The floor creaked under his heavy footsteps as he left, leaving me gasping for air on the floor.
Exhausted and sore, I didn’t even try to get up. Every bone in my body felt like it had been cracked in half. My mind turned into a bottomless pit of nothing, and I was too tired to fight. Too tired to survive. So I gave up, just for a few seconds, so sleep could take me.
9
Granite
As soon asthe door slammed shut behind me and I heard the click of the lock, I pulled my phone out and dialed. Ink answered on the second ring.
“Yo, boss man.”
“You have the kid-beater?”
“Yup.”
“He still breathing?”
“Yeah. Why?”
I rushed down the stairs. “I’m on my way.” I hung up and saw Onyx waiting for me at the exit from the bar.
“Want to tell me what the fuck that was?”
“No.” I brushed past him.
“Where are you going?”
“Same place you are.”
We walked out the front door of the bar.
“And where’s that?”
“The warehouse. We’re meeting up with Ink and Manic.”
Onyx didn’t question me further. Good thing too. The blood in my veins was fucking singing with the need to fuck shit up. Anger scratched against my chest, wanting out—like a contained demon ravenous for something to ruin.
Alyx pushed me. She pushed me too far, and I had to show her who was in control. I knew she had an inner strength everyone underestimated. I just couldn’t allow her to think she could use that strength against me. So I lost my shit—which ended up being a good thing because she needed to be afraid of me. If she wasn’t, this entire plan would get shot to shit. The success of our entire plan depended on her fear of us…of me.
Getting on my Harley Road King, I put on my lid and started the ignition. I needed to get the fuck away from this place. Away from her.
I wasn’t a guy for speed. It was about the cruise, the open road, the fresh air. The sound of the engine, feeling the power vibrate between your legs. God, it sounded like a porn movie. For me, it probably was. Nothing got my blood flowing like a good run. But this wasn’t a run. This wasn’t a goddamn cruise. I wanted to get rid of the rage that seared my veins, and it made me impatient.
I sped down the streets, cutting corners and hauling ass. Onyx wasn’t far behind and probably enjoyed it. He and his V-Rod loved the speed and the adrenaline.
It took us about twenty minutes to get to the warehouse where Ink and Manic had the kid-beater.
“Something going down here?” Onyx took off his lid and got off his bike.
“Something’s going down here, all right. I’m about to break some bone.” I didn’t check to make sure Onyx was following. My fists were already balled, nails biting into my palms.
Manic came walking out as we approached the entrance. “Everything okay, man?”
“Yup.” I brushed past him. “Just want in on the action.”
Manic and Onyx flanked me as we walked inside, and I spotted Ink in the distance, leaning against the wall with a cigarette in his mouth. The kid-beater was tied to a chair next to him, and I could hear his sobs all the way over here. If it wasn’t for the pungent stench of dead rat and mold, I’d probably be smelling the fucker’s fear right about now.
“Typical.” I pulled my hair back. “The fucker can hurt kids but doesn’t have the balls to fight men his own size.”