Page 55 of Gang of Roses: Rebel

I took a slow step toward him, still holding the gun, and he jumped.

“Why the fuck didn’t you stop her from doing that robbery?”

He dragged a hand down his face and sighed. ‘Cause she promised me it was the last one. We needed the money.”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Did she need the money... or did you?”

His head snapped up. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You think I didn’t know about that big-ass drug debt you owed?”

His expression changed instantly. “You thought I was stupid?”

Before he could say another damn word, I stepped into him and slammed the butt of my Glock into the side of his head.

“Fuck!” he growled, stumbling sideways as his hand shot to the spot I’d hit.

I stood over him, my chest rising with every angry breath.

“You couldn’t stop playing with that damn nose candy, so my sister risked her life to help bail your ass out.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“The fuck it wasn’t! Rose would’ve done anything for the people she loved. You knew that. You let her walk into that bank knowing she was pregnant.”

“I didn’t let her do shit,” he shot back. “You knew Rose. Couldn’t nobody tell her what to do.”

“No... but you could’ve tried.”

All I saw was red. Rage consumed me like wildfire, and I wanted them to pay for every ounce of disrespect they had shown me. With a scream of pure frustration, I turned away from them and unleashed my fury on Nico’s car. The first shot shattered the passenger-side window, sending glass exploding across the pavement. I fired again, blowing out another window like I didn’t give a damn. The sound of shattering glass echoed throughout the parking lot as nearby car alarms began screaming. I still wasn’t satisfied. I lowered my aim and put rounds into the tires one after another until every last one of them went flat. By the time I was done, Julie had dropped to her knees, crying uncontrollably, while Nico stumbled backward, cursing under his breath as he stared at what was left of his car.

After doing enough damage, I stood there breathing hard, staring at the destruction. The commotion was impossible to ignore. A few seconds later, the front door of Crow Speed Shop burst open. Crow came storming outside with another worker, Philip, right behind him. Both men looked confused until their eyes landed on Julie crying and Nico standing frozen in shock. Then they saw the damaged car. The moment Crow saw the Glock in my hand, he shook his head.

“Aw, hell no,” he said low.

Crow immediately started walking toward me. Unlike everyone else, he wasn’t afraid. He wasn’t running away or hiding behind somebody. He walked straight into the chaos like he belonged there. Philip followed behind him but stopped several feet away.

“What the fuck happened?” Philip asked as he looked around.

Nobody answered him as Crow’s attention never left me. His dark eyes traveled over my face, taking in my heaving chest, clenched jaw, and wild expression. He knew me well enough to recognize when I was hanging on by a thread. And right now, that thread was snapping.

“Rain,” he called out firmly.

I ignored him.

My fingers tightened around the Glock.

“Rain,” Crow said, his voice deeper and more commanding.

Still, I didn’t look at him. I was too busy glaring at Nico and Julie.

Crow let out a curse under his breath. Then he closed the distance between us.

“Give me the gun,” Crow demanded.

“No, nigga.”

The answer came without hesitation, and Crow’s jaw flexed.