Page 21 of Obey

He takes one look at my face and blinks. “The fuck happened to you, boss?”

I touch my face, wincing as I remember the fact that Knives left bruises during our fight. “It’s a long story,” I say, closing the door behind me.

“Jesus. Sally, grab an ice pack!” Lance shouts into the small kitchen.

“Already on it!” Sally shouts back. She enters the living room with an ice-pack wrapped with a kitchen towel. I feel bad that she’s doing all this walking around while she’s pregnant, but she doesn’t seem to be too bothered.

It’s hard to tell if she’s much bigger from the last time I saw her. Sally is a small black woman with very short hair. She’s wearing a loose dress with a cardigan, and she looks much better put-together than Lance, despite her pregnancy and the early hour.

“Go sit down,” I tell her a little gruffly as I take the ice pack. “You don’t need to be up and around.”

“I’m pregnant, not an invalid,” she tells me.

“So what happened?” Lance asks again as I put the ice pack against the worst of the bruising.

I inhale deeply, trying to figure out just how much I want to tell him. “Knives,” I finally say. “We had a disagreement.”

“What the fuck?” Lance half-shouts. “I hope you gave as good as you got, boss. Either way, next time I see that fucker, I’m going to teach him a fucking lesson about messing with you—with us.”

I can’t help but feel a little bit of warmth from his protectiveness. Honestly, I wouldn’t care if Lance threw down with Knives if it weren't for the fact that Knives would obliterate him. I shake my head. “I took care of it,” I say. “He’s gonna be aching today.”

Lance shakes his head. “That fucker. Maybe I can ambush him today. I’ve got a few knives and forks I could use on him.”

“Do not go picking fights,” Sally says to Lance as she sits down on the single armchair. “Bad enough I have to patch you up after your usual shit.” She smiles at me, a lot sweeter. “Maddox, you’ll make sure Lance doesn’t go picking up more trouble than necessary, right?”

“Of course,” I say. “We don’t need any more of this.” I eye Lance. “Look, it’s over and done with now. Hopefully he won’t be a little bitch about it and we can just move forward.”

I feel guilty because I’d been the “little bitch” who'd gone crying to our boss, but I can’t change what I’ve already done—what I already tried to do.

Lance grumbles but sits down on one end of the big couch. “Fine. But if he tries anything again, you call me, I’ll be there as soon as I can. Nobody messes with our crew.”

I crack a smile at him, joining him on the couch.

Sally rubs her belly, and I worry that she’s going to invite me to touch it. Thankfully she ends up saying, “You want to watch a movie or something? Lance can grab coffee and breakfast. We’ll just chill until you two go off to do whatever bullshit you’re usually doing.”

I snort. “Yeah, sounds fine.” I shift so I can pull cash out of my wallet, holding it out to Lance. “I’m buying.” He starts to protest, but I fix him with a look. “You’re doing the work. The least I can do is pay for it. Sally?”

“Let him pay for it, moron,” Sally says.

Lance sighs and takes the cash from me. “Okay. Thanks, boss. We really owe you.”

“You don’t owe me shit,” I tell him, then wave a hand in his direction. “Except breakfast. Go on. I’ll keep Sally company.”

“Don’t fuck him while I’m gone!” Lance says as he heads to the door. “You know I called first dibs.”

Sally laughs. “I’m pretty sure he’s got better prospects than either of us. Now go. Me and the baby are starving.”

I wish I did have better prospects.

But at least I’m not sitting at home alone.

SIX

KNIVES

I shouldn’t have made him leave.

I shouldn’t have brought him here to begin with. Last night I’d been high on adrenaline and anger, and my sole focus had been keeping everybody else away from Maddox.

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