Page 135 of Shattered Pieces

“You’ve got a lot of balls showing up here,” he seethed, blocking the doorway.

“You’re the one in my house. Step aside, it’s obvious we need to talk,” I said calmly, but my heart was hammering at the sight of him. The guys had been telling the truth. He looked like he hated me.

A bitter laugh left him, his eyes burning into me. “You’re not coming in. You’re a snake, Aurora. You let him die thinking what you two shared was real. You⁠—”

“It was fucking real!” I snapped, stepping closer and jabbing my finger against his chest. “I never lied to any of you!”

“I warned you,” he spat, taking a menacing step forward to push me back. “The second you climbed into bed with them, we were done. Don’t act like a victim now that you got caught.”

“I’ve never touched either of them. You know me. I’d never do that to you.”

“I saw you on TV!” he hissed.

“I was hauled out of bed, yes, but I never crossed a line with Hunter or Marco. Never.”

“You were still in his bed.”

“Where else was I supposed to go? I called you. I tried Diesel. For some stupid reason I tried calling Slash too!” I threw back, shoving him. The last part must have caught him off guard because he stumbled slightly, giving me an opening to get inside so the neighbors didn’t witness our argument. “If anything, you lied to me. You said you’d answer whenever I needed help, but you didn’t. I was looking at my dad’s dead body, begging one of you assholes to answer, but none of you did. Couldn’t call Caden or one of the guys because what the fuck would they know about covering up a fucking murder? Hunter made a promise to me once, well before we’d spent much time together. He said he’d answer if I called, no matter what, and he did. I tried everyone else first before having no choice but to call him. That’s on you, Skeet. Not me.”

“Wrong. That’s on you for running off in the middle of the night and killing Max with no plan in place,” he growled.

“You said you’d answer.”

“I was busy!”

“So was Hunter, but he canceled his meeting in the middle of it and came straight to me to help. You don’t have an excuse, other than your crew walks all over you. Fuck you for forcing my hand like that.”

His hand was around my throat in seconds and my back slammed against the wall, his face in mine.

“You knew from the beginning they came first. Don’t pin that on me.”

“Slash would’ve put me first, so why couldn’t you?” I demanded, forcing back angry tears. There was no way I was letting him see that.

“Don’t talk about him like you knew him.”

“I did fucking know him, and I know for a fact he’d be ashamed of you right now,” I scoffed, his hand tightening so hard I couldn’t breathe. I clawed at his hand to try and make him let go, but his grip only tightened more somehow until spots danced in my vision.

At the last second, he growled and shoved me aside, sending me sprawling to the ground as I choked and tried to catch my breath.

“Get out. It’s your last warning before you won’t get the chance to,” he snarled, the click of the safety being taken off his gun sounding. “I said get out, Aurora!”

Glancing up, I found him aiming his gun at me, his eyes full of hatred as he glared at me. I was still trying to catch my breath, but I suddenly couldn't breathe for another reason.

I barely recognized the man in front of me. No matter how much we’d fought, he’d never looked at me like that before. He wasn’t trying to scare me off, he genuinely wanted me dead.

“This is why we could never have a rational conversation. You’re so overly emotional,” I rasped out, flinching as the gun went off and a hole appeared in the floor close to me.

“You want to talk about rational conversations? The second anyone disagrees with you, you fly off the handle!” he gritted out, waving his gun at me again. “You are the most frustrating woman on the planet!”

“It only bothers you because you give a shit, remember that,” I pointed out as I got to my feet.

“Of course I give a shit. You played me, just like Marco did. The difference is my whole fucking crew got to witness it this time. Do you feel better now that you’ve humiliated me?” he barked, his hand shaking the angrier he got.

“I. Didn’t. Do. Anything,” I said sharply.

“It’s a bit hard to believe you when you were already screwing Slash behind my back. What’s stopping you from fucking Hunter or Marco?” he demanded, and I stared at him for a moment before shaking my head slightly. Out of everyone, he should have believed me.

“Right now? Absolutely fucking nothing,” I replied like a petty bitch, ducking a second before his gun went off and I was showered with dry wall dust.