Inferno - Chelle Bliss by Chelle Bliss

“What’s interesting?” I ask him.

He runs a hand across his dark beard, something he’s been growing out for far too long, based on the unkempt looks of it. “He has a major hard-on for you. You steal Opal away from him?”

I shake my head. “No. He was a client at the shop. He treated her like shit, so I told him to leave and explained that his business wasn’t needed or wanted in our establishment. Afterward, I gave Opal a place to stay for a night, and then we barely talked for a month.”

Thomas digs his fingers into the hair of his beard, scratching at the little bit of skin he can reach. “From the sounds of it, he puts the blame squarely on your shoulders.”

“He brought that shit on himself—and the jail time too.”

Uncle Thomas gives me a slow nod, but not the type that’s reassuring in any way. “He has a court date tomorrow. He could get out, and then we have a high probability that shit might go down.”

“I’d like to see that little pissant try. I could beat his ass with one hand tied behind my back and blindfolded.”

“Do you think he’ll act on the threats, or do you think he’s just talking big since he’s surrounded by other criminals?” Uncle James asks Uncle Thomas. “I want to know if we should put men on Stone—and Opal too.”

“No men on me,” I tell him, refusing to have anyone put their life on the line for mine. I can take care of myself. My dad has been teaching me self-defense and how to fight since the day I could hurl my fist through the air and land it without toppling over. “I can take care of myself.”

Uncle James winces. “Listen, kid, I know you can. But when there’s a nutjob coming after you with nothing but hate, it’s harder to defend yourself. One set of eyes is never enough. Let me put at least two guys on you.”

Fuck. If Jeff doesn’t kill me, he better be prepared to die himself. There’s no way I’m letting him get away with attacking me or Opal and live to breathe another day.

“Put everyone on Opal,” I tell him, clenching my hands into tight fists. “She needs the protection, not me.”

James folds his hands together, tapping his index fingers to each other. “If he gets released, take her to your place at night, and we’ll put some guys on the outside. It’s the best of both worlds.”

“Do you think he’ll actually get released?” I ask in disbelief.

James nods. “The jails are overcrowded, and it’s a first offense. He’ll probably walk with time served, community service, and probation.”

“Unbelievable,” I mutter. “We need to tell Tamara.”

“Fuck, that’s right,” Thomas says as he tosses the manila folder onto James’s desk. “Opal’s working with her, and that puts Tamara in danger too.”

“It puts everyone she’s around in danger,” James adds. “How do we want to deal with this? Should we tell everyone?”

Thomas shakes his head. “No. I don’t want to cause panic. The guy’s probably talking big to make himself appear stronger than he is, or am I reading him wrong?”

“He put a tracker on her car. Mammoth found it. That’s why his ass is in jail,” I inform them.

Thomas stands from his chair and walks around the room. “The threat was against Stone and not Opal.”

“I can take care of myself,” I repeat, trying to drive the point home.

Uncle Thomas stops behind me and places his hand on my shoulder. “We know you’re tough, Stone. Anyone with eyes can see you can easily take down most men out there in the world. But all the muscles in the world can’t stop a bullet from piercing flesh. You got me?”

“I got you,” I grumble, hating that he’s right.

Thomas releases his hold on my shoulders before pacing back and forth. “Maybe you and she should go away for a few days until we assess the threat and see if he was talking out of his ass or if he really plans on following through.”

“No. We’re not going to run,” I tell them, refusing to be a coward. “I’ve never been the type to run from trouble.”

“Were we this stupid at his age?” James asks Thomas.

“Dumber,” he replies with a small chuckle. “It’s amazing we’re still standing here.”

“Self-preservation wasn’t always our strong suit,” James says like they’re talking about something mundane and not death.

“Did either of you ever have anything like this happen to you?”

Their eyes turn to me, and the air in the room changes.

“Something like this,” James says.

I glance between them, wondering what I don’t know and they’ve never bothered to share.

“Yeah,” Thomas adds. “We led different lives back then, but we were also trained in how to protect ourselves.”

“My dad trained me,” I remind them, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You may be able to protect yourself, but who’s going to protect Opal while you’re busy?” Uncle Thomas asks, making a good point even if I hate it.

“Don’t let your ego be the death of one of you,” Uncle James adds.

His statement is like a punch to the gut. Am I letting my ego get in the way? I suppose I am. Could my ego get one of us killed? It’s entirely possible. I’ve never needed anyone to protect me since I was little, but I’ve never had anyone coming after me either. Jeff has had nothing but time in jail to sit and think of all the ways he could harm me. A few ideas are probably things I couldn’t even come up with in my wildest dreams.