Dragon's Burn

by Brooke Warren

  I step out from around the corner and make my way over to him. I have no idea if he wants to see me but too bad because I at least need to see how he’s doing. He whips his head around at the sound of me approaching.

  “Hey,” I greet sheepishly.

  “Poppy. . .”

  His face falls, and shoulders hunch. I close the distance between us. Taking my finger, I lift his chin so I can get a better look at him. There’s purple around his eye that’s deepening, and it's a little swollen. He jerks his head away, making me flinch. He steps away from me and gives me his back. I immediately regret coming over here.

  “You need to go.” His voice is hard and cold. And just like earlier, he doesn't look back at me, just walks toward a car coming down the road.

  I’m rendered speechless and have to force my legs to carry me back to the front of the building. It's even harder to not look back over my shoulder, but the dismissal in his voice tells me everything I need to know.

  Karen buzzes me back into the office, and with stiff movements, I plop back down in my chair. Getting my work done looks impossible, but somehow, I manage to make it through the rest of the day. Now all I have to do is keep the incessant need to call him at bay, before I drive myself insane.

  Ryu

  I texted JD to come and pick me up as soon as I walked outside. Lucky for me, he was nearby. I hop into his car without saying a word. I’m not in the mood to talk. I’m tired, I smell like shit, and worse of all, I feel like a complete dick for brushing Poppy off like that.

  But what was I supposed to do? Seeing her standing behind the counter, watching me being released from jail felt like being kicked in the balls. I wanted to retreat inside myself instead of facing her judgment. Still do. Nothing like having the girl you’re interested in seeing you walk out of the police station with a black eye.

  I watch as she disappears inside. It pains me not to pull her into my arms and kiss her goodbye, especially since I haven't seen her in over two weeks. Seriously, if she talks to me after this, I’ll be amazed and then start to question her sanity and choices, especially where I’m concerned.

  In the past, I wouldn't have been worried about the scrutiny. Hell, landing in jail for any reason ups my fuckable status among the groupies; makes the bad boy title appeal to them more. I’ve used it to fill my bed a night or two.

  Poppy’s perception of me affects me differently. I don’t want her to see me as this broken, irredeemable fuck-up who’ll cause nothing but trouble and heartache. A summer fling was all this was supposed to be. I can't explain when it happened, but my feelings for her are growing.

  I hoped that with our time apart, I’d get her out of my system, like a cleanse. No such fucking luck. I found myself anxiously awaiting a text from her every day and looking forward to the phone calls at night. This shit is going to suck when I leave. I really need to talk to her.

  “Yo. Did you hear anything I said?”

  “Nah. Sorry, bro. I’m fucking tired. Haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours.” That’s the excuse I’m going to go with.

  “Man, that’s fucked up they threw you in holding like that.”

  Yeah, don’t I know it. Stupid cop wouldn’t listen to me. I didn't start that fight, and no matter how many times I told him, he wasn't convinced, throwing my previous criminal charges in my face. This is what I get for fucking babysitting dipshits—specifically Ace. It was his dumb idea to stop at a local bar on the way back from the job instead of waiting until we got back to the club.

  “Did Ace, Brewer, and JJ get out?”

  “Don’t know. Been laying low at the house. How’d you get out anyway?”

  I decide to skip the part about Barns helping me out. When they gave me my one phone call, he was the one I hit up. Figured since my father wanted him to be “useful” to the club, I’d take advantage of it. I’m not fucking stupid; you’re not going to see me sitting behind bars all day if I can find a way to get out. Been there, done that, never again if I can help it.

  “I cased the bar when we got there. There were security cameras all over the place. They pulled the feed and saw that I was only trying to break up the fight.”

  “Nice.”

  Yeah, what a nice guy I am. Trying to keep people from getting thrown in jail. And what do I get for helping? Tossed in holding. I swear, I’m so done with Ace and his bullshit.

  My phone beeps, alerting me of a new text.

  Pres: Office. Now.

  “Dammit,” I groan.

  “Pres?”

  “Yeah.” I don’t need to say anything else. Looks like the much-needed shower and sleep are going to have to wait. Daddy dearest wants to chew my ass out. Can’t fucking wait.

  We pull up to the warehouse and to be extra dickish, I’m slow in getting out of the car and up to his office. Opening the door, I’m greeted with the ever-present scowl on his face. Riggs and Garvyn are here as well. I shut the door and take a defensive stance, arms crossed over chest, ready for whatever is about to go down.

  “You wanna tell me how you got out?”

  “Not particularly.”

  His scowl twists as his lip curls and eyes turn ice cold. “Answer me!” He slams his fists down on his desk then points a finger at me. “You have two seconds to tell me why you called Barns and not the club.”

  “Or what? You gonna kick me out? Strip my patches? Please do. You’d be doing me a favor. Not like you give a shit about me.” I spit the words out faster than I think them, each one laced with the rage burning inside me. I want to say more but I think that's a good starting point.

  He comes around his desk, grabs my shirt, and throws me up against the wall. I could’ve stopped him, but I'm biding time. Like Ace, this has been a long time coming. Blood or not, he swings—I swing.

  “It’s just like you, trying to show off, thinking you’re better than everyone else here,” he sneers. “You’re. Nothing. Fucking piece of shit son who pulls in outsiders to handle club business.”

  I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry, didn’t realize you were worth calling. You’ve never been worth anything before, not even when you sent my ass to fucking jail because you couldn’t stand your son having a better life on the outside than you.”

  His anger boils over at the truth I lay at his feet, in front of his officers as well. A fist connects with my face, and my head snaps back, hitting the wall. Blood fills my mouth, and pain radiates through my jaw and up into my skull. Wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that I had been hit in that area last night. I almost wince at the contact, but I hold it back at the last second. No way am I giving him any reason to think I’m weak.

  That was his one hit.

  And he swung first.

  Game.

  Fucking.

  On.

  He’s already cocked back, ready to swing again, but I take advantage of the opening and ram my shoulder into his chest, shoving him backward. He stumbles, toppling over onto his desk. My fist is already balled and in motion before his back even touches the desk.

  The first hit lands near his left eye, whipping his head up and to the side. Blood starts trickling from the gash. I grip his shirt and haul him up, letting his nose connect with another of my blows. The crunching sound of his bones cracking and the gush of blood sends a lick of ecstasy up my spine.

  Damn, this feels good.

  The darkness swirling inside me is eating this shit up. I’m like a loose cannon, and the taste of freedom is fucking fantastic.

  He tries to muscle out from my grip, using his arms and legs to shove me away. Even if he could get a hit in, it’d have to be aimed right at the side of my head, but I’m not dumb enough to give him that chance. The fury burning beneath my skin is begging for him to come at me again. But the battle between us is short lived.

  An arm locks around my neck, cutting off my oxygen, and I’m pulled off him. There are sounds coming from all around me, but the blood swooshing in my ears is drowning them out. Ghost’s
eyes narrow into slits, and the cheap fuck takes my immobility as a chance to strike, busting my nose. His moment of glory, though, is also cut short as Riggs yanks him back by the shoulders and throws him sideways against the wall.

  “Take this shit outside,” Riggs barks. I must admit, this is the first time I’ve ever heard him yell.

  “You’re so fucking done,” Ghost bellows between gulps of air. The malice in his gaze is focused on me with such intensity I can feel it cutting slices into my skin.

  Garvyn releases his hold, and I hunch over, gasping for air. “Good.” I stand up, spitting out a mouthful of blood and peg him with a nasty glare, wishing I’d knocked his ass out. “I’ve been done with you for years. You’re a pathetic president whose own agenda is running this club into the ground. You’re pissed because I broke a rule and had an outsider help me? That’s interesting coming from you. And just remember, you swung first.”

  He goes to rush me again, but Riggs holds him back, Garvyn moving closer to step in if needed. “Get the fuck out of my office, now. And don’t even think about coming Friday.” His twisted features make him look deranged.

  I can’t help it, I bust out laughing. “Gladly. But ask yourself what you’re more upset about: the fact that I told the truth, or that every time you look at me, you see her?”

  His eyes widen for a half-second before stretching back into slits. Not waiting to hear another word, I dart out of his office and down the steps. There’s a handful of people lounging around, all eyes lock on me and the blood covering my face and shirt. With the pain exploding in my head, I barely register them.

  JD is leaning against his car when I come out. He takes one look at me and shakes his head but doesn't say anything. We both climb in the car and spend the short car ride to the house in silence. I have two goals in mind when I open the front door: shower and sleep. I need to wash away the grime from the last two days and sleep off this splitting headache.

  Once freshly showered, I pop a few pain pills and collapse onto my bed. The last thought that crosses my mind before my eyes close is the look on Poppy’s face if she were to see me now. A punch of chagrin has me wincing, which is interesting considering the throbbing in my face. Her eyes filled with tears is the last thing my mind conjures up before I slip into the darkness.

  Ryu

  I stare at my phone for the hundredth time today. Poppy and I have barely spoken in the last two days. It’s my own fault. How do you explain to someone that you’re a shitty person who’s fucked up and they should stay far away, but you don’t want them to? To make things worse, I haven’t even apologized for blowing her off the other day. Will she understand that I was embarrassed? That her witnessing me leaving the police station reminded me of all the reasons why I shouldn’t have gotten involved with her in the first place?

  I must be a sucker for punishment this week. Being punched in the face three times didn’t knock some sense into me. Unlocking my phone, I type out a text before I have the chance to stop myself again.

  Ryu: Can you come over?

  Did I really just send that to her? I fall back on the bed annoyed with myself. “I’m such a fucking idiot.” I glance at the phone and see she’s read the message. I don’t know why, but my heart begins to flutter. I keep staring at the phone, waiting to see those three little dots pop up to let me know she’s responding, but when they don’t, I can’t blame her. I’m the one who messed up.

  I toss my phone on the bed and run my hands down my face, wincing when I graze bruises. Maybe it’s better this way. Her not responding could be the break needed to end this before it goes further—before I can shame her even more. I sit up and go to move off my bed when I hear a ding. Quick like lightning, I snatch my phone up.

  Poppy: Address?

  I get a huge dumbass grin. I type out my address, ignoring that niggling in the back of my mind, reminding me that seeing her is going to make leaving that much harder—for both of us. I’m a selfish bastard, but I need to see her. The path I’m walking down has already become blurry, but what I can see clearly through the haze is her light at the end—it’s growing brighter. Like a drug, I’m becoming addicted, desperate for my next hit.

  I jump up and rush into the bathroom. Ten minutes later, I’m freshly showered, dressed, and standing in front of the mirror above my dresser. I slick my hair back with some balm to keep it in place. Being worried about my hair is the last thing I need to focus on. It’s my face that still looks like hell. Women are lucky and can at least use makeup to cover shit like this up. The purple and black hues under my eyes look worse than they feel.

  I check the time on my phone. Excitement fills me, knowing Poppy should be here soon. I blow out my cheeks and look around my room. The place looks like shit. I pick up my dirty laundry and toss it in the basket. I make the bed and then shove what I can in the closet. Not that I have much to put away, but I don’t need her thinking I live like a pig on top of everything else. Once satisfied, I shut my bedroom door and move into the living room.

  JD’s stretched out on the couch, remote in hand, flipping through the channels. JD seeing Poppy again isn’t a thrilling idea, but I also don’t want to kick him out because the only place he’ll be able to chill at is the club. If they see him hanging out there, questions will surely follow. Both options suck, so I pick the better of the two.

  “Yo, got a sec?”

  He flicks his bored eyes to me. “Sup?”

  “I know you’re good about keeping your mouth shut, and you’ve had my back more than once, no questions asked.”

  He cocks a brow. “It’s the blonde, isn’t it?”

  I rub the back of my neck. “Uh, ya.”

  He snickers. “Man, you’re fucking feeling her hard.”

  I sit in the recliner, wiping my sweaty palms down my pants. I’ve no idea why I’m this anxious talking about her to him. A flush creeps up my body, causing sweat to bead on the back of my neck.

  “Nah. She’s leaving for college. Plus, Ghost told everyone the other week about the club moving to Tennessee at the end of August. This is just a . . . temporary thing.” I try and sound as convincing as I can. It’s not a complete lie, but I’m downplaying the effect us parting ways is having on me.

  “Whatever you say, man. Your woman was never here.” He nods, turning his attention back to flipping through the channels.

  Beer.

  I head into the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge. My throat is tight and in desperate need of something to ease the dry, scratchy feeling in the back. I down the entire bottle and reach for another when a light knock on the front door has my heart jumping up into the back of my throat. Guess that beer was useless.

  Here we go.

  I open the door, trying not to have a cheesy ass grin. She takes in my appearance—not in a sexy way, like she wants to rip my clothes off—and her smile falters. It sucks.

  “Hey.” She’s doing her best not to ask me what happened. The only tell she’s struggling with is the little crease between her eyes.

  “Come in.” I step back and hold the door open for her. The scent of berries fills the space when she walks by. My mouth waters instantly, and my dick jumps with joy. With a quick adjustment of my pants, I follow her further into the living room.

  The house isn’t big, but it's enough for JD and me. She takes in the surroundings. I don’t say anything right away, just admire her from the side. A noticeable rich bronze covers her skin. The freckles on her face have even deepened in color. The black tank shows off the swell of her breasts that I’ve missed, jean shorts hugging her tight ass that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into.

  Damn.

  My memory of her is shitty compared to the real thing, and it seems my dick agrees. Fucker is pushing against my pants, aching and begging for her.

  “Sup, butterfly?”

  JD’s voice cuts through the private movie playing out in my head of Poppy on my bed, naked, dripping, and ready for me. JD gets up off the couch and appr
oaches her. My first instinct is to push her behind me, not let him touch what’s mine. She’s pure and shouldn’t be tainted by the guy who fucks everything in sight.

  I quickly shove the caveman behavior down, reminding myself that I’m no better than him. Hell, I’m worse and sure as shit don’t deserve someone like Poppy. She could find a dozen guys within a two-mile radius that are better than me, but I’m greedy, and I want her—all of her. Until I have to let her go.

  “I remember you. From the party, right? I’m Poppy. Nice to see you again.”

  “Tell me. What’s a sexy little thing like you doing with this shithead?” JD flashes her all his teeth, and a bright smile lights up her face—same as last time. And that pisses me off.

  I growl and grab her by the waist, pulling her flush to me. Guess the ‘beating on chest’ and shouting ‘mine’ wasn’t clamped down as tight as I thought. He chuckles when he sees my reaction.

  “Shithead? Really?” I narrow my eyes at him.

  “Honestly, the only reason I’m here is for his dick. My pussy’s turned into a needy bitch, and no matter what I try, the only thing she wants is him.” She juts her head back in my direction.

  JD throws his head back in a fit of laughter. I lean next to her ear, not missing the hitch in her breath or the goosebumps that break out over her skin. “See, I knew you were only using me for my body.”

  “Damn, bro. Your girl’s all right. Well, you two have fun. I’ve got my own company coming over later. I’m going to go get ready.” His eyes move from her to me. “This one’s special.” He doesn’t say another word, just disappears into his bedroom.

  That’s weird.

  I spin her around and bury my face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. “Mmmm. I missed you.” I wrap my arms around her tighter. It's an amazing feeling having her in my arms. All the lonely nights without her in my bed are now forgotten. There’s just me and her.