Miscreants: Next Generation by Natalie Bennett (essential reading .txt) 📗

The man Lilith had yoked up began to nod in agreement.

“You sure it’s not from being a product of Mommy’s brother plowing her pussy? Or was he the grandfather?” Amo queried.

The woman slammed her hand down on the table. “You dare come into my house and disrespect me?”

“Your house?” I tilted my head and regarded her questioningly. “This is our house now, sweetheart. So why don’t shut the fuck up so we can get settled in?”

Unsurprisingly, none of her sons spoke up on her behalf. What a bunch of pussies. I looked down at Lilith, perusing her from head to toe again.

“How did this happen to you?” I asked her directly.

“She—” the man beside us began to reply.

“She has a voice,” I interjected.

“He made me fight.”

Made her fight. I combed over what Amo and Brody had told me, combining it with what I’d already known about the Roboys. They took men and women and made them fight in an arena. People put money on who would win, buying these individuals off like livestock once the fights concluded.

“What else did he do?” I stared the man down, watching for even the slightest hint of movement.

“He put his hands on Takara after he cut her shirt off and…”

“And?” I prodded.

“He kissed me.” She looked at the floor to avoid my stare.

This confession was too fucking déjà vu-esque for my liking.

“Oh, that’s going to earn you instant disqualification, Knox,” Amo chided.

I inhaled, expelling a deep breath quietly as rage twisted and distorted inside my chest.

One.

That’s the number of times someone other than myself had ever gotten close enough to touch her. Even when Amo, under the guise of Creed a few years ago, made it seem as if he was fucking her, I wanted to tear him apart. And that had been my own idea.

Any form of disrespect against her was highly offensive to me. I didn’t fucking tolerate it. If someone were going to degrade my girl or put their hands somewhere they shouldn’t be, it would be me—when I had my dick shoved down her throat or buried inside her pussy.

I ran a soft touch down her arms to calm myself and reassure her. Taking hold of her shoulders, I positioned her slightly behind me. Jin moved so he could cover her back in case things went sideways.

“Knox? That’s your name?” I asked the man.

“I’m not telling you shit,” he spat.

“It’s Knox. The guy dressed like he just came from a western is Jacob. The feminine one is Tyson. That old witch is Tammy—also mother dearest,” Amo more than happily clarified.

I grinned down at Knox, seeing his expression go through three different stages.

“You like to put on shows, right? I’ve heard your family is renowned for being entertaining. You should feel honored, because now you’re going to put one on for me and my friends.”

I grabbed the shotgun from the corner and passed it off to Amo.

“You four, get up and stand against that wall.”

I thought they’d at least protest, but they all rose and moved to the back side of the room like obedient hostages. Maybe they did have an ounce of common sense. I rounded the table and grabbed hold of the chair the blonde was sitting in so it wasn’t in the way.

I dragged it backward, unintentionally causing her to fall out. She tumbled sideways and hit the floor with a thud. Other than a groan, she barely reacted. I wasn’t sure what they’d done to her, and I didn’t care. Seeing Lilith seconds away from coming to her aide, I stepped in front of the girl’s body and forced her to look at me instead.

“Don’t even think about it.”

She barely managed to hide her scowl, sinking her teeth into her lower lip. I was beginning to think she was purposely trying to provoke me.

Still needing more space, I grabbed one end of the dining table and lifted, flipping it onto its side. Their dinner hit the dull wood floor alongside broken dishes and silverware. I’d pieced together the gist of what was going on and their intentions for Lilith—more than likely Takara, too.

“You and you.” I pointed to Knox and his mom. “Stand face to face in the center of the room.”

He came forward with all the wariness of a cornered rabbit, holding his mother’s hand.

“What do you want from us?”

“We want a show,” Amo answered.

“A face-off,” I reiterated.

Knox looked at me, his jaw clenched. He must have felt exceptionally powerless right now.

I couldn’t relate.

He turned towards his mother, still holding her trembling hand. That was cute. But it was much too soon to be so afraid; we hadn’t even gotten started yet.

“Everything you did to her, you’re going to do to your mother.”

I went over to Lilith was and settled against the wall.

“W-what did you just say?” Jacob stammered, straightening to his full height.

“Was it not clear enough? Everything he did to my girl, he’s now going to do to your mother.”

“I’m not going to hurt Ma,” Knox objected.

“Amo.”

Hearing that, he immediately lost his bored expression and perked right up.

“Finally.”

He sidled by our showrunners and approached Jacob and Tyson. He lifted the shotgun and checked the ammo, a wide grin spreading across his face.

“What a beautiful sight. 00 buckshot.” He welded a cheek to stock position, securing the butt.

“Who’s it going to be?” he asked.

I looked at Knox with a slightly raised brow. “You sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

“I’m sure,” he affirmed.

Jacob glared at the back of his brother’s head. “What the hell do you think you’re—”

“So, you then?” Amo swung the barrel and pulled the trigger.

It was shock that delayed Jacob’s response. That and