Six weeks later…
Cracker’s POV
I pulled my beat-down pickup into the parking lot, and a sense of Deja-Vu came over me as I watched the sign over the familiar metal shop. I was back in the parking lot. This time for an entirely different reason than before. Sure, six weeks had passed, but that didn’t mean that the sting of their betrayal still didn’t feel fresh in my heart.
And I already felt it the day after…
A bill for one grand total for the usage of their equipment was dropped at my doorstep. Despite them promising that the prize would be only half that! I’d called Knives, who did the accounting for the shop, to correct the mistake but was told that if the total amount wasn’t paid by the end of the week, they would “hand it over to the proper authorities”.
I understood the threat in that!
I tried calling Steel to demand an explanation as to what the fuck was going on, but he ignored my c
Grace's POV“I didn’t realize he was the fucker that Cracker told me about, although considering it’s Sin, I’m not surprised,” he continued, and he let out a scornful chuckle that didn’t hold an ounce of humor. His eyes met mine again, and once again, his touch turned gentle as he stroked my cheek.“I’m kicking him out, and if he has to sleep on the sidewalk, I don’t care,” he continued, his voice dropping to a low, husky tone. “I do, however, care about you. A lot!”“You don’t have to kick him out,” I hear myself say – choosing to ignore the unspoken confession. Because I couldn’t believe that someone like him could actually care about someone like me. And hell, I wasn’t sure what I felt myself and I’d promised myself never to let myself be caught in a situation like that again…“Faced my fears and all that,” I explained, seeing Prez narrow his eyes at me. “I have to move on, right?”“Right,” he replied and then leaned closer, til
Grace’s POV“Because if you want me out of your life, you’re going to need more than a door to keep me away!”I quivered but not of fear. I didn’t even know what I felt with him so close to me. I felt safe. Safe enough to break down, but I refused to give in. I couldn’t! I couldn’t allow myself to, because if I did – and once he moved on from me – I wouldn’t know how to put myself back together…“Grace…”Prez’s lips brushed gently against my earlobe, and it sent a shudder down my spine. “I’m not going to hurt you.” His eyes met mine again and my breath hitched when I saw the raw emotions there.Hope.Determination.And…“Open up to me, baby,” he lured again, his hand now gently caressing my cheek and brushing away the tears that refused to stop pouring.I closed my eyes, unable to look at him. I had to be strong, but--- I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was so tired of fighting this. Bei
Grace's POVMy stomach turned to ice, and I felt sick. My mind was too clouded to form any kind of questions or even acknowledge the sinking feeling of disappointment that surged through my blood. It was irrational, but it felt like he picked Lloyd over me…“Great,” Lloyd happily chimed and headed into the hallway. “And hey, when you’re done with her, put her in my room, will you?” he turned and smirked at us. “She gives a mean blow job!”“I’m not a whore!” I barked at him, tears of anger stinging my eyes. But he just laughed and closed the door to the guest bedroom.“Could have fooled me,” was the last thing I heard before the door slammed shut. The house remained uncomfortably silent for a long while. My entire body was shaking, and my mind was reeling with the fact that my ex-boyfriend had shown up. And just when I started to think of Prez as my sanctuary. Just when I started to think I was safe with him. When I finally believed…
Grace’s POVWhy the fuck was my ex-boyfriend here?!My heart was hammering in my chest. My hands were shaking, and my knees had turned so weak, if I hadn’t been holding onto the kitchen counter, I would have fallen onto the floor. Lloyd – or Sin – stood in the doorway, and the way he leered at me made my insides squirm in fear. I wanted to hide behind Prez and, while they weren’t looking, I’d run out the back door and never look back!Fuck Jones and Jake!The last time I saw Lloyd, he threatened to kill me. Considering that his sex games and violent tendencies had only escalated while we dated, I believed him! I ran the second he left me alone in the apartment and hid out for a while.Terrified that he’d come for me!Luckily, he didn’t, and little by little, I got my life back together. I moved back to Fairfax and started working as a nurse, paying off all the credit card loans he’d taken out in my
Prez's POV“Why did she even date someone like that?” I asked, not even realizing the surge of anger that coursed through my blood just thinking about it. I didn’t care how! Anyone who’d hurt MY woman deserved to die!Painfully!“Because he didn’t start out like that, you idiot!” she snorted, and although I wanted to tell her to mind her language with me, I highly doubt she’d listen.“He started out nice and caring and gradually worked his way up to being a complete douchebag,” she explained. “He would drop small hints about her weight and made it sound like he was concerned about her health and shit like that until he was controlling her diet and her workout regimen like a drill sergeant.”I frowned.What was wrong with Grace’s weight? Sure, she was curvy and not a stick figure like the club whores, but I quickly found out that I liked it!Very, very much!“And he didn’t stop there!”
Prez’s POVSo, apparently, Knives had tried to talk Rabbit out of rebelling, but Rabbit had just been too damn stubborn to listen. He refused to admit wrong when it involved a woman. To be honest, I pretty much thought Knives was the same way, up until I talked to him. I’d asked him what he intended to do with the Cracker situation because Steel was clearly now talking to him after he’d betrayed his trust…He said he had a plan, and today he hatched it.Took the punishment like a man and even apologized to Cracker. From what people were telling me, they’d made some sort of deal about going to The Ring, but…That couldn’t be!I wiped down the hammer and put it back in the toolbox that we had on hand down here. Most of the instruments were ordinary household items like a hammer, screwdriver, and other knick-knacks, but most of them had never even scraped a drywall…&l