He shuts the door without looking at me.
“He could be worse. The cops get paid to play stupid. The feds have pulled way back, because this war is more than they bargained for. They’re all turning a blind eye now that they realize just how untouchable both Herrin and Drex are. The goodie two-shoes citizens are packing up and seeking out a less criminally involved town to raise their kids in. Halo is going to get a lot darker when they realize who else has taken up residence in our twisted city,” he adds.
“Who’s that?” I pry…
He starts unzipping his jeans as he levels me with a look.
“Forget I asked,” I bite out.
His lips twitch as he zips them back up, and he sits down on the edge of the bed to resume cleaning his guns.
“You’re a bigger asshole than ever,” I tell him as he carries on with his tedious task.
He smiles like I’ve given him a compliment instead of an insult.
“Does my brother know how you’re treating me? Or does he just not care?”
“Little bit of both,” he answers unapologetically. “Drex has more pressing matters to deal with. Your sibling fall-out will just have to wait. By then, you’ll be begging to suck my dick for me, and sitting in my lap when in the presence of others. You’ll also learn to bend over and let me fuck you when someone asks Drex what boundaries he has for his sister.”
I gawk at the back of his head, wondering if his brain has bled out through his ears at some point. It’s the only explanation there can be for the stupid shit he’s spewing right now.
“Because eventually, everyone will learn he’s not the one they need to be asking about you,” he goes on. “And I’ll shoot a fucker’s eye out if you don’t make it known that I’m the one they should address. Not him.”
He has seriously flipped his fucking lid and gone insane. How am I just now noticing?
“Or maybe they should address me with their questions,” I dutifully inform the crazy son of a bitch.
He casts another cold look at me over his shoulder, nothing but lethal seriousness in his eyes.
“If you hadn’t gotten so fucking soft, I’d give you at least that much. But you’re fragile now. It’s best left in my hands.”
With that, he stands and walks out, shutting and locking the door behind him.
“What the actual fuck just happened?” I ask, reassessing my situation.
I thought he was just playing some head games. I had no idea he was planning to keep me a true captive under his full control.
I think Eve has given these guys the impression that all women like to be under a man’s thumb.
Then again, I’m not so sure that Drex isn’t under her thumb, and she’s the one in control of him. It’s a weird sort of power exchange between the two of them, to be honest. At least from my minimal observations.
I know one thing, that dick is wholly absorbed by her to the point of completely ignoring my basic human rights. And I’m his damn sister.
“This is why my head is so fucked up,” I say as I let my head drop back to the pillow, staring up at the very intricate, inescapable scraps of satin that seem so innocently simple to the human eye.
I don’t even know what the hell is going on anymore.
Chapter 17
RUSH
“She’s here for us to keep her safe, and also to use as bait,” Drex is arguing with me as I sharpen my favorite knife.
“I know. I’m still not letting her go to the fireworks show. For one, innocent civilians could get caught in the crosshairs of your half-cocked scheme. For two, she’s under my control. I say what goes. It’s our arrangement,” I remind him.
He narrows his eyes, his jaw doing that telling ticking it does when he’s getting ready to punch something.
“I don’t like using her for bait any more than you do. But we’ve clearly plugged all the leaks, because Pop hasn’t figured out she’s here yet.”
“He likely just doesn’t believe she’s here. It’s not like she looks the same,” I helpfully inform him while testing the sharpness of the knife.
It easily slices my thumb, and I wrap it up in a bandage, deciding the blade needs to be a little sharper.
“Perfect choice to watch over your sister. Pick the most psychotic member of the club to do that chore,” Axle mumbles just loud enough for me to hear as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Says the guy fucking the girl who is besties with the identity crisis we all try not to talk about in the presence of that crazy motherfucker,” I point out, lazily gesturing to Snake, who snaps a cold look in my direction.
“When she was my girlfriend, no one even paid her any attention. She comes out as an ex-assassin for her human-trafficking father, and suddenly everyone wants her to do them favors,” Snake grinds out. “After I’ve requested no one fucking acknowledge her.”