Page 30 of Pretty Lies (Watch Me Burn #1)

One of his upper arms had a demon girl with horns, the other a grim reaper with the face hidden by his hood. Skulls, roses, and barbed wire filled the rest of his arms, connecting to the skulls and swirls on his hands, and I wanted him to turn around to face me so I could inspect the front of him.

“She’s not your girl, so I thought I could?—”

“She’s not yours either. You heard her, fuck off,” Skeeter spat, waiting for the guy to get two steps away before grabbing the nape of his neck to haul him back, slamming his fist into his face.

I jumped out of the way as they grappled, and I wasn’t surprised when Skeeter ended up on top, pounding his fists into the guy’s face until it looked like mincemeat.

Blood was everywhere, and the guy choked on it as Skeeter let him go, glancing up at me to find me standing by the wall. He reached out a bloody hand to me, grasping my wrist to tug me closer. “You can stab guys like him, he’s not one of my boys.”

“My knife’s in the car,” I said lightly, a sinister smirk crossing his face.

“I can lend you mine if you want to carve him up.”

“I don’t have time to clean it up, I’ll have to start walking once I’ve sparred with some of the girls.

I’d prefer to be in the Heights before it gets dark.

” I was trying to sound casual to hide some of my terror.

I was all for violence, I craved it, but he’d almost killed the guy with his bare hands right in front of me.

I wasn’t afraid of walking the streets at night, I had my knife, but I’d prefer to avoid conflict if I could.

“You’re walking to the Heights?” he asked, and I tried hard to not stare at the metal bars that ran through his nipples when I noticed them. The Bloody Psychos logo was right in the middle of his chest, a bird flying away on either side.

My gaze dropped lower and I realized I was staring, clearing my throat as I met his dark eyes.

“Well, I don’t have a car or I would’ve driven it here instead of getting in yours.”

“Get Holloway’s mom to buy you one.”

“That’s how you end up owing people for shit. I can get by on my own. I’m almost eighteen, so once I have a job and can set myself up somewhere, I’ll start saving for a car,” I said with a shrug, glancing down at his bleeding knuckles. “Shouldn’t you deal with that before you bleed everywhere?”

“I’ll drop you off in the Heights when you’re done here,” he stated, kicking the guy on the ground. “I think blood makes this place feel homey, don’t you?”

He didn’t look back up as he admired the damage he’d inflicted, but I had a feeling he was talking to me.

“I guess. Red’s my favorite color.”

“You play with the girls for a while, but let me know when you want to leave,” he said with a low voice, suddenly grinning at me. “I need to deal with this asshole.”

I had no idea what that meant, so I watched him drag the bleeding guy away before I made my way towards a couple of girls who walked in wearing gym wear, hoping they were okay with me training with them.

Skeeter

Blood oozed through my fingers as I finished toying with the prick who’d stepped out of line, his lifeless eyes on me as I flipped my knife in my hand.

Slash walked in with a scowl, eyeing the mess I’d made in the old bathroom. We kept it locked unless we had a body to tear apart, giving us a much easier workspace for cleaning.

“What the fuck, Skeet?”

“What? I didn’t like him,” I answered, eyeing the dead guy, who was still tied to a chair. “He gave me bad vibes.”

“You think everyone gives you bad vibes. All this dumbass did was look at the girl you want to stick your dick in.” I turned my attention to Slash, a flicker of amusement crossing his face. “Tell me I’m wrong and it had nothing to do with the Donovan girl.”

“You think I killed him because I’m jealous? He stood no chance with her. I killed him because he knows better. Even that rebellious Heights chick out there understood my rules of keep to yourself and don’t talk to anyone .”

I started washing my hands in the sink, and he sighed. “Face it, you just have a hard-on for her.”

“Fuck off. Have the guys left for the drug run yet?”

“They have, yes. I sent D with Matteo and Brick to do it,” he said sharply, and I knew he was going to get his panties in a twist before he even explained his issue. “You know I’m the boss, right? Telling Diesel to stay here and babysit your piece of pussy goes against my orders.”

“She can’t just run around unsupervised.”

“Exactly!” he snapped, giving me a dirty look. “You brought her here, so you can babysit her. Does Ty know she’s here? Last night was one thing, she put on a good show and made us a boatload of cash, but this isn’t a fucking drop-in center for academy sluts.”

“Look,” I started as I shook the water from my hands, walking towards the door as he followed. “They fucked her over, so I’m just going to use this to my advantage for a while. They didn’t want her anyway.”

“I don’t need them coming down here and starting shit. I like them, they’re good clients for our drug business, but if they storm in here and start drama, I’ll be forced to shoot them. Then what? Their rich parents hire the best detectives and law enforcement the world can offer and we’re fucked.”

I rolled my eyes at his dramatics, pointing at the newbie, Liam, and motioning to the crime scene I’d left behind, silently telling him to deal with it.

Rory was sparring with one of the girls, my dick jerking at the sight of her fist connecting with the girl’s face. They went hit for hit, and as much as Rory was rusty with her techniques, she definitely had the potential to be a great fighter.

“You’re an idiot if you think coddling her will get her on your dick,” Slash muttered, eyeing her too. “She jumps at loud noises, and from what I’ve heard, she’s got more trauma than she’s worth. The moment you pull your knife out, she’ll bail from your bed and run home to her castle on the hill.”

“I have a feeling she likes the danger, she’s just never been able to play with it before where it benefits her,” I smirked, walking towards the bar to pour myself a drink, Slash right behind me.

“You really want to dip your dick in academy pussy?”

Academy pussy was good, rich girls with daddy issues were always fun to play with, but Rory wasn’t like that.

I jerked a thumb at her, giving Slash a pointed look. “Wouldn’t be the first time, but that isn’t academy pussy. That’s Heights pussy.”

“Well hurry up and fuck her so you can send her back to her daddy. She’s not welcome here tomorrow, you got that? You’re busy, and I’m not making my guys babysit her. Take the guns home and get rid of the serial numbers.”

I hated that job, it was boring as fuck. I’d much rather be out shooting shit, but Diesel had done it last time, and as much as I was Slash’s right-hand, that didn’t put me above others with jobs like that.

We all hated doing it, so we shared it.

“Sure. Need me for anything else today? I can grab that cash from Stanton on my way home if you like,” I offered, not surprised when Slash snatched my whiskey and tilted his head at me.

“Why would you do that? Liam can get it.”

“It’s no big deal. I’m heading to the Heights to drop off Aurora anyway.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” Slash huffed, shaking his head at me and downing the drink before sliding the glass across the bar.

“For your sake, that pussy better be worth it. She’s reckless and runs her mouth, so if she sticks around, she’s going to end up dead.

Girls like her aren’t made for our world, brother. ”

“It’s not like she’s going to be a permanent part of the crew.

Just let me taunt Holloway’s boys a little while enjoying some pussy, okay?

I’ve got my head in the game, and she doesn’t mean shit to me.

You know I’d never let a girl get in the way of business.

” I heard my name and I turned to find Rory walking towards us, a light sheen of sweat coating her skin and a wide smile on her face.

It seemed the adrenaline gave her a high like it did for me.

“Yeah, babe?”

“I’m done. If you’re not ready to go?—"

“It’s cool, boss will let me leave,” I replied, ignoring Slash as he rolled his eyes. “I’ll meet you by the car.”

She wandered off without argument, and I headed into the office to grab the bag of guns, giving Liam strict instructions about disposing of the body I’d just pulverized. Last time he’d been out on a job, he’d been careless as if he wanted someone to fucking find the body.

Rory was waiting by the car smoking a cigarette when I walked outside, her eyes glancing at the bag before she looked away. “You don’t have to give me a ride if you’re busy.”

“I’m not busy. Get in.” I placed the bag inside the trunk while she got into the passenger seat, and I didn’t miss the way Rory’s thighs clenched and her mouth curved into a smile when I climbed in and started the engine. “You like cars? You just came on my seat.”

“What’s not to like? Gorgeous curves, rides well, sounds like heaven purring,” she said without looking at me, my eyes running over her while she was distracted. “The power as it forces you back into your seat? That’s my favorite part. How did you acquire something like this?”

Her face turned towards me and she caught me checking her out, but she held my gaze without flinching. I was tempted to grab her hair and force her mouth down on my damn dick that was painfully hard in my pants, but I had a feeling she’d freak unless it was her idea.

“None of your business. Where am I taking you?” I asked, putting my foot on the gas to head towards the road. She rattled off an address as we headed towards the Heights, and I couldn’t help but glance at her every so often as she kept scowling down at her phone. She was hot when she was mad.

“You know, you could just block their numbers, right?” I said as we drove onto her street.