“I gotta admit, Ace, I ain’t never seen this side of him, and it’s freaking me out a bit.”
Cork turned his cockroach around one more time. “Don’t get distracted from the subject at hand. We were talking about that redheaded archeology professor. When they pulled her out, I didn’t see a property cut or a tramp stamp with your name on it. I got a good look at her body, ‘cause she damned near tore her whole shirt off trying to tend to your wounds.”
“She’s mine. Don’t you worry about her body or what she wears.”
“Until she’s properly marked, she could be anybody’s. You know the rules better than anyone, brother,” Cork taunted.
When he didn’t answer, Cork continued his low-grade needling. “Ryder here was real smart. He slapped a property cut on his pretty little bitch almost immediately. That made it clear that she was off-limits. It broke my damn heart, but I didn’t flirt with her even once.”
Ace spoke through clenched teeth. “Shut the fuck up, Cork.”
“I’m just suggesting that maybe she ain’t wearing a cut, ‘cause she ain’t made her final selection yet. We got a lot of good brothers who’d love to settle down with a nice gentle little redhead who can make those delicious little meat pies.”
“They’re called beef wellington, you ass.”
“Sounds fancy and tastes better than anything I’ve ever ate. I’ll bet that she tastes just as—”
Ryder spoke up. “That’s fuckin’ enough, Cork. A little needling to pass the time is one thing, but you are crossing the line into disrespect.”
Turning his cockroach around again, Cork sighed. “I was just trying to be complimentary of Ace’s new lady friend.”
“You’re being an annoying little shit. Play with your cockroach and shut the fuck up.”
Chewing his bottom lip for a brief moment, Cork had a strange little smile on his face. “Is your old lady still playing around with that crazy ex-husband of hers?”
“You are not gonna stop until one of us beats the shit outta you tonight, are you?” Ryder said tightly.
Looking at Ryder with breathless anticipation, he dropped the bomb. “Just thought you might want to know that Darkness got him out of the psych ward for a little bit. They’re calling it a trial placement in the community.”
Ryder lurched forward to glare at Cork. “Are you fucking serious?”
Glancing down to turn his cockroach again, Cork full-on smiled. “I am many things, but I’m not a liar. I think it’s odd that you’re locked up in here with us and your old lady is out there with her ex-husband running free. I wonder what they’re doing tonight.”
Ace slid to the edge of the bunk just in time to grab Ryder. “He’s baiting us.”
Cork glanced up at them. “The way I hear it, her ex is into some pretty kinky sex. Sometimes women scream about not liking stuff like that but when nobody’s looking they come crawling back for more.”
“Tiff does not crawl, you filthy fucker.”
“Maybe not, but you know how obsessed he is with her. I can see why. She’s sweet and pretty and she’s been real nice to him since she found out how crazy he is. A man could really take advantage of woman like that, what with you being in here and not able to protect her.”
Ryder tried to shove Ace’s leg out of the way to get to Cork.
Even though Ace wanted to beat Cork’s ass too, he held firm and reminded him tightly, “If you get in a fight with him, they’ll add extra charges. That means everyone will walk outta here, and you’ll still be sitting here. Don’t let the stupid fucker push your buttons. There is a time and place for everything.”
Slamming himself back against the cinderblock wall, Ryder eyed his newest club brother. “You are one crazy, sick bastard to do shit like this to fellow club members.”
Cork’s eyes turned sad and strangely anxious. “I don’t handle being locked up very well. My ma did it to me a lot when I was little, and it fucked me up. I probably should have mentioned that before I got patched.”
Ryder eyed him critically. “You’re really about to lose it, aren’t you?”
Rather than answering the question, Cork started at the beginning. “Want to race cockroaches?”
It took a second for Ace to catch up and get on board, but then he shrugged. “What the hell, I’ll race cockroaches with you. Will that help calm you down?”
Cork nodded and tipped his head, his eyes focused beyond Ace’s shoulder. “You got a nice big one crawling on the windowsill beside your head.”
~ Ace ~