Page 142 of Ryker

Bringing her down here was a bad fucking idea. D, Vault, and Knox are all glaring at me with What the fuck is wrong with you looks on their faces.

Tara quietly prowls closer to Garret. “Which one of you did that to his face?”

We all took turns. She’ll have to be more specific about the injury she’s referring to. “Does it matter?” I ask.

“Yes.” She won’t look away from her stepbrother.

“Me,” I answer. “The others got their shots in after they dragged me away for a breather.”

Tara’s exhale rattles out of her. “Is he going to live?”

I hope not, but probably. “Didn’t cut anything vital.”

She nods and licks her lips. “Dmitri.” Tara blindly holds her hand out. “Give me your knife.”

“I don’t have one.”

“I do.” Knox lifts his into the air.

I step between them and hand her my switchblade. If she’s going to use something, it’ll come from me and no one else. “Here.”

She takes it calmly. Too calmly. I cross my arms and wait to see what she’s going to do with it.

Tara leans down and gets mere inches away from Garret’s swollen face. With her chin trembling, she holds the blade to his throat.

“You remember this,” she seethes. “You remember this moment, Garret Brisbane. While you’re bound and broken and beaten to shit, with piss running down your motherfucking legs, you remember that I’m the one who spared you. Me.” She presses the blade to his throat harder and blood blooms under it. “You will never get another chance, do you understand?”

He groans.

“Do you understand!” she yells in his face.

Garret slowly nods.

“No one from the Brisbane family will ever come near me again.” Tara grabs him by the hair and pulls it. “Is that clear?”

Blood pours from the injuries we made on his face and neck. “Y-yes.”

She removes the blade from his throat and lets go of him. “Now we’re going to get you to the hospital and you’re going to say you don’t know who attacked you because they knocked you out before you could see their face.” She palms the handle of my switchblade and shoves the tip against his dick. “And if you ever even whisper my name, or try to contact me ever again, I’ll cut your dick off and feed it to you.” Without flinching, my girl shoves the blade down, slicing right through his pants.

He screams like a stuck pig.

I’m pretty sure she’s pierced one of his balls.

“Do. You. Understand?” She twists the knife, and he wails louder, frantically nodding his head.

I once said I was the devil and her demons adore me, but after tonight, I think it’s the other way around. Fucking hell, I’m so in love with this woman.

Tara snatches Garret by his hair and yanks the blade out of his nuts. Cool as a cucumber, she heads over to me and asks, “Is it too late for that fondue? I’m starving.”

What. The. Fuck. Is my girl in shock or just as crazy as me?

“Honey,” Knox says, folding his arms. “After tonight, not a single one of us is going to deny you a damn thing. You want fondue? You got it. You can have anything you fucking want.”

Tara’s gaze remains deadlocked on me. “Anything at all?”

“Whatever you want,” I say, wrapping my arms around her.

“Grilled cheese and chocolate pudding.”