Breakers (Academy of Stardom Book 3)

Pen

“Well, well, well…isn’t this fucking cozy…”

“Fuck!” Zayn hisses.

We both look up to find Jeb stepping out of an alleyway a little further down the street. He’s holding a gun and has it aimed directly at me, a crazed look on his face.

“Fuck!” Zayn exclaims under his breath. I meet his gaze and swallow hard at the fear blazing in his eyes. He has his back to Jeb so can’t see that he’s holding a gun, but just like I’m familiar with the nuances of a madman’s voice, so too is Zayn. Zayn reaches for his knife which is on the ground beside Frederico’s still body and slides it up the sleeve of his hoodie. This isn’t going to end well.

“Tell me, Penelope, why would your brother send Dante’s Crew into my club to fuck with the Skins?” Jeb asks as I turn my attention to him now. I recognise the look in his eyes, it’s one of distrust and blind rage. He smells a rat, and guess who he thinks is at the centre of it all… me.

Xeno stiffens, his eyes widening slightly, but he hides his surprise quickly and flashes a look at York next to me. Tension rises, thick and cloying as we all climb to our feet, Frederico’s still warm body prone beneath us. York takes my elbow, pulling me gently so that I stand wedged between him and Dax. Zayn steps over Frederico to stand beside Xeno. Out of the corner of my eye I see Beast reach for his gun.

“Don’t even think about it, Beast!” Jeb snarls, focusing on him now. “Place your gun on the ground and kick it towards me or I’ll blow your motherfucking brains out!”

“Fucking chill, Jeb. Don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Beast retorts, slowly removing his gun from the back of his jeans and placing it on the concrete, he kicks it to the side, and it slides to a standstill between us. “It’s been a stressful night, ain’t it? Let’s go back to Tales and grab a drink. How about that? We can sort this shit out there. I’m sure Grim will be more than happy to accommodate you all. She can send her clean-up crew around in a jiffy. Before you know it, it’ll be like this night never fucking happened.”

“Don’t fucking patronise me, you piece of shit. I know Grim has something to do with all of this. Has she hooked up with David, is that it? Are the pair of them planning a fucking takeover? Did they persuade you fucking fools to join in?” Jeb accuses.

“You think Grim has joined forces with that piece of shit David? She wouldn’t touch that first class prick with a bargepole,” Beast replies with a lip curl. “She’s got bigger fish to fry than fuck you over or side with that degenerate.”

“Don’t try and bullshit me. I’m no fool,” Jeb counters, swiping his arm over his lip that’s bleeding from a cut.

“What do you mean Grim has something to do with this? What are you talking about?” Xeno asks carefully, playing the bluffing game. He keeps his focus trained on Jeb and only him.

Jeb narrows his eyes. “My club being attacked, genius. My name being dragged through the motherfucking mud because someone,” Jeb glares at Beast, “Has fucked with the supply of Dancing Shoes.”

“And you think that’s Grim? Are you slow in the head or something? David sent Dante’s Crew in to take you all out. Not Grim, you muppet. I think you need to take issue with him,” Beast replies, still trying to salvage the situation, even though his insults are only making matters worse.

“Then how do you explain my own fucking men turning on me?”

“No one’s turned on anyone. We just took out Dante’s Crew for you, Jeb,” Zayn points out. “If we wanted to turn on you, we would’ve helped them. You need to calm down and think straight.”

Jeb’s hard stare lands on Zayn just as a dozen men step out of the alley behind him. All of them are armed with knives, though the only one who appears to be holding a gun is Jeb. I recognise a few of them from my time working at Rocks. They’re all members of the Skins. Most of them are covered in bruises and blood just like my Breakers are, and more than a few of them are looking confused by the unravelling events.

“Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down. Too much has happened recently and all of it seems to circle back to Penelope here, who you all seem very fucking protective of. Including Grim,” Jeb says, jerking his gun in my direction. Zayn steps sideways, putting himself directly in front of me and in the line of fire. Jeb’s eyes narrow at Zayn’s attempt to protect me. He laughs. It’s a cruel sound, loud and full of violence. “You fucking care about her still, don’t you? I fucking knew this piece of trashy pussy would worm her way back under your skin. You were always soft, despite my fucking efforts. Fuck!” Anger pours out of him as he flicks the safety off. “Fucking move aside right now or I’ll put a bullet in your brain. Blood or not, Zayn, you’ll fucking die tonight if you don’t.”

“No!” I shout, lunging towards Zayn.

Dax grips my arm. “No, Kid. He won’t shoot him. We’ve been here before,” he says urgently under his breath. What the hell does he mean by that? How many times has Jeb threatened Zayn’s life like this? Then I remember the scars criss-crossing his chest.

“You’re paranoid, mate,” Beast says as he pushes off the car and stands beside Zayn, almost blocking my view entirely. “I can assure you Grim has no interest whatsoever in your crew or your businesses. You and I both know that if she did, she would’ve taken you out a long time ago. As for the Breakers, I’d be thanking them if I were you. Who gives a fuck if they’re interested in this bit of pussy.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jeb’s lip curls up in distaste as he points his gun at Beast. I draw in a panicked breath. Maybe Dax is right, and he won’t pump a bullet into Zayn’s chest, but there’s nothing stopping him from doing the same to Beast. Given the tension oozing from the men I love, they realise that too.

“Now that ain’t very nice considering I helped your boys out tonight. That little dickwad, Frederico, is dead because I loaded a bullet in his back,” Beast says, not even flinching.

Jeb barks out a laugh, the sound like sanity hanging on by a thread. “I find it very interesting that you’re here, Roger. Wanna tell me why, or do I need to send someone around for your precious Grim?”

“Oh, fuck,” York mutters under his breath.

Roger? Is that Beast’s real name? I feel a hysterical laugh rise up my throat, but I choke it back. Now is not the time nor the place, but if we ever get out of this alive, I know my men are going to have fun ribbing him. God, I hope we get out of this alive. I hope they can take the piss out of Beast for the rest of their damn lives.

“The fuck?” Beast’s whole demeanor changes and his voice lowers menacingly. “You need to be very careful what you say, mate, because I don’t do well with threats to my woman as you well fucking know. But I am willing to let that go seeing as it’s been a pissy fucking night for you so far. So, lower your motherfucking gun and call your boys off. What’s left of them, anyway.”

From my position, I can see Beast lowering his hand behind Zayn’s body. He moves his fingers in some form of sign language or something. When I look up at Dax, he’s concentrating on Beast’s hand, then he looks across to York, jerking his chin and flicking his eyes downwards.

“What’s going on?” I hiss. Neither answer as Beast continues to try and talk Jeb down.

“When Pen called to say she was in trouble. I came,” Beast lies, because it wasn’t me who called him but Dax. “We protect our assets unlike some dumbasses around here.”

“That girl is fucking poison. I should’ve put a bullet in her head a long fucking time ago,” Jeb counters furiously. “First Malik Brov gets his brains blown out coming after her, then Dante’s crew make a move on my fucking patch because of her brother’s orders, not to mention the fucking issue with my shipment of fucking drugs! You all have something to do with this. I fucking know it!”

“For fuck’s sake, man. Stop making up movies in your head,” Beast says, his agitation growing alongside the tension that’s stretched as thin as my courage.

“Beast’s right, Jeb. We’re not your enemy,” Xeno says, holding his nerve.

“Did David promise that bitch, is that it?” Jeb continues ignoring them both. “Take me out, and you get to fuck that cheap arse pussy for the rest of your days?” He laughs hysterically, unaware that Zayn is slowly lowering his knife that he’d hidden up his hoodie sleeve. “You should know by now that David’s obsessed with the whore. He’ll never let you have her, no matter what he’s promised. This is his way of saying as much. Now she’s going to fucking pay for his bullshit.”

“David’s a fucking psycho, sure, but you’ve known that all along. As far as Pen is concerned, like you said, she’s just a piece of pussy we occasionally fuck around with, like you wanted us to, remember?” Xeno says, disdain in his voice that’s so convincing I almost believe him.

“Yeah, is that so? So why the fuck are you all surrounding her like she’s your goddamn queen, huh? If she’s just a pussy to play with, then hand her the fuck over and let me send a message to her cunt of a brother. Maybe then I’ll be convinced you’re not all in on this!”

“Because, dipshit, she belongs to Grim who you made a deal with. You kill Pen, and all fucking bets are off. Believe me when I say that I will have no fucking issue ending this charade right here, right fucking now. Yet again, your boys are stepping in and saving your motherfucking arse. So do the right thing, put your limp dick away, back the fuck up, and I’ll forget your threats against my woman.”

I cringe knowing that Beast has just lit the match paper beneath Jeb’s ire. There’s no way he’ll back down now and given the secret message Beast just gave York and Dax, I’d put money on the fact he’s counting on it.

“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Jeb counters, spittle flying out of his mouth as he rages.

“He said back the fuck up, Jeb. It’s over,” Zayn interjects, his voice low, menacing in a way I’ve never heard before. It runs through me like a ghost through a graveyard.

“It’s over? What the fuck is that supposed to—”

I’m not sure what my brain registers first, the whoosh of a knife as it slices through the air or the sound of a gunshot cracking like thunder overhead. Chaos ensues and just like earlier I capture the violence, adding it to the ever-growing photo book of memories in my head.

Blink. Beast is thrown back violently as a bullet enters his shoulder.

Blink. Zayn’s knife pierces Jeb’s chest, buried up to the hilt from the force. He falls to the ground.

Blink. York throws himself on top of me. My cheek pressed into the concrete.

Blink. Xeno dives for Beast’s discarded gun.

Blink. Two members of the Skins drop. Blood, tissue and brain matter exploding from their heads.

Blink. Dax picks up his gun and fires more shots. He takes out three more men.

Blink. The rest of the Skins scatter.

Blink. More gunshots. Blink. More deaths. Blink. More blood.

Blink. Blink. Blink. Blink.

Then screams. Sirens. Flashing lights.

“Get Tiny and Beast the fuck out of here!” A voice shouts. Xeno’s, I think.

I’m lifted off the ground and hauled into the backseat of the Bentley by York who fixes the seatbelt around me then slams the door shut. Beast climbs into the car from the other side. His face pale, his hand pressed against the bullet wound in his shoulder.

“I’ll be good. Nothing that can’t be sewn up,” he states with a tight smile before resting his head back, all the colour draining from his face.

I don’t answer. I can’t. I’m not even sure I can move.

Dax gets into the driver’s seat and starts the car. “What about the others?” I manage to blurt out. My gaze focuses on Xeno, York and Zayn as we pull away from the curb.

“They need to stay. They’ll be questions,” Dax explains.

“They’ll go to prison.” My voice rises in panic.

“No. No they won’t, but Beast will if he stays. We’re keeping you both out of this.”

Questions burn my tongue, but words don’t form. All I can do is twist in my seat and stare out at three pieces of my heart standing amongst the carnage, the ground littered with bodies around them.

Blink.