Page 42 of Shattered Skull

“She said no, motherfucker!” he roared.

The other guy didn’t back down.

He pushed his shoulder into Aiken’s. “Fuck you, Skull. She ain’t your piece, man. Mind your fucking business.”

Aiken moved into his space, his face within inches from the other guy’s when he said, “What the fuck did you just say to me?”

The guy opened his mouth to repeat himself, but before he could get the words out, Aiken reared his head back and headbutted the guy in the face. He fell back a step, grabbing at his nose before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. He opened it, the blade shining in the kitchen light above them.

I thought for sure Aiken would back down, but he didn’t. Instead, he exploded, and an ungodly sound rushed from the back of his throat. He moved, slamming into the guy with so much force they flew back just as the guy swung the knife at Aiken.

13 Aiken

FUCKING TRADER JOE.

That’s what we called him because he was always moving between our crew and The Border Lords. It didn’t matter. He just wanted to be where the party and the drugs were. He wasn’t allowed in our fucking house, and I wanted to say that was the reason I was about to fucking kill him, but I would be lying.

The second I looked across the room and saw him with his hands on Everly, I snapped. Pain exploded behind my eyes when I headbutted him, but once he pulled a knife on me, I saw red. Everything inside me shut down as the need to destroy something with my bare hands took control.

He had a death wish, and I was all about granting fucking wishes lately.

I hit him, and he swung with the knife again, this time grazing my side. I felt the sting, but I was running on pure adrenaline. Grabbing the hand holding the knife, I twisted until he let loose.

Once I wrapped my fingers around the knife, I took it and stuck it into his thigh. He screamed like a bitch and reached for the blade, but when he tried to pull my hand away from it, I turned it, widening the hole in his leg. He froze, his mouth gaped open in shock and pain.

“Don’t you dare bleed, motherfucker,” I spat in his face.

I backed away, listening as he screamed from the floor. The knife handle could be seen, but the rest was embedded in his leg.

“If I ever see your face around here again, I’ll kill you,” I promised.

Crow entered the room, his broad shoulders blocking out the light above him and forming a large shadow over Trader Joe.

“What the fuck happened?” he asked.

“He pulled a knife on me,” I explained.

I didn’t tell him the part about Everly or how I had all but exploded when I saw Joe’s hands on her. I knew what he would think.

Why the fuck do you care about who’s touching her, man?

It was a question I didn’t have an answer for.

“He’s not even supposed to be in our fucking house,” Crow said.

I nodded, crossed my arms, and waited for someone to take out the trash. Saint and Joker came in, laughing when they saw what was going on. Following them, a small group began to form in the kitchen.

“Show’s over,” Crow rumbled, shocking people by speaking so publicly. It was a rare thing. “Someone get him out of here before he bleeds on my fucking floor.”

Reggie and Banger dragged Trader Joe from the house. I didn’t care where they took him, as long as he was gone.

The kitchen began to clear, a few people following the boys to see what was going to happen with Trader Joe. I turned, my gaze clashing with a wide set of dark brown doe eyes. Everly stared back at me, her mouth open in shock. Then she turned away and fled out the front door.

Fuck it.

Maybe now she would listen to me.

Maybe now she would stay away.

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