piece?"
I take a sip from my beer and set it back on the table. "Maybe."
"You did say it was personal now," he says.
That I did, but that'd been before the phone call. Whatever was about to go down tonight, whatever those motherfuckers are planning to demand from us—one thing we need to know for sure is that our rule here is solid. Regardless of whether or not I want her, I won’t put that or Abel and Brax at risk. It’s my one rule.
I wait a beat and then another, watching as she tips her chin up at me in challenge. I wonder if she thinks that makes her any less attractive. I don’t move to give her any sort of response, and she merely turns her head away and disappears around the side of the house. Finally, I give my answer.
"Take her off lockdown," I say. "I wanna see what she does. We've brought her here to intimidate her, but as you can see—that's not fucking happening."
"You sure you trust her off lockdown?" Abel asks, curious.
I shake my head. I don't trust this chick a single fucking inch. "Have Elijah or Raz watch her. I want eyes on her 24/7."
Abel eyes me for a moment more before nodding. “Got it.”
"It's eleven," Brax suddenly announces. I lift my head and tilt it back, releasing a slow breath. "We've gotta go soon."
I hate that he's right. I hate not knowing what we're walking into tonight. The party will rage on here and if we're not back in a few hours, I know the team will start tossing people out. It's not like we crash here anyway. We've all got clothes and rooms at Abel's house, but this isn't home. It's a party palace. This is where we flex our fucking power over Eastpoint. It’s where we reward our most loyal followers—letting them think they’re close to us. And it's where we bring pretty little nobodies from Nowheresville and show them the truth. We show them that we hold the keys to the kingdom and if they’re good little girls, then maybe … just fucking maybe … we’ll let them look inside. But only if they fall in line—only if she caves to my authority.
Frankly, I just don’t see it happening. Not yet, anyway. The issue with Avalon is that she really doesn't seem to give a shit. And damn if that doesn't irritate me and make me want to fuck her ass into a wall at the same time.
"Dean." Abel's tone makes my body stiffen. Rarely does he get that tone. Serious is not something he indulges in on the regular. "K.C. at twelve o'clock."
I don't immediately look, instead letting my eyes wander across the crowd below us until I find what he's talking about. Icy rage froths in my veins, and unlike with Avalon Manning, I feel my true devil rising to the surface. For this bitch, I have no problem letting my inner ruthlessness out to play.
"Well, boys," I say slowly. "It looks like a traitorous bird has made her way into the lion's den." I glance their way, noting their equal expressions of both coldness and brutality. "Let's play with it a bit before we kill it."
13
Avalon
I don't stay because they told me to. I stay because I'm still hungry as fuck and haven't gotten the chance to eat since the pricks ripped me away from my only opportunity at dinner. So, after they leave, I raid their kitchen. It’s the least they can do for being assholes, and it’s not like they can’t afford it.
Now that the guys are out of the way, the kitchen is soon refilled with people. A lot of the girls from before come back, led by the blonde chick that'd practically ridden Abel's lap in front of everyone. They stand against the island, fancy drinks in hand and chat away, effectively ignoring me. Guess that means I'm still on lockdown.
I find some deli meat and the fixings for a nice BLT in the refrigerator and I go about making myself a sandwich. There's a shit ton of food in the fridge and cabinets, but this is a party, and people seem a little more preoccupied with the booze than the food. Whatever. More for me.
I shove the sandwich in my mouth and devour the thing, arching my brow as the blonde talking with her friends pauses and scoffs in disgust. One of her friends picks up the bottle of tequila Brax left