Chapter 17

HALF AN HOUR LATER

Stay by Rihanna ft Mikky Ekko echoed out from the speakers within the bar and with hands clenched around a bottle, I bowed my head staring at the top of the table, the song resonating deep within me. Cheesy for a man, I know, but I wanted nothing more than for Marlowe to stay, but once she learned how I'd hurt her and still had to, she'd be gone.

My gut was destroyed. My heart—lashed by a cat-o-nine of my own making, but I'd chosen this path and I had to finish it…I couldn't do anything else.

Leaving her in her room that night I'd made love to her, I'd taken the stairs two at a time. I'd already decided by that time what I was going to do, and the run was the perfect set up for it. I just hadn't expected Dillon to witness what I had done, and now, I had to end what was escalating out of control. I should have taken Dillon out then too, but I hadn't known then, what I know now.

Since Marlowe had come back into my life, I'd gotten to the point I'd begun forgetting. Forgetting that this wasn't fairy-fucking wonderland and I'd begun playing fucking house!

Fucking mistake number one on my part! Fucking mistake number two? I'd lost sight of who the fuck I was! What I was—of what I was doing and why.

Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, I allowed my fingers to unclench from around the whiskey bottle, a silent, painful sob ripping loose of my lips. Not only did my heart hurt, but so did my gut. I knew everything that could go wrong—everything that could turn this into a fucking nightmare. Therefore, I had to play my cards right, to do everything a certain way so that it all came together, anything else was…unthinkable.

Lifting the bottle to my lips I drained it.

BURDOCK

"Stupid mother fucker," I growled watching Torin. He was just making this worse. With a shake of my head, I stood and pushed away from the bar. Marlowe's heart knew who Torin was, her mind was still blinding her to it though.

I could see it in her eyes, her trembling hands when she looked at him. Before long, she was going to put it together and it was all going to blow up in the dumb bastard's face. Pushing off the barstool, I stood and made my way from the bar as well, following Torin.

He was in a mood, and I'd been witness to his moods before, usually once he exploded, only a wasteland remained.

~~

When I finally found Torin, he was in his room and glancing around at the destruction, I knew that we were in for a fight. He was spiraling out of control. I'd noticed he'd been limping earlier, so I put two and two together.

Pills, whiskey, pain and anger did not mix, and I feared this time he might just go over that edge he'd been walking. With an about face, I went to find Marlowe. The mother fucker may kill me for it, but Marlowe was fixing to meet Torin again.

~MARLOWE~

Pouring tequila into the shot glass, I pushed it at the bushy man in front of me, trying to keep my distance as I feared what might climb out of the nest on his face. *Good Lord, had the man never heard of grooming*? Stepping quickly back as he reached out to grab the glass, I bumped into the body behind me and gave a startled, "Oh."

Turning, I found Burdock behind me and without a word, he grabbed my arm and began dragging me out from behind the bar and across the room.

"Hey!" I protested. But he ignored my objection and kept plowing forward. *What the hell*? I thought. Has everyone in this damn place lost their freaking minds?

"What *is* this, Burdock?" I huffed out as we picked up speed across the floor.

"Somebody needs you," he growled out.

*Okaay*.

When Burdock finally came to a stop in front of Satan's door, I could hear things being broken on the other side. My eyes rounded and I gasped, "What the hell is going on in there?"

"A little too much of this and that," was Burdocks's cryptic reply.

"Huh?" I breathed before, shaking my head, I muttered, "And what exactly is this and that?"

With another loud crash, Burdock thrust the door open, and still gripping my elbow, he pulled me into the room with him.

*HOLY SHIT*! Was all I could think as I peered at the destruction about us, then flinched when Satan turned his eyes on me. Afterward, angrily jerking them toward Burdock, he bellowed, "Get her the fuck out of here!"

Burdock never faltered as he continued moving forward with me still attached to his hand.
I started trying to pull loose; I wanted nothing to do with Satan when he was this angry. Hell, even the real Devil would be reduced to trembles right now. I'd seen hints of the anger Satan carried in him, but this… This was so much more than anger. This was heartbreaking.

Satan had flipped. I had no idea what had triggered him, but it was wrenching to see such a strong man fracture in the way he obviously had; the glass had shattered as I'd feared.

I couldn't help the small utterance of sound that left my lips and Burdock snarled, "You tell her, or I fucking will! Goddamit, you are breaking, brother!"

Satan lunged at Burdock, and finally letting go of my hand, Burdock met him halfway, as grabbing a hold of the front of Satan's kutte, he began shoving him backward until he had him pinned against the wall as he snarled, "Do it, motherfucker!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I SHUT YOU UP!" Satan thundered at Burdock.

Open-mouthed and staring, I watched as Satan wrapped his arms around Burdock and began shoving forward, moving Burdock across the floor.

Burdock, in turn, ducked his head and came up under Satan's chin, clipping him. Satan let loose with a roar and suddenly they were on the floor.

Satan, legs to either side of Burdock, sat on Burdock's middle, as fists pounding like a jack-hammer, he pummeled Burdock's face.

I had to give it to Burdock though, for though Satan's arms were swinging like a well-oiled machine, Burdock never called uncle under the assault. Instead, he clubbed Satan upside the head with a fist, then using the slight slowing of Satan's fists from the action, he threw Satan off him.

Of course, it obviously wasn't the smartest thing to have done, as Satan really went berserke. In a flash, Satan was all over Burdock, and grabbing a handful of hair, he began pounding the other man's head onto the hardwood floor.

Fearing he was about to crack Burdock's skull under the fierce bombardment, I ran over to Satan and grabbing the arm sockets of his kutte I began jerking at him.

Rounding on me, Satan's fist flew through the air, smashing me in the face and knocking me backwards onto my butt.

Pain splintered across my nose, and my lip immediately started swelling. As I sat, stunned, I could taste the blood in my mouth from my busted lip and what was probably a broken nose.

Leaping off Burdock, Satan scrambled in my direction, then raising his hands he cupped my jawline, as using his thumbs, he began wiping at the blood on my face, at the same time breathing, "Oh fuck, Marl, I'm sorry."

I shook his hands off me, and still on my butt I began using my legs to put distance between us, afterward, picking myself up off the floor, I wiped at the blood that was still free-flowing into my mouth with the back of my hand, as I stared down in shock at the man on his knees before me. Suddenly, I didn't need to be told what Burdock had been trying to get Satan to say, for I already knew. There was only one man who had ever called me *Marl* and he has been dead for four years now.