Bad Habits

Chapter 31

Maddox's POV

My jaw clenches as I stare down at the man bleeding on the dirty floor of the alleyway. His sweat mixed in with saliva and blood around his mouth from where his lip is bleeding from the punch I just gave him, he's wheezing and holding his side with pained breaths, but still the fucker has the nerve to smile at me, crooked dirty teeth and all their disgusting yellowness.

"Who the fuck sent you?" I bark shoving his head backwards with the palm of my hand, he lands to the floor with a dull thump, a choked gasp leaving his mouth from the harsh action.

Turning to his side he spits out blood onto the floor. "I-I'm not S-saying a-anything." He manages to gasp out, eyes closing from the pain he's feeling.

Noah was supposed to be with me, but having a girlfriend meant dates and all that other lovey dovey shit that couples do, which resulted in him begging for me to allow him this one night off for him to take that sweet as pie girl of his out to the movies and a dinner date.

Any other girl and I would of rained on his parade and refused it, but since I actually like Jessie I allowed it, on the exception that he washed the dishes for a month.

Everything comes at a cost these days, he knows that. Which is why he immediatley said yes and didn't argue with me.

I may seem like a big brute who only cares about my car and inflicting pain on people, but inside I'm a closet romantic at heart. I'd like to think it's from my mother, always reading me fairytales as a kid when it was time for sleep, putting the ideas of true love and happily ever afters into my head.

I'd also like to think that even though I've done a lot of bad shit in my life, the reason I'm doing it all will redeem me and allow me to actually live to get to my happily ever after.

I'm brought out of my thoughts by the mans violent coughing as he chokes on the blood pooling in his mouth.

My lip tilts upwards into a snarl, my face conveying how annoyed and pissed I am right now. I was supposed to be inside the building to the side of me ten minutes ago, but caught this guy trying to place a tracker underneath one of Max's cars.

"I asked you a question and I want the answer to it before I shoot you right between your eyebrows." I spit down at him, hands clenching against my sides as I stare at him with disgust.

He must be in his late forties, a bald sweaty head that NASA could see if they looked close enough and a scruffy beard. He's wearing a cheap brown suit that's now all scuffed up and dirty from the floor he's laying on. Although, it wasn't any better before I had hold of him, I'd even go as far as to say I'd made it look better.

His eyes dance with sickening humour and he shakes his head on a laugh that tumbles from his shaking body.

I kick the shoe on his foot, stopping the action of him laughing. Getting down to his level I ignore the putrid smells from the garbage cans lined up against the wall and narrow my eyes down at him.

"Who. Fucking. Sent. You." I repeat deathly calm and slowly. My hand extracts the gun from my waistband of my jeans and I click the safety off and push the barrel of it straight in between his risen eyebrows of surprise at my actions.

I don't see why he's so surprised, I warned the fucker.

I see the gulp of uneasiness as it slides down his throat from the action, the sweat pooling up even more on his ashy looking face.