Addictive (Houston Defiance MC #2) - K.E. Osborn Page 0,25
broken.
Tarnished by my past.
My fucking mother made me into this void that I am.
How could I ever be good enough for Prinie?
There’s no possible way.
She deserves love, real love, not some stained reason for existence.
My boots thump the pavement as I pace the parking lot of the police station trying to walk off my rage. I’m not sure who I’m angrier at—Finley for not being able to do her job, or me for not being the man I need to be.
“Wraith!” Neon calls out, but I keep pacing with all these racing thoughts pummeling my mind, overwhelming me as anxiety begins to cripple me—this is where Zero usually steps in taming the beast inside me. “Wraith, stop for a second, will you?” Neon reaches out grabbing my arm, halting my steps. I stop, turning to face him, instinctively reaching for my gun and pull it up aiming it directly at his head. He raises his hands in surrender. “Take a damn breath, brother.”
My whole body shudders when I scan over to my brothers who are watching me lose my shit.
Finley’s eyes shoot back to check if any police are heading out, then she calls out, “Stow your damn weapon, Wraith. Now! I don’t need the president and the VP behind bars.”
Exhaling the breath I was holding, I lower my gun, holstering it. I internally berate myself for showing a sign of weakness as Neon grabs me, pulling me aside. “This is a stressful time for us all, but throwing wild accusations won’t help, Zero. She’s not in the Baron’s pocket… for fuck’s sake, trust me on that. I would never have hired her if I thought that.”
“We can’t trust anyone. The Baron has his hand in everything.”
Neon exhales. “Not her.”
“Give me one good reason why I should trust her, Neon.”
He looks over his shoulder. “Let’s just say Finley and the Baron have history. An awful history. Too much to go into detail about right now, but she’s not his biggest fan.”
“You swear to me he hasn’t gotten to her?”
“I swear, Wraith. Finley’s on our side. She wants to watch the Baron burn just as much as we all do.”
“I fucking hope that’s true.”
“If you two are done having your little powwow, some of us have work to do,” Finley calls out from behind us.
I turn, and she’s working furiously on her cell as I storm over to her. “You work your damn ass off for Zero. You do anything you have to, to get him out of this. I want the Baron to know he can’t fuck with Defiance.”
“While you’ve been crying in the corner, I’ve been working on his case for five minutes on my cell. Can we go? I have an arraignment to prep for. I can’t be concerned with your pity party.”
Her fight and fire are enlightening.
She’s calling me on my shit!
Maybe I’m so caught up in the fact this case is so damn difficult, I can’t see she’s actually trying here.
I need to cut her some slack. “Fin…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Her eyes widen like she’s truly shocked by my turnaround. Finley smiles genuinely while gesturing toward the cage. “C’mon, let’s go. More work, less talk.”
I signal to my brothers, then we all head toward the cage.
We might not be coming home with Zero, but we’re sure as hell going to keep trying until we do.
PRINIE
It feels like we’ve been waiting for fucking ever since they all went down to the police station to figure this shit out. As I sit with Cherry, Luc, and Phantom at a table in the main room, we make general conversation, but it’s all just small talk to pass the time.
Cherry’s knee agitates so fucking much it keeps hitting the underside of the table. I sit in my own head trying not to contemplate what my world is going to be like without my older brother by my side, and how I’m going to cope with the thought of him living out a long sentence in prison.
Phantom reaches out grabbing my hand. “It’s gonna all work itself out, Prinie. You’ll see.”
I grimace but love that he’s trying. “Thanks. I just don’t know how.”
Sliding his seat closer to me, the legs squeal on the concrete floor. “The thing I’ve learned from being in this club… Zero’s the fucking strongest, most resilient man I know. If anyone can pull this off, he can. Give him some props, princess. He’s gonna pull a fucking rabbit out of his ass. You’ll see.”