Page 82 of Bad for You

“He uses those fists. He hurts people who have tried to hurt us. He makes them bleed, Lila. He was on his way up the ranks. Could easily be president of this chapter one day, maybe the whole fucking club. People look up to him, respect him because of what he can do with those fists. What I taught him. He gave that up, for you.”

He snarled the last, looking at me like I was worthless trash.

“I didn’t know…he never said…”

“You don’t belong here.”

His words hit like a physical blow, cutting way too close to the bone.

“You are not one of us. You will never be one of us, you’re a dead weight around Grifter’s neck. I don’t give a fuck how tight your pussy is, it’s not worth Grifter giving up his future. Our future. And that fucking pathetic tiny tattoo that he gave you sure as fuck won’t change that.” He shook his head in disgust. “So when you go home with him tonight, you’re going to end it.”

I wasn’t just scared now, I was terrified. But somehow, I found the courage to shake my head. “No.”

“Yes. You will.”

He came at me, crowding me, and in that moment, I truly thought he was going to hurt me. That he might actually want to. That he was daring me to give him a reason to do it.

“And if I don’t?” I whispered.

“I’ll kill him.”

He did not flinch or look away, or even blink. His words were an icy blast. He meant it. I could see it in his dead eyes.

“He’s your son,” I choked out, horror taking hold so sharp and swift I was surprised I was still standing.

“You think I won’t?” He gripped my arm, tight enough to hurt, and leaned in. The scent of stale alcohol washed over my face. “You have no idea what I’m capable of, the things I’ve done.” He rubbed a piece of my hair between his fingers, then tugged on it, painfully hard. “He’s only useful to me if he’s advancing my cause, which means climbing the ranks of the club. That can’t happen while he’s with you.”

This man was a monster. I’d never met anyone so evil in my life. This was the man who had raised Jesse. He was the reason for the cold detachment I sometimes saw in Jesse’s eyes. The explosive anger when he saw a woman threatened or hurt. The reason his brother was a monster as well. And the reason Jesse could fight the way he did.

I thought of Jesse’s mother and shivered. Jesse’s dad had hurt her. He had hurt Jesse. This cold and terrifying man. I knew it without a doubt.

I was going to be sick.

“Do we understand each other, Lila?”

I nodded, trembling so hard my teeth chattered.

“Give me the words,” he bit out. “What are you going to do when you leave here tonight?”

A hot tear streaked down my cold face. “I-I’m g-going to break up…w-with him.”

“And if you think to lie to me. If you’re thinking of telling him about our chat tonight, I won’t just kill him, I’ll hurt everyone you love. Your little friends. Everly’s with you tonight, yes? And there’s the girl who owns the café? And who’s the one living all by herself in the trailer? Trixie, that’s her name, right? Yeah, that’s it. A pretty little thing. I’d hate for anything bad to happen to your friends.” He gripped my chin, his rough skin biting into my flesh. “If you haven’t done it by tomorrow morning, and I even suspect you’ve told Riff about our talk, I’ll send my boys to spend some time with your friends while I hunt Grifter down. Do we understand each other?”

I swallowed several times, struggling to make my vocal cords work. “Y-yes.”

He stood over me, eyes on mine, intimidating, making sure I didn’t doubt him. And I didn’t. He’d do everything he said and more.

When he was satisfied that he’d successfully terrified me, he grabbed my arm and dragged me back to the door. Opening it a crack, he glanced inside, then opened it the rest of the way and shoved me through.

“Now get the fuck out of my sight,” he said.

I rushed back into the main room, spotting Eves and Dane on the far side.

“Where’s Grifter?” Eves asked when I reached her side.

“I couldn’t find him,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

Eves frowned. “Are you okay?”