AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She’s not my girl.”
He snickered. “Could’ve fooled me.”
He did have a point, though. As John rummaged around in the fridge for shit to cook for breakfast, my mind wandered. If these bastards had the bold balls to jump me like that in the middle of a damn college campus, then no one was safe. I was the president of the crew that owned these streets. I called the shots. I made the rules. And if they weren’t afraid to jump me, they sure as hell wouldn't be afraid to jump anyone else.
Did they see Dani at all?
Worry pooled in my gut. If these assholes had seen Dani, she was a target. I shook my head. I should have resisted the urge. I should’ve buried the pull she had on me. Now, not only was Dani a target in my father’s crosshairs, but she was possibly a target to some unnamed entity I had no information on yet.
“John?”
“Yeah?”
I set my mug down. “Tell the others to meet me at the pub. Whoever gets there first can shut it down.”
He snickered. “I thought you were the president.”
I shot him a look. “Just do it.”
He nodded. “Glad you finally came to your senses. But you need to eat.”
“No time.”
“You need something in your stomach other than pain medication and booze from last night. You won’t be able to function with a clear head otherwise. I’m telling you. Eat.”
I blinked. “Something quick. I have to inform the crew as soon as possible.”
“And it’ll do you no good to do that with a swimming head. Trust me on this, Max. I’ve been living with pain meds and booze for years now. I know what works and what doesn’t. Give yourself two scrambled eggs, bacon, and another mug of coffee. You’ll feel better.”
“We need to make sure everyone knows someone is gunning for us. They have to be able to protect--”
He pointed at me with a spatula. “Sit. You look like shit, and you need food.”
“I don’t have time, John. I need to handle my crew.”
“And you will. After food. Go wake Dani. The more you bug me, the slower your food’s going to come up.”
Normally, I didn’t take orders from anyone. Not even my damn brother. But he was right. My head kept sinking deeper under water and my vision was starting to blur again. Plus, my stomach was angry with me. Very, very angry.
“Fine. Maybe just a bit of food,” I murmured.
John snickered. “Let Dani know I’m going to make her a small something, too.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
I lumbered down the hallway and slipped into the bathroom. I had to piss. But I also wanted to take a look at myself. Really do a damage inspection on my body. I stuffed myself back into my boxers and slowly turned around, preparing myself for what I was about to see.
Nothing could have prepared me, though.
“Holy fuck.”
I had a makeshift stint over my nose. The area underneath both of my eyes was black and yellow and a bit purple. My eyes were puffy and red. The deep black bruises against my ribs explained why my footsteps hurt like hell. And when I craned my neck, I saw the soft round marks those gold-ass rings had left behind on the back of my neck.
I’m going to slaughter you all.
I straightened my back and dipped underneath the sink faucet. I chugged mouthfuls of water until my stomach settled down. Then I headed out to where Dani was. Her soft snores made me grin. Her beautiful body curled up against the leather arm of the recliner made my heart slam against my chest. She looked so peaceful. So calm. So settled.
I almost didn’t have the heart to wake her.
