Page 22 of Careless

Sorcha is mine.Too bad he won’t live long enough to learn that lesson.

“Get up,” I growl at him.

“What are you—”

“Shut your hole and do what I say or I’ll shoot you right here, Slater. Get up off your ass.” My eyes narrow to slits as my jaw grounds so hard I worry my teeth will crack.

I can tell the exact moment when he sees my darkness trying to claw its way out of me, as if it’s a separate entity. My point is made clear, and he’s petrified.

“We can work this out.” He stumbles over his words and his feet as he tries to stand.

“Oh we can?” I ask, widening my eyes in mock relief. My once tight jaw morphs into a fanatical smile and I itch my right temple with the barrel of my gun. “Don’t you worry, little buddy. We will work everything out by the end of the night. Now, I’m gonna need you to walk to my car and get in. We’re going to go for a ride. If you’re good, maybe we'll stop for ice cream. My treat!” My tone is almost comical, but leaves no room for argument. Yet, the dumbfuck still tries.

“I could yell for help,” he threatens, but he’s practically shaking in his boots. His forehead shines from perspiration as his hands tremble.

“You could, but then I’d have to kill your family and everyone else who lives on this street.” I tilt my head from side to side as if weighing my options. “Plus, I won’t spring for sprinkles. Now, that’s a lot of pointless bloodshed. Come willingly or I’ll bring an end to your family name tonight. What’s it going to be, pretty boy? You or youandeveryone you give a shit about? Do I need to add whipped cream and a cherry?”

He examines my expression for a moment, trying to figure out if I’m bluffing.

Spoiler alert: I’m not.

We both know his mother is cooking dinner while his father reads the newspaper, and his big brother is on the phone trying to search out a slut desperate enough to suck his cock with his parents in the next room.

I’ve had plenty of time to hack into the security cameras inside the Slater home to check up on the family before this piece of shit returned home.

The hope visibly dies in his eyes as he looks longingly at his home one last time, his shoulders sag in defeat. That was easier than I thought. I was sure I’d have to follow through with my threat. It wouldn’t be the first time I slaughtered a household to keep a predator away from Sorcha O’Reilly. I’ll admit, I’m relieved. I don’t find pleasure in killing moderately innocent people, but it doesn’t bother me.

I make sure they knew it wasn’t because they broke the rules, either. Everyone I came for knew it was me and why I wanted them dead. That made them even more petrified of me.

There’s a big difference in levels of crazy from a man killing because his duty tells him to and someone doing it out of their own free will, because they want to. I’m that level of crazy.

* * *

“Come on, man!”Denzel thrashes his body around in the backseat as I cruise the speed limit out of his neighborhood. The last thing I need is to get pulled over for speeding with a man tied up in my backseat.

I should’ve gagged him, too. But, the whole reason he’s not in the trunk is because I was having too much fun hearing him beg. Plus, I couldn't find a rattler.

“What is this even about?” He groans as his head knocks against the window.That probably hurt like a bitch. Bulletproof glass is nearly impossible to break.

“You know what it's about. Now, shut up,” I sneer.

“You mean the girl? Fuck, Rian. Sorcha is fucking easy and everyone knows it. She’s about as much of a slut as her brother is.”

Red swallows my vision in waves of pigmentation. He called my girl a slut. If it wasn’t for me driving, I’d kill him right now for those filthy words. Keeping my eyes on the road, I reach back at Dez with my right hand and come in contact with his hair. I grab it and slam his head into the passenger head rest. The music of his nose cartilage breaking, and his whimpers of pain satisfies my bloodlust by a small percentage.Can you break your nose twice in a day?

“Ow! What the fuck, man? I’m not the only one. Everyone thinks it. It's a small town. People talk. You know Kia’s cousin, Dom? Her and Kia always go to his parties in Houston. She gets wasted and fucks randoms guys that don’t even know her name. People only go to these parties to hook up.”

My knuckles turn white from my tight grip on the steering wheel. It’s not true. I know that. Sorcha isn’t dumb enough to go to parties without one of us, much less let anyone touch her. She knows if anyone touches her, they will die. Kia did mention that the party Sorcha wanted to go to was hosted by her cousin, but that’s probably a coincidence.

But, do people actually think this about Sorcha or is Dez just trying to get under my skin? If people think Sorcha is getting her rocks off with random guys at parties, it explains a lot of the wandering eyes where my girl is concerned.

“Where in Houston?” I demand, trying to control my anger. One way or another, Dom will understand that Sorcha isn’t welcome at his parties. And, if Sorcha is there when I do it, I’ll drag her out and spank her ass so hard she won’t be able to sit for a week.

“I don’t fucking know, man. I’ve never been to one. If you live in Grove Hill, you only get to these parties if Kia invites you.”

I can’t help, but roll my eyes at how I let this fuckface rile me. He’s never even gone to a party. He doesn't know shit. “Shut the fuck up or I’ll shoot you before we even reach The Ship Channel.”

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