Nash: A Rough Romance Piper Stone (ebook reader for comics txt) 📖

Death.

Sucking in my breath, I opened the door, immediately hearing the crackling of the fire. At least the sound was comforting.

“You really don’t know that much about her,” Scorpion said as I walked down the hallway.

“Nope. She’s an unknown but there’s something about her I like.” Reaper laughed, the husky sound of his voice sending the same kind of electric vibes into me that had occurred just a few minutes before.

“Just be careful, my friend. I know you’ve been through some shit,” Scorpion continued.

I eased against the wall, waiting to hear more. I knew whatever Reaper had been through during his time overseas had changed him. That was easy to tell by his gruff demeanor and the fact he’d attempted to find solace at a mountain cabin.

And I’d interrupted his world.

A moment of silence filtered into the room, the kind that I knew held angst for both men. Sighing, I realized I was chewing on my bottom lip, a clear sign of nervousness.

“Do you guys talk about Snake at all?” Reaper asked in such a quiet voice, one filled with reverence.

Scorpion exhaled, the sound exaggerated. “Not so much any longer. You should go to his grave.”

“Not sure I can.” Reaper’s voice was barely audible.

“You need to do it, Nash. It’s healing.”

Nash. I liked the name.

The tone of Scorpion’s voice changed, almost cracking from sadness. I closed my eyes, unable to imagine what they’d endured.

“Yeah, well, maybe. We will see.”

As I walked into the living room, the look on Scorpion’s face was a clear statement. He didn’t trust me any more than Reaper did. I didn’t blame either one of them.

“There you are. Why don’t you come and sit down,” Reaper said, his words more of a statement than a request.

“There’s coffee made in the kitchen. Might as well let her grab a cup.”

Scorpion was just as commanding as Reaper. I didn’t bother saying anything, just walked into the kitchen. I remained chilled to the bone, but it had nothing to do with their conversation or even the events from a few minutes before. The sense of dread remained kicking my ass. At least the smell of coffee was inviting, even though my stomach continued to churn. As I pulled a cup closer, my hand shook as I reached for the coffeepot, a memory shifting into the forefront of my mind.

“Do you want any coffee?” I asked as I poured a cup for myself, my entire body shaking. His presence was suddenly ominous, pushing my nerves to the edge.

“No. I need a shot of bourbon,” Dante said as he moved closer, pressing his hand against the small of my back. When I clenched, he snarled as he lowered his head toward my ear. “You need to remember that you can’t run away from me.”

“I wasn’t planning on running.” Like hell I wasn’t.

He found his bottle of bourbon, yanking a glass from the cabinet and taking his time to pour the entire glass full of liquor. I couldn’t help but turn my gaze toward the action, watching as the liquid was slowly poured. My blood began to curdle, my instinct to get far away from him furrowing into my system.

Dante swirled the liquid in his glass before taking a gulp, the bastard smiling after consuming almost half the glass. “Let’s just put it this way, my little pet,” he murmured before turning in my direction. “If you dare try even a single attempt, I will be forced to punish you and I assure you that you won’t like the outcome. Do we have an understanding?”

I dared to look him in the eyes, barely able to nod and nothing else. Suddenly, I wanted nothing to do with the cup of coffee.

Swallowing hard, I stared at the cup I’d just poured, bile forming in my throat. I had to push the past aside, at least for now. Somehow. My limbs stiff, I walked toward the refrigerator, finding half and half inside. I poured some into the cup, my hand shaking so badly that cream slipped past the edge. I bit back a combination of a laugh and a cry before managing to shove the carton back onto the shelf. The hard slam of the door hadn’t been intended, but I couldn’t stop my body from trembling.

At least neither of the men rushed into the kitchen to see what in the hell was wrong with me. I brought the cup to my lips, taking several deep breaths before managing to take a sip. Before walking into the living room, my thoughts drifted again to the day I knew I had to erase the monster from my life.

“I’m going out for a few hours. You will remain here,” Dante instructed. “Remember, my sweet little pet, I will find you no matter where you go.”

He’d fingered the side of my neck, laughing softly before he’d left. That was the night I’d witnessed his horrible crime, the poor man losing his life in a violent fashion. If only I would have run earlier. If only I would have resisted the temptation like my instinct told me I should have.

If only.

I resisted saying anything as I passed in front of the fire, shifting onto the couch as far away from Reaper as I could get. The same enigmatic pull remained, yet I refused to get sucked into it. God. What the hell was I doing? I had no other choice than to accept their help. I held the damn coffee cup so tightly that I was certain it would break. As I remained on the edge of the sofa, I could feel both pairs of eyes landing on me.

“We need to go to see the sheriff today. I think that’s the best way to handle this,” Scorpion said as he reached for his cup of coffee, his eyes never leaving me. “But we should talk to Hawk first.”

Hawk. Scorpion. Reaper. Jesus. The names sounded like they’d become nothing more than killers. Maybe they