Page 151 of Crow
“I don’t know,” Benny replied, sounding defeated. “Looking at your photos, it seems like Josh resents you.”
“He’s a fuckin’ sick bastard.”
“He had it hard growing up. His mom ended up in an asylum, and his dad just gave up. I can’t imagine how difficult that must’ve been.”
“You don’t slaughter defenseless men and terrorize my woman because your daddy was a fuckin’ loser.” An edgy, twitchy feeling had his senses on high alert.
“We don’t really know Josh did anything. He could just be morbidly fascinated with the killings. Those true-crime shows are mega-popular.”
“I know what the fuck he did. He betrayed all of us. You’re a citizen, so you do what you think you need to do, but in my world,no onedisrespects me, my woman, or my friends. He killed Jim and Abe to get back at me.”
“I don’t think—”
A loud crash interrupted Benny. Above the ruckus, they could hear Stu saying, “This wasn’t my idea. Calm the fuck down.”
The blood from Benny’s face drained. “Josh is back,” he said in a strained voice.
“Showtime.” Crow’s lips pulled back, baring his teeth. He turned around and walked out of the room.
“You!” Josh’s face was beet red with spittle in the corners of his mouth. “You have no right to be here!”
Stu crouched by the front door, fear etched across his face.
Crow sprang at Josh and slammed him against the wall without saying a word. He leaned back just enough to throw a punch into the sonofabitch’s jaw.
Josh raised his clenched hands, but Crow ducked forward and down, causing Josh’s fist to miss the side of his face. Crow moved to the right, but his left foot tripped on the edge of a rug, and he stumbled. Josh lifted his muscled arms straight in the air, then brought them down on Crow’s shoulders, dumping him on his ass.
“You think you’re so fuckin’ cool with your leather jacket, Harley, and all the sluts you want!” he yelled as he glared at Crow with cold brown eyes.
Josh kicked him hard, then brought his heel down on Crow’s stomach. “You couldn’t help your loser friends. You couldn’t even protect that bitch you call your woman. Now, who’s the cool guy?
Fuck!Crow winced in pain and sucked in a deep breath, then exhaled. He looked up in time to see Josh’s shoe ready to come down on him again, and with lightning speed, Crow grabbed the fucker’s foot, twisted it hard, then pushed back. Shadow Man groaned in pain as he stumbled backward, and Crow jumped up quickly and lunged at him with both fists swinging.
“Stop it!” Stu yelled. “You guys are friends.”
From the corner of his eye, Crow saw Benny rush over to Stu and pull him into the other room—the one with all the photographs.
“Only a pussy preys on the weak. You hear that, Josh? You’re nothing but a fuckin’ pansy-ass coward.” Crow landed a hard blow to Josh’s jaw, and he staggered back. “And pussies always finish last.” He drove his fists over Josh’s face before quickly bringing his knee up and thrusting it hard into Josh’s groin.
“Fuck you!” Josh gasped, bowling over, his hands flying to his crotch. “You had it easy your whole damn life.” Breathing heavily, he leaned against the wall. “Every time I killed one of those stinking, disgusting pieces of shit, I pretended it was my dad. I should’ve killed him a long time ago! But that disabled loser and yourdear friend,Jim, that was all for you.”
“You’re a sick fucker,” Crow said as his knee hit Josh’s chin, toppling him to the floor.
“Enough, Crow!” Benny yelled. “I’ve called the cops.”
“This asshole is mine,” Crow growled.
Stu jumped in front of Crow with his hands waving. “He’s not worth going to prison, dude. Let the cops take care of it.”
Looking past Stu, he noticed Josh reach for something in a drawer. “Get outta the way,” he said to Stu, pushing him aside.
Josh lunged toward him, swinging a big-ass knife in the air. It sliced Crow’s forearm before he reached inside his cut and pulled out his own knife.
“They’re going to fuckin’ kill themselves,” Benny said.
“Come on, pussy. Show me what a pathetic loser you are.”
Josh barreled toward him, growling. Crow stood his ground, detached and focused, something he’d developed over the years in the MC. From the look of Josh’s mottled skin, clenched teeth, and wild eyes, Crow knew the asshole was letting his emotions govern his moves.
