Page 124 of Depraved

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

ALYX

Through all that had happened, I was sure I had seen Granite at his worst, at his most angry. But I was wrong. The anger reverberated off him in heated waves, and I could practically smell the pungent scent of rage oozing out of him. I stepped back as I watched his face harden, his green eyes nothing but orbs of chaos. I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare the shit out of me.

“Where?” The edge in his voice sliced through the silence, and I shuddered.

Onyx violently pulled his hands through his hair, cursing out loud. “The fuckers ambushed them right outside the gym, man. They were waiting for them, knowing we wouldn’t be there. Fuck!”

Granite crouched, bending his knees and leaning against the wall, hands cupped in front of his mouth as he stared into space.

Onyx crossed his arms, rocking from one leg to the other, traumatized and enraged. “What do you want us to do now?”

Dutch and Ink came rushing toward us, Dutch immediately looking down at Granite. “Manic and I will go back to NYC, see what the fuck is going on.”

“No.” Granite’s simple yet stern reply silenced everyone. He pulled both palms down his face, sighing. “No one is going back.”

“What?” Onyx frowned. “We still have half a crew up there. We need to go back and show these bastards we won’t be fucked with.”

Granite straightened, cheeks red and forehead creased. “Call our crew at the club and tell them to leave. Now.”

“Granite, what the fuck, man?”

I took another step back, feeling like I had no right being there. From the corner of my eye, I saw a woman move, and I turned her way. Her face was bruised on one side, and she had a cut down her thick bottom lip. But even with a banged-up face, she was beautiful, with an hourglass shaped body and big breasts. Her perfection made me hyperaware of my imperfections.

She took her long, dark hair in her hands and tied it high behind her head. I didn’t recognize her, but by the way she stared at me, she clearly recognized me. Had she been there the whole time?

My attention was forced back to the four men in front of me when Onyx slammed his fist against the wall. A growl ripped from his throat, his body quivering. It was hard to miss the vein in his neck pulsing with anger.

“You cannot expect us to stay here and do nothing,” he gritted between clenched teeth. “We need to find those fuckers now and end this.”

Even though Granite seemed calm, I could see in the depths of his eyes how he was struggling to stay in control. “They’re expecting us to rush back and defend our turf. They’ll be waiting for us.”

“Good,” Onyx snarled. “And we’ll be ready for them.”

“No!” Granite’s voice boomed down the hall, and I flinched from the roar.

Granite straightened. Whether it was the fury that raged within him, or the fear that stung inside me, I wasn’t sure. But to me, it seemed like he made himself taller, bigger, his presence filling every goddamn space around us.

“We made the mistake of underestimating them”—he glanced at the woman standing by the doorway—“twice. But not this time.” He turned back to face Onyx. “Slither won’t fuck us in the ass again. So, we stay right the fuck here.”

“This is bullshit!”

For a moment, I half expected Onyx to launch himself at Granite. He was livid, eyes wild and skin flushed all the way from his neck up to his cheeks. “By hiding here, we look like fucking cowards.”

Granite took a huge step, putting him in Onyx’s face. “If protecting the crew makes us look like cowards, then so be it. There’s a difference between being angry and smart, and being furious and reckless. If you can’t see that, you walk right on back to Neon’s room and look at her goddamn face. Maybe that will remind you of the fucking mistake we made by underestimating these bastards.” Granite brushed past his brother, knocking into his shoulder. “Everyone stays the fuck here. Dutch, make the call. Tell the crew to lay low.”

Just when I thought some of the tension would dissipate, Onyx spun around. “We’re making a mistake, brother. And if you can’t see that, you go to Junkyard’s wife and kids and tell them he got killed because he wore the Kings cut…and we’re not going to do shit about it.”

Granite stilled, and my heart was ready to crawl up my throat. The atmosphere was palpable, laden with tension sharp enough to desecrate the silence.

He looked halfway over his shoulder. “Don’t worry, brother. I’ll go to his wife and kids, tell them how we failed—how I failed. But this time, it’s the last. I won’t fail any of the Kings again.”

I sucked in a breath as his words cracked my chest wide open, pulling at every ounce of sympathy I had. That was when it hit me, the amount of responsibility this man carried alone. Every man here, every woman connected to the Kings, was his responsibility. His to protect and defend. Yes, he had his crew, but in the end it all came down on him…and him alone.

Ink placed his hands on his hips, cursing. “I agree with Granite.”

“Oh, fuck off, would ya?” Onyx blurted. “You just don’t want to go out there because you’re too busy chasing after Neon’s pussy. When the fuck will you realize she doesn’t want you, man? Huh? She doesn’t want to ride your fucking dick.”