Strong and Steady - Vanessa Vale Page 0,76

a TV indicating someone was home. Frankie rang the doorbell, and the fucker had answered it. Gangbangers didn't ring the bell, so he probably thought he was safe. It seemed too easy. I’d wanted a chase, a fight, something, but he was just a dead-beat low life who pissed his pants at the sight of Quake’s men pushing him back into his living room.

“That’s him?” I asked as Quake, and I went inside. I wanted to beat the shit out of the right person.

“Been busy, Ralph,” Quake said, his voice low and even.

Quake gave a little swipe with his fingers and his men went back outside, giving me a minute alone with the asshole without being asked.

“You broke into a house last night,” Quake said.

Ralph’s eyes widened in his gaunt face.

Quake gave a nod, and I walked over to the fucker. He stood, practically shaking in his baggy jeans. “The woman who had to climb down a fucking rope ladder to get away from you? Yeah, she's mine.”

I punched him, and he fell to his knees, blood splattering from his nose, dripping like a leaky faucet. While it had felt good, he was a worthless piece of shit. He cried, actually cried when confronted with breaking into Emory’s house.

“Dude, she wouldn’t give over the scrips,” he said, using the back of his hand to wipe the blood dripping down his chin.

“So you break into her house. What were you planning to do?”

He held up his hands as if to ward me off. His eyes were wide and wild, and I recognized a guy hyped on drugs, on meth, and he was flying now. “Just scare her, that’s all, man.”

Just scare her. Right. If he’d been high in Emory’s house like he was now, he wouldn’t have stopped at finding her keys or a script pad and leaving. He’d gone up the stairs looking for Emory. Turned on the fucking light. Shouted for her. He was either a complete dumbass or had intended to kill her… and other things first. My anger flared back to life.

“Do you know who I am?” I growled. For once, I wanted someone to recognize me.

He nodded. He glanced to Quake, who stood beside me, arms crossed over his chest.

“Who am I?” I asked. I wanted confirmation that he knew it wasn't just Quake and the MC watching out for Emory.

“The…The Outlaw.” Good, he knew who he was facing now.

“Yeah, and like I said, Emory’s my woman.” When he stood on shaky legs and started to back away from me, not just in fear, but absolute terror, I continued. “I’m a more matched fight than a woman, don’t you think?”

I cracked my knuckles, and I saw him swallow when Quake walked out the front door, leaving the two of us alone.

“You just wanted to scare her? Well, dude, I don’t plan on just scaring you.” I stepped toward him and sought the retribution I wanted.

Five minutes later, I met Quake on the front steps, and Frank tossed me a rag while the other men went in to retrieve the guy. I wiped blood from my knuckles as the fucker was dragged out of the hovel he called home and tossed into the backseat of the second SUV. One guy held up his hands, and I tossed him the rag. He walked over and leaned against the closed door, face impassive, waiting for direction from Quake.

The air was heavy, and I was sweating from my exertions, but the night was still. Only the far-off hum of the highway and a distant siren broke the quiet. If someone wanted to cause trouble, they'd take one look at our little group and run the other way. I shook Quake’s hand. “I’m done here.”

“Frankie will take you back to your car.” Beating the shit out of someone was one thing. What Quake planned next for the guy was out of my league, and I wanted nothing to do with it. Quake didn't want me involved either, which was fine with me. As he walked over to the SUV with bloodied Ralph inside, his man moved to open the door for him. They climbed in then drove away, leaving me alone with Frankie.

“I thought my dad was fucked up,” I told him, watching the brake lights fade away, “but yours is scary as shit.”

25

EMORY

I had no idea how late Gray would be, but I forced myself to stay awake and decided watching TV would work. It had taken half an hour

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