Razor's Edge (Afflictions) Read Online Free PDF

couch and Wiley’s comforting her.
    I get Wiley’s eyes. "What the hell happened?"
    "This fucker was hitting on Lina!" Bryan’s face is red and a vein is popping out of his forehead. "I’m gonna break your fucking skull!" Bryan slams Rictor’s head into the brick and he drops. Bryan kicks him.
    As much as I want to see Rictor get his ass beat, this has to end. I pull Bryan off of him and it’s like fighting a steel wall full of power. "Chill, man." Damn, Bryan’s strong. He pulls at my hold and I lock my arms up under his. "I want to kill him too, but that’s only going to get us arrested and banned from Harper’s."
    Rictor wipes blood out of his right eye and goes to stand. He wobbles and slumps to the cement floor. He glares at Bryan. “Fucking pussy-ass bitch. That all you got?”
    Every muscle in Bryan’s body strains against my hold and we shuffle.
    A bouncer’s headed our way like his sole mission is to knock some skulls. Shit .
    Bryan’s eyes lock on him and all the power in his fight vanishes. 
    "What’s going on here?" the bouncer asks. His pecs and biceps strain his black security T-shirt like he’s flexing his authority to kick us out.
    Where the hell was this guy when there was a fight on the platform? "Nothing. Rictor was leaving." I let go of Bryan and offer Rictor my hand.
    He bats it away, stands up, and mean-mugs Bryan. It looks like he wants to continue the fight, but he catches me shaking my head. He staggers toward the back door without saying a word. I have no clue where Rictor is going. He rode in my Hummer with us, but at this moment I couldn’t give a fuck.
    The bouncer glances at the busted doorframe and shakes his head.
    "I’ll pay for the door." Really, I shouldn’t have to. Rictor or Bryan should pay for it, but Rictor won’t and my web business pays better than Bryan’s job at McDonald’s.
    The security guy glares at me. “I want your band gone in twenty minutes.” He mumbles something else then heads off to somewhere backstage—probably the office, to tell the owner we jacked up their shit.
    "Rictor’s got to go," Bryan says, and we both step through the busted doorframe into the dressing room that now looks like a pack of gorillas went ape-shit in here. Chairs are overturned, the TV is in a busted mess on the floor, and glass from the long mirror decorates the counter.
    Lina sobs.
    Wiley nods. “He fucked up our chance at getting signed. He’s out.”
    I can tell the decision isn’t an easy one for him. He brought Rictor into the band. There's a pang of guilt in his gray eyes, and he wipes a hand down his face. I'm not oblivious. He's been my friend since we were both in diapers. I know Wiley better than anyone.
    Not gonna let my friend carry that burden. I bend down and grab Rictor’s guitar case. "I’ll tell him tomorrow after he cools off."
    Wiley grabs Rictor’s amp. "I’ll tell him. It’s better coming from me."
    "You sure?"
    Wiley nods. "He not only fucked up our one shot, he tried putting the moves on Lina. That shit don’t fly with me. I’m not cool with guys who try something with their buddy’s woman." He storms out of the room.
    Bryan pulls Lina up into his arms and rocks her. Red and black streaks stream down Lina’s face.  
    Clenching my jaw, I fight the urge to find Rictor and finish Bryan’s job. Lina’s not my woman, she’s like the sister I’ve never had, but it’s Rictor that has my rage unfurling. He was our buddy. We thought we all knew him. Guess we didn’t know him enough. "What went down?"
    "He—" She sobs into Bryan’s shoulder.
    Bryan shushes her and turns to me. "Wiley and I were only gone for a second. We went to White Castle across the street and then the liquor store. When we came back, Rictor had her pinned up against the wall choking the shit out of her, so I flipped his script."
    Lina lets out another sob.
    "Take her to the van. She needs to calm down. Wiley and I can load up." My heart cringes, and my gut was right.