Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

Opal turns her full attention to Jeff, but before she can unleash on him, I step in front of her. “Lemme handle him, baby.”

She reaches out, placing her hands on my arms, but doesn’t do anything to stop me. “What a fucking asshole. You did this, didn’t you?” she asks Jeff.

And since he is the only one who wasn’t confused by what exactly was between Mammoth’s fingers, I’d say it’s pretty obvious he’s the one who planted it.

“It wasn’t me,” Jeff replies, his lips pinched and arms crossed. “I didn’t do shit.”

I take a step forward, leaving only a few feet between him and myself. I’m not above knocking him out, even in my cousin’s business. There is no better place for it to happen, actually. “How. The. Fuck. Did. You. Know. She. Was. Here?” My words are sharp and biting.

Jeff takes a step back, trying to avoid whatever I am about to fling his way. “I didn’t put that there.”

I move forward, leaving him nowhere to go except to plant his ass in the chair that’s touching the backs of his knees. “You’re not answering the question. I’ll ask one more time, and then I’m busting your nose to start, until you confess.”

Jeff leans back, bending in such an unnatural way, but definitely scared. Most men like him are. They can push a woman around and treat her like shit, but put even the smallest amount of pressure on them and they instantly turn into a pussy. “I was driving by and saw her in the window.”

I raise an eyebrow and lean into his space, forcing him backward even farther.

“That’s a crock of shit,” Mammoth mutters from behind me. “Can’t see shit going fifty down the road.”

“Don’t get arrested,” Opal whispers behind me. “Please.”

I growl, wanting nothing more than to punch his lights out. He deserves as much.

“It’s a crime to plant a device like this.”

“Call the cops,” I bite out, hating that I’m not going to lay him out. “Let them deal with this trash.”

Opal skates her fingertips across the bare skin on my upper arms. “Thank you,” she says.

I bend my neck, so my nose is touching his. I stare into his beady dark eyes. “If I see you around her again, I’m breaking something on your body, and I don’t give two shits if I end up in jail. Forget about Opal. You don’t talk to Opal. You don’t see Opal. She doesn’t exist to you. You don’t listen, you’re going to feel more pain than you ever thought possible while staying conscious.”

“You can’t threaten me,” he snaps.

I smile. “Did anyone hear me threaten him?”

“Nope,” Opal says first, and I wish to fuck I could turn around. I’m pretty sure I would see a smile on her face.

“I didn’t hear shit,” Mammoth answers. “Hey, yeah. We have a situation at Nuts & Bolts over on Nineteen.”

“Please,” Jeff begs. “Hang up.”

“If you could send a cruiser or five, that would be great,” Mammoth says to the sheriff dispatch.

Jeff’s almost shaking and falls backward into the chair, unable to keep himself balanced as I remain in his space. “I’ll never call her again. I promise.”

“This is some fucked-up shit, and I’ve seen a lot of fucked-up shit,” Mammoth says. “If he doesn’t keep you here, I sure as fuck am.”

“Oh, I’m keeping him here.”

Jeff’s eyes dart toward the door.

“Nope,” I snap, placing the entire pressure of my booted foot on top of his bare foot covered in a stupid sandal.

“Damn,” Opal mumbles from behind me, but her soft hands never leave my skin.

Jeff cries out, lurching forward to reach for his foot, but I don’t care. I think he’s spent his life inflicting pain on other people, and for what may be the first time ever, he’s about to experience a little payback.

I twist my boot, giving him a little something extra. “You’re not running either.”

“They’ll be here in five,” Mammoth tells us.

Jeff’s red face immediately pales. “You don’t know the whole story,” he barely gets out as the pain from the weight of my entire six-foot-three body pushes down on the tiny bones of his foot.

“Why don’t you enlighten me?”

“She’s a lying whore, and she likes when I treat her like that.”

With those words, I snap. I reach down and grab him by the neck, yanking him straight out of the chair and his sandal. “You’ve said too much, and now we’re going to handle this portion of the day before the cops arrive.”

He struggles against my hold, clawing at my wrist with his stubby fingers. “Opal, babe, where do you want me to hit him?” I ask her. “He’s not getting away without at least one bruise.” I study his face, watching his skin turn a bright shade of red. “Maybe two.”

Opal’s thumb caresses my triceps. “None, but if you have to do something…one.”

“One it is,” I reply to her before rearing back with my free hand, careful not to hurt her, and slam my fist right into his cheek.

The sound of his bones crunching against my knuckles will forever be burned into my memory. But I won’t cringe when I remember the moment I sent Jeff to the floor, gasping for air and writhing in pain.