Page 67 of Forged in the Fire
I figured what the hell was another.
FOURTEEN
BRINLEY
My stomach tooka tumble down a cliff.
I was playing with fire. I knew I was.
But after the way Silas had me last night and then again this morning? I needed to regain control. Let this smug bastard know that he didn’t get to toy with me.
Up my game and in a big way. No question, since after he’d put on that stupid cut, my brain had nearly short-circuited.
Blitzed out by a lightning strike.
Bad boys were so not my thing.
Not at all.
I mean, that was if I ever actually went on a date.
I’d dealt with enough lowlifes thanks to Dereck that I knew precisely who to stay far the hell away from.
And the man who swung onto his motorcycle? He was nothing but a poster child for bad decisions.
Tattooed fingers curled around the handlebars.
Worn boots stretched out as he balanced the calamitous metal, the promise of anarchy and destruction billowing off him in waves.
Macabre faces rose up from Silas’s neckline, the tattoos covering his throat, and the sleeves of that Henley were pushedup his forearms, showing off the black feathers that covered his lower arms.
He had the same tattoo on the back of his hand as the rest of the Crows I’d seen.
A crow in full flight with a skull clutched in its talons.
Beneath his were the words,The Verdict is Death.
I didn’t know who that judgement was being delivered to. Him or the poor souls who got in his way.
Rays of sunlight slashed down to emphasize the severe edges of his harsh, unforgiving face.
His brow was knitted in something I couldn’t read as he stared at me.
I itched on my feet.
Crap.
Was I really going to do this?
“You gonna stand there all day, or are we going to go? I’ve got things to do.”
“If I’m putting you out, you could just have someone else take me.”
Hazel eyes narrowed to darts, and his hands flexed tighter around the handlebars. “I don’t want you leaving this property without me.”
I huffed. “I already told you I wasn’t going to run.”
“And I already told you that you’re safe with me, and I’m going to make sure of it.” Each word was stone.
