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“You don’t know anything about me,” she growled as she wrapped her arms around herself to conceal the fine shaking slowly creeping through her arms.
Angel coasted on the freeway, which quickly took them away from The Strip. “Baby, I know you better than you think.”
“You don’t know shit.”
“I don’t? Okay, how about this? You changed after Vinny died. One of two things happen when people like us lose someone to violence.”
“Like us?” she echoed. “I’m nothing like you.”
“You’re not? You wouldn’t do whatever it takes to protect your loved ones?” He slanted her a look. “Even kill to protect their memory?”
She stared straight ahead.
“When you lose someone to a violent crime, it changes you,” Angel said as he sped up, changed lanes, and navigated with ease. “Either you shut down and try to forget, or you embrace the dark and fight back.” He grinned as he shifted gears. “You know which I chose.”
“You shouldn’t have taken me! I was in a room full of the most notorious cons, murderers, and rapists in the city!”
“You were covered.”
“Covered?” she echoed, voice rife with disbelief. “You were practically begging them to kill you.”
He shrugged. “They need to know who’s boss.”
“You’re a fucking crazy man. Take this exit.”
He followed her directions. She was too fucked up to enjoy the new car smell, the roar of the engine, or the ease with which he drove. His words sloshed around in her head.
She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “Who did you lose?”
“My parents.” His voice held no inflection.
She opened her mouth to ask more questions but then shut it. She didn’t want anyone asking questions about Vinny, so she would let it be.
“If you’re born into a crime family, there’s no escape. Even if you try to fight it, sooner or later, you lose someone to the underworld, and you have to choose. You either let them get away with it and turn your back on your family name, or you get even and then destroy everyone associated with them.”
She stared at the way the light revealed and then concealed his features as they sped past buildings lining the freeway.
“Raul handles it better than the rest of us. If it wasn’t for their murders, he would probably be the fucking mayor of New York. Instead, he does what he needs to for the family. Loyalty. That’s all we know. You fuck with one of us, you fuck with us all, and you bear our wrath. I wear my parent’s tainted memory on my skin for everyone to see, and I send motherfuckers like their murderers to hell with a smile. That’s what pushes all of us, including you.”
“No,” she said faintly.
“Let me guess. What used to satisfy you won’t do it for you anymore. That’s why you’re out every night, why you were dancing on stage at the strip club. Your cheap thrills won’t work anymore.”
“Gentlemen’s club,” she muttered.
“I know what works for my cravings.” He glanced at her. “You need to find out what yours is.”
Her restless, insatiable hunger jumped from food to bloodlust at the speed of light. No one could have stopped her. It was probably only sheer disbelief that she would do something so stupid in front of witnesses that kept anyone from reacting faster. The wrath Maddog ignited still burned in her gut. Tonight, she killed a man in cold blood without an iota of remorse. Even now, she felt nothing. If she could kill him again, she would. Gavin signed his death warrant. The words knocked around in her head. She bowed her head and curled her toes in her shoes in a vain attempt to keep memories of Vinny from intruding.
“I’ll take care of the Black Vipers,” Angel said.
“What?” she whispered.
“They won’t touch you. That’s why I took the head shot. Hopefully, I can get eyes off you by claiming the kill.”
She froze. For the first time, she stopped thinking about why she killed and focused on the other part—who. She killed the leader of the Black Vipers, the most notorious and violent biker gang on the West Coast. Fuck. “My mom—”
“I’ll get some guys to watch your place.”
