Addictive (The Houston Defiance MC Series Book 2)

skills, perseverance, good judgment are all important when dealing with the law.”
I let out a huff. She’s smug, that’s for sure, but I like it. Balls like that are what we need to face the Baron. “Okay, so where do we sit?”
She rolls her shoulders. “This won’t be easy… the charges are sticking. Zero is set for arraignment in two days. We can all be at the courthouse to see where it’s going to go, but with anything that has the Baron’s mark on it, it’s going to take some time and a lot of work. It might take more time than we’ve got.”
My face scrunches as I glare at her. “Are you saying this shit is hopeless?”
She’s unfazed by my outburst. “What I’m saying is we need to understand this is a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line. Wraith, I think you and your brothers need to prepare for the fact I might not be able to fix this one before Zero’s locked up.”
Anger ignites inside of me as I throw my hands into the air. “Well, what fucking good are you then?”
Neon moves in beside me placing his hand on my shoulder. “Look, I get we’re all on edge, but Finley is the only attorney in Houston who would take on this case, Wraith. We have no choice but to trust in her judgment.”
“No choice? No fucking choice? Maybe there’s a reason she took us on if she can’t help, Neon. ‘Cause she’s working for the fucking Baron!” I turn, heading for the door before my fury reaches a critical level, and my addiction kicks in. I can’t say the need wasn’t starting to rear its ugly head when I saw Finley walk in. Her neck stood out, calling for me to wrap my fingers around it and squeeze. When tensions get high, the urge for me to give into my addiction becomes so much more, I can hardly contain it. I need to find another vice. I have to find a way to control this urge that calls inside me.
I’m broken.
Tarnished by my past.
My fucking mother made me into this void that I am.
How could I ever be good enough for Prinie?
There’s no possible way.
She deserves love, real love, not some stained reason for existence.
My boots thump the pavement as I pace the parking lot of the police station trying to walk off my rage. I’m not sure who I’m angrier at—Finley for not being able to do her job, or me for not being the man I need to be.
“Wraith!” Neon calls out, but I keep pacing with all these racing thoughts pummeling my mind, overwhelming me as anxiety begins to cripple me—this is where Zero usually steps in taming the beast inside me. “Wraith, stop for a second, will you?” Neon reaches out grabbing my arm, halting my steps. I stop, turning to face him, instinctively reaching for my gun and pull it up aiming it directly at his head. He raises his hands in surrender. “Take a damn breath, brother.”
 My whole body shudders when I scan over to my brothers who are watching me lose my shit.
Finley’s eyes shoot back to check if any police are heading out, then she calls out, “Stow your damn weapon, Wraith. Now! I don’t need the president and the VP behind bars.”
Exhaling the breath I was holding, I lower my gun, holstering it. I internally berate myself for showing a sign of weakness as Neon grabs me, pulling me aside. “This is a stressful time for us all, but throwing wild accusations won’t help, Zero. She’s not in the Baron’s pocket… for fuck’s sake, trust me on that. I would never have hired her if I thought that.”
“We can’t trust anyone. The Baron has his hand in everything.”
Neon exhales. “Not her.”
“Give me one good reason why I should trust her, Neon.”
He looks over his shoulder. “Let’s just say Finley and the Baron have history. An awful history. Too much to go into detail about right now, but she’s not his biggest fan.”
“You swear to me he hasn’t gotten to her?”
“I swear, Wraith. Finley’s on our side. She wants to watch the Baron burn just as much as we all do.”
“I fucking hope that’s true.”
“If you two are done having your little powwow, some of us have work to do,” Finley calls out from behind us.
I turn, and she’s working furiously on her cell as I storm over to her. “You work your damn ass off for Zero. You do anything you have to, to get him out of this. I want the Baron to know he can’t fuck with Defiance.”
“While you’ve been crying in the corner, I’ve been working on his case for five minutes on my cell. Can we go? I have an arraignment to prep for. I can’t be concerned with your pity party.”
Her fight and fire are enlightening.
She’s calling me on my shit!
Maybe I’m so caught up in the fact this case is so damn difficult, I can’t see she’s actually trying here.
I need to cut her some slack. “Fin…”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.”
Her eyes widen like she’s truly shocked by my turnaround. Finley smiles genuinely while gesturing toward the cage. “C’mon, let’s go. More work, less talk.”
I signal to my brothers, then we all head toward the cage.
We might not be coming home with Zero, but we’re sure as hell going to keep trying until we do.

PRINIE
It feels like we’ve been waiting for fucking ever since they all went down to the police station to figure this shit out. As I sit with Cherry, Luc, and Phantom at a table in the main room, we make general conversation, but it’s all just small talk to pass the time.
Cherry’s knee agitates