34. Sage

The horse stalls have a certain smell, and it's not hay and horses. It's a scent that drags me back to my childhood. To anyone raised in a traditional home, it would probably be disturbing.

Blood.

Sweat.

Cold night air.

For me, it's strangely comforting and familiar.

Dad used to bring me out here with him when Kane was trying to get information out of someone. It was a reminder that the Twisted Kings are a family. If you turn your back on one, you'll pay the price. They stick up for their own.

The horse stalls represent death to rivals, but to a member of the club, they stand for dedication. Until death.

Now, as I take in a deep breath, the horse stalls remind me of the kid who fell for Lyla. A kid who still had innocence in him, even if he was being trained in violence. A contradiction I still can't piece together.

The stalls remind me of following her around the compound to keep an eye on her. Protecting her like I was ordered to. Because at first, that's what it was—a command I was following. I can't pinpoint when that changed or if it happened fast or slow.

But it happened.

And now the horse stalls smell like my future if Kane finds out what I've been doing. This is the place he's going to end me for touching his daughter.

Spinning the chair around, I straddle it, facing the center of the stall. Kane and Steel are standing over Bullet, who is tied to a chair.

One look in Bullet's eyes and I know he's still got some fight in him, even if it won't do him any good.

Usually being in the stalls is my element, but right now, I just want to be with Lyla. I just want to forget all the bad decisions I'm making when they're the only things that make life worth living.

I'm still not sure how I walked away from her and got on my bike tonight. I could have stayed buried inside her until the end of time. Nothing between us, every pulse of her pleasure wrapping around me.

In my arms, she's safe.

Even if Jude and Crew swore on their souls they'd watch over the girls while I'm gone, I still fucking hate it. No one can protect her like I can when no one cares about her like I do.

But that's not even what rips me up inside. I hate leaving her when I feel like I'm finally getting pieces of her again. When I'm finally breaking through the walls she built between us. I didn't think there was a light at the end of the tunnel from her leaving, and now I've got a pinprick of hope shining through.

The last place I want to be if I'm not around Lyla is with her father.

Blaze leans back in the chair next to me. He's more twisted than Kane and actually enjoys watching this shit. I don't mind it one way or another. But I'm here out of curiosity. Because if Bullet does know anything, I need to be here when he admits it.

"We saw you on camera." Kane flips his blade around in his hand, circling Bullet and taunting him with a graze of the blade each time he pauses.

Bullet's already bloody, and one eye is swollen shut. Steel took the last round, and he's giving his knuckles a break so Kane can have a turn.

Everyone has their own weapon preference. Kane likes knives, Steel uses his fists, Blaze enjoys fire. I don't know what I would have mastered if I'd stuck around, and maybe it's for the best I never found out. Now I just carry my father's gun because it gets the job done.

It's effective.

Steel walks over to a table at the side of the room and pours antiseptic on his bleeding wounds. It probably burns. But if it does, he doesn't show it.

"I told you; I didn't do shit." Bullet spits a hunk of blood onto the ground. "I was riding through the area, that's all."

Bullet has been a member of the Twisted Kings for a decade. He knows better than to lie to Kane, especially since we have him on camera dropping off the gift outside my apartment. But whoever has convinced him to turn on his club clearly has a stronger hold.

Kane spins the knife around, and it's so quiet in the stalls, the whizzing of it spinning in the air fills the silence. When he grips the handle again, he swiftly buries the blade into Bullet's thigh.

Bullet screams through his cries, trying to hold it back, even as blood shoots out between his teeth.

Twisting the knife, Kane slowly pulls it out. "The longer you lie, the longer I'll drag this out."

Either way, Bullet isn't walking away. You don't stab Kane in the back and expect to walk away from it—much less Steel.

"I didn't—"

Steel shuts Bullet up with a solid punch to the jaw before he finishes his sentence. Bone cracks and it could be Bullet's face or Steel's hand. He hits him again and again, and I swear I catch him smiling.

"You turned on your fucking brothers." Steel hits him again. "Your club."

Blood is flying, and this far away from the clubhouse, no one will hear the screams.

"You don't deserve to carry the name of the Twisted Kings." Steel holds out his hand and Kane gives him his knife.

Steel grabs it and cuts through the length of Bullet's sleeve, exposing his arm, all the way up to the Twisted Kings tattoo on his shoulder. He drags the knife down Bullet's skin, flaying it off.

At that, Bullet finally does scream, and for the first time since we sat down, Blaze leans forward, smirking.

Sick fuck.

Steel holds the skin up in front of Bullet's face before tossing it to the side.

"Do what you want." Bullet tips his head back, a bloody smile stretching his face. "I'm not telling you shit. Your slut daughter deserves what she's going to get. Just like you."

Rage chills my spine, and I snap to standing. I'm not often tempted to get involved in this shit because I have my own outlets for my aggression.

But he mentioned Lyla.

Kane steps aside as I walk up and kick Bullet in the fucking chest, which has him landing on his back, still tied to the chair.

Stepping on the center of his throat, I apply pressure and Bullet chokes on his spit as I rest my body weight on my heel.

"Keep her out of your fucking mouth, you worthless piece of shit."

Bullet tries to laugh but he can't breathe. His eyes bug out as I hold my foot on his throat.

"Sage." Kane stops beside me, crossing his arms as he looks down at Bullet.

"He's not going to tell us anything." I might say it because I believe it, or because I need an excuse, but when Kane nods his approval, I'm relieved, nonetheless.

Leaning the full weight of my body on one leg, I slowly crush Bullet's throat. His legs and arms twitch as he chokes for air. Blood dribbles down his skin and spit and vomit leak from his mouth. His eyes roll back, and I don't let up, appreciating every gurgle and twitch.

Lyla has done nothing to deserve this except for being born into this world of blood and violence.

Ellie paid for it.

Lyla continues to suffer because of it.

She'll never escape this life because of Kane and because of me. We continue to drag her back into this world when she's fought to escape it.

I could walk away from her. I could be selfless and let her go to keep her safe. But I'm not that good of a man. She makes me selfish, and I'll do anything for her.

So, I become the beast. Her protector. I become stronger than I ever was back then because now I'm not letting her go. If she can't escape this, I'm going to be by her side to make sure it doesn't hurt her.

Bullet is no longer moving, even if I haven't released him. He's still, his eyes are open and vacant.

"He's dead," Kane says, planting a hand on my shoulder.

I finally release my foot and the weight on my shoulders leaves me. It's not the first time I've spilled blood for Lyla, and I get a feeling it won't be the last.

Taking a step back, Kane looks at me.

All of them are looking at me.

I'm not known for spontaneous violence, and that's exactly what this was. I couldn't help it. Bullet could have said anything he wanted so long as it wasn't about Lyla.

Kane's hands clench, and he moves so fast I don't process it until his fist connects with my face. The sheer burn of his knuckles, crunching against my skull has me stumbling backward. But, before I get too far, Kane grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me to him.

And I don't fight back because there's no point. I gave myself away the moment I defended Kane's daughter. I did this to myself, and I saw it coming. I wasn't subtle about it, and I don't regret it.

"I warned you not to touch my fucking daughter, Sage." Kane's in my face, his jaw tense and his eyes narrowed.

He pulls me close, and I wait for him to tie me to the chair next. If I'm lucky, he'll snap my neck and make it quick, but if he's smart, he'll cut off my dick. Instead, he shoves me away from him, his expression unreadable.

"I fucking warned you." He rakes his hands in his hair and growls.

Blaze stands up, stepping to Kane, planting a hand on his shoulder, like it will stop whatever he has planned, but Kane just shakes him off.

"You hurt her, and I'll make good on my promise." Kane points at me before turning to walk away. Right as he gets to the front of the stalls, he yells over his shoulder, "Blaze, deal with this shit."

Blaze chuckles, walking over to me once Kane is gone. "You're a lucky son of a bitch, you know that?"

He slaps me on the back of the shoulder and moves to Bullet's body, kicking him once, like that will do anything.

Steel steps forward. "Get the prospects to dig a hole. We need to send a message. Hopefully the right eyes will see this."

"Because he's not the only one?" Blaze asks, looking down at the body.

"We aren't that lucky." Steel shakes his head. "We need to clean house before shit gets worse. I've called Helix; he'll be here in the morning."

It's not a good sign when presidents and VPs start gathering. This only happened once before that I remember when the clubhouse took down Satan's Reapers.

Blaze walks off to go to gather the prospects, but Steel stops next to me before following him.

"You seriously fucked Kane's daughter?" Steel asks, wiping his bloody knuckles with a worn rag. "And you managed to live? I think I might actually like you after all, Sage."

Apparently, Steel can be friendly. You just have to have some fucking balls to get on his good side.

"I'll meet you inside." Steel laughs, glancing back at me. "Save me a fucking drink."