She assumed, because I had ink and a sense of style that didn’t cost me an arm and a leg for a simple tee, that I was trash, lesser than her in every way. She didn’t care about what was in my head or my heart or in what direction my moral compass swung.
I was pinned in her mind by her skewed judgement, tacked to the wall by her contempt and immediate disregard.
“I’m sorry, the situation I walked in on didn’t seem like a conversation,” I said conversationally, baring my teeth in a grin that looked more like a grimace. “In fact, if I didn’t know better, I would say it was a confession.”
She sneered at me, eyes narrowed on the place I touched Nova. “You have no right to interfere. Leave us alone.”
“Oh, I have the right,” I practically purred as I stalked forward.
She hesitated at the warning sign on my face then hastily stepped back, flattening herself to the chain link fence. I didn’t stop moving until I was in her face, caging her in the way Nova had just done. My lips were a whisper from hers, her blown open eyes the only thing I could see. The fear in them made my heart palpitate with savage joy.
I wanted her to be afraid of me.
I wanted her to suffer.
“I have the right because I’m that man’s family. I have the right because the man you just accused of being worthless fucking raised me. He gave me a family when I had nothing. It seems like you were lucky enough to have the same option, yet you blew it. That’s on you. Not Nova. But you being here? You coming to this place that’s our home and laying this bullshit at his feet? There’s no call for that. There’s no hope for you. You murdered that when you made the decision to take family away from a man whose family is everything to him.”
I wrapped my fingers around her throat, felt her pulse fluttering like a caged bird beneath my hand, and sneered. “I’m going to have a chat with him, and if I find out you’ve been putting this fucking garbage in his head since he was a teenager entrusted to your care, I’m going to have one of the brothers find you. And when he’s found you, after he’s done playing with you himself, I’m going to be there, and I’m going to make sure this pretty face I’m sure you love so much isn’t so pretty when I leave. You get me?”
“You’re filth,” she spat. “Jonathon, get this trash off of me.”
I reared back, bringing her with me by the hand on her neck, then crashed her back into the fence. She gasped and choked, hands ripping at mine on her neck, but I was strong.
I ran every week, practiced yoga, and learned to kickbox at the club’s new gym. I could hold my own against this bitch, even if she was taller than me.
“You obviously didn’t hear me,” I growled at her, letting the heat of my anger infuse every inch of me, feeling almost supersonic, superhuman with hate. “You’re going to leave here and never contact Nova again. I hear you even so much as looked into him, and lady, I have my ways of knowing that, I’m going to let The Fallen loose on you. Trust me, they’ll relish the chance to show a grade-A bitch a taste of her own medicine. You get me?”
Meredith struggled, but I only squeezed tighter. “I asked, do you get me?”
“Lila,” Nova murmured from behind me, stepping close so I could feel the wall of his heat at my back. “Let her go.”
I didn’t.
“Flower Child,” he coaxed softly, a hand moving the hair off my shoulder so he could press a surprisingly soft kiss there. “My little badass. Come away from her.”
Firmly, gently, he pried me away from Meredith and tucked me under his arm, the limb a heavy weight barring me from attacking as much as it provided me comfort.
“You heard her, Mere,” Nova ordered flatly. “Get the fuck outta here before I let her loose on you again. She’s small, but trust me, she has claws.”
Meredith looked between us, a hand rubbing at her throat, doubt, humiliation, and of all things, hope, working behind her eyes. “Jonathon… I think we got off on the wrong foot. I just wanted to talk to you, see if we couldn’t reconcile. Tim…Tim and I broke up, and––”
I lunged forward so quickly, Nova couldn’t restrain me, and I slapped Meredith hard across the face. “It’s you who’s not fucking worthy of this man. Now, I’m going to give you one last chance to get the hell out of here, or I’m going to chase you down and show you a good time with my fists.”