Violence (Antihero Inferno #3) - Lily White Page 0,86
nice,” he grumbles. “Why are you here looking like someone shoved their boot so far up your ass you’re chewing on the leather?”
“Woman problems.”
The dickhead cackles.
“Man, I’ve already told you fuck ‘em all. But not in a figurative way. I mean that literally. Just keep jumping from one bed to the next, and they’ll never catch up to become a problem.”
As if it’s that easy.
Before I can respond, Shane comes storming back in, his mouth a tight line as his eyes cut my direction.
“Would you like to explain why your gas tank and exhaust pipe are all busted to hell? No wonder your bike is grinding. I’m surprised you’re able to ride it at all.”
Damn it. I knew he’d notice that.
“I’m not, which is why I brought it on the trailer. And it might have fallen over, which caused the damage.”
He cocks a brow. “Fallen?”
“Okay, I fucking kicked it,” I admit while rubbing at the back of my neck.
Priest laughs. “Did it insult you? Tell you your ass is too big? Or maybe it’s that fucking ego of yours that’s too heavy.”
“I was pissed off after arguing with Damon.”
“About Emily?” Shane asks, an edge to his voice that warns of how he feels about it.
I nod my head and clench my jaw.
“Man, no woman is worth fighting over. Especially between brothers. Just cut her loose.”
It would be a relief if I could listen to Priest’s unsolicited advice. Unfortunately, the situation is a hell of a lot more complicated than that.
Shane knows it, which is why he leans a shoulder against a wall and eyes me warily.
“Rather than worrying about her, I think you need to pay more attention to a bigger issue going on in the background.”
My eyes lock to his. “And that is?”
“Have you checked Damon’s phone lately?”
He says that like I’m supposed to babysit my brother. Then again, maybe I should. There’s only one person I would be concerned about trying to get in touch with him.
“How often has William been calling?”
“Every other day lately. Not that Damon is answering, but we both know the constant reminder can’t be good for him.”
No.
And it’s not good for me either.
But between us, William is far more likely to think he can get his foot back in the door through a breach in Damon’s defenses than he can mine.
“I’ll handle it.”
“How? Because fighting over Emily sure as hell isn’t the way to get Damon to talk. You can’t tell me you don’t know how he feels about her-“
“Of course I fucking know!” I yell, my voice so loud it echoes through the garage.
Not at first.
Not back in high school.
I’ll admit I was blind for a long time not to see it, but the past few weeks have opened my eyes.
After Emily insisting I not to say a word to him about the promise she broke to me, and the care she’s been taking lately to stay both physically and emotionally distant from us, I’ve figured out why she walked away all those years ago.
And I’ve been meaning to talk to her about it, but I haven’t moved past my own shit to have that discussion.
She deserves to talk about it, though.
What kind of dick does it make me to hold what she did against her if she did it to protect us?
“Son of a bitch, ladies. Save the drama for a soap opera,” Priest grumbles. “I swear, both of you are stinking up the place with your whacked out female bullshit. Do you get your periods now, too? I can run out to the store and grab some chocolate and ugly cry movies if you’re feeling hormonal and need to work your shit out.”
“Fuck off,” Shane and I say in unison.
It only makes Priest chuckle.
Apparently coming here was a mistake. Shane is just as pissed off at me as Damon and Emily. I can’t fucking win.
“I’ll take care of William,” I growl.
“Great,” Shane barks, obviously not convinced. “Just let me know how you plan to do that without screwing up everything Tanner and Gabe have going on.”
I groan to think about that bullshit on top of everything else. In a little over a week, we’re supposed to run a gauntlet on Clayton Hughes right after Tanner is done fucking up his world.
Meanwhile, Gabe is pacing like a tiger caged while waiting to hunt down Ivy and drag her back from her extended vacation.
All the guys have been busy executing both games so that we might finally get closer to the servers.