Outcasts (Badlands 3)

“Damn, Brat, you did good.” His hands settled on my hips, and he spun me to face him, a full smile waitin to grace me. I swooned inside.

“You saw em?”

“My favorite part was when you choked him out. I might let you try that next time you ride my dick.” His smile shifted to a smirk.

“How did you see that?”

“Just assume I never really left you alone.” He took my bloody hand, pullin me down the hall.

“Is that why there’s like, two drops of blood on you?” Blue interjected.

“No, there’s only two drops of blood on me because I don’t always make a mess.”

“Is it done already?” I asked.

“No, but there’s somethin you need to see.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

I was thoroughly confused.

In what would have been the food hall, there seemed to be a standoff. At the center of it was Noah, Vance, and Vitus uncle, Rex; all with guns held to their heads by their own people.

Vitus stood behind them like he was a crowned prince. A man with darker features was right beside him.

Acolytes, too many to count, stood by every exit. Coming through a cellular’s speaker was Romero’s voice, soundin rather smug.

Cobra and Katya stood off to one side, both lookin like they’d dove in tomato soup, Kat still looked prim and proper, despite that, although, her face was serious for once, as was Cobra’s.

I refused to cower into Grimm when Vitus looked right at me, a smile lightin up his face. Bile rose in my throat at the sight of these men, but that’s all it was. They made me sick, made me hate, and they’d hurt me, but they didn’t fuckin scare me.

Blue stepped closer to me as an act of silent support. Vitus’s eyes shifted to her. The immediate curiosity I saw there had me pushin her behind me.

Grimm squeezed my hand, bringin me closer to his side and helpin me block her.

“You have two minutes to tell me something I want to hear before everyone in that room tears you a new asshole.” Romero’s voice filled the silence.

It was odd not to see him front and center; it only solidified how he felt about Cali that he wouldn’t leave her side while she was carryin his lil spawn.

“I want to meet you face to face. I’ll come to where you are, and, as an act of faith you can have my father, my uncle, and Noah. I was gonna toss my cousin in too, but I’m told he’s dead.” He winked at me, the ballsy fuck.

This wasn’t what I’d been expecting him to say at all. I couldn’t even play the, but they’re his family card. Family wasn’t defined by blood. I was walkin proof of that. Mine stood around me, half wearin satanic masks.

“He has leverage,” Grimm said quietly.

“Continue,” Romero commanded with no change in his vocal inflection.

“I just need a week. I’ll meet you face to face and then we go from there.”

“You haven’t told me why the fuck I wouldn’t just kill you now and still get what I want.”

“Well, you could’ve killed me the second I became a problem. But you didn’t. You’ve been waiting for me to show my cards. That’s why you take these fuck-ups off my hands and meet me in a week. We can iron out the details later of why later.”

The room went so silent you could hear a pin drop.

“He’s gonna take the deal,” I mumbled, a split second before he did exactly that.

“One week. I’ll get a hold of you, not the other way around.” The line went dead.