Page 19 of Devil’s Promise

“Other level?” I ask, and I feel my muscles tense. Are they jealous? They might be my brothers of choice, but I meant what I said. Only I get to touch her.

Rock shrugs. “She’s soft. In every way. And she looks like Barbie and she smells like money.”

“Mind your fucking business.” My nostrils flare as I get ready to fight. He’d better keep his nose to himself.

But it’s Axel who rises from his chair. “You’re strong, Angel. But a woman like that, she finds a man’s weak points. Don’t lose sight of what’s important.”

“I’m the last man you need to remind of what’s important. But the rest of you should check yourselves. There is a big world out there. And we could be more than just drug runners and whore mongers.”

“What’s a monger?” Rock asks.

Gunner punches his arm. “Shut up.”

But it’s Knox who shakes his head. “I punch people for a living. And I like it. I don’t want to be more, and I think maybe we’re wondering if your ambition is actually the thing we should be worried about. You’re going to get us all killed.”

“Fuck off,” I say, turning toward the door. But Promise’s written words bounce through my thoughts. The ones where she said she wasn’t afraid of death. I look back at my adopted brothers. “You don’t want this life, you walk. No questions. But we all know this life is short, and death could come for us any time, from anywhere, fueled by any number of circumstances. I don’t fear death. Go if you do.”

And then I open the door, slamming it closed.

Because my point is made. And because…

I want to see the prettiest kitty that Candy has ever waxed.

CHAPTER SIX

Promise

The ice pack that’s currently on top of the fabric of my dress is starting to leak, water running down my thighs.

I lift it up, realizing that it’s making the fabric see-through.

At least the bed is comfortable.

But I’m next to naked, in a strange place with a strange man who has been referred to as a killing machine. At least I think those were the words.

I have the briefest moment where I wonder if I could convince him to kill my father.

But I know that’s stupid. My father offers way more in this bargain than I ever could.

That’s when I hear the door to the apartment open. Forgetting all about the pain from the fresh waxing, I scurry to hide myself under the covers.

It’s a ridiculous move. A bit of fluff and cotton are not going to help me.

I’ve lived with an abusive man long enough to know, sometimes you’re better off looking like you don’t care than trying to find a weak and flimsy hiding place. Still, my skin being exposed is just…

I hear the footsteps across the floor, and I know it’s a man. My breath catches in my lungs even as water from the ice pack drips onto my waxed parts.

The door opens and Angel fills the opening, staring at me where only my head peaks out from the covers.

“Candy fix your hair?”

I give a quick nod, holding the blankets to my chin.

He steps into the room, stopping a few feet from the bed. “I want to see the rest of her work.”

My eyes bug out as I shake my head, my heart beginning to pound wildly in my chest.

He takes another step, closing the distance between him and the bed and then, with a quick jerk of his hand, the comforter is gone. It sails through the air and lands in a heap on the floor.