Snake flinched back, and my stepdad’s face suddenly rose in my mind. My fist connecting with the side of his head like a sledgehammer. Him falling to the ground with a silent thump.
Never waking up again.
I pulled my punch, jerking to the side, and grazed Snake’s shoulder instead.
“Fucking hell!” he shouted as he fell back to the ground, clutching at it.
I hadn’t hit him hard enough to do serious damage, but it scared me how close I’d come. I stabbed the Call button with one finger, heart still pounding, stomach churning with nausea.
I could have killed another man. Just like that.
Maybe the guysshouldkick me to the curb. They deserved to know what kind of monster lived among them. What sort of man touched their little brother.
“Hey, Flynn, did I miss a call?” Holden answered, chatter and laughter in the background. “It only rang once, so I wasn’t sure?—”
“I caught Snake at the junkyard,” I rasped hoarsely. “You need to send Dalton.”
“Fuck, okay. Is he restrained?”
“No, but the dogs have him covered. So do I. He’s not going anywhere.”
“All right, sit tight. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
I disconnected the call and shoved my phone in my pocket.
“It’s done,” I said.
“So are you,” he snarled, eyes burning with hatred. “I told you, Flynn. If I go down, you go with me.”
The brothers arrived five minutes later, and sheriff’s deputies five minutes after that. I didn’t have to sit in that junkyard with Snake for long, but it felt endless anyway. My head spun with his threats.
I knew he’d make good on them, even though they wouldn’t save him. He was vindictive. He’d want to hurt me, and this was the best way to do it.
All I could do was try to get ahead of it.
When the guys arrived, the dogs took off to go greet them, Taz leaping eagerly out of my arms to follow his pack.
Snake’s eyes darted around, looking for an escape, but I kept a firm grip on his arm and dragged him to his feet.
“It’s not too late, Dozer,” he said urgently as I dragged him forward. “I could get away. It wouldn’t be your fault. It’s for your own good!”
I tuned him out, unwilling to listen. I couldn’t let that poison get into my head. If I wanted a life with Bailey, the guys had to know everything.
This wasn’thowI wanted to confess my sins, but running wasn’t an option. Setting Snake loose to rob the guys later wasn’t either.
Axel came into view first, face grim, Gray and Holden behind him. Shiloh and Emory brought up the rear.
“Oh, good, the gang’s all here,” Snake crowed. “Oh, wait. Where’s the cute piece of ass that Flynn’s fucking?”
“Shut up,” I growled, giving him a shake. “Don’t talk about him.”
“Okay, geez. Relax. I just thought maybe your boyfriend would want to hear the news first.”
“What news?” Gray asked, voice guarded.
Snake grinned viciously. He was going to tell them. No stopping it. So I did the only thing I could do.
I stepped in front of the bus.
