“You have no idea what you’ve just done,” the little prick stammers between breaths as I hold his life in the balance. One simple flick of my wrist and I can end him.
“No, asshole. It’s you that doesn’t have a clue,” I spit, leaning forward until I feel his impaired breathing on my face. “You’ve messed with the wrong man.”
“Yo, brother,” Trick lays a hand on my shoulder and I turn and hiss instinctively. “Woah,” he says, slowly releasing his grip. “Let’s not do this here.” His eyes dart to the side and back, but all I can see is red. I look back at the entitled little cocksucker that thinks he can come into my home and take what’s mine.
“Haught,” her shaken, melodic voice breaks through the fog I’m experiencing, causing me to focus on her. She lifts a hand to me and says, “Please.” Her weak plea has me by the gut and I slowly loosen my hold on my prey’s neck.
“You ever come here or even think of trying to talk to my wife, my mate again, and I’ll personally see to it that you stop breathing. Permanently. You feel me?”
He inhales painfully and nods. “Yeah,” he mumbles.
“Can’t. Hear. You,” I grumble and reapply some of the pressure I withdrew.
“Yes,” he says a little louder and nods his head as best he can.
Tossing him to my brother, I warn, “I won’t be lenient next time,” and motion for Trick to remove him from my sight.
“Haught,” my girl’s trembling voice has me crossing the empty room to sit at her side and draw her into my lap. Curling my arms around her fragile frame, I hold her cheek as she lies her head on my chest. “I’m here, little bird. He’s gone now.”
Needing the feel of her skin on mine, I run my hand down her arm halting when she flinches. “Ouch.”
There on her delicate arm is the start of a hand shaped bruise and nail impressions. Anger rises to the surface and I do my best to remain calm for her. “He did this?” My fingers graze over the discoloration as gently as possible, imagining the worst.
“He just stormed inside,” she begins quietly, burrowing further into my hold. “How did you get here so fast?” I’ve never been so glad to be at Banshee’s doing the books in my life.
“I was at the club working when Trick called. Left as soon as I heard Dupree was here.” Having the apartments so close to the strip club is a stroke of luck on my end. My fingers move down her arm and onto her leg as I reach to examine her swollen ankle.
As soon as I reach it, she says, “I fell.”
“How?” I know there’s more to it, or Trick wouldn’t have had him by the throat.
“He moved when Trick came in and I lost my balance.” Why she’s not telling me the whole truth I can’t understand, but let it slide. I’ll find out.
“Let me see,” I tap her leg and she raises for my inspection. It already has a huge knot on the side as well as a vibrant purple and blue hue. That son of a bitch is damn lucky I didn’t see any of the damage he caused before I let him go. He’d be a dead man in pieces. “I should call Doc,” I mumble, pissed as fuck she’s hurt.
“No,” her palms cradle my cheeks and turn me face to hers. “It’s just a sprain. I’ll be fine.”
“I’d feel better if he checked it out.”
“Please, don’t. Just stay with me?” The vulnerability in her expression has me by the balls and I give in, settling us more comfortably on the couch after wrapping her ankle.
Letting her presence calm my beast, I shower her with as much love and affection as I can in order to give her the feeling of safety she needs.
Without a doubt in my mind, that fucking lynx will pay.
355
Larken
“You really don’t have to drive me everywhere,” I tell Eliot as he pulls my car into the bank parking lot.
“Yeah, I do,” he tells me with a chuckle. “I value my life.”
Rolling my eyes, I mutter, “Whatever,” and he laughs harder, putting the vehicle in park. Jerk.
Ever since Henri showed up at our apartment a few weeks ago, Haught’s on constant alert. He insisted we move out of the apartment, club owned or not, and after several arguments, I agreed. Now, we’re waiting for our house to be built on the club’s property, far enough behind the main building to have the privacy we want, yet the security we need.
“I shouldn’t be too long,” I tell Trick who parks his bike next to my side of the car as I close the door, Eliot coming to stand beside us.
“Not a problem,” he nods, then takes a quick look around the bank’s front exterior. It’s next to the corner business on a pretty busy street with limited parking so there isn’t much room for parking up here.
Once inside, I check in with the new accounts associate who should have everything ready that I need to do. “Hi, Janie. I think I have what you asked for,” I hand her the manila folder containing my new driver’s and marriage licenses, as well as a copy of Haught’s ID and social security card so that he can be added to my accounts.
She takes my documents and begins to scan them into their system, chattering on about her kids as she does. She’s easy to be around and with the help I’ve received from an empathy Haught knows on filtering what emotions I pick up on, being around so many bank employees all at once isn’t as overwhelming as it once was.
“Everything looks to be in order,” she tells me, interrupting my thoughts about the way my mate woke me up. “All you need to do is have
