AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t do this, Bear,” I mutter, hoping he gets the warning in his impaired state. Don’t make me do something I’ll regret.
“Fuck you, Kain,” he spits. “You’re a shitty best friend, you know that?”
“Stop it,” I order, narrowing my eye at the teetering giant. Don’t push me. Not tonight.
With a nasty snarl, Wes throws a punch in the general direction of my face. I dodge it with ease, using my momentum to swing my fist into the base of his sternum. Wes stumbles back, but it’s more to do with the alcohol coursing through his veins than the force of my punch.
“What’s wrong?” he mocks, still trying to catch his breath. “Some bitch turned down your ugly ass again?”
My vision tunnels as I lunge toward him, all of my momentum aimed at his stupid fucking grin. I’m blind to the splitting pain between my knuckles as I send punch after punch into my best friend’s face. Somewhere in the distance, people are screaming, tugging my shirt, desperate to stop my assault.
“Kain, stop it!” I freeze mid-strike, dragging my eye up to see Landon’s fiancée’s face crumpled in horror. “You’re going to kill him!”
“Good,” I snarl, turning my glower to the unconscious heap beneath me.
“You don’t mean that,” Carlotta snaps. “He’s your best friend, for fuck’s sake. If you kill him, you’ll never forgive yourself.”
I already can’t. “I don’t care.”
“Would you stop being such a shit taco and get up? Someone needs to make sure Wes is still breathing,” Carlotta huffs, placing a hand on her hip.
I blink at her. “A what?”
“A shit taco.” She huffs. “Don’t make me sick my fiancé on you.”
I roll my eye, but I stand nonetheless. Several women rush to be the first to tend to Wes’s injuries, and I look away in disgust.
“Go on,” Carlotta snaps, pointing toward the exit. “You need to get out of here before you do any more damage.”
“I’m fine,” I snarl, stomping in the direction of John’s office. I need to find out what’s going on, and I need to know now. My fingers wrap around the handle, and I pause, the fog of anger clearing to make way for a wave of guilt. I turn my head over my shoulder, but before I get the chance to speak, Carlotta beats me to it.
“I’ll make sure Wes is okay. Don’t worry,” she says, a hint of sympathy in her voice. “I’m sure you two will be best buddies in the morning. Once you both sober up and come to your senses, that is.”
“Thank you, Carlotta,” I say, meaning it. She gives me a little wave and disappears into the crowd, leaving me to stew over the current dilemma.
Without knocking, I burst through the door to Onyx’s office.
Four beefy leather-clad men are seated around the poker table, though I can’t see the face of the one with his back to me. The air is heavy with a cloud of cigar smoke, burning my eyes and throat as I take in the other three. Onyx is on the far right, a glowing cigar dangling from his gaping mouth. The other two I don’t recognize, but the thick green snakes climbing up the arms of their jackets tell me all I need to know. Fucking Serpents.
“Kain, before you—”
“What the fuck are snakes doing here?” My voice is dangerously low as I swing my gaze to John, letting him feel the weight of my anger. “Give me one reason I shouldn’t shoot you in the fucking skull.”
“Please excuse Kain, everyone.” John sighs, his chair making a god-awful screeching sound as he stands. His light blue eyes swing to me as he huffs, “He forgets his place occasionally.”
In a flash, I pull my gun out of my waistband and push the barrel against his forehead. The two Serpents fall back with a gasp, scrambling to retrieve their own weapons.
“Don’t bother,” I murmur, flicking off the safety with my index. He’ll be dead before your pants are soiled.
“I really don’t think that’s wise.”
That voice.
I turn my head slightly, noticing a matching silver barrel pointed at my own temple. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Kain?” His voice is a hiss, not all that different from a viper. Callum Beck.
“Not long enough,” I growl, shooting the Serpent’s new leader an icy glare. Leader, thanks to my actions. He should be thanking me.
Callum’s lips part, revealing a set of shiny white teeth, each one filed to a lethal, jagged point. Hideous, like the open mouth of a shark.
