“I love women who wear those false nails,” I say thoughtfully, running my thumb over her pinkie nail. “Yah know, the kind that are welded on. When you try to pull those fuckers, it’s painful.”
“Please,” she screams, her voice full of terror. “Please don’t hurt me, Logan.”
I grab her throat, dragging her closer. “My name is Shadow,” I spit. “What is it?”
She sniffles and a tear drips from under the blindfold. “Shadow,” she almost whispers.
“So, in a second, when you’re begging for mercy, you scream ‘Shadow’.”
“I’m telling the truth,” she whispers, her tone almost begging.
“Why didn’t you tell me all this when it happened?”
Her shoulders shake, and I have to fight with myself not to pull her into my arms. “I was scared.”
“Of?”
She takes a shuddering breath. “That you’d realise I’m not worth it.”
Those simple words hit me hard, and I jump from the bed and head for the door, yanking it open and slamming it closed behind me.
I go downstairs and straight for the bar. “Whiskey, straight,” I demand.
Shooter eyes me for a moment before reaching for the bottle. He pours a measure and slides it across the bar. I snatch it up, knock it back, and hold out the glass again.
“You okay?” he asks cautiously.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugs. “You don’t usually drink.”
“I didn’t ask for therapy, prospect,” I bite out, knocking the second shot back before grabbing the bottle straight from his hand. I stalk off towards the couch in the corner, the one farthest from the noise.
By the fourth shot, the burn doesn’t even register anymore. I’m just chasing silence that doesn’t exist.
Lexi drops onto the seat opposite, folding her legs under herself as she studies me.
“What?” I snap, more defensive than I mean to sound. Her brow arches, steady and unimpressed. “Sorry,” I mutter, because the last thing I need is Axel kicking my arse for mouthing off to his old lady.
“It doesn’t have to be this hard,” she says softly, resting her hands in her lap. “Axel forgave me for worse, and I forgave him for plenty too.”
“She stole from the club,” I growl. “Fromme. It’s not the same.”
“She deceived you,” Lexi says evenly. “Just like I did Axel. But there’s always a reason, Shadow. People don’t break trust for no reason.”
I shake my head, the liquor settling heavy in my gut. “She could’ve come to me, Lex. I would’ve helped her.”
Lexi’s eyes soften. “That woman’s probably never had a soul she could rely on, especially not a man. If all she’s ever known is being let down, you really think she’d risk trusting you?”
I drag a hand through my hair, staring into the bottle’s amber depths. “Whatever we had is done. It was done the second Icaught her sneaking out like a fucking rat.” I push to my feet, grabbing the bottle off the table. “But thanks for the pep talk.”
I move across the room and sink onto another couch, hoping everyone takes the hint and leaves me the hell alone.
It’s much later, and half the bottle gone when I hear the click of heels and the low hum of Sasha’s laugh. She approaches with that same deliberate sway, eyes glittering as she drops to her knees in front of me.
“So,” she purrs, her voice syrupy and smug, “what’s got my Enforcer all wound up?” Her finger drags slow over my zipper, teasing, testing. I don’t move. Don’t blink. Just stare past her, the ghosts in my head louder than her voice. Her finger traces slow circles over my jeans, the pressure light but deliberate. “Come on,” she whispers, tilting her head so her hair brushes my hand. “You look like you could use a distraction.”
I should shove her off. I should tell her to get the hell away from me before I make a mistake I’ll regret. All I can think about is Remi—her voice, her tears, the look on her face when she realised she was caught. And every time I picture it, it cuts deeper. Sasha’s hands slide higher. “You don’t have to think,” she murmurs. “Just feel.”
