Page 57 of Hounds Ascend
“I think you’re right,” I grit as Scott shoves him in my direction just as I rear back. My fist collides with his mouth so hard I wonder if I’ve broken a knuckle, taking my breath for a split second. Tattooed boy hits the ground, out cold with blood pouring from his mouth.
I shake my hand out, as if that will relieve the intense throbbing. It doesn’t. Fuck, that hurt.
“Brother, you need to go outside. I’ll stay in there with Keith for a minute.”
I look him in the eyes and see the grim expression on his face.
“Fuck,” I breathe. I know it can’t be good. Clayton hasn’tcome in. Which means he’s still outside…for a reason. I bolt through the door. Ghost is kneeling next to Clayton, who’s leaned against the base of one of the larger trees surrounding the parking lot.
He’d been hit, that much was clear, butwherewas the question at hand. Ghost looks up at me, reading my mind.
“He’s going to live.”
I exhale a breath of relief and kneel down next to them. Examining Clayton closely, or as closely as I can in the dark, I don’t see any blood.
“Where are you hit?”
“In my side. Bullet missed my lung…barely…” he coughs out.
“Quit talking ‘fore you make that damn thing move in there.”
“I don’t think that’s how it works, son,” Clayton rasps. “You’re gonna need a cleanup crew. You do have one of those don’t you?”
“What do I look like, an amateur? Of course I have one but forgive us if we’re running a little short. Everyone’s out there doing what we’ve been doing. I’ll get with some of the guys at the house with the girls and see if they can fill in. The girls are fine now that Keith is in our hands.”
“Don’t make excuses, just get the...job...done…” Clayton barely got the words out before he is coughing so hard his whole head is turning different colors, and that’s saying something considering how dark it is out.
“Ghost, can you get him to the hospital? I got guys on theirway to take Keith to the clubhouse. If I’d have known he was going to be that easy to get to, I wouldn’t have paid you half of what I paid for my damn house,” he chuckles.
“I can get him to the hospital. I’ll keep you posted. Take care of your club, kid.”
Headlights shine into the parking lot of the bar. Leo hops out of his truck, Shorty right behind him, running over to us. “Shit,” he huffs, looking down at Clayton.
“Can you help me load him up? I need to get him across the street to my truck.” Ghost already has an arm wrapped around Clayton’s lower back, beginning to lift him up.
Leo obeys, nodding as he helps lift Clayton off the ground. Shorty opens the back door to the truck and helps lift Clayton in. While they drive across the street and swap Clayton from one vehicle to the other, I make a beeline for the bar. To hell with caging the beast. Keith has poked the sleeping bear for far too long.
Scott moves out the way as soon as he looks up and sees me coming. My temper is not one to be taken lightly, and if anyone knows that, it’s Scott. I untie Keith’s hands viciously. I’m not about to beat on someone who can’t defend themselves. As soon as they’re free, I lay into him. Skilled blow after devastating blow of right hooks and upper cuts, Keith is knocked half-stupid. He doesn’t even attempt to block a single punch thrown at him.
“You sorry piece of fucking shit!” I holler. I’ve had enough of this shit. I’m sick and tired of the people I love and care aboutgetting hurt and it’s all been at the hands of this grimy, no good, meth-snorting, sorry piece of dog shit.
Keith laughs and blood sprays from his mouth, leaving red dots all over my fists and forearms. After the third crunch I hear from my assault on him, I stop. That was three teeth that I’d knocked out, or quite possibly down his throat.
I’m out of breath, sucking in gulps of air. Keith groans beneath me but makes no effort to move. Somehow, we’d gone from standing up to me kneeling on top of him, beating his head into the floor. Keith’s head is turned to the side, blood pouring from his nose and mouth. He isn’t so cocky anymore. The beast inside of me is still hungry but it’d been satiated enough to be put back in the cage for a little while longer. Besides, Snapper will have a field day playing with Keith. He’d learned multiple ways of torture first-hand. His father used to beat him as a child and one day, beating him wouldn’t suffice so he’d waterboarded him. After water boarding, he tried plenty of other forms of torture, some of them so extreme that Snapper won’t speak of them to this day.
“Aw, come on Prez. I gotta put that in my truck?” Leo asks, looking down at the bloody scene before him when he walks in. Shorty is standing behind him, trying not to laugh.
I stand up, looking Leo square in his eyes. “Seeing as you’re the longest running prospect, I think the answer to that question is yes. But feel free to clean him up first if that makes you feel better,” I deadpan, a smirk tugging on the corner of my mouth.
Leo is going to make a fine brother, but he’s easy to pick withabout damn near anything.
“Man…” Leo sighs and grabs a rag from the bar. Leo sits him upright and wipes his face with the dirty rag. It got most of the blood off his face. Keith laughs, spewing bloody spit all over Leo’s face and the front of his shirt.
“Fuck you,prospect.”
Without hesitation, Leo rears back and lands a blow to Keith’s face, hitting him right between his eyes.
“Shit!” Leo mutters, leaning back and staring at me wide-eyed. I grin at him and shrug.
