Havoc (Storm MC 7)

My words took him by surprise and he blinked and snapped his mouth shut.

I decided to explain myself—something I did for no one, but I felt Nash needed it if he was ever going to think about backing off from me and Carla. “You know my history with Kelly, which means you know that before she fucked me over, I gave her everything in that relationship. Anything she needed to be happy, I found a way to get her. Back then, I wasn’t the asshole I am now. I let life and the shit it threw my way sidetrack me, and I let it turn my heart cold. Getting to know Carla has changed me and opened my eyes. I want more in life again. And I want it with Carla.”

Something I said must have hit home for him. His permanent scowl disappeared. “You’ve got one shot. You screw it up, I’m not going back for seconds. Carla might, but I won’t give you that.”

I blew out a long breath and nodded. “I’ll take it.”

A rustling noise down the side of the house distracted us and Nash took off in that direction with me following close. I hoped we caught whoever it was. I figured we could both do with the opportunity to take our frustrations out on them.

As we rounded the corner of the house into the front yard, the front door light illuminated the area and horror engulfed me as I came face-to-face with Paul, the guy who’d been stealing off Jackson Jones. He had Carla by the throat with a knife and pure evil blazed in his eyes.

“Fuck!” Nash bellowed and as he took a step forward to go to them, I reached out and pulled him back. This was my shit and I would deal with it.

“Hey, asshole,” Paul yelled at me. “How does it feel? Having someone you care about threatened? Because that’s what you did to me! You took my fucking life and trashed it.”

I held up my hands as I slowly advanced towards him. “She means nothing to me. Do whatever the fuck you want with her.”

Carla’s eyes widened in fear.

The words grated on their way out of my mouth. I could only imagine how they sounded to her, but I figured Paul was out to hurt me and if he thought she meant nothing, I hoped he would let her go.

His brows lifted as he drew a tiny amount of blood from her neck.

Fuck.

As she winced, pain sliced through my heart.

No fucking way was he going to hurt her.

“Don’t you fuckin’ hurt her!” Nash thundered, shoving past me.

Linda and Velvet screamed from the doorway and a moment later, Velvet ran down the front steps. Nash’s attention was diverted for a moment as he tried to hold her back. I ran towards Paul, desperate to move Carla out of the way.

“Motherfucker!” Paul screamed, clinging to Carla while he slashed the knife in the air. This made it impossible for me to get to her.

She fought him, trying to unlock his arm from around her neck, but his grip was strong. In the background, I heard Nash and Velvet arguing.

Everything happened so fast.

Paul and Carla struggling.

Nash moving towards us.

Linda screaming.

Finally, Nash managed to get behind him while I had his attention in the front. Nash punched him hard enough for his hold on Carla to loosen, which allowed me to shove her to the side. She fell to the ground and I shifted my gaze to her for only a moment, to make sure she was okay, before turning back to Paul.

He’d dropped the knife so I punched him as hard as I could in the gut.

“Fuck!” he roared as he stumbled backwards into Nash.

Nash’s hands curled around his biceps and he held him in place while I moved closer. “What the fuck made you think it was a good idea to come here?” I demanded.

Paul’s upper lip raised in a snarl. “Marnie’s lying dead in a hospital morgue. That’s what made me come here. When I saw you at that biker clubhouse today, I was fucking ecstatic. I’d been waiting for you, wondering how long it would take for you to show up there.”

I jabbed my finger at his chest. “That shit is on you, not me. You stole from Jackson and you chose to date his ex knowing how he felt about that kind of thing.”

Paul struggled in Nash’s hold. “Settle the fuck down!” Nash thundered, tightening his grip.