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“You piece of lame shit.” I squeeze my grip when he tries to pull away, and my foot comes down on his hand when he tries to grab the knife. The thought of what he might have done to Charlotte this time clouds my reason. I could kill him here,
“This ain’t your business, Asher!” he shouts in pain. “Your uncle’s orders. You need to listen to him, man. You’re in enough trouble.”
“You’re lying.” I clench my teeth. “My uncle has nothing to do with this. He told me you went AWOL.”
“That’s a lie.” His nasty gaze drifts over toward Charlotte.
He shouldn’t have done that. I slam him against a parked car, pressing hard against his chest until he’s gasping for breath. Eddie used to be stronger than me, with muscles he would brag about until he was told to shut the fuck up. But that’s changed. I can tear him into pieces without breaking a sweat.
“I want my turn, you punk.” He smiles, though his hand is dangling in my fist. “You said I’d get mine.”
He lifts his other hand to shove me away, but I grab it faster. Charlotte lets out a scream as we stumble into the street, but I never loosen my grip on him.
“You’re not touching her!” I shout like a madman, shaking him so he stumbles. “I told you that, and I’ll say it again until it sinks into your useless brain.”
Eddie snorts. “My useless brain? You’re a fuck-up, shaming the club. What are you playing at, boy?” Eddie twists and grunts as he tries to break my grip. “It will be worse for you when you come back to Weymouth. And you’ll come back.”
The truth hurts and stabs into me deeper than any knife. I don’t have the smarts to make it at Ivymore. I only came here to see Charlotte again, and now that she wants me, I’ll probably be expelled. My fury and frustration dull my reason as something cracks, and Eddie winces in pain.
“I’m not going back!” I holler in his twisted face. “And I won’t be threatened into obeying.” I shove Eddie into the car again. His arm bends like he has rubber bones.
“I’m telling your uncle, and you’ll be in the shit.” Eddie’s eyes water with pain.
Reluctantly, I have to accept the fact that maybe Trunk sent Eddie. Not because Eddie expected to have Charlotte, but to teach me a lesson for leaving by taking her away from me.
“Don’t bother,” I reply. “I’ll send him a message.” I let go of his wrist and plow my fist into his stomach. The flesh gives under my fierceness as his eyes bug. I grab Eddie by the neck and pound my fist into his face before he can regain his footing.
“Come near her again, and I’ll kill you,” I growl. “Nobody is going to be able to ID you after I’ve torn you up.”
A glob of bloody spit flies toward my face, but I don’t wipe it away. I know the tricks. If I lift my arm, a blade will go into my side. I’m not falling for it. I glare at Eddie while that vile mess hangs off my hair. It’s too late for him to talk his way out, and he can’t fight with a busted wrist. His weasel’s eyes betray his fear.
The outrage takes over my body as I grip his throat. Blows obliterate his consciousness in rapid-fire motion as he dangles limply against the car. A black SUV with tinted windows screeches to a halt next to us. Screams guide me back to the present and away from a hateful past. Charlotte shouts my name, and I focus on a spray of blood on her coat. Eddie slides to the ground, shielding his broken, bloodied nose.
Two people come out of nowhere and grab Charlotte. I leap toward her, yanking her away and holding her against my heaving body as the adrenaline spikes again. It takes a second for me to recognize the security team. Two other people descend on Eddie before he can crawl away.
In my arms, Charlotte shakes and stares wildly at the confusion surrounding us. The owner of the car appears, shouting about the damage, as a security member tries to calm him down with soothing bullshit. Hands touch me, and I growl like a maniac. The female member of the team takes a quick step back and raises her hands to defend herself.
“It’s okay,” Charlotte says. “He’s mine.”
The guard nods, lowering her hands. “Clear out. We’ll handle this.” We don’t look back as Eddie is tossed into the back of the SUV.
Charlotte holds my hand, and I let her despite the sharp pain. In a few minutes, we are at the Oak. Marshall tries to say something to us as he eyes the state of us, but we hurry past to the back. Hardly any ladies come in here. It’s an old man’s bar. So, we’re left alone when we slip into the ladies’ room and lock the door. I’ve not been in here before, but it has the same dingy tiles and old toilets as the men’s room. Only difference is it has no urinals. Charlotte turns on the water in the sink and lets it run until it’s warm. I stare at the bloodstain on her coat. She only got to wear it once before I ruined it. How badly did I fuck everything up?
I tug off my jacket and let it drop to the floor. My sweaty T-shirt sticks to my torso, so I pull it off too. Slowly, I raise my eyes to hers. Wide-eyed and wild, Charlotte stares at me as if she’s fallen into a cage with a crazed beast hungry for flesh. She swallows, and gently, she takes my hand and holds it under the running water.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I should have known sooner.”
“It’s okay.” She concentrates on cleaning the blood off my hand, and I watch swirls of red disappear down the drain.
“No, it’s not,” I reply. “He came after you because of me. Charlotte, I really didn’t know.”
She grabs a paper towel and wets it. “I understand now what happened at the party. And why you had to let them shame me. You really were protecting me. I lied when I said I forgave you, but I’m not lying now. I forgive you.”
Her kind words are tender, but they don’t reach me. I scoff instead. “I’m such a dumb fuck.”
“No, you’re not.” Charlotte speaks sternly, as if I insulted her.
I take her hand and balance it on my fingertips. Her narrow, pale fingers stand out against my harsh, rough skin. “Then why are you trembling?” I whisper.
