Page 67 of Ruptured

Aunt Celia’s color dropped from her face. She almost looked as shaken as Easton felt, hearing Tabitha refer to Outlaw as her uncle—which he was biologically not just because Diesel referred to him that way—jolted him.

“Well,” Aunt Celia managed. “This is a new development. Andnotgood news.”

“Not for you, Aunt.”

“I lost a daughter, so I know the trauma,” she said quietly. “It changed my entire life. I stopped riding. Stopped smoking. Almost stopped living. Daddy never told me who killed her, but I know it was because of him. One of his favorite club girls disappeared, too.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Celia,” Tabitha said in a watery voice. “I’m sorry you went through that. You aren’t them, though. Meggie and Rebel,” she qualified. “Blonde, blue-eyed, wealthy, and perfect. It should ease your mind to know that Meggie isn’t feeling the same pain.”

“Rebel is still alive,” Aunt Celia acknowledged.

“No,shesaved Rebel and got her ass beat. She’s in the hospital with her bitch of a daughter.”

Easton kept his expression blank. It would be so fucking cliché to admit his attraction to Megan Caldwell. Unfortunately, it was there, although he’d cut off his own cock before he admitted that shit to anyone else. He admired her loyalty and love for her husband. But Easton knew hell was on the way and his life hung in the balance.

Johnnie jumped at Bash’s every order, afraid to disobey, even though he searched for a solution without starting a fucking war on his own. His genius idea was to stonewall Outlaw’s efforts and force him to sue for peace. Bash had described, in detail, his plans for Meggie, and that fucking idiot didn’t believe him. His fucking teenaged son had a better understanding of the serious danger to her.

Aunt Celia was trying to change Bash’s mind. Easton’s only option was to forfeit his own life on a woman who’d never even fucking kiss him. If he revealed Bash’s plans to Outlaw, Bash would kill Easton if he escaped Outlaw’s wrath.

The last time Easton saw Bash he was out of money and out of drugs. His most recent supplier, Roman Mac, had gone underground after that motherfucker stole Tío’s woman. Roman was better for London, but he’d committed a grave fucking offense since he’d missed Bash’s deadline to get her. Unfortunately, Bash found ways to feed his habit and fuel his psychotic rage.

It was a fucking clusterfuck of royal proportions with so many variables that one wrong move could send Bash over the edge.

“Bash has to know,” Aunt Celia decided. “It’s the only reason he’s hitting the Scorched Devils so hard without repercussions. Outlaw is distracted.”

Fuck, she was right.

“Shine probably told him,” Tabitha admitted petulantly.

Oh, yeah.Shine. That fucking asshole, escaping the fate of Dementor and crew because he was so much better at spying. Another motherfucker Easton didn’t like.

“Are you still sucking Shine’s cock?” Aunt Celia asked.

“Diesel moved out of our condo,” Tabitha wailed. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Keep your fucking mouth and legs closed,” Aunt Celia said with a straight face.

“He even took Jana away from me.”

“Your goddamn—”

Tabitha held up her hand and interrupted Aunt Celia. “To be fair, I didn’t know Jana was Uncle Johnnie’s daughter when we first started fucking.”

A pained expression crossed Aunt Celia’s face, quickly morphing into distaste. “Bash didn’t know Diesel knew Jana. My brother would’ve told you. Now that you know I hope you’ve backed away?”

Easton understood why she posed it as a question. One never knew with Tabitha’s questionable morals.

“It doesn’t matter. She only came for him anyway. He looks at her, the way I long for him to look at me,” she said as Tío walked into the room, even more bloody than earlier.

Hands flying to her mouth, Tabitha let out a small scream.

“Chimba!” Tío greeted. He looked at his bloody hands. “La siento.”

“If you’re sorry, get the fuck out of here,” Aunt Celia grumbled.

Easton gritted his teeth. Whenever that stupid motherfucker was around women, especially ones he found attractive, he thickened his accent and leaned into his mother’s native language.

“You’re all bloody,” Tabitha squeaked.