Page 42 of Blood & Throttle
I just stare.
She huffs. “Jesus, you really are a fucking control freak.”
“Now you’re catching on.”
Muttering under her breath, she steps into them anyway, yanking the waistband up with an exaggerated tug, making a whole fucking show out of it, just to push my buttons. Just to test me.
I smirk, stepping closer, voice low and rough. “Careful, Little Stray. You keep playing with fire, you’re gonna get burned.”
Her lips curve, eyes flashing with something reckless. “Maybe I like the heat.”
Tempting little problem.
I exhale, locking down the urge to push her against the lockers, to see just how much heat she can handle. Instead, I step past her, unlocking the door, whistling for Taz. “Let’s go.”
She scoffs but follows, falling into step beside me as we make our way back to the room.
And fuck me if I don’t already know sleep’s the last thing I’m getting tonight.
I glance over at her,jaw tightening. “I’m exactly like them.” Sin’s brow lifts, but I don’t give her a chance to twist it into one of her smart-ass remarks. “You shouldn’t get confused, Little Stray. I’m a killer. A bad fucking guy. I deserve to be here just as much as every other piece of shit out there.”
She studies me quietly. Too quietly.
I exhale slowly, running a hand over my face before resting my elbows on my knees, staring at the floor.
She doesn’t push. Just watches.
Waiting.
I should leave it at that. Should let her think whatever the fuck she wants.
But for some goddamn reason, I don’t.
My gaze flicks to the far wall, unfocused.
“You ever heard of Steel Row?” I ask, my voice low.
Sin frowns, shifting slightly. “The gang?”
I smirk, humorlessly. “That’s what the media called us. A gang. A bunch of low life street rats with too much firepower and not enough sense. The truth?” I tilt my head, stretching out my sore shoulders. “We owned the city. More than the cops. More than the syndicates. We ran the streets. And the man at the top?” I tap my chest. “That was my old man.”
She doesn’t move, doesn’t say anything.
I let the words settle.
“My old man wasn’t just the leader of Steel Row. He was the kind of bastard people told horror stories about. Cold. Ruthless. Built an empire off the bones of anyone dumb enough to cross him. And when I was old enough to hold a gun?” I exhale sharply. “He put one in my hand and told me to prove I was his son.”
Sin’s breath hitches. It’s small, barely there but I fucking hear it.
I lean back in the chair, dragging a hand through my hair. “That’s what I come from. That’s who raised me. And the second I got old enough to know better?” My lips curl. “I made damn sure he regretted it.”
She’s still quiet, but I can feel her eyes on me, searching for something.
“Steel Row ran the city, but the old man ran Steel Row. And the only way to take out a man like that?” I flick a piece of lint from my knee, voice even. “You make sure there’s no one left to take his place.”
A beat of silence.
Sin’s voice is quiet when she finally speaks. “So, what? You took them all out?”
