Page 25 of All's Fair in Love & Wrath

Me: Sorry for the late text tonight, how was your day?

Unknown: Fine

Me: You deserve for it to be incredible

Me: Hi, sweetheart, how are you?

Unknown: I’m fine Axel

Unknown: You don’t have to keep asking. I’m fine. Everything is fine

Me: It’s no hardship to ask when I genuinely want the answer

Unknown: Well I’m fine. I’m not your problem

Me: And you couldn’t be a problem if you tried. If you want me to stop asking, block me.

Me: Did you have a good day?

Unknown: It was the same as always

Me: Someday it’s gonna bedifferent. Just wait and see

Me: Sitting here wondering how your day was

I balancemy burner phone on my knee, wishing like hell she’d text me back when the ugly asshole in front of me starts to moan and jerk his body around, slowly starting to wake up. I look over at Chaos, who’s sitting next to me in the torture room below the garage, and nods his head, picking up his phone to text everyone and walking outside to get some fresh air. The scent of death, urine, and dried blood permeates the air down here, and it can make it hard to breathe. Malice has been preoccupied, and we’ve kept this piece of shit alive long enough. Time to end it.

Chaos: It’s time to deal with Garrett

Chaos: Wasn’t expecting you to have company Mal but we gotta do this tonight

Me: I’ll be right up

Sin: Garage?

Chaos: Yep

Me: All set up. He’s wide awake looking at me like one angry fucker

Me: Doesn’t seem too happy to be back at the Heathen compound

Chaos: Tough shit for him

Me: Well I’m ready to party then

I pocket my phone and cross my arms over my chest, looking back at the piece of shit hanging in front of me, waiting for my brothers to peel themselves away from their women. I could have kept him alive for longer, prolonged this, but I want it done with. Malice called dibs, and I think it will do him somegood to purge the energy flowing through him. Losing Rolo is hard on all of us, but Malice especially.

I hear the heavy crank of the metal, the hidden door being opened, and I ready myself for the show. Like I said, Malice is a showboat, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him crave death and destruction quite like he has with Garrett.

Chaos, Sin, and Malice walk into the soundproof room, and together we stand in front of him like the four horsemen of the apocalypse, ready to send this asshole back to hell where he belongs.

Malice speaks first, his voice lighter, softer than I would expect, sounding less like the Malice I know, and more like Crew, who I’ve only seen interacting with Monroe. I look at him from the corner of my eye. Maybe he’s on to something with his whole “the queens are making them soft” thing. Seems as though Malice’s sharp and pointed sides are getting a little dull. “Garrett, glad you’re still with us. You fucked up, picked the wrong club to fuck with.”

“I was following orders,” he rasps, followed by a coughing fit.

“You were following orders. You hear that, brothers? He was following orders!” Malice yells, throwing his arms out to the sides. “You killed my brother. Did he know it was coming? Did you tell him why? That his own fucking flesh and blood put out the hit?” Malice’s voice drops several octaves, his head jerking to the side twice.

Garrett’s eyes narrow in a challenge. “He knew. His last words were begging me not to kill him. He begged like the pathetic dog he is.” Then he spits, the spittle spraying across Malice’s face. I stand with Chaos and Sin and watch the change in real time. His shoulders roll backward, his head cocking jerkily to the side, his hands clenching and unclenching into tight fists. I take back what I said.Malice is still with us; his woman brought his human side to the surface, and we just watched him retreat.