I don’t speak, because I sure as hell don’t plan to tell him who I am now.
“You think you can fuck the guy with scars because he’s the easiest, most desperate one? You think that’s your in? Roll up in your ridiculous outfit and roller skates like it’s all a fun time? This isn’t a fucking game. And you’re taunting the wrong guy,” he growls. “You’re fucking with the wrong club.”
That thin line that has been holding me back suddenly frays and snaps with those words. My hands fall to my sides as my eyes narrow on him.
“I know it’s not a game, asshole,” I bite out.
His gaze doesn’t shift, and his body doesn’t stop caging mine in.
“Just because I don’t have scars all over my body doesn’t mean I haven’t survived hell too. And for the record, I wasn’t singling you out as the weak link because of your scars. I thought those scars meant you were a survivor—the strongest link. Honestly, I’m into you. Or at least I was.”
He pushes back and crosses his arms over his chest, still studying me. I straighten my shoulders, my shallow breaths growing a little stronger.
“I know this isn’t a game, and I’m so sorry that I don’t skulk around and brood like all of you. Even though I’m only twenty-four, I’d bet anything I’ve lived this life much longer than any of you, with the exception of maybe Drex. Sarah told me you’d never let anyone touch me if I didn’t want to be touched. And since you’re the only one I wanted to touch, it made perfect sense to be with you and have some fun in the meantime. But fuck you and your dick ways.”
CHAPTER 10
AXLE
Listening to her berate me instead of cowering means she’s legit about dealing with guys like us before. Her brother is a junkie and dealing drugs, so maybe I jumped to conclusions, but it’s clear she’s privileged. She has a trust fund, for fuck’s sake.
I’m struggling to believe she singled me out as the one she wanted. I’m usually the last resort kind of guy, since I’m not exactly the cuddly, pretty boy type. There’s an angle, but I didn’t understand it until she said Sarah promised her I’d never let anyone else touch her.
She turns and walks out, slamming the door behind her, and I try to figure out what we missed. I looked into Lathan and her after all that shit happened six months ago, but only found privileged, boring, private school bullshit. Nothing linking her to this world except the trust fund boy turned drug dealer.
The door swings open again, and I try not to smirk when she grabs her roller skates from the floor. She points a finger at me. “And for the record, you have to be badass to wear this outfit in front of guys like you and not feel the need to explain yourself.”
She spins and walks out again, slamming the door once more.
I can’t help but be intrigued. And a little amused.
Sarah knows something.
I call her, but she doesn’t answer. I also get to thinking about Eve coming in during our meeting, worrying it might have been Herrin setting us up. Eve always knows the details of the plans, and she would do anything at all to keep Drex safe.
No doubt she called Sarah and told her about this meeting days ago when Drex wouldn’t take her worries into consideration.
We’ve all gotten cocky. We’re lethal, but our names were forged under Herrin’s rule. It makes people more afraid of Herrin than us. We need to remember that and start being smarter, so we don’t become too fucking easy to kill.
I walk out onto the landing, looking down at the warehouse below from my metal balcony perch. My eyes immediately land on Maya as she sits down on a chair and starts tugging her skates back on.
Every pair of eyes down there—at least twenty or so—are looking at her. I bristle a little, but try to shrug it off.
I glance up, seeing Drex standing on the balcony and staring down too, and I make my way around to where he is.
“Where’s Eve?” I ask him, propping up beside him.
I don’t miss the fact his eyes are on Maya.
“She’s in the shower. I just filled her in on everything,” he says, his attention not shifting.
Why does that bother me?
“She told Sarah about that meeting,” I point out.
“Figured that much out already,” he says quietly. “She was worried about me, and she knew Sarah would take her more seriously than I did. I won’t make that mistake again. Eve has good intuition for the most part. And I’ve gotten too reckless. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but we need to be more cautious going forward. I overestimated our fear factor.”