Tirone (The Night Skulls MC #2)(71)

Like I said, quite a family we had here.





CHAPTER 39


Jo



Frustration and despair dulled my senses when Furore called and told me to come straight to the compound after I finished work. We were supposed to go furniture shopping to get our new home set. Why the sudden change of plans? Why the delay? I needed to get out of here, away from Tirone, away from the filth he was staining me with.

Tirone, who escorted me back to the compound on his bike, winked at me as he dismounted it. My jaws clenched as I got out of the car. He walked with me to the patio. “Looks like I get to make another visit tonight.”

“Fuck you,” I mouthed.

“Bad Mommy,” he taunted while Candy darted out of nowhere and jumped into his arms. He cupped her ass—that was practically dangling from her shorts—while she hooked her arms and ankles around his body. Then he kissed her right in front of me. “Hey, babe. Missed me?”

“Yes,” she said playfully and then whispered something in his ear.

He laughed and let himself in with her clung to him like a leech. Then she smirked at me, her bitch face on.

Sick to my stomach, I just stepped in. Of all the people in the world, he chose that skank to rub in my face, as if his humiliation to me wasn’t enough. My mind tortured me with pictures of the things they would be doing together. Things that used to be only mine. I hated how that made me feel. The anger, the jealousy, I had no right to feel either. I’d married someone else. I was in love with someone else. Tirone was a motherfucking asshole that had been using my body without permission to hurt me. I should be relieved to see him move on.

But not while he was allowing himself to violate my body like he fucking owned it. If he was making me his bitch, and there was no way out of it, I had to be the only bitch for him.

I looked away toward the lounge. Molar was there, eyeing me. I cleared my throat. “Have you seen my husband?”

“Waiting for you upstairs,” he said warily.

Something was in the air, and my heart skipped the beat. “Is there something wrong?”

He just switched his gaze toward the TV.

I dragged my feet upstairs, with every step, the sense of impending doom intensifying. Did Laius know what had Rex been doing? Was my marriage fucking over before it started? That had to be it. Furore told me to come back here because a dirty wife like me didn’t deserve a new house. She deserved to be thrown out of it.

In our room, Laius stood still, his back to me, a trail of smoke dancing next to him. He never smoked in the room. “Close the door and sit.”

I did as he asked in defeat, ready for punishment. He could throw me in the Boiler naked for days or leave me outside where he threw rocks at me or even kill me. I wouldn’t object. I wouldn’t utter a single word in defense or beg.

He spun and sat across from me, the ash from the cigarette between his fingers a knuckle long. “I have bad news.”

In surrender, I nodded once, knowing what it was beforehand.

His eyes narrowed at me. “Did Molar tell you?”

I shook my head. “He was too kind not to. He just said you were waiting for me here.”

“Jo, you have to understand—”

“It’s okay. Whatever you decide, I’ll accept.”

“I’ll protect you till my last breath. I don’t care what I fucking lose. I’ll kill them all for you, baby. I promise.”

Frowning in confusion, I shook my head again. “I don’t understand.”

“It’s the fucking Larvins, Jo. Declan Larvin and his wife.” He drew in on the cigarette. “They’re here in Houston. It means the Lanzas are done talking. They don’t care if you were Jocasta Larvin or not. They don’t care if you’re my wife or not. War is coming.”

My body quaked with tremors as my heart thrashed. He stomped on the cigarette and squatted in front of me. Rubbing my ice cold hands, he kept saying my name. I could hear him but as if coming from under water. I tried to speak. Nothing came out but shallow breaths.

“Hey, take this.” He was prying open my mouth, trying to slip something inside. “Doc said it’d help if you had another attack.”

He hurried to bring some water. He forced the glass rim on my lips and wet coldness covered me. It nudged me back to awareness just enough to swallow the pill. “They came to finish the job.” I shook.

“I won’t let them anywhere near you. They will never touch you.”

Memories flooded my brain. “They put a gun in my hand and another in Mom’s. They told us they’d let one of us live if she killed the other.”

“It’ll never happen again. I’ll kill them all before they even think about hurting you.”

My body shuddered. “Blood. There was a lot of blood. On my hands, on my clothes, on my face. I could still taste it in my mouth.”

“Take it easy, Jo, please. Doc said you have PTSD, and it’s giving you anxiety attacks.”

“She told me to run, but I didn’t listen. I was stupid. I thought I was going to…save…her.” I hiccupped the last words, blubbering.

“Baby, listen to me. Whatever happened that night, it’s not your fault. It’s the Larvins’, and they’ll pay for it.”

“But I made them kill her. I thought I was protecting her. I thought I could kill them, and then Mom and I could run together.”