Total pages in book: 157
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145088 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 484(@300wpm)
“No fucking way!”
Hammer sighed and faced Frank with the same calm he’d presented since stepping through the threshold. “This is your home, and I’m gonna show myself out, but if you want him to feel like it’s his home too, this isn’t the right way to do it. Goodnight,” he said, locked eyes with each of them, and walked out, leaving a cold hole in the place where he’d just been sitting.
Frank stormed toward Dex the moment the door shut. “Are you fucking kidding me? People die when they get involved in this kind of shit!”
“Frank, Jesus—” Shane said, but didn’t approach, as if he were worried about potential fallout. “I hate to say this, but Hammer is right about one thing—Dex is an adult.”
“But his tiny brain resides in his dick! Can’t you see he’ll do anything this guy asks him to? How am I supposed to protect him from that, once he starts prospecting?” Frank spread his massive arms, blocking the door, as if he knew how much Dex wanted to follow Hammer outside.
Dex shook his head as a weight made his chest heavy. “I always took it in stride, because yeah, I fuck up a lot, but now I see that you really think I’m just a dumb waste of space. Nobody asked you to protect me!”
Shane bit his lip, inching between them as if he expected a fight to start any second, “He doesn’t mean it, he’s just—”
“Your mother asked me to take care of you, because she couldn’t handle you any longer, and I’ll be damned if I let her down!” Frank barked, his black eyes intense with fury.
Dex recoiled at the sudden stab in his ribcage. “Well, she’s dead, so it’s not like she can be angry at any of us!”
Frank slapped his face, then rapidly stepped back. “I have clearly failed long ago.”
“This is getting real fucking out of hand, all right?” Shane said, raising both hands as he stood between them. “You’re both saying things you’re gonna regret.”
“Dex doesn’t regret anything. That’s why he doesn’t actually try,” Frank growled, ignoring him.
His words hurt more than the slap had. “You have no fucking idea! I regret all the shitty things I do! And you just remind me about them over and over. I do try! I just fail all the fucking time. Just like when I missed the chance to see Mom before she died. You know I tried. You know I cared. And this is me trying to get my life in order, even if you think I’m making a mistake.” He shook the vest in his hand. “This is what I want. I’m not some soft boy. I can handle shit. Didn’t I pull my weight at the junkyard? Well, now I want to prospect with the club, and I want him. And maybe I’ll fail, and maybe he’ll dump me, but I’ll do my best so things work out this time!”
“Well, so far your best hasn’t been good enough, and I owe it to my sister! I need to keep you safe whether you want it or not,” Frank said, showing his teeth like a dog intending to guard the door with its own life.
This wasn’t fucking happening.
Shane, who’d come here to troll and laugh at Dex, had changed his tune and was now talking in a sane tone, advocating for Dex. “You cannot dump this on him, man. I see what you’re trying to do, but this has gone too far.”
Dex squared his shoulders. “You know what? My mind was already going to the same old pattern. ‘Fuck it, I’ll just go out the window in the evening’. But I’m not gonna. You can’t ground me. I’m not a child, and I won’t be sneaking around. I told you what I want, and I’m going out that door whether you like it or not. And yeah, maybe it means you’ll kick me out. I’ll have to deal with that. Like an adult.” He took a step forward, challenging Frank. His uncle could break him in half in a physical fight, but that would never happen. Frank might have left his cheek stinging, but was probably already ashamed of the slap.
Frank shook his head and faced away, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of Dex anymore. “Fine. If you’re so grown up, go and let him put you through the meatgrinder. You always got attached to the ones who treated you like trash.”
“Come on, Frank,” Shane muttered before glancing Dex’s way. “He doesn’t mean it.”
Dex clenched his lips and put on the vest, which felt like a warm hug keeping him safe from Frank’s anger. “You don’t know the first thing about what I share with him. Thanks, Shane. I appreciate it. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back. Maybe we can talk then.” He had to bump his shoulder into Frank to push him out of the way, but the bull of a man did move, despite watching him as if he wanted to set Dex on fire with his gaze alone.