Hard as Steel by Sam Crescent, Jenika Snow

Steel’s SUV. He looked pissed, and the energy and anger came from Shakes like a fucking wrecking ball.
    “What’s going on with you?” Steel asked.
    Shakes didn’t look at him. Instead, he grabbed a cigarette from his cut pocket, put it between his lips, and lit the end with his lighter. He inhaled, held the smoke in for some time, and exhaled slowly.
    “And don’t fucking tell me nothing is going on.”
    Shakes looked at him then. “Nothing is wrong,” he said without emotion in his voice this time.
    Steel wasn’t about to try to weasel information out of Shakes. If the man wanted to be tight lipped then fine. “You’re a fucking liar, but what the hell ever.” Steel leaned back in his seat and watched the house that Daniella’s mother lived in. It was late, the lights were on, but there were a lot of people walking outside. They were just canvasing right now, seeing what her routine was before they had to do this.
    “I can’t believe a mother would put their kid through the shit that bitch did to Daniella.” Shakes said and took another hit off his cigarette. He rolled down the window just an inch. Flicked the ash out of the open space and finished smoking. “She’s a fucking cunt, and the shit that we’ll do to her will be the vengeance Daniella needs.”
    Steel listened, but didn’t respond, because frankly he didn’t know what to say. This kind of emotion from Shakes was not what he was used to seeing. Shakes liked pussy, fucked a lot of it, and never made anything lasting. He’d been like Shakes, until he met Eloise, felt this all-consuming need whenever he was around her. Was Shakes feeling the same thing for Zeke’s daughter?
    “You want her,” Steel said without question.
    Shakes turned and looked at him, his eyebrow cocked.
    “Not that I give two fucks about who you want to fuck, but Demon’s right.”
    “He’s right? About what exactly?” There was a touch of hostility in Shakes’s voice.
    “Don’t get pissy with me because you want to fuck with Zeke’s girl. I mean she’s beautiful, and I can see why you’d want her, but she Zeke’s daughter, man.”
    “You have a woman, so don’t even fucking try to go after Daniella.” Shakes had turned in his seat now, facing Steel, and looking rightly pissed off.
    “Man, I don’t want Daniella. I have Eloise, and believe me, she’s the one for me. She’s the only one for me.” He rested his head back on the seat, thinking about what he’d just told Shakes. The silence stretched on for a moment, and finally he breathed out.
    “So, she’s the one? You want her as an old lady?”
    Steel looked over at Shakes. He was staring at Daniella’s mother’s house, his jaw tight, his muscles flexing under the stubble covered skin.
    “You want her bad, Shakes, and you’re eating yourself up by staying back.”
    “You all told me to stay back.”
    This was true, but even so he knew how Shakes felt. He felt something fierce for Eloise, didn’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have her in his life. She was his obsession, his addiction, and he knew he wouldn’t let her go. He couldn’t, not now that he’d had a taste of her.
    “Yeah, because that’s what’s fucking smart. Zeke will kill you if you go after her. That’s the only saving grace, the only fucking thing that redeems his sadistic ass.”
    “Yeah,” Shakes said and inhaled the cigarette before flicking it out the window. “Let’s just fucking report on this bitch and get the fuck out of here. The sooner we get rid of that cunt the better off Daniella will be.”
    He saw the lights flick off in the house, glanced at Shakes once more, then started the SUV and drove off. Shakes was in for one fucking rollercoaster ride, especially if he went after Daniella. The look on Shakes face, the intensity, possessiveness, told Steel that Shakes wouldn’t listen to reason, and would most definitely go after Daniella.
    The poor bastard was sure as fuck in for one hell of a ride, and