Page 36 of Tick Tock, Boom!

She didn’t argue. She knew better. She was gone in a second, and I was glad, because I didn’t want her to see what was about to happen.

Saddle shoved Rancid back hard, glaring down at him. “You’re drunk, asshole. And if you’re smart, you’ll walk your sorry ass outta here before Tick Tock puts a bullet in your skull.”

Rancid wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes burning with hate. “When I’m president, I’m gonna kill both of you.”

Saddle snorted. “You’re not even close, you dumb fuck. But keep running that mouth, and you won’t live long enough to find out.”

"Fuck you," he seethed, stumbling around tables as he headed out the front door.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Saddle turned that hard stare on me. “What the fuck, Tick? You lose your goddamn mind?”

I didn’t say anything. My fists were still clenched, my jaw tight enough to crack teeth.

Saddle shook his head, muttering. “Don’t think I don’t see the way you look at that girl. You’re gonna get yourself killed. Hell, you’re gonna get her killed.”

“Stay the fuck out of it,” I snapped.

He glared back at me, but didn’t push it. “Get your head on straight, brother. Or somebody’s gonna end up dead.”

I didn't need the chiding. I was done with the shit show, and I stormed off down the hall, my blood still boiling, my fists aching for more.

I was done babysitting.

Done hiding.

If that bastard so much as breathed wrong near Natalia again, I wasn’t going to stop at one punch. I’d put him down and make sure he never got back up.

I slammed my door shut behind me, my head pounding, the rage still curling hot in my chest. I tossed my gun on the nightstand, stripped out of my shirt, and hit the bed, pissed, raw, restless.

But I wasn’t leaving her side.

I’d burn the whole fucking place down first.

Sleep came slow, my mind still running, my body was too wound up to rest. But hours later, when I felt the soft creak of my door opening, my hand reached instinctively beneath my pillow, gripping the handle of my piece.

The door clicked quietly shut, the lock sliding into place.

And then I smelled that soft sweetness of her.

Natalia.

She slid into my bed without a word, pressing her body close against mine, tucking herself beneath my arm seeking the safe place I knew she needed.

No words were said between us. Just the feel of her, warm and safe against me.

I wrapped my arms around her tight, breathing easier now that she was with me.

And that’s how we fell asleep. Wrapped up in each other, knowing this fight was only just beginning.

TICK TOCK

2011

The holidays came and went in a haze of bourbon, bloodshed, and the quiet kind of madness that only came when you were trying to keep a goddamn secret while living under the same roof as the man whose daughter you were fucking.

Natalia was still by my side. Still in my bed. Still the reason I woke up hard every morning and had to count backward from ten just to stop myself from taking her on the nearest surface.

We’d nearly gotten caught more times than I cared to admit. One night, I had her sprawled on the kitchen counter, legs over my shoulders, her hands fisted in my hair while I licked her sweet little pussy as it was now my goddamn addiction. She was biting her lip, trying not to moan too loud, trying to keep the sounds buried in her throat while I lapped at her like I hadn’t eaten in days.

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