Total pages in book: 111
Estimated words: 102136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102136 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 340(@300wpm)
I passed the picture back to AK. Styx was glaring back and forth between two people—Smiler and Ash.
Ash.
Styx lifted his hands. “Sheriff called by this morning with this. Seems some low-level Mexican drug dealers were killed last night, just outside of Georgetown.” Styx sat back in his chair. “Had connections to Diego Medina and the Quintana cartel. Fucking loose connections. Barely knew the fuckers from what I can tell.” Styx glared at Smiler. “You got something to tell me, brother? Seems you were AWOL last night.”
Smiler didn’t answer, but he smiled a fucking wide smile. It looked strange on his face. He was named Smiler because he never did smile. He knocked back his whiskey, and then poured another without saying shit. Smiler was fucked up most days now, on whiskey or whatever he got his hands on. Used to keep to himself, now he was fucking every club slut in sight.
“You killed them? Without club permission?” AK said, speaking for himself.
“We did.” My head fucking snapped straight to the back of the room and the voice that just spoke. Ash was leaning against the wall. He folded his arms across his chest. “Those cunts worked for Diego.” Smiler nodded at Ash, still grinning, and took another shot. He saluted Ash with his empty glass. “Those assholes killed Slash.”
“Diego killed Slash,” AK said slowly, never taking his eyes off Ash. “Not his men. He acted on his own.”
“They’re all the fucking same. They worked for Diego. They deserved to die,” Ash argued.
“Was Zane with you?” AK hissed. “He was meant to be at home with his aunt last night.”
Ash rolled his lip ring between his teeth. “He was there. He snuck out. But don’t worry. He was our lookout. It was me and Smiler that did the deed.” Ash shrugged, smirking. “They weren’t the first, won’t be the last.” The room was fucking dead quiet, and then I felt everyone’s eyes on me. I didn’t know what to say. What the fuck were they looking at me for?
“You’re suspended, both of you. I’ll be in touch about how the fuck to win your way back in when you’ve served enough time.” AK was speaking, but it was Styx’s signs he was voicing. The prez’s hands were fucking flying in Ash’s and Smiler’s direction.
Smiler got to his feet, swiping the bottle of whiskey off the table. “Later, fuckers. Always a fucking pleasure.” He left the room, slamming the door behind him.
“Shit! Anyone else loving the new Smiler?” Vike asked. No one answered. “I, for one, am. He’s said more in the past week than he has in all the years he’s been here.”
“His cousin died,” Cowboy said, glaring at Vike.
“I know that. And it’s fucked up. But it’s like some inner fucking beast has been released. And I, for one, fucking approve.”
My attention was pulled back to my brother and the prez. “You leave your cut on the table,” AK translated for Styx. “And when you’ve pulled your head from your motherfucking stupid ass, you’ll start again as prospect. From the fucking beginning.”
Ash lifted his chin at Styx, but he didn’t move off the wall. Styx got to his feet and walked round the table. All my muscles tensed and I pushed my chair back. No one was fucking with Ash. Not even the prez.
AK leaned forward and got in my face before I could get up. Brother didn’t touch me. He shook his head. “Don’t move. Let him do this,” AK said. I glared at the floor. “Flame, Styx is the prez. If Ash wants to be a Hangman, he needs to walk the fucking line. You walked it for Reaper. Ash needs to learn this lesson. Can’t go around killing who the fuck he wants in our name.” My teeth gritted together, fucking lava in my heart, but I stayed seated. AK was right. But I got a ball of lead in my stomach seeing Styx in front of Ash. Our poppa had beat Ash like he did me. Starved and tortured him like he did me. No fucker would touch him again. Not even Styx. I could let him be talked to, but I wouldn’t let Styx touch a fucking hair on his head even if, like AK said, he deserved it.
The flames ignited in my veins. My blood felt more like pure gasoline under my skin the closer Styx got to Ash. I breathed harder, faster, as Styx came to a stop in front of him. The prez was a fucking unit before my brother. Ash wasn’t small, but he wasn’t as big as Styx… yet. Fucker would be one day. He was as tall as me. When he filled out, he’d be a threat to anyone that dared fuck with him.
Styx held out his hand. Ash glared at Styx, right into his eyes, but then he pushed off the wall and yanked off his cut. He handed it to Styx, and then stormed past the prez. He met my eyes as he passed but slammed out of the door without saying anything.