“What is it?” Bry coolly regards Saint.
“We need to distract Sinner, and a little payback should do the trick. Do you have details of the next Arrows shipment we can slip to him?”
“No, but I’ll get them.”
“Before Friday,” Saint adds, and Bry nods, moving to leave.
“There’s one more thing,” I say, the thought just occurring to me. “Did you ever reach out to Taylor Tamlin?” It had been part of our plan before the bitch tried to kill us.
“I did, but we haven’t met.”
“You should,” I say. “We need you to keep tabs on her.”
Saint nods at me, instantly understanding where I’m going with this.
“I thought you had her handled.” Bry’s gaze jumps between Saint and me.
“We do, but I don’t trust her to stick to it.” I shrug. “Call it a hunch.”
“Okay. I’ll take one for the team.” Bry waggles his brows, fighting a grin.
“Slap her around a bit while you’re at it,” I add, smirking. “And I hope you like the GI Jane look because I gave her a little homegrown haircut as a parting gift.”
Bry chuckles. “I expect nothing less.”
“She’s lucky she’s still fucking breathing,” Caz says.
“I’ll admit I was surprised,” Bry says.
“She’s small fry, and we’ve bigger balls to juggle,” Galen says. “But Lo is right.”
“As usual.” I fix him with a smug look, and he flips me the bird. I laugh, and Bry surveys me curiously. “What?” I ask.
“It’s not often I see you laughing like that. You should do it more.”
Saint snarls, and I slam my lips against his as he opens his mouth to insult Bry, no doubt. I pull away when I feel him relaxing. “Behave,” I whisper into his ear. “And I’ll make it worth your while when we get home.”
“Deal,” he whispers back, sliding his hand under my sweater, placing it on my lower back.
“We done here?” Bry clips out, all good humor gone.
“Yeah. Thanks, Bry.”
“I’ll be in touch before Friday,” he says before stalking off.
_______________
“I hoped by agreeing to marry you, you might ease up on the whole caveman routine, but, if anything, you’re getting worse,” I say, whipping my sweater up over my head.
Saint closes the door to the adjoining bedroom, lifting his shirt over his head as he moves toward me. “Don’t you know me at all?” He flashes me a shit-eating grin while popping the button on my jeans.
“I do. That’s the problem, because you’re only going to get ten million times worse.”
“You betcha, princess.” His hand slides under my jeans and into my panties. “I also know how much my possessiveness turns you on, despite your protests.” He slides two digits inside me, grinning as the proof coats his fingers.
I push him away, and he stumbles back. “You’re an asshole.” I shimmy my jeans down my legs, kicking them aside. “And I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll sleep with Galen tonight.” I storm past him in my underwear, knowing there is no way in hell he’ll let me leave.
He grabs my arm, pulling me back, plastering me to his front with my back to his bare chest. “I think you’re testing me on purpose, princess.”
Of course, I am, because he needs me to push his buttons. “Such petty behavior is beneath a queen.” I emphasize the word so he knows exactly who he’s dealing with.
“So is pretending to cockblock your king,” he rasps, sliding his hand into my panties again. His fingers push into me roughly. “When we both know you’re craving my dick.”
I thrust my elbow back into his chest, forcing him to release me. “I never said I wasn’t craving dick,” I purr, turning around, facing the heated glare on his face. “But I have four dicks to choose from, and any one of them will do.”
His arm darts out, and he grabs the nape of my neck in a firm grip. “Now you’ve done it.” Pushing me to my knees, he keeps a tight hold of my neck while shoving his jeans down his legs, revealing he’s going commando, as his long, hard cock springs free.
I look up at him, keeping a neutral expression on my face, pretending like my pussy isn’t aching for his dick. “I’m not sucking you off,” I lie.
“I’m not fucking asking.” He forces my mouth open, jamming his cock inside, and the second his velvety-soft skin hits the back of my throat, I give up the charade, wrapping my lips around his needy shaft, moaning as desire pools low in my belly.
“That’s it, princess. Choke on my cock, like a good little girl.”
I flip him the bird, and he laughs.
Asshole.
I work him over good, and it doesn’t take long before he’s shooting his salty cum down my throat. After, I let him fuck my pussy and my ass too, and by the time he falls asleep, he’s completely stress free and I’m giving myself a silent pat on the back for taking such good care of my man.
_______________
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Galen hisses the following afternoon, as we skip the last class of the day, exiting the school building en route to my rendezvous with Darrow.
“Fuck.” Saint curses under his breath, staring at Sinner. His father is sitting on the small wall in front of Saint’s Land Rover, smoking a joint and flirting with two seniors who are on the cheerleading squad, both young enough to be his daughters.
He’s a disgusting pig, and I’m glad Mom has finally come to her senses. I’ve been checking in with her daily, using one of my burner cells, and she seems okay. We don’t know where she is, only that she’s not too far away, and Lincoln is keeping her safe.
Saint clasps my hand, and we walk down the steps and along the path toward his father.
“Neo.” Saint plants us in front of the asshole. “What do you want?”
“Now, now, son. Is that any way to greet the man who gave you life?” His amused grin is as fake as everything else about him.
A muscle flexes in Sinner’s jaw as he stands, flicking the joint to the ground. He turns the full extent of his charm on the two girls fawning over him, holding out his cell. “Pop your digits in there, ladies, and I’ll send you an invitation to my party.” He drills me with a look. “I’ll be celebrating finally freeing myself of the chains that have bound me for far too long.”
Ice-cold dread drips down my spine. “You touch one hair on my mother’s head, and I will kill you.”
Saint yanks on my hand in warning.
The two girls look up from Sinner’s cell, staring at me with their jaws trailing the ground.
“She was joking,” Galen says, grabbing the cell out of their hands and steering them off to the side.
“Control your whore, or I’ll do it for you,” Sinner hisses.
“Harlow is not a whore. She’s an initiate like us, and she deserves some goddamned respect.” Saint visibly seethes as he glares at his dad, and I love how readily he jumps to defend me, but he needs to be careful too. Sinner is an unpredictable psycho, and he wouldn’t think twice about hurting his own son. I plant my hand on Saint’s lower back, urging him to hold it together.
“I’ll treat your whore with respect when she’s earned it. When she steps up to the plate and starts fucking acting like a member of our crew.”
“Wow. Tell me how you really feel,” I drawl, maintaining a calm façade while I’m seething on the inside.
“The next time you call her that, I will fucking kill you myself.” Saint’s entire body shakes as he enters a lethal stare down with the sperm donor.
A deep chuckle rumbles from Sinner’s chest, and he pins Saint with an amused grin. “This is like watching history repeat itself.” He thumps Saint in the upper arm. “Take it from one who knows. Ditch her now, and save yourself the heartache.”
“You wouldn’t know heartache if it bit you in the ass,” I blurt.
His good humor evaporates, and he darts forward, gripping my chin. “You know nothing about me. Nothing
!” he roars, and it’s clear I’ve hit a nerve.
Interesting.
Saint swats Sinner’s arm away, pulling me into his side. “Was there a reason for your visit because we have someplace to be.” He feigns disinterest, but he’s a melting pot of rage waiting to combust.
“I’m here to remind you who you are.” He pushes Saint’s shoulders as Galen returns, injecting himself in between them.
“Leave him the fuck alone.” Galen’s fists clench into balls at his sides, and I know he’s itching to flatten the asshole, because it’s how I feel every time I’m in his company.
“You too,” Sinner adds, poking Galen in the chest before trailing his gaze around all of us. “All of you. You are part of The Sainthood. Sworn to obey my command.”
I snort, and that only enrages him further.
“You clearly have little regard for your lives or those of your loved ones.” He loses his anger, flashing us a devilish grin that chills me to the bone. “It’s time you remembered your duties.” He steps up to me again, his lips tugging into a familiar smug grin that I hate so much. “I own you.” He jabs his finger in my collarbone before eyeballing the others. “All of you, and you will obey or suffer the consequences.”
Pushing Galen aside, he fixes his gaze upon his son. “You are Saint Lennox. Junior chapter leader and my heir apparent. I know you conspired behind my back to take my fiancée away. I don’t take kindly to loyalty being tested.” His eyes burn with deep-seated rage. “I’m here to remind you of the importance of Friday night.” His eyes flit to mine, and there’s no disguising the lust in his eyes, but there is plenty of hatred too. My heart slams against my rib cage, and goose bumps sprout on my arms. “Do not stand in my way, or you’ll be sorry. The last person who tried to take something precious from me didn’t survive to tell the tale.” He slaps Saint on the shoulder. “I’d hate for you to end up like your mother.”
CHAPTER 17
“HE’S LYING,” GALEN says as Saint drives us toward the biker bar Darrow favors.
“What if he’s not?” Saint says, through gritted teeth, gripping the steering wheel so tight, his knuckles blanch white.
“He said it to do this very thing,” Theo says. “Upset you. Distract you.”
“Don’t give him that power, man,” Caz says.
“That’s easier said than done.” I run my hand along Saint’s thigh. “What do you know of your mother?” I tentatively ask.
“Nothing.” His bitter tone bounces off the walls of the Land Rover as he drives. I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t.
“Anytime we asked him as kids, he told us Saint’s mother didn’t want him. Said she was dead to him and was to be dead to us,” Galen replies when Saint doesn’t.
“Maybe he meant that literally,” Caz says.
Brakes screech to a halt as Saint stops the car in the middle of the road. Car horns blare behind us, and more brakes screech as cars attempt to avoid crashing into us. Ordinarily, I’d rip Saint a new one for pulling this shit, but I say nothing because he’s a hot mess right now.
Dagger-filled looks and angry fists are raised as the occupants of other cars pass by us, still honking their horns.
Some brave soul gets out of his car, stalking to Saint’s window, pummeling his fists on the glass, shouting and demanding an explanation.
“Oh boy.” Caz chuckles as Saint lowers the window, pointing a gun at the man’s chest.
“You have three seconds to get back to your car before I put a bullet through your heart,” Saint deadpans, his voice cold and cruel. “One, two—” The man races off with his tail between his legs, jumping into his truck and hightailing it out of there.
Saint shuts the window, tucking the gun back into the waistband of his jeans. “I don’t want to talk about my mother or my father anymore.” He spits out the words like it pains him to say it. “We have shit to do, and that asshole is not distracting me with lies. Whether she’s alive or dead doesn’t matter. She’s always been dead to me, and I don’t care.” He starts up the car, speaking into the windshield. “So, unless you’ve got a death wish, drop the fucking subject.”
We don’t talk the rest of the journey, and I purposely focus on staring out of the passenger side window to stop myself from sneaking peeks at Saint. None of us buys the horseshit he’s peddling, and I’m worried about him. We all know Sinner is capable of killing his mother, and it would explain her absence, but her running off when Saint was born stacks up too. By then, she would’ve realized who knocked her up. It’s disgusting to think she left an innocent child with a monster, but it’s not inconceivable to imagine her running. She would’ve known not to run when she was pregnant. Sinner would never have let her take off with his kid, so maybe it was her plan all along.
The only thing we know for sure is we’ll never find out, and Sinner isn’t above using whatever means necessary to control his son.
The guys wait at the abandoned store, like last time, and I take Saint’s Land Rover, driving it to the sleazy biker bar and parking it outside.
I spot the back of Darrow’s head the second I walk into the dive, making a beeline for the booth he’s in, pressing down on my necklace to activate the recording device so the guys can listen in. Diesel gave Theo access to the cloud drive the recordings automatically copy to, and he synced it to an app on the guys’ cell phones.
“You’re late,” Dar barks as I slide into the seat across from him.
“Bite me,” I drawl.
“I wait for no one,” he adds, his eyes dropping to my chest.
“I see you still have a healthy god complex.” I lean back casually in the booth.
His tongue darts out, wetting his lips, as his eyes stay glued to my cleavage.
He’s such a dog. “Eyes on my face, asshole.”
He leers at me, running his finger around the rim of his half-empty glass. “I miss fucking your tight cunt,” he admits, and I imagine the guys are restraining Saint right about now. “Tempest’s no fun in bed.”
“Not my problem, and not what we’re here to discuss.” I slide the lipstick across the table to him.
“What the fuck is this?” His brows knit together as he stares at it.
“It’s a USB stick with a ton of my father’s files on it.” I had almost forgotten I’d copied those files as a backup a few months ago. I know this won’t appease Darrow much, but it’s the best we could come up with at short notice. “You’ll be able to get more of your guys out of the joint.”
“This isn’t what we agreed.” He drains his beer and slams the bottle down on the table, clicking his fingers at the bottle-blonde behind the counter. “We agreed you’d get me current intel on what The Sainthood is up to, and you’ve given me jack shit.” Spittle flies from his mouth, and his nostrils flare.
I must have been temporarily brain-dead to ever find him attractive.
“I was in the fucking hospital, and I can’t pull intel from my ass,” I snap, my patience stretching thin. My fingers twitch with the ever-increasing need to put a bullet in his skull. I should’ve taken the opportunity when he kidnapped me, because he’s a fucking nuisance, and he’s getting on my last nerve. I unsheathe my knife, letting the feel of it in my palm ground me.
“This is piss-poor, and you know it.” He grinds his teeth, and his eyes narrow to slits. The waitress plonks a fresh beer down on the table, and Darrow yanks her to him, slamming his mouth against hers and shoving his tongue in her mouth, all while keeping his eyes open and staring at me.
Anger burns red hot in his eyes at my lack of reaction. Abruptly, he pulls back, grabbing her wrist to keep her in place. “But you can make it up to me.” Placing his gun on top of the table, he leers at me again, and I know what he’s going to say before he says it. “Join me and Jazzie in the back room, and I won’t put a bullet in your treacherous cunt.”
I press the sharp edge of my knife to his balls under the table, grinning as his eyes widen in alarm, and his body stiffens. “I wo
uldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on Earth and my pussy was about to shrivel up and die. Slide the gun over the table, and I won’t push this knife into your balls and chop off your cock.”
I press in a bit harder when he doesn’t immediately move, and he jerks against the seat, hissing through his teeth. “You are so dead, Lo.”
“Brave words for a man with a knife pressed against his dick.”
Blondie’s eyes widen, and her lips twitch. Reaching across him, she takes the gun and hands it to me.
I nod my thanks. “At least someone still has a functioning brain.”
“We’re done, Lo,” Darrow growls as I withdraw my knife, curling my gloved hand around the gun, pointing it at him. “You’d better watch your back.”
I slip my Strider in my back pocket. “We’re done because I say we’re done, and if anyone needs to watch his back, it’s you. The last person who tried to take me out didn’t fare so well.”
I slide out of the booth, keeping the gun trained on him. “And I need little incentive when it comes to your cheating ass.” I glance at the gun in my hand. “This is the second weapon I have with your fingerprints on it.” I lean down into his face, pinching his cheek. “There are more ways than violence or death to take down an enemy, and you’d do well to remember that.”
I snatch the USB drive from the table. “I’ll be holding on to this now.” He can fuck off if he thinks I’m giving him anything.
He pushes Blondie away, clenching his fists on top of the table. “This isn’t the last you’ve seen of me, Lo. You’ve made a grave mistake.”
“I’m quaking in my boots.” I throw back my head, laughing as I back away, keeping the gun trained on my ex. “Have a nice life, asshole,” I say just before I exit, hurrying to the car and peeling out of there.
_______________
“He’s going to make you his mission now,” Theo says when the guys are back inside the car and Saint is situated behind the wheel again.
“Let him try,” Saint snarls, thrusting the car forward.
Galen’s cell pings, and he cracks up laughing. “Man, he’s pathetic.”
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 69