Page 42 of Trigger's Temptation

I shoot him an incredulous look. “Who the fuck do you think? I don’t give a shit about Pearl. She can go suck a dick for all I care.”

“That’s real nice, Trigger.” Pearl whimpers behind me.

I turn so I’m facing her. “You’ve done enough damage tonight. Go clean yourself up.” I give her my back. “Get the fuck out of my sight before I do something we’ll both regret.”

Tiny snorts. “She’s good for you.”

“Who?”

He rolls his eyes, “Aerianna, dumbass.”

I frown. “Why do you say that?”

“Because before her, you would have chopped off my dick for holding you back, and you would have done more than tell Pearl to leave.” He pats me on the back. “That’s why she’s good for you. Your trigger finger is under control when she’s around. I even saw it during your last fight.”

He’s right. I don’t lose my temper as easily when Aerianna’s around. I don’t let my anger control me the way I used to. She makes me better. “So, what do I do?”

Before Tiny can answer, Torch and Blayze step into the room, followed by Capone.

“You go and get her ass,” Torch says, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

“What about my sister?” I hesitate, finishing the rest of my drink before rising from the stool.

“Derange is in there with Jezebelle and Daisy,” Capone assures me. “We’ve got her.”

I don’t waste another second. I stride out to my bike, throwing one leg over the seat. My hands grip the handlebars tight enough to turn my knuckles white. I don’t bother with a helmet as I peel out of the garage, the roar of my engine shattering the silence of the night.

Misunderstandings can be fixed. Mistakes can be forgiven.

And that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Fix this, even if I have to get on my knees and beg.

Chapter 18

AERIANNA

When we got back, we unloaded the two men from the back of Zach’s SUV, and Capone had them strung up in a secret room toward the back of the property. I wanted first crack at them, but my priorities shifted when we found Elise in the basement and saw the pain in Trigger’s eyes. Their well-being was at the forefront of my mind. That’s what I get for taking my eyes off the finish line. Instead of following my head, I followed my heart and went to check on Trigger. That’s when I saw it.

“Son of a bitch!” I shake my hand. I punched that skank with. It’s starting to swell. When I saw her draped all over Trigger and him almost kissing her, I lost it. I’ve never lost my cool with anyone before, but seeing that sent me into an uncontrolled rage.

After everything Trigger and I have been through, and he wants that bitch, well, he can have her. I finally opened my heart and started trusting, and he had to shatter it.

I passed Zach on the way out, and instead of walking back to my apartment, which I was going to do, he tossed me his keys. No words were spoken between us. A part of me didn’t want togo, but the logical part of my brain made me get the fuck out of there before I did anything more I’d regret.

Now, I’m nursing a possible fractured hand from it connecting with that bitch’s face while driving myself back to my apartment.

I park the SUV in one of the visitor's parking spots and turn it off. I sit back in the seat and take a deep breath. Did I do the right thing by leaving like I did? Should I have stayed and talked to Trigger? What does this mean for us now?

All these questions swirl inside my head as I climb out of the SUV and head to my apartment. I unlock my apartment door in a daze and drop the keys in the bowl by the door. I unstrap my service weapon and place it on the stand next to the bowl.

I shake out my aching hand and head toward the kitchen for ice, but a sudden chill prickles across my skin. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

The apartment is silent, too silent.

I stop mid-step, holding my breath. The air feels off. Heavy. As if something unseen is pressing against my chest.

Slowly, I turn toward the living room. My pulse thrums in my ears. Nothing looks out of place, but the wrongness lingers, coiling in my gut like a warning.

“What the fuck?” I whisper.

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