Page 213 of Chaos Kills

“Despite your misgivings, Bay Astor, you will be back at my side one day. It may not be tomorrow or the next day, but it’ll be someday. That’s if Torin Wildes doesn’t grow a pair and takes you out himself.”

“You set me up perfectly for that to happen.”

“Mi reina, I’ve said it time and time again. You shot Judah. I just protected you.”

I hate him more than I’ve ever had before. He’s fucking with me, and I’m allowing it to happen.

Levi is handling it.

Your job is to keep him away.

“However, you’ve grown up to be scrappy and adaptive. How will I ever trust you when Wallace is always present and wants my head on a silver platter.”

“You can’t,” I reply, and it’s one of the easiest things I’ve said thus far. “That’s the fucked-up thing about us, isn’t it? He hurt you because I went home and cried about it. Now, we’re not together, and you thought I was going to come running back home.”

Matteo’s lips lift, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s about to lose his shit or he’s amused. “It’s not nice to taunt me, Bay. You know I’m not a patient man. You also know that I’m not happy about what you did the other night.”

I lift my shoulders. “I wasn’t there to follow your orders.”

“But you called Wildes in for help after I specifically told you to come alone.” He looms closer, and all the hairs on my arms stand on end. “You disobeyed a direct fucking order from me.”

“I’m not your—” His gun appears, and it jams right underneath my jaw, causing me to gasp in equal parts pain and surprise.

“You’realwaysmy fuckin’ whatever,mi reina. Let’s get that fuckin’ straight right now. You might run with Wallace and land under his protection for now, but that will come to an end. You’re pushing me, and I’m starting to grow impatient with all this. I’ve been in this game a lot longer than you. In the trenches of it. I don’t give you something without something given to me in return. And I’ve got a list.”

Of course, he does.

But it doesn’t matter what it is, Matteo will never give me the video that will have all four of the Forsaken Boys on his ass.

He’ll be dead before the week is out.

“Don’t you wanna ask me what that list is?” Matteo taunts when I don’t answer back.

“No.”

Because I’m never going to do it.

Ever.

“That’s a shame,” my ex emits. “And here I had so much promise of a happily ever after for us.”

I open my lips before a familiar melody of guitar strings hits my ears, and I immediately locate the song title in my head that follows Matteo’s instant glower at the sudden genre change that definitely doesn’t match his party.

“Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)” by Edison Lighthouse causes Matteo to completely forget what the hell we were just speaking about before he pivots and storms toward whoever is in charge of the music.

But thenhesteps in my line of sight.

Equally as dangerous and capable of hurting me, Torin Wildes wastes no time closing the distance between us as a shock of electricity fizzles throughout my body.

In a white t-shirt rolled up at the sleeves, the veins at Torin’s arm bulge, and I’m not sure if it’s because he just drank poison and he’s bugging out or if he just got done doing something strenuous, but there’s no time to ask.

No time to do anything when he ungracefully yanks me to his chest and wraps his other arm around my waist.

He’s wearing black-rimmed glasses, and his hair is styled as though he just threaded his fingers through it. The familiar smell of trees and mint assaults the living shit out of me and—he wasn’t part of the plan.

He’s not supposed to be here.

Yanking my hand out of his grasp, I take a well-needed step back but am barricaded by Torin’s forearm. “What thehellare you doing here?”

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