Page 25 of UnWholly Angels (Crestview Cardinals #1)

“Your brother is a piece of shit, and I fully believe he had a hand in beating her, but you–” I said, punching him square in the throat.

He went down to his knees, and I continued.

“You are a sleazy motherfucker. She trusted you because you fed her crumbs and promises of protection, listening to your bullshit because you ‘can’t choose your family.’ Boo fucking hoo.

Why do you think she was never out of my sight?

That’s how I know you’re the one who raped her that night.

I knew it in her reaction, how hard she cried when you tried to go near her. ”

His hands flew to his throat, and I was already relishing in the justice that was going to be dealt here tonight.

I kicked toward Lorenzo's head and it connected with the porcelain sink.

His eyes going wide as he hit the floor, momentarily paralyzed from the strike.

His body twitched on the ground as I pressed my foot into the middle of his spine, placing pressure. Just like he did to me .

“Eye for an eye, right? I mean, it’s only fair that I finish the job, you took away my life. Now, I’m going to take yours.” I laughed maniacally, releasing him.

“On your knees,” I demanded. Swaying back and forth as he rose to his knees, he spat at my feet. I fisted the back of this shirt, steadying his body.

Lorenzo laughed dangerously, and my jaw clenched, rage eating away at me as he spoke. “She cried for you. Did you know that? You couldn’t save her then, and what they have planned for her, for both of you—”

Before he had time to finish, my sweaty hands dove in, digging around his eye socket to sever any connection he had with that shiny glass eye.

“First, I'm going to rip your eye right out of the socket. Kinda hard to assault someone without the ability to see what you’re attacking.” And I did just that.

Reaching into my pants to grab my athletic cup, I shoved it in his mouth to keep him quiet.

Half laughing to myself, I sweated like a pig today, yet it still wouldn’t be as foul as what he did to her.

Pulling at the nerve and muscle, he screamed, and a mix of blood and sweat poured down his face as it detached. “How do I taste?”

His garbled cries and moans of pain didn’t change a thing. I knelt, gripping his locks and whispered lowly in his ear. “Now, I’m going to fuck you in that newly created hole. Tonight, I’m going to show you exactly why they call me King.”

It was just a threat, but there were no rules to torture, and that was exactly why I’d fuck with him instead.

Staying true to my word, I rose, and my hand moved to the waistband of my sweats, running my hand along my shaft and jerking off to the pain I was inflicting.

It wasn’t anything less than what was deserved.

“I don’t need to hide behind a mask, Lorenzo.

I want my face to be the last thing you see before you burn in fucking hell. ”

His scream only spurred me forward, pulling my cock out and slowly inching toward his destroyed eye socket. He was pleading, crying for me to stop, so I asked him a question. It wouldn’t save his life, but I’d get the confession. “Did Maya tell you to stop? When she cried, did you stop?”

I ripped out the cup, waiting for an answer inches from his face. He reeked of fear, and it was disgusting. “She fucking begged me too, okay! I’m sorry!” He screamed.

“It’s a little too late for sorry. For your honesty though, I'll be nice and make it quick.”

I wasn’t a monster, and quite frankly, didn't want anything he was probably carrying anyway. My hips pushed forward, and pulled back, rubbing over his cheek teasingly. It was the psychological torture that gave me satisfaction. With a breathy laugh, I pulled back and tucked my dick back in my pants. Reaching in my pocket to grab my phone, I used my bloody fingers to tap on the photo icon as I made my way behind him, my hand never leaving his hair as I heard shallow puffs of air leave his mouth. I could lie too. Pressing a kiss to his sweating, tear-stained cheek, I snapped the photo. I wouldn’t be caught dead kissing the other side.

Gross. No way in hell I would mess up my handsome face with the blood of a rat.

Click.

“Aw, we look like best friends here,” I said gruffly, admiring the selfie. At this point, I could only assume Maya was safe for the time being, though I couldn’t rid myself of the knots in my stomach. This needed to be put to bed.

Grabbing a fistful of hair, I repeatedly bashed Lorenzo’s head into the sink until I heard a sickening crack and dropped him to the floor in a bloody heap. He was dead, and there was one less rapist piece of shit in the world.

Grabbing Rocco’s number from his brother's phone, I made sure to smash it after, banging it against the ground until it was a heap of plastic and metal.

Fuck. The man reflected in the bathroom mirror looked nothing like me. Red streaks lined my face in patches and coated my hands, but I could wait to clean up, hoping that a couple of the guys could help deal with this before the real staff found him.

Opening up the text app, I sent Rocco a nice message with a laugh and walked from the bathroom with a slight eye twitch.

Me

Image sent

Looks like baby brother couldn’t handle keeping an EYE on me

Ratface

I’m going to enjoy killing you, or maybe I’ll put a bullet through her head and make you watch as the light leaves her eyes.

Are you still scared of the dark, Riley?

Heading back to the locker room, I noticed the place was empty now and got to work cleaning up.

Grabbing extra clothes from my bag, I headed to the tiled room and washed off the evidence.

The water ran down my skin, cooling all the heated rage that sparked my system.

I may be psychotic at times, but I really loathed killing people.

That was why only the guilty had ever seen what I was capable of.

I groaned, resting my head against the wall, thinking about everything.

At this point, I had two choices: keep pretending or show Maya how I felt, how I’d never stopped feeling.

Once I’d finished and grabbed my bag, I made my way to the car and clenched my jaw, sliding into the driver's seat.

Regret soon filled me for whoever would have to clean up that mess.

I should have done what I'd planned, but then I would be like them. It wasn’t who I am.

What I did have was a hardened cock and anger so prevalent, my teeth should be nubs at this point from grinding them.

Grabbing my phone from the passenger seat, I sent another message.

Riley

Are you still angry?

Freckles

You still have some groveling to do, maybe on your knees. I’ll decide later.

Riley

Not going to happen.

Take a shower and wear the red number that’s in the second drawer.

Freckles

Why?

Riley

Because you’re about to have the best goddamn hate fuck of your life.

Then in the morning, we talk like adults.

Freckles

You have one hour, or I’m going to bed.

Riley

Awake or asleep doesn’t matter to me. Tonight, you’re getting fucked in whichever hole I feel like giving attention to.

The house was eerily quiet as I stepped in and closed the door behind me.

There was no way Maya was in bed; it was only ten o’clock at night, and there had been two cars in the driveway when I pulled in.

Through the darkness, I couldn’t tell who they belonged to, though.

After my altercation with Lorenzo tonight, fear coursed through me, and I found myself taking the stairs two at a time to figure out who was here.

Jumping to conclusions was my forte, always stuck in my head about everyone around me.

I needed Maya to help quiet the voices that whispered that I’d never be good enough, or successful enough, to deserve someone like her.

Her bratty attitude had kept me on my toes, but I’d be lying if part of me wished I’d never fallen in love in the first place; that one percent that wished I’d never gotten involved in all of this shit.

The door to the guest bedroom was open, and a draft blew through the open window. My heart palpitated as I made my way to it, immediately letting out a breath when the sound of laughter touched my ears. Who is on the roof with her?

Multiple voices could be heard echoing through the wind, and I turned to leave, giving them much needed privacy.

That moment was interrupted by my insistent need to eavesdrop, though.

I found myself frozen, and it wasn’t from the cold.

I didn’t have firsthand experience with a conversation like this, and I needed to know how she felt about me.

I was grateful it was just Chloe and Elizabeth with Maya.

I almost thought I’d have to commit two murders in the span of an hour.

Opening the window a bit wider, I climbed through, making sure I didn’t alert them. The cold air nipped at the tip of my nose as I tried to listen in on them. It felt so wrong, but I couldn’t help but laugh at myself with the thought that I would know all their juicy secrets.

Most of it was about kids or what purse would match with which outfit. Plans after games, the normal stuff. Then, I heard a slight shift before Maya spoke up.

“A tired fuck is better than nothing at all,” she sighed. “The most action I’m probably going to get is when his thigh brushes against mine when I watch him play video games.”

“Please tell me Angel at least plays a different team.” The voice replied, sounding out of breath. I rolled my eyes. Chloe.

“Well, I haven’t seen him in action yet, but I’m sure he’s arrogant enough to play the Cardinals, on career mode. You should see him yell at himself; it’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen. I stood at the top of the stairs last night. I had to run back to the bedroom before I laughed my ass off.”

She heard me last night? I almost felt bad for waking her, almost. Now, I didn’t because she was being rude.

“Noah can be the same. Be thankful that Angel has other means of de-stressing. It’s always bikes.

If I’m not worrying about Noah taking a bad hit, I have to worry about him crashing, he just…

takes off and finds the longest stretch of road when there aren’t races.

I feel like asking him to stop would be like taking away a piece of his soul, no way I can do that.

His brother is worse,” Elizabeth added, her voice laced with worry.

It was nice to see Maya getting to know the other wives, aside from being glued to Chloe.

Maybe they could help her in ways I couldn’t.

Elizabeth Stryker was a party girl before she found herself tied down.

Noah, being a true and tried man, helped her through some pretty serious times.

Maybe she could provide some insight in a place I had no knowledge of.

“Oh, don’t act like you don’t love it,” Chloe interrupted in that condescending tone she only used for people worming through something. Now it’s getting good, Chloe. Spill. “We all know the truth, you may be married to Noah, but you’re sure as hell fucking both.”

“Yes,” I muttered excitedly yet quietly as I pumped my fists through the air.

I fucking knew something was going on between the three of them.

It took one to know one. At least, for me, everyone knew about my lifestyle now.

I hated feeling like I had to hide who I was, and now I didn’t have to.

The Stryker’s were different, though. Lizzie had to be with one twin in public while the other got the benefits outside the limelight.

If it works for them, who am I to judge.

“Listen, I know I don’t have as much history with Angel as you both, but I’m sure it will come when you piss him off enough. Or, you could…take the situation into your own hands…maybe? I can only imagine what’s going to happen when he finally does something with that edible ass.”

Hey! Maya’s edible ass is mine.

“I’m glad to hear my toxic games are potentially working,” she snorted.

From where I stood on the other side of the room, I could see Maya at the best angle possible.

The way the moonlight reflected off her face was mesmerizing from where I stood, and I couldn’t bear to pull my gaze away from her.

I’d wanted nothing more than to make her mine in every way possible, but our bodies were the last barrier I had, the last form of protection from all of the pent up emotions I’d hidden away.

If I allowed myself to feel her around me, I would fall deeper, and I couldn’t right now.

Not until I knew she was safe, and Rocco was littered around the city.

Voices hushed after that, and I’d briefly wondered if they knew I was eavesdropping.

The roof became eerily quiet, but I stayed in place against the wall opposite the women.

Waiting. Chloe shivered before bringing her arm around Maya’s shoulder.

“We should go, keep your head up, and call me if you need anything.”

They didn’t notice me as they crossed the roof to climb down and back through the window, but Maya stayed alone and stared at the sky. Before I knew it, my legs moved toward her, my brain powerless to stop it.

Her voice came out in a small whisper, and her words ripped through my chest, crippling my heart. “Maybe if I wasn’t so worthless, he would want me.”

Ouch. I felt it too, just then. If this was the pain Maya carried every day, then I would take that burden from her. It all would stop tonight. The games, the push-pull that had gone on…Done. I swallowed the word just on the tip of my tongue. Love.

“You’re always going to be enough for me,” I said shakily, trying to keep my composure. She gasped as I raised my head to meet her gaze, letting her know I meant it. “Don’t ever question your worth in my presence again.”