Down to My Soul (Soul Series Book 2)(98)

“If you’re here for tips on how to f*ck your girl right, I’m not telling you shit. Figure it out for yourself.”

My body processes what he said before my mind does, immediately punching him in the face. His eyes glaze a little, but the smile pops right back like a demented clown.

“She was so tight and wet that night,” he rasps. “Next time I’ll let her suck my dick.”

There is no stopping it. The momentum of my rage drags me into his face again and again and again. The sound of his flesh flattening under my fury brings me an unreasonable pleasure that drowns out the pain of my knuckles splitting, the flesh peeling back from my bones. That metronome that always marks my anger explodes, the tick tocking detritus littering my brain. I don’t even notice when he manages to roll to the side, and my fist pounds full force into the flagstones beneath us. I barely feel the impact, adrenaline surging. I snatch him back, latching onto his throat. Bloodlust swells in my veins, hauling every savage instinct to the surface. I tremble with the desire to choke off his air supply for good.

“Rhys, man.” Marlon pulls at me, and out of pure reflex I draw back to punch him, too, but catch myself. His eyes travel from my bunched fist to my face. “You gonna hit me now? Just be prepared for me to knock the living shit outtta you.”

Hot, heavy breath forces past my lips. When I try to flex the fingers of my right hand, I can’t. Since before I can even remember, protecting my fingers, my hands has been paramount. Our lives, my livelihood, everything always centered in my hands. And now it’s a limp mass of bloodied flesh. Needles of pain stab my fingers. Panic feels like it may catapult my heart from my chest.

“Rhys, your hand.” Marlon’s worried eyes settle on my hand. “We need to get you to a doctor, like now.”

I peer through the patio door into the living room where Gep has dragged Drex’s sorry ass. Gep towers over him, and the look he gives him is deadly enough to pin him to the couch. I draw a calming breath and approach them.

“Later,” I say to Marlon over my shoulder.

“Not later.” Marlon grabs my arm. “Now. This is your hand, Rhys.”

“I know.” I pull away. “See if you can find some Aleve or something until we’re done with this.”

“Aleve?” Marlon whooshes a frustrated breath. “At least let me call Bristol so she can have a specialist standing by.”

“Yeah, good idea. Dr. Mason’s the one who examines my hands for the insurance policy. She should probably notify him.” I turn to look at him. “Make sure she doesn’t mention it to Kai.”

Marlon holds my eyes for a moment before denting one side of his cheek with a smile.

“Always Kai.”

Always Kai.

“Just find that Aleve for me.”

I hold my injured hand, wincing as I join Gep and Drex in the living room. Drex offers me a bloody smirk, his face already swelling. He gestures to my hand.

“Looks like that hurts.”

“So does your face. Shut the hell up.”

Even bloodied and already swelling, his face manages to look smug. I have to look away because the urge to slam my probably-broken fist right through that expression is so strong, and I know we need the information Gep is trying to extract.

“Look, you’ve broken laws here.” Gep rests meaty fists on his hips. “You recorded Kai, and God knows who else, without her knowledge and blackmailed her.”

“That wasn’t me.” Drex’s eyes take a leisurely path between me and Gep. “I mean, yeah I recorded her when we f*cked.”

He pauses to grin at me.

“But I’m not the one blackmailing her, and I’m not going down for it.”

“Then who?” I frown, unable to let Gep take the lead for very long. “Tell us everything, you piece of shit.”

“Ah ah ah,” Drex tsks and shakes his head, eyes alight with hatred and satisfaction. “I’m the one with all the information. You better be nice to me.”

“Nice to you?” Incredulity rolls a hollow laugh up my throat. “I’m going to destroy you either way. Your cooperation determines if I’ll leave you any scraps of your pathetic career so you can at least book weddings and bar mitzvahs.”

I lean close, almost close enough to sniff the barely-veiled panic that lurks just beneath his self-satisfied fa?ade.

“Because make no mistake about it.” I look straight into his eyes so he sees that I have every intention of backing up this threat. “You’re through in this town. Done. I’ll block every deal. I started the black-balling as soon as I saw that tape just a few hours ago. You’re poison already and just don’t know it yet.”

“You can’t do that.” He says it, but I can tell he knows I can.

“Let’s not play the game where you pretend to have any power in this situation, when we both know I’ll come out on top.”

“You always do, don’t you?” Bitterness corrodes his words. “You always have.”

“Is that what this is about? Your ridiculous jealousy since high school?”

“Everything came so easy to you, Gray.” He shakes his head, hatred alive in his narrowed eyes. “I was the one person who didn’t scrape and bow at your feet just because you were some piano savant in another life.”