Silver and Chrome: A Bad Boy MC Romance (27 page)

CHAPTER
TWENTY-EIGHT

BASH

Some things are better
left unsaid.

Evelyn
is aware that I’m not going to take this Edward shit lying down, but she has no
idea what I’m willing to do. Edward wants a war, so I’ll give him a fucking
war. Maybe he ends up owning Piston in the end, but so what? It’s not like the
corporate world was ever my real home, anyway.

Not
because it’s so different than the MC world, though. It’s actually pretty
fucking similar. The MC steals from people, threatens them, intimidates them…
and that’s exactly what Edward is doing. The difference is that in the
corporate would, that’s just part of doing business. It’s little more than legalized
thievery. What I don’t like about it is how they’re all a bunch of cowards who
will hide behind their fancy suits and their lawyers while they smile,
pretending to be the good guys as they ram a knife in your back.

At
least the MC members are honest about being a bunch of cutthroat bastards.
We’re happy to face you with an angry glare as we’re cutting you down.

And
that’s exactly what I want to do to Edward. Maybe it lands me in prison, maybe
it doesn’t. Maybe the MC will have my back, and maybe they won’t. But the one
thing I’m not going to allow is for Edward to just take everything and come out
of it unscathed. That may work against the standard corporate suit that is
happy to pull his golden parachute and walk away from something they’ve built,
but it isn’t going to work with me.

“Are
you ready?” Evelyn is smiling at me with a lopsided grin that betrays the
conflict I know is raging through her. As far as she knows, we’re just going to
go down to Edward’s office and tell him the deal is off and do his worst. She
has no idea that I plan to do my worst, too. It’s better that way. I have no
interest in her trying to talk me out of this. I’ve seen what she was capable
of doing when she thought I had no other options, and I’m not letting her fall on
her sword again.

She
thinks I have a plan of some sort. A way forward out of this mess. But the only
thing I can see in the future right now is blood, and all of it is Edward’s. I
just hope I can figure out some way to distract her so that she doesn’t have to
witness the violence I want to inflict on her old boyfriend. I’d hate to have
that be the last memory she has of me before I wind up in prison or on the run.

“Yeah,
let’s go.” I’m in my leather jacket and jeans; there’s simply no reason for me
to carry on the Sebastian pretense with him anymore. He knows both sides, and
the part of my personality I plan on unleashing tonight is all Bash.

We
hop on my bike and remain silent the whole ride to his office. He’s expecting
only Evelyn to show up, which is why he is there so late, and I’m hoping that
means that he’s given most of his security team the night off. Surely he
doesn’t think he’ll need them to handle his ex-girlfriend. Especially when he
knows the leverage he has over her.

When
we arrive, I don’t even bother pulling around the building into the parking
lot. I just ride my bike right up to the front door and kill the engine. As
expected, the building is deserted at this hour, although surprisingly there
isn’t even anyone at the security desk. Maybe the guard is taking a leak or
something, but we aren’t going to stick around long enough to find out. Dealing
with building security was going to be our first hurdle that I didn’t have a
firm plan for, so I’m happy to skip it.

The
ride to the top floor is silent. I’m not sure what Evelyn is thinking, but I’m
just working on controlling the simmering rage burning up my lungs. My head is
cloudy with thoughts on what I’m planning on doing when I see Edward. I know
what I want to do, but I’m worried about Eve seeing me like that. I’m worried
about the repercussions. Not about what will happen to me, but whether or not I
can really go through with doing what I really want to do to Edward if it means
having to abandon Eve for good. Whether from prison or having to disappear.

As
the elevator doors slide open I’m hit with the realization that violence is
probably not the best answer in this situation, no matter how much I want to
inflict it. But it’s too late. I’m here, and I have no other options. I won’t let
him take Evelyn.

No
matter the cost.

Almost
like she’s sensed the dark thoughts brewing in my skull, Evelyn reaches over
and takes my hand. The suddenness of her touch and the emotion it brings out in
me makes me stop dead in my tracks. I look down at her and catch her gaze. Her
pretty lips are pressed into a thin, grim line, but that’s not defeat on my
woman’s face. That’s
determination.
True grit.

I
squeeze her hand in mine. Evelyn isn’t just my partner in all this. She’s my
reason. My courage. My hope. My goddamn battle standard. There are words I want
to say to her about that, most of them some long-winded version of a “thank
you” she’s more than earned. But right now isn’t the time, and something tells
me she already knows.

There’s
a sea of desks between us and Edward’s office, but nothing could stop me from
getting to him now. Not when I know he’s alone and vulnerable. I let the tide
of rage I’ve been holding at bay overtake me now, turning my vision red,
speeding me forward toward Edward’s door.

This
could end up bad for me. Hell, I don’t see any way that it won’t, in the end.
But you know what they say: the most dangerous man in the world is the one
who’s got nothing left to lose. Maybe that wasn’t entirely true about me—I did
still have Evelyn, and if I had anything to say about it, I always would—but
I’d lost enough that I was pretty sure Edward Stonewall’s pansy ass was no
match for me. Even if he did get the last laugh, I’d make sure the only way
anyone heard it was from the depths of a mouth full of broken teeth.

“I
love you,” I say to Evelyn, unthinking. I don’t even know where it comes from.
Not really. The words just appear on the tip of my tongue, and before I know
it, they’re out of my mouth. I probably should feel embarrassed, or stupid, but
I don’t. I don’t feel anything. I’m so far gone now, so committed to this
cause, that I don’t even hear Evelyn’s reply. I just barley register the way
she tightens her grip on my hand.

But
when I kick open the door that will lead me into hell, I don’t see the devil I
know on the other side.

Or
rather, I do. He just isn’t alone.

The
shock of it takes the wind right out of my sails. For a second, I can’t even
form a coherent sentence, let alone process what I’m seeing. First, I snort.
Then I laugh. Then all sound whatsoever dries up, and I blink a few times,
trying to be sure I’m not staring at some fury-induced delusion.

“…Snake?”

From
behind Edward Stonewall’s desk, my fucking VP beams at me. He’s got one hand on
the back of Edward’s leather desk chair, the other tangled in his beard,
twisting the plaits as a leisurely pace while beneath him, sitting at the desk,
Edward sweats. He seems to be doing a lot of that—I can see the sparkle on his
forehead and upper lip, dots of moisture that make the bastard look like he’s
been afflicted with a bad case of morning dew. Otherwise, though, he looks none
the worse for wear. Just… pale.

Meanwhile,
Snake looks for all the world like the cat who ate the canary. I can’t figure
out what the hell he’s doing here. My first instinct is one that turns my blood
to ice: that Edward has found a way to take more than just Piston from me. That
he’s taken the MC away, as well—Snake included.

Shit.
That would explain the lack of security, wouldn’t it? Who needs rent-a-cops
when you’ve got a whole fucking army to back you up?

“Hey
there, Bash,” Snake says, his shit-eating grin so wide I’m afraid his face
might freeze that way. To Evelyn, he gives a nod. “Eve.”

“What
the hell…” she murmurs behind me.

All
the adrenaline that coursed through my body mere moments ago leaves me, and my
knees go weak. Stunned, I grab the nearest chair and have a seat while Snake
gestures to something on Edward’s desk: a crystal decanter full of clear,
molten amber.

“Can
I get you two a drink?” he asks me. “I’m sure Eddie here would offer, but he’s
had a long day, and in all the commotion, I think he’s forgotten his manners.”

Edward
says nothing. His hands are clasped over the top of the desk, fingers entwined,
as if in prayer. Only he’s clenching them so hard I can see his knuckles have
turned even whiter than his face has. He doesn’t look at me, or Evelyn, or even
the decanter, just focuses straight ahead like one of those guards at
Buckingham Palace.

I
stare at Snake, mouth open. Evelyn sits beside me and Snake, in lieu of an
answer, produces two tumblers and pours. He scoots one across the desk to me
and I reach for it, numb. Knocking it back stirs a fire in my gut, enough that
I find my words again, no matter how jumbled.

“How…
what…”

Snake
laughs, presenting the second glass to Evelyn, who politely declines. He downs
it himself with a shrug, then walks around in front of Edward and perches on
the edge of the billionaire’s desk, twirling his goddamn beard. “You sure you
wanna know, Bash? That’s a long damn story…”

“Give
it to me, Snake,” I say, my head reeling. “What the hell is going on here?”

“You
didn’t think I’d let you go into this alone, did you?” Snake says, quirking a
brow. “Or that the rest of the boys would, either?”

“Honestly,
Snake, yeah. I thought exactly that,” I answer, the whiskey bubbling in my
blood, bringing some coherence to my words. My eyes come to rest on Edward
again, reminding me of just who was responsible for that train of thought.
“Ripper…”

“Is
an asshole,” Snake finishes for me, that impish grin back on his weathered
face. “And he ain’t the voice of the whole damn MC, you know. You got
loyalists, through and through. Not everyone’s so damn stupid they can’t see
what you’ve done for ‘em. And once I figured out something big was goin’ on
behind your back, I convinced them that now was the time that
we
do
something for
you.
”

“You…
you know about Edward Stonewall?” I say, each syllable feeling thick and
foreign on my tongue. I glance at Evelyn again. “About what he did to us, I
mean. About the company—my company—and the deal?”

“I
do now. Eddie here filled me in on the whole story. After a bit of convincing,
anyway. I had a few of the guys up here a few minutes ago, helping with that.
We didn’t need
everyone
downstairs taking care of security, after all.”

“Wait,
I don’t get it.” I’ve only had one drink, so I’m sure it’s not the booze
confusing me. This doesn’t add up. “If you didn’t know about everything before
Stonewall here confessed, how’d you get here in the first place?” I narrow my
eyes. “I thought you aligned yourself with Ripper.”

Snake
shakes his head. “No, I let Ripper assume I was aligned with him. Never once
did I pledge any kind of loyalty to that piece of shit. I just knew he had
something going on behind the scenes, and you know what they say about catchin’
flies. Honey works better than vinegar.”

“Apparently,
so does bullshit.”

Snake
grins again. “Exactly. I tried to call you right after Ripper spilled the beans
on his plan, but I couldn’t reach you. Then when you came to the club that
night, when he wanted you to announce stepping down, I tried to tell you again,
but you guys took off before I could like you were going to put out a fire.
After that you pretty much disappeared for a few days, so I decided to try and
figure out what the fuck was going on for myself. It didn’t take long to get
Ripper to admit to where he got the pics. Apparently, E-dawg here contacted
Ripper after seeing him with you at the bar, right after you hit him. Guess one
rat can sniff out another, since he seemed to sense Ripper wasn’t one of your
biggest fans.”

That
doesn’t surprise me. It’s rare that I don’t catch Ripper scowling at me openly.
He’s never hid his disdain for me or my leadership. Edward could have easily
picked up on that, especially if he was desperate to settle the score.

 “So,
yeah,” Snake continued, “guess the two of them realized they had some similar
goals and decided to work together. Only this one here...” He slaps Edward hard
on the shoulders now, which still barely causes the man to react. “...knew
enough not to give Ripper the full story on you. If he did, there’s no way
Ripper would have waited to try and bring you down, and apparently, that wasn’t
part of Eddie’s plan—was it? Not unless you didn’t agree to his terms, anyway.
Otherwise, he’d lose some of the leverage he had on you.”