I bit the inside of my cheek.
“She was ten years old when her parents started whoring her out to friends. Her and Slither both.”
“So, am I supposed to feel sorry for the fucker now?” I turned and met Granite’s gaze. “Am I supposed to forget what he did to Neon because sick fucks gave it to him up the ass when he was a little boy? Does that justify what he did to Neon?”
“No. Slither will pay for what he’s done.”
Oh, he’s paying.
“But Wraith, it’s not fair punishing her for what her brother did.”
“God, has everyone turned into pussies around here?” I grabbed my beer and got up from my seat. “Having a bitch seems to really change a man.”
Granite’s irises darkened, and his lips pulled in a straight line. But I was long past the time when he intimidated me. In fact, none of these fuckers made me feel like crawling into a ball while rocking back and forth in the fucking corner.
“You seem like you have something to say, Granite.”
Granite smirked. “I get why you’re acting like an asshole. But here’s a little tip.” He moved closer, eyes glaring into mine. “Stop pushing us. We’re tolerating your shitty attitude because we know how you feel about Neon and what happened to her.”
“No, you don’t.” I gritted my teeth. “None of you fucking know how I feel about her, and how it feels to know her life was destroyed, and I couldn’t do shit about it.”
I pushed past him, knocking against his shoulder when he grabbed my elbow. “Look at her.”
“Don’t fuck with me, Granite.”
“I said look at her.”
My jaw clenched, and I cut my gaze toward Neon.
“Does that look like a woman who’s been destroyed? That woman is stronger than you think, stronger than any of us could have imagined. And she’s trying to move on with her life. You should do the same.”
He let go of my elbow with a jerk, and I continued to look at her. Did he really think I didn’t know the level of strength that pulsed through her veins? I fucking knew. But while they all saw strength when they looked at her, I saw a woman who lost her light. It was something I missed every goddamn day. That might be Neon sitting there right now, talking and laughing, but I saw the cracks. I saw the broken pieces, and it gutted me that I couldn’t do shit to stop them from breaking her.
Everyone, including me, was grateful she managed to survive, but that didn’t mean she had to move on without getting the justice she deserved—the revenge I was hellbent on giving her. Slither would atone for what he’d done to her. One drop of blood. At. A time.
3
Neon
I sawthe way he glanced at me every two minutes while he sat at the bar brooding. He’d been keeping his distance since I told him I needed space a few nights ago—the night I had the nightmare which had my screams tearing through the clubhouse.
A part of me felt relieved he was no longer hovering over me all the damn time. But there was also a small part that missed him—yet, I’d rather swallow glass than admit it.
“Neon, would you like a drink?” Onyx sat next to Wraith, draping his arm around her, a subtle display of ownership. God, he might as well just piss on her and mark his territory. What was it with these men and their need to fucking own a woman?
“No, thanks.” I reached for my leg, shifting it in a more comfortable position. The leg brace was far more comfortable than the cast, but it was still a bitch to move around with.
“You sure you don’t want a beer or something?”
“I’ll pass. I don’t feel like waking up with a hangover. I feel shitty enough as it is.”
Alyx leaned her elbows on the table. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You seem a little…distracted.”
“I’m not.”