

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