Atonement (Angel's Halo MC 5)

“I don’t need you to say anything. I just need you to bleed.”

My ears suddenly felt like they were ringing, my vision going blurry for a moment. I tried to fight back, but my movements seemed uncoordinated. Fuck, his fists were like sledgehammers, destroying everything they landed on.

Another punch to my jaw had blood spraying from my mouth from the force of it. I could feel my tongue swelling where a tooth bit into it, making even more blood fill my mouth.

I fought back, connecting my fist with his ribs, but he was so pissed he seemed to barely feel it.

The blows kept coming. Even though I fought back, my head was becoming too cloudy, my mind becoming a jumble of everything.

“All the pussy in the world, and you had to go and put your dick in hers,” Colt growled low and ominously. “You couldn’t just leave her alone, could you?”

“It’s not like that!” I yelled up at him. “I love her, man.”

“No,” he snarled. “No, you don’t know how to love anyone but yourself. I won’t let you hurt her more than you already have. She’s too good for you, and you stole her fucking virginity, you dirty bastard.”

Shit, he didn’t have to tell me that. I knew she was too good for me. I had always known it. That was why I had stayed away from her for so long. But I hadn’t stolen her virginity.

She gave it to me.

“Colt!” I thought I heard Raven scream, but my head was too fucked up to know if she had or not. “What the hell are you two doing? What’s going on?”

Colt acted like he didn’t hear her, so I wondered if she was really there or not.

“Bash! Guys, help! They’re fighting.” Raven sounded furious now, and when I turned my head, I found her standing over us with her hands on her hips, looking twice as furious as the man still beating the shit out of me.

Heavy, running feet hitting pavement filled my ears, or maybe it was just the pounding of my own heartbeat echoing in my head. I wasn’t sure.

The next thing I knew, we were being pulled apart. Jet and Hawk held on to Colt, but they were struggling to hold him. Bash locked his arms around me, but I wasn’t trying to get free nearly as badly as my little brother. I didn’t want to fight him. Quinn would hate me if I hurt her best friend.

Jet and Hawk each held one of Colt’s arms, using all their strength to keep him from breaking free. Bash had locked his hands behind my head.

“What the fuck are you two doing?” our pres demanded.

Colt spit at my feet, and I vaguely noticed that there was blood in it. “Raider fucked Quinn.”

“No way.” Raven got between the two of us, her eyes going from me to Colt, and then back to me again. When I didn’t deny it, her face tightened. “Please tell me you didn’t.”

I met her gaze without flinching. “Not gonna lie to you, Rave.”

My sister’s face became savage as she took a step toward me. Bash pulled me back a few steps, putting a little more distance between me and his wife. Her mouth opened, and I could see the rage that was simmering in her eyes, but before she could slice me apart with her sharp tongue, Quinn’s car stopped at the end of the driveway.

I tried to shrug off Bash’s hold when she got out and I saw her face. She was pale, her eyes slightly swollen and bloodshot from crying. I wanted—fucking needed—to hold her. However, Bash only tightened his hold, refusing to release me.

She ran up the driveway, her worried eyes scanning first my face then Colt’s. At the sight of the bruise that was already beginning to turn dark on my brother’s chin, she started to cry. “Are you okay?”

Something painful twisted in my chest, while jealousy ate a hole in my gut the size of a hubcap. It was like she couldn’t have cared less about me.

Colt tried to pull away from our brothers. “I’m good. Go home.”

She didn’t move. “Did you …?”

His jaw clenched, and he leaned his head back, glaring up at the cloudless sky. “No, I didn’t. Go. Home.”

I didn’t understand the relief that flashed through her beautiful eyes. Still, she didn’t do as he commanded. Instead, she moved toward me. Tears were still glazing those baby blues, but they had stopped running down her pale cheeks. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want this to happen. He just takes protecting me a little extremely.”

I wanted to reach for her, pull her head to my chest, and kiss her hair. Bash wasn’t ready to release me, though, and until he did, there wasn’t any way I was going to be able to break through the iron hold he had on me.

“It’s okay, sweetheart.” For a split-second, I saw pleasure on her face, but she quickly masked it. “I’m glad that he takes care of you. But he doesn’t have to do that anymore. It’s my job now.”