Before I realized Kerri is everything I can never have.
Because I’m a stain that can’t be washed away once I’ve soiled you.
19
HAVOC
Discord sidles up beside me at the bar and says, “Yo, Havoc, he’s here.”
I push away my open, but untouched, bottle of Kentucky Bourbon Ale. It’s been sitting on the bar for the past hour, getting warm because I want to be sober for this shit. When I slide my gaze to Sundown as he strolls into Sanctum, I resist the urge to leap off the stool and strangle the bastard right here, right now.
This motherfucker.
Sundown greets Wraith and Jester, who are lounging on the black leather sofa facing the main entrance. They’re scrolling on their phones, trying to appear nonchalant, but I can almost feel their agitation as Sundown strides past them.
“What’s up?” Wraith says on a grunt without tearing his face from the screen.
Jester, normally a talkative sonofabitch, gives him a terse, “How’s it hanging, my dude.”
The dumb bastard got swagger in his step, walking in here like he’s not about to die. No doubt, Sundown thinks tonight isthenight he’ll get sworn in as an enforcer. It’s what we led him to believe when Crow called him in for this ‘meeting.’
Itcouldhave been his night if he’d killed George to protect Kerri and me instead of being a punk-ass bitch.
Ah, well. When faced with a choice, people make the right one, the wrong one, or the suicidal one.
Sundown made the dead wrong one.
And when Sundown walks over to the bar, Discord, being the protective brother, glues himself to my side. He puts his body between us and says, “Ready for this?”
“Most definitely,” Sundown answers. Then to Flask, Sanctum’s grizzled bartender, “Can I get a beer?”
“Hey, Flask, do me a favor and throw in a shot of Jack for him, too,” Discord adds. He winks at Sundown. “For the occasion.”
Flask nods, his long, white beard twisted in a single braid today. In his younger years, the man did a lot for the Unholy and Mayhem. Crow has him tending Sanctum’s bar to keep him off the street. It also prevents the old man from getting restless. It’s a job he was born for, given how he grew up in his parents’ saloon. Flask has also become a den father, dishing out much-needed advice to us younger members and acting as a referee when we get rowdy.
Tonight, though, he’s as somber as the rest of us.
On a usual Tuesday night, Sanctum would be open to all Unholy. There’d be music playing. Hang-arounds would be here, making themselves available to the guys. Liquor would be flowing. It’d be a good fucking time for everyone. Just normal bullshit, and I’d bet my left nut Sundown assumes the sober tone is because he thinks he’s getting bled in as an enforcer.
Fucking idiot.
“Thanks, my man,” Sundown says to Discord, then he peers around my brother, sees me, a flicker of surprise, then guilt crosses his stupid face. However, he puts on a fake-ass grin and sputters, “Holy shit, Havoc, I-I didn’t think you’d be here. When did you get in?”
Suddenly desperate for a drink of my beer, I hold off lifting the bottle out of fear I’ll crack it on the bar, then use it to make his grin permanent. “Few days ago. I couldn’t miss your important day, brother.” I growl out the wordbrotherand let it sink into Sundown’s little brain.
His gaze shifts between Discord and me. “You were gone for a while. Where’ve you been?” he asks with a nervous chuckle. If I didn’t already know he was a piece of shit traitor, his poor attempt at acting would definitely have tipped me off that something wasn’t right with him.
“He’s been up my ass and to the right,” Ferryman answers, and I can only guess he says it to cut the tension in the room.
“No doubt he can fit up there,” Roswell, who has the same dark and murderous eyes as his cousin, Malice, says with a laugh. “You got a big, sloppy ass, motherfucker.”
“Now what the fuck would you know about my ass, young gun?”
“Not as much as Angel, here.” Roswell jabs a finger at Angel.
Ferryman eyeballs Roswell. “Just because Malice is your cousin doesn’t mean I won’t beat the snot out of you.”
Angel rubs Ferryman’s scarred, bald head. “Aw, don’t be like that, grandpa. We’re just playing.”
