Page 107 of Army
Her blood ran cold as icy shivers raced and down her spine. “You couldn’t be that evil to hurt innocent people, especially a baby. Leave his family alone. Leave all of it alone. This is crazy, Vic, don’t you see that?”
“You don’t think that your fucker or any of the other Rebels would do the same if one of their sisters were fucking one of my brothers? They’d do worse, bitch. Those assholes are ruthless and wouldn’t hesitate to kill a woman or a child. They play dirty, and the man you think gives a shit about you wouldn’t bat an eye if his club told him to slit your throat. So … I’m leaving shit alone.”
Vic knows nothing but anger and hate. He’ll never let this go. I couldn’t live with myself if he hurt Army’s family. Maybe I should just walk away. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.The sweet scent from the flowers Army had picked for her that morning wafted around her, dispelling the confusion of her thoughts. She threw back her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Get out. Now.”
Shark took a step closer to her then hauled off and slapped her hard across the face. “I told you not to tell me what to do, cunt!”
Mia cried out and her cats scurried away. Snickers disappeared into the other room, but Pumpkin went to a corner and hissed at Vic. He looked over at the cat, and Mia took the opportunity to immobilize him before he beat the hell out of her. Adrenaline pumped through her as she used all her strength and lunged forward. The pain in her calf screamed, but she ignored it and bent low beneath his arms. In one fluid Brazilian jiu jitsu move, she pushed hard then pulled Vic under her, taking him with her as they crashed down to the hardwood floor.
“Fuck!” he yelled out as they rolled around on the ground.
Mia jabbed his side hard with her knee, and he gasped and stalled just enough for the seconds she needed to gain the dominant position on top of him. She knew if she didn’t keep Shark down that he’d beat her to death, so she gave it her all and managed to straddle him. He smelled of stale beer, cigarettes, and sweat.
“Get the fuck off me, cunt. I’m gonna give it to you—”
She smashed her fist and elbows into his face several times until she heard something splinter; blood gushed from his nose and he bucked forward.
“You’re fuckin’ dead!”
“I’m going to call the cops,” she panted as she kept up the assault to his face even though blood was still pouring from it. Sharp jolts of excruciating pain burned the nerves in her leg, and she wouldn’t be able to hold him down much longer. Taking several deep breaths, she jumped up and ran outside. She limped down to the curb and waved at her next door neighbor—a firefighter.
Vic came bursting out the door, screaming and cussing. The neighbor put down the hose and walked over.
“Everything okay?” Taber asked, his gaze fixed on Vic’s face.
Vic had a wad of paper towels against his nose. He glared.
“Yeah,” Mia said, glancing over at Vic. “My brother was just leaving.” She took a few steps closer to Taber.
Vic stared angrily at her, hate flashing in his eyes. As he walked to his bike, he stopped next to her and hissed in her ear, “You’re gonna pay for what you did, cunt. And if you ever try that MMA shit on me again, I’ll fuckin’ kill you.”
She shuddered as his words scraped along her spine. Long after he’d gone, she stared at the street as her body slowly came down from the adrenaline high she’d been on for the past hour.
As she limped up the sidewalk, she waved at Taber and made a mental note to send over a plate of cookies for him and his family. If he hadn’t been outside, she wasn’t sure what would have happened. She locked the door and turned on the alarm then hobbled into the kitchen to get two ice packs from the freezer: one for her face and one for her leg.
Grabbing a pillow, she slipped it under her head as she lay down on the couch. Snickers jumped up and snuggled next to her while Pumpkin stretched out on top of the sofa.
“I guess it’s pizza tonight, girls.”
She picked up the remote and turned on the television.
* * *
Mia woke upto the touch of Army lips on her, kissing her gently. She curled her arms around his neck and tugged him closer, relishing the taste and scent of him.
“Perfect way to wake up from a nap,” she murmured.
“What the fuck happened, baby?” he whispered before pressing his mouth softly on hers.
The memory of Vic’s visit tore through her mind, and she gripped Army’s shoulders and pushed him back. “I had a bad time at training.”
He swept his tongue over her lips. “Want to try the truth this time?” he asked before straightening up.
What will he do if I tell him Vic was here? I feel like I’m on a damn runaway train.
His cool hand soothed the right side of her face. “We’ve gotta be honest with each other no matter what. I don’t want you keeping shit from me, and I wouldn’t keep it from you unless it’s club business.” He bent down and kissed her forehead. “Let’s try this again. Who the fuck hit you?”
“Vic,” she whispered. For a split second, his hand stopped moving then it started up again.
