Page 79 of Chaos Kills

“Then don’t,” I hedge, gripping the doorknob. “But don’t come into my bedroom again if you’re not going to hang out or decide to ignore me in my own space.”

I go to pull at the door, when Ozzy’s palm suddenly slams into the hard surface, causing me to jolt back and drop my hold.

I connect with darker blue eyes than mine—a bit surprised—and you’d think after the ordeal I’ve had with his cousin, I’d be terrified of him.

But I’m not.

He sensed that something was up, and made a move to correct it. Levi would be proud as fuck.

“If he did something, you’ll tell me.”

I’m awestruck that he just said more than three words to me. That gravelly and delicious tone of his is why I appreciate when I do hear his voice.

Because goddamn, it’s sexy.

It’s thick and dark like the color of his clothes. I can only stupidly imagine how it’d sound in my ear with his inked fingers latched onto any part of my body.

I almost shiver, but his full lips are set in a fine line of piqued irritation, and if I didn’t already know he wasn’t a mind reader, I’d believe he read my thoughts.

The first real emotion I’ve seen him show.

“Okay,” I reply slowly. “Anything else?”

He averts his gaze for the first time and ambles away from the door. He must’ve gotten a piece of his mind out, and now he’s through.

So, am I.

TWENTY

torin

The eighteen-wheeler slowly comes toa stop in front of my warehouse with enough opioids to get a whole state high.

The annoying screech of the brakes and lack of sleep knick at my nerves as two of my men stand on either side of me and patiently wait to unload it.

It’ll take us all night, and this isn’t normally something I do, but I’m restless. I’d rather exhaust myself into unconsciousness than have another fucking dream of Judah.

It’s only gotten worse.

These last few days, he’s been bitching at me about how weak I’ve become. How feeble I’ve become for one girl. That I couldn’t even kill her without spilling blood. The easiest way to do it, he said.

You couldn’t even get the girl who murdered your brother. How fucked up is that, Torin? Then you fucked her afterward as I lie rotting in a grave. Does she mean more than me? I’m your brother. And to top it all off, you’re Emilio’s bitch.

I’m not sure if I’m more disappointed in myself that I just left Emilio to figure out Judah’s death. Or the fact I ended up exactly where he didn’t want to be.

Our stepfather’s soldier, under his rule, and a tool to use for his legacy.

And, to top it all off, I fell for the girl I knew I should’ve stayed away from. Even when she was with De Leon, I was fully aware of the consequences and how she may affect the balance.

I’m off-kilter.

I can’t be sober and not feel the burning rage that courses through me to the point where I don’t know if I want to put myself out of my misery or try again and succeed in murdering Bay Astor.

The result remains the same—I lose her.

“Open the back,” I order, wanting to get this shit over with and back home where I can empty out another bottle of Jack and figure out how I’m going to get through this. How I’m either going to let her live or punish her.

Either one doesn’t settle well.

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