Page 156 of Misrule
“They do, sugar,” she said sadly. “Theyare the main problem you have withme. You put yourself above them. They are my family.Kendallis my family. You think I don’t know how much you dislike her?Outlawis like a son to me.Morticianprotects me just the way he protects my baby girl. It might not strictly be for my ass, but that doesn’t matter. He still watches out for me. I’m part of this club, this world, and you don’t want to be.”
A burst of male laughter and amused voices carried on the wind. Roxy went on alert. The Fearsome Five were returning. To finish Knox off?
“Do you have the ring with you?” she demanded.
“In my pocket,” he told her. “I’ll keep it with me until the day you put it back on your finger.”
“That day is today,” she rushed out, as Mortician, Outlaw, Johnnie, Digger and Val appeared on the pathway, carrying bottles of alcohol and talking amongst themselves as if they hadn’t been planning a gruesome murder. She patted Knox’s shirt pocket.
“It’s in my left trouser pocket,” he told her.
She leaned over him, shoved her hand in and retrieved the diamond engagement ring.
Knox groaned. “You feel so good leaning against my cock. I need to fuck you so bad.”
His dick jumped and she moved away, refusing to acknowledge any desire. She jammed the ring back on her finger just as the guys reached them.
“You awake, motherfucker,” Mortician chortled.
“Lucas, what are you doing?” Bailey demanded.
Mortician hesitated. “What you mean, pretty girl?”
Bailey placed her hands on her hips. “You were going tokillKnox. That’s what I mean.”
Later, Roxy would explore why her crushing heartache had lifted the moment she slid the ring back on her finger. For now, her sense was returning and she realized the boys needed to be dealt with.
“What the fuck were you five thinking?” she demanded, glaring between Mortician and Outlaw. Those two motherfuckers were the ringleaders. “You always fucking talk about family, well, Knox is fucking family, motherfuckers. You don’t fucking kill family! That would devastate me.”
“If you ain’t with the motherfucker, then the motherfucker ain’t family,” Outlaw imparted. “Especially if you ain’t with him cuz he fuckin’ hurt you in any-fuckin-way.”
“Better you bastards hurt me, than him, right, Outlaw?” she demanded.
“Roxanne,” Mortician huffed, “we fuck him up, you just got to go through one, big hurt. We let him live and you might have to go through the shit over and over again.”
The logic of that statement, and her understanding of it, was frightening. To them, he’d broken her heart, then apologized and she took him back. Perhaps, to hurt her again.
“Look, baby, I appreciate you wanting to save me a lifetime of heartache and just get it over with in one, fell swoop. While that might seem good to you, it isn’t to me. I would blame myself for the rest of my life if you killed him.”
“Wouldn’t be your fucking fault, Roxanne,” Digger said. “It would be his fucking fault for being such a uppity-impressed-with-himself motherfucker.”
Roxy held her left hand up and wiggled her ring finger. “This makes him our family, boys.”
“Thatdo.” Mortician acknowledged the ring with a nod. “But you wasn’t fucking wearing it earlier.”
“He pissed me off.” The dismissive words helped her nonchalance sound believable. She slid the ring off and held up her hand again. “He’s still our family. That means he has immunity from your death squad.”
“That don’t mean shit,” Val put in.
“Val, if I were you, I’d shut the fuck up and stay the fuck out of this,” Zoann warned.
Bailey folded her arms as Val scowled but backed away. “Lucas, if you hurt Knox, you hurt Mama. In turn, that hurts me. Back off of Knox.”
“That’s my woman,” Knox slurred, drawing unneeded attention.
Clenching his jaw, Mortician balled his hands into fists at his side, but glanced away and nodded at his wife. “Fuck, fine, Bailey. Motherfucker get to live as long as he family.”
“Come fuckin’ on, Megan.” Outlaw swigged from the bottle. “Say what the fuck you gotta say, baby.”
