Page 9 of Cage's Ruin

“I said I’d come.” I replied and helped myself to his drink. He gave me a knee buckling grin.

“I see it's like that, is it?”

“What is yours is mine,” I flirted back, and then finished his drink. “So where is the liquor at this annual beach party of yours?”

The bonfire on the beach was casting light across his face, and I swear I saw his eyes were tinted with lust.

“I’ll show you. Seeing as I don’t want you stealing my drinks all night.” He put a hand out for me to take and I felt like I was flirting with fire again, and would get burnt. But what is one night on the liquor?

So I took his hand, and got led to the dark side of the Cartel society.

* * *

Waking up, my eyes fluttered open to the beam of light coming through the curtains. My hand going to my head. I knew I couldn’t blame the alcohol. I knew I couldn’t even blame the drugs that I had sampled last night.

No as I looked around Ash’s bed. I knew this was fully on my shoulders. I had slept with Ash, because I wanted to feel something and as a result—felt nothing.

My eyes dropped to my wrist, seeing the faded scar; and in this moment. I wished I hadn’t survived it. And that very thought scared me. Was I slipping back into a grave that my consequences was digging?

CAGE

A lonely man makes a lot of bad decisions. A cold man doesn’t have the heart to see the consequences of his actions. But a desperate and a shell of a man, makes no decision worth following. Which is how I felt now.

Every time I saw Autumn walk out that clubhouse door, dressed in designer clothes. Every time I saw her laughing with one of the boys. Every time I saw that smile on her face, when she looked at her phone—messages surely from him. I couldn’t stop myself from slipping backwards. I tried to grab on to something, anything, to stop the feelings from suffocating me. Whether that be the bottle or a woman.

However nothing seemed to be working. My mind flashed back to the last time I felt like this. It was when Autumn was sentenced. I found out through the news. Knowing I wasn’t going to see the woman I loved for a year—sent me on a downward spiral.

I was destructive, went on a bender that resulted in Hawk stepping in telling me to pull my head in.

His words being,she’d be out in a year, so be the man she’s need then, now.

Little did Hawk know that Autumn wouldn’t need me. No all she wanted when she got out was that million dollar son of a bitch named Ashley.

I stopped having her watched. She deserved privacy.

Vod snapping at me, brought me back to the moment.

“What?” I barked at the table. Sure. It was a church meeting and I was meant to be leading it but my mind was elsewhere. On a beautiful blonde.

“New meth hasflooded the streets Prez. To the point it’s taking business from our cocaine.” Vod spoke up.

Lit nodded his head. “Sampled the shit myself, I can see why customers are attracted to it.”

I scorched him with my eyes. Testing the competitions shit? I scoffed. “Well do we know who is dealing it? How is it being moved at a cheaper rate then the cocaine?”

“Volume. They have a batch system in place. The amount they cook, let’s them undercut our product.” Vod explained.

I cursed, this was the last thing I needed to deal with. “Well who is dealing it? Severed Sons? South Gangsters? Who?” I looked for answers, only for them to be silent.

“They call them The Cook. No one knows where their setup is. No one knows who is the direct head. It’s just flooded the dealers on the streets.” Lit edged forward, clearly he was still using it. “If we don’t shut them down, we are looking at taking a big hit.”

“Then let’s hunt The Cook down. Shut them down. Get back to business as usual.” I said, and brought the hammer down on the meeting.

9

Autumn

Ash was furious, and a glass being thrown across the room, caused me to jump.

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