Page 9 of Ours

“Babe calm down.” I say walking towards her, putting my hands on her hips. I dipped my head down. “I ain’t going back in, and King just wants to talk that’s it.”

“His talks lead to damn fucking trouble.”

I nipped her bottom lip before kissing her cheek. “It will be fine.” And I walked back, grabbing a shirt, vest, keys, knuckle busters in case, guns, knives. Check. Check. Check. Okay. I could leave, and then I turned seeing Ellie’s expression.

“What?” I say.

“Nothing. It’s just...” She bit her bottom lip. “I’m going to be busy today, so I’ll see you tonight.”

I frowned and nodded my head. I think she had forgotten it was our anniversary, and thank fuck for that cause it gave me more time to get things ready for later.

I walked out of the room, Ellie’s words repeating in my head. King was trouble. But I knew something Ellie didn’t and it was fucking lucky she didn’t know otherwise she wouldn’t have let me leave.

* * *

Pulling on the dirt road,the sand and dust cloud behind me, as I rode down that road at a speed that I could lose the bike at. But I’ve been riding since I was six, dirt bikes were my start and then I was riding a road bike by fourteen.

I saw him pulled to the side. It was the fucking pick up that threw me. I pulled over to the side, and killed the bike. Looking the man up and down, he had a cut lip and a bruised jaw. I frowned but didn’t say anything because King wasn’t known for settling any argument peacefully.

“You alright King?” I said climbing off the bike, and I see his eyes on the fields, before they bounced to me. If I didn’t know him better, I’d say he was regretting something.

“How do you deal with regrets Maddox?” he asked, and the tattooed king of the underworld was looking at me for an answer. I frowned. What was with him tonight.

“Learn from them. And just bedamn fucking sure not to repeat them.” I said, and my frown deepened. “You got girl problems King?” I knew too well about girl problems. Currently had a woman so scared by men, she thought I was going to walk on her at any chance I get. Don’t know how to reassure her to the point I wasn’t going anywhere.

He shook his head, shaking whatever thought he was thinking away. “Crow Spade, and Kobi Spade, you still having them watched?”

I frowned. Odd question. “They’re in charge of the south charters, pulled eyes off them when Crow for arrested.”

“So that protection for his sister disappeared too?”

“Meadow?” Now I was really fucking confused. “I assumed the boys had her looked after. Didn’t think she needed the north to be keeping an eye on her too.”

His expression hardened. “And you made this decision?”

Some questions. You either answer directly or dodge the fucking question. But. When the King asked you a question like that—I wasn’t fucking scared, so I squared my shoulders back, and looked him directly in the eyes.

“Fucking hell yeah I made the call. Pulled the protection over four years ago.”

And the crack of my jaw, caused me to fucking swear, and it took everything in me not to throw a punch back.

I looked back at him, blood filling my mouth.

But it was the rage on his face that stopped me from reacting, because it threw me. The rage wasn’t directed at me, it was directed at himself. He was angry with himself. He stormed back to the pick up, opening the car, climbing in and taking off. While I spat out a mouthful of blood on the ground.

Fucking bitch punch if you asked me.

* * *

Hadattitude all day after taking a punch from King. Had two words for anyone that came near me. Or commented on my broken lip and swollen jaw. Fuck icing it. I wasn’t a little bitch. Unlike King, who throws bitch punches.

I brought the bourbon to my lips, some fucking anniversary this was. I was meant to be doing something romantic for Ellie —and she hadn’t fucking been around at all. I sipped my bourbon and then fucking placed it against my lip. Gabriella was avoiding me. She had to be.

I had the room decked out for her, took me a few hours but I fucking did. Pissed off. But did it. I pulled out my cigarette packet, and lit up a smoke. Nothing could calm me down at this point, I was that fucking worked up. I honestly thought Gabriella had gone off with Hudson on our anniversary and was fucking him. And I was going to be King’s punching bag until he figured out his love life. Fucked if I was letting that happen. I wasn’t being his punching bag, especially when I could punch him back. And maybe even knock him out, because I matched him in size.

Why he thought it was my job to keep an eye on Meadow fucking Spade, when she had two brothers. I don’t fucking know. The woman was barely any trouble when I had her watched. She always kept to herself. Doubted any trouble would come to her.

When Crow went in, Kobi had shit covered. I could tell. So I didn’t fucking get involved. I was Vice of the north but not the national or international President. When Kobi was the mother fucking president of the south, he had his shit sorted. I didn’t need his sister baby sat.

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