Page 187 of Shattered Pieces

Skeeter was watching us through the window, an unreadable look on his face. I hoped he thought the worst, that we were going home to fuck my pain away. I hoped that he laid awake all damn night thinking about it too.

I really hoped that the fucker dropped dead and I never had to see him again.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

SKEETER

“Skeet? You good?” Diesel asked, snapping me from my thoughts. It was Friday evening, and I still couldn’t get that look from Rory’s face out of my head. I hadn’t meant to keep it a secret about Marla, but shit kept happening and I just never got around to sitting her down to tell her.

Then I lost it about her and Hunter and figured she didn’t deserve to know.

I’d wanted to hurt her, but that look on her face burned me to the core.

Finding out Slash had raped her on her goddamn birthday really was the nail in the coffin, shorting out my anger to a point I felt numb. She hadn’t come to me, or any of the guys for that matter, but she’d told Hunter?

I was pretty sure I’d been very wrong about the situation and they’d just been friends, but seeing him stand up for her like that and Marco comforting her out the front of my house yesterday afternoon made me realize all I’d done was shove her at them.

I couldn’t take it back, my guys would eat her alive, so nothing between us could change now. We were done, end of story.

“I’m fine. Don’t you have a party to go to?” I muttered, glancing at the open office door to see a couple of the guys still lingering at the bar. We were all tired, the past few months of hell taking its toll on us.

I never thought we’d be burying someone else so soon after Slash, but Cliff’s funeral had hit hard. He was a piece of shit, but knowing my guys were dropping like flies made me nervous.

We still had to deal with Matteo too, but my crew was already weakened right now, and I couldn’t risk it getting worse. He was a rat, he had to go, but it never felt like the right time to deal with that either because everything kept crumbling down around me.

The Soldiers were pissing off every crew in all the surrounding towns, so how were they still standing? We’d taken out a bunch of them over Slash and Cliff’s deaths, but it was like more popped up every time we took one down.

I had no idea what the Devils were doing, but I knew they’d be retaliating for Rory. Hunter was loyal like that, and his crew would happily take shots at them for fun.

The Reapers hadn’t had too many issues with them, and the Kings had been concerningly quiet, but that didn’t mean war wasn’t brewing in the shadows. Archer and Rage only told us things if it benefited them, so if they were planning on something, we wouldn’t know.

Diesel shrugged, not looking too fazed. “Yeah, but with us not handling security or supplies, I don’t need to be there early.”

“I can’t believe Holloway switched like that. Hiring the Devils is an asshole move,” I grunted, earning the side-eye from Diesel.

“If I could choose Rivera over you assholes, I would too.”

“The fuck, D?”

“What? You know I want nothing to do with the crew, and your attitude sucks. I’m here because I have no choice,” he scoffed, and I hated how I’d lost grip of my guys like this. There were none here that had my back one hundred percent.

“If you really feel that way, then I think you should step down as my right-hand. I need someone who’s got their priorities straight,” I said bluntly, and he stared at me for a second before giving me a single nod.

“Fine. Brick’s got a level head and you can trust him around the drugs easily. I’d pick him, if I was you.”

Just like that. No argument, nothing.

“Sounds good to me,” I answered, standing from my desk and walking towards the door. “Yo, Brick. You’re second in command now.”

Brick looked at me from the bar with a frown, while Matteo chuckled.

“Got tired of that whiney asshole finally? Good. If Brick doesn’t want the job, I’d be happy to do it,” he offered, and I rolled my eyes.

“You’re the last person I’d choose. So, Brick, you good with that?” I asked, making Brick nod.

“I can do that. Do you need me tonight?”

“No. Everyone can go home. We have fights tomorrow night, so I want everyone here. We need good security, there’s too many problems walking around right now and I don’t want them in,” I warned, pointing to Matteo. “You’re on the door. If you see Holloway or any of Aurora’s guys, keep them out.”