Flame’s head twitched in response. I stepped closer. “I just . . .” I shook my head. “Fuck, I just needed to be alone for a couple days. Okay?”
Flame’s focus was on the floor, not meeting my eyes, but I saw his shoulders lose some of their tension. “Don’t do it again. Prick.” He moved out of my way, and I passed him to get to Ky. Styx had appeared by his side.
“Take a fucking look.” Ky pointed across the room. I ran my gaze over every fucker in my way. Then finally, I saw a flash of red hair, and my eyes nearly bulged out of my head.
“What the fuck?” I snapped, stepping to the side to see better. The new angle only caused me to lose even more of my shit. Across the room was Phebe. Only she wasn’t the Phebe I’d rescued from the Klan, nor the bitch that had come to me two nights ago and fucked me better than I’d ever been fucked in my entire life.
This whore in front of me was at the bar, slim arms draped all over some asswipe who was minutes away from meeting the boatman with no fucking coins on his eyes. My hands shook as they formed into fists at my side. Phebe’s hair was loose down her back, washed and fucking beaming red. And it was all curled and shit. Makeup was plastered all over her face, bright-red lipstick on her full lips. But the war paint wasn’t what had me seething. It was what she was wearing that had me nearly bursting a fucking capillary.
She was wearing a flimsy white top that was almost fucking see-through. Her nipples were showing underneath. And it was tied up, showing her flat stomach and perfectly outlining her tits. Her skirt was long, but even from here I could see her legs through the material. And I could see her panties underneath. Or what looked more like a motherfucking thong. She threw her head back, and her laugh rang out even over the pounding rock music.
“Bitch snuck out without us knowing,” Ky said. Styx narrowed his eyes at Phebe making a fucking idiot of herself. Even the club sluts were looking at her as if she was pathetic. “Apparently Beauty came to visit yesterday and told her about the clubhouse on a weekend. Wanted to warn Phebe about what she might find here. Li had told her she could come tonight.” Ky shook his head. “Came to get her, only to find her already gone.” He paused. “As well as the fourth bottle of Jack from my bar this week. Turns out she wasn’t scared of the idea of being here. The bitch wanted it.”
I looked back at Phebe. Fuck, she was trashed. Her arms were still all over the same prick at the bar, but when I looked harder, I could see the bitch could barely stand. She was falling all over, her heavily made-up eyes rolling around in her fucking head.
Then it hit me. “The bourbon and Patrón,” I said out loud. If Ky and Styx were paying me any attention, I didn’t see. “Fuck!” I spat. I thought back to the night she’d fucked me. I’d been drunk myself, but I could remember tasting liquor on her lips.
“She’s turned from smack to spike.” I felt that goddamn trickle of familiarity run down my spine.
Back here again.
“Yeah, and liquor makes that bitch as rabid as fuck,” Ky said. He rubbed a scratch on his cheek. It looked fresh. “My reward for trying to get her the fuck home.” He glanced to Lilah, who was still watching Phebe with worry in her eyes. “Screamed at Li too. Shocked the life outta her.” Ky’s face darkened. “Took all I had not to knock the bitch out and drag her back to our house by her damn hair.”
I snapped my head to Ky. His comment pissed me the fuck off. But he was glaring across the room at Phebe. “Way I see it,” Ky said and shrugged, “is that she’s free and single to fuck whoever the hell she likes. Let her get spit-roasted by every dude here if she wants. I couldn’t fucking care. But Li does.” He tapped me on the back. “Thought seeing as though it was your plan to lock her in your cabin for a week to ground her high ass from chasing the dragon, you might want this job too.” My lips curled at Ky’s shitty expression and Styx’s shit-eating grin. And I’d never tell them so, but damn right I wanted back at this bitch.
She was getting under my skin. And right now she was a fucking knife under my fingernails. A loud crash sounded across the bar, and some guy I didn’t know launched himself at someone else, a half-smashed bottle in his hand, ready to stab it into the other guy’s throat.
Tank and Bull were on their feet in seconds. Bull cracked his neck. “Time to throw out the deadbeats.” Tank flicked his head, and the two massive fuckers plowed into the crowd, Samson and Solomon following behind. I looked around for Phebe, but the woman was nowhere to be found.
“Shit,” I hissed under my breath. I fought my way through the mass of people, looking for the flame-red hair, punching the first fuckwit who got in my way. The more people got in my face, hungering for the fight, the more pissed I became. My fists flew, eager to smash the nose of anyone who dared fuck with me right now.
When I arrived at the far corner of the bar, a hand landed on my shoulder. I turned, livid at whoever dared fucking push me, and saw Tanner with his hands in the air. “Calm the fuck down, ’K.” He raked his hand down his face.
He looked like shit.
“I gotta talk to you,” he said, pushing me outta the way of the growing fight. Dickheads and liquor equaled a fucking weekly bar brawl.
“Not right now.” I tried to push past him.
He got in my path, and it took all I had not to deck the White Prince. “Tanner. Move,” I warned, scanning the room for Phebe. Bitch had vanished. I barged past, but Tanner grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. I turned and swung, but the brother ducked and grabbed my collar, bringing me in close. “He fucking knows!”
It took all of about three seconds for his words to sink through the noise straight into my head. “Just hacked an email between him and my brother. He’s on the hunt for whoever took his bitch.” He paused. “He’s on the hunt for you.”
“Fuck,” I spat, feeling every ounce of blood in my body ignite into flames.
“Beau told him he didn’t know any of you on the list. I checked the rest of Meister’s server. It didn’t take him long to suspect the Hangmen. Turns out Judah told him all about us. And though it never came from Phebe’s mouth, Meister knows Phebe’s sister is here.” He shook his head. “He knows she’s married to the VP.” He glanced across at Ky, who was watching us like a damn hawk. “He’s gonna come looking.”
“I don’t give a fuck how militarized they are, that gang of rednecks ain’t no match for the Hangmen. Especially when Styx and Ky find out. We’ll have reinforcements here within hours.”
“I agree. Just wanted you to know. Meister referenced you. Carson. He knows you’re an ex-sniper, and the fucker is using every Marine contact he has to work out who the fuck you are. And that cunt is thorough.”
“I know. I fucking met him, remember?” My eyes fell to the outside door. “Go tell Ky and Styx. They’ll figure this shit out.”