Page 181 of Fangs
“This is so much better,” I told Mist.
“Better than what?” She wrinkled her nose in confusion.
“Without Zip.”
Understanding flashed across her face. “You caused quite a stir by pickin’ him.”
I winced and took a large drink.
“Hawk told me Mac asked him and his crew to keep an eye on you if you were there with him,” she continued, and my heart started beating faster. “He asked the foreman, Silver, to keep an eye on you, too. I guess he made it pretty clear he’d fuck Zip up if he hurt you.”
“You sure it wasn’t Trey?” I asked, eyebrows raised.
“No, definitely Mac. I just heard rumors when I was in the dungeon, but I heard Mac beat the shit out of him while you were in solitary.”
I stared at her. “What?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s true, just heard there was a brawl at Mootzie’s cause Mac and Zip got into it.”
I dropped my head into my hands, letting my hair shield my face, and tried to remember if Mac had looked beat up when he brought me water and food in that cell. I hadn’t noticed anything visible, but the light was so dim and I was so panicked.
“Heard another rumor that Zip was found with a bullet in his head in the woods,” she continued, her voice casual. “Guessin’ that was you or Trey.”
“That one was Trey,” I got out.
“Good riddance, I say,” she muttered, taking a drink.
I stared down into my drink, miserably replaying the events of that night. I hadn’t even tried to fight back when Zip cornered us in the woods. I’d immediately started trying to manipulate the situation, to find a way to cooperate, to put my head down andsurvive. I’d done the same thing with Madame when she had a gun to Trey’s head.
“Wow, I know how to bring the mood down,” Mist groaned.
I forced a smile that felt stiff. “No, it’s okay.”
“Fuck, and I said we weren’t gonna think about exes.”
I tried hard to shove all those dark thoughts back down. “I don’t know if we’ve drunk too much or not enough.”
She laughed and waved her hand at the bartender. “I vote not enough.”
Several drinks later, I couldn’t remember why I’d been sad earlier. Mist and another woman were drunkenly singing a ridiculously lewd song, and I was laughing as I watched when a familiar voice spoke near my ear and scared the shit out of me.
“Havin’ fun?”
I yelped, twisting on my stool and forcing Lee to catch me before I fell.
“Stop fuckin doin’ that!"
“What? Keepin’ you from fallin’ on your ass?”
“No, sneakin’ up on me!” I glared at him. “You need a damn bell.”
“A bell?” His eyebrows rose.
“To jingle,” I tried to pantomime a bell ringing, “when you walk.”
He grinned. “I’m offended you think I’d make a bell ring by walking.”
I still sat on the stool, but he stood between my legs, holding onto my waist, and I kind of liked it.
