Anarchy (The Stone Legacy Series Book 4)

by Dalayne, Theresa

  She pulled away and gazed at Modem, now asleep. “I can’t believe it. She’s like us. Everything changed so fast.”

  “Yeah.” That was the understatement of the century. “You think she’ll be okay? I mean, after she learns more about her ability?”

  Hawa tucked a few strands of hair behind her ear, adorned in rows of silver earrings. “I don’t know. Being a dreamwalker isn’t something I’d want for anyone. Being trapped forever in a kid’s body? It’s like a bad dream.”

  Jayden frowned. “When we tell her, I hope she can deal with it. Without hurting herself, I mean.”

  Hawa exhaled. “Yeah. Do you think she’d be better off with Renato? She wouldn’t be the first Riyata he helped ease into their place in the world.” She met his gaze. “I don’t think I can do it. I don’t think I can take care of her like she needs.”

  “We’ll figure it out.” He held her close and pressed his cheek against hers. “As far as going to the underworld, we can’t.” When Zanya had returned from retrieving his soul from the underworld, she’d told him all about the cave and the portal, and how Arwan had offered his half-underworld blood as a sacrifice for entrance. Without that, they’d never get through. And unfortunately for him, even though he’d spent some time in the underworld, he didn’t bleed. Not anymore.

  “Contessa won’t come to the middleworld again until she has a solid plan. Last time she was here, she was falling apart at the seams, remember? She’s in the underworld because she’s fading, and there she can feed off the damned souls. We have to assume the worst.”

  There was a slight knock on the door. Hawa slipped out of Jayden’s arms and opened the hotel room door.

  “Hey, Brisa.” The little boy they called Tic-Tac stood at the door.

  “Hey, buddy.” She opened the door wider. “What’s going on?”

  “Um…” He twisted the fabric of his shirt in his tiny hands.

  Hawa glanced at Jay, then back to the kid. “What is it?”

  Tic-Tac gestured to the foyer with a nod of his head. “Blade wants you. He sent me up. Said it’s important and to meet him down there…now.”

  Hawa nodded. “Okay. Thanks. I’ll be down in a minute.” She ruffled his hair.

  “I don’t think he’ll wait a minute.” Fear streaked his tone, clearly setting Hawa on high alert.

  She crouched in front of him. “What’s wrong?” She rested her hand on his shoulder.

  Tic-Tac flinched away.

  Hawa gently pulled down the neckline of his shirt to expose a yellow and blue bruise on the boy’s collarbone. She winced. “What happened?”

  Tic-Tac lowered his head. “I’m fine.”

  “Did Blade do this to you?”

  Tic-Tac responded with a sniffle.

  Hawa pushed to her feet, her hands balled into tight fists. “Why don’t you stay here with Modem?” she said in a low growl. Hawa guided the boy inside. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you when she wakes up.”

  Tic-Tac nodded. “Okay.” He sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. “Sure.”

  Jayden looked down at Tic-Tac and winked. “You’re one tough little dude.”

  “Blade says I have to be. He says life is too hard for me to be weak.”

  Jayden’s features sobered. “He said that, huh?”

  Tic-Tac nodded.

  Jayden examined the boy’s bright eyes. He was too innocent to be here, in this place, without parents or a family to take care of him. His chest tightened. “Promise me something.” The boy stared up at him, waiting. “If you hear people shouting or things breaking downstairs, don’t come out, okay?” The boy paused, swallowed, and nodded. “Good.” He pointed at Modem. “Keep an eye on her for me. I’m counting on you.” He reached out to pat the kid on his back, but pulled back his hand, afraid he might hurt him if there were any more bruises they couldn’t see.

  Hawa had already left the room and was halfway down the stairs by the time Jay caught up.

  She walked with a purpose, her focus trained on Blade.

  Jay slowed when they reached the bottom floor. He circled around the room, recalling what Modem had said about making things worse.

  “Hijo de puta!” Hawa swung a right hook and landed it square on Blade’s jaw.

  Jayden raised his eyebrows. So much for not making things worse.

  Blade stumbled, and the back of his legs buckled over the fountain in the center of the foyer. She shook her hand, sucking in a sharp breath through her teeth.

  Blade wiped a streak of blood from the corner of his mouth. “Are you flirting with me, Brisa?”

  She scowled. “I’ll show you flirting.” She charged him.

  Blade stood, his eyes dark, grinning a sinister smile. “Here we go,” he said under his breath, almost too low for Jayden to hear.

  Hawa swung again. Blade blocked the assault and punched her in the gut.

  Hawa gasped and collapsed to the floor, clawing at the aged wood as she gulped in shallow breaths.

  Jayden stepped forward. Hawa extended her hand, coughing through labored breaths. “Stay out of this,” she croaked.

  The hotel became eerily silent. Jayden looked up as the hotel room doors quietly clicked shut, everyone vanishing from sight. It was like they had seen this a thousand times, and knew it would get ugly.

  Jayden returned his focus to Blade. His gut twisted, fury boiling in his veins. He’d kill that piece of shit. He’d kill him, and wouldn’t lose a moment of sleep over it.

  Hawa stumbled to her feet, forcing herself to stand on her own.

  Blade chuckled. “You sure you want to go for round two, Brisa? You know what you’re getting yourself into. You should remember well enough.”

  She drew in deep breaths, her glare deepening. “You should remember,” she wheezed. “I’m used to it.” With her lips pursed into a tight, rigid line, she leaped forward and swung her elbow, cracking Blade in the mouth.

  He backhanded her across the cheek, sending her spinning. She stayed on her feet and squared her shoulders, her fists in the air.

  Jayden shifted as jolts of electricity bolted through his muscles. He couldn’t just stand there and watch Blade beat her black and blue. Hawa’s cheek had already begun to swell. An ugly purple shadow blotted the fair skin under her eye.

  Her gaze flickered to Jayden for just a second. She shook her head, and clenched her fists. “You have no right to hurt these kids, Blade.”

  He strutted toward her, his hands at his sides, making no effort to guard himself. Hawa tightened her jaw. Knowing her, it was clear that insulted Hawa even more than Blade’s smug laugh.

  “No right?” Blade echoed. He scowled. “You, of all people, have no room to talk about rights.” Blade pushed out his chest. His gaze dragged down Hawa’s body to her belly, where his gaze lingered for a long moment. “You don’t give a damn about rights.”

  “Go to hell,” Hawa growled. “You know it wasn’t my choice.”

  “Oh, really? So you didn’t call me from the clinic? I’m just…” He shrugged. “Imagining it all?”

  “So stupid,” she mumbled. “I was so stupid to call you. I should have never—” Her voice caught in her throat. Her fists slightly relaxed, and her gaze drifted. “I can still hear her heartbeat…” A tear slipped down her cheek.

  Jayden’s chest hollowed with a silent exhale.

  Modem never did tell him how far along she was when she lost the baby. She could have had plenty of doctor appointments before it happened.

  “You,” Blade said, stealing Jayden’s attention. “You never wanted her.”

  Hawa shook her head. “That’s not true.”

  “You got rid of her,” he continued in a deep, ominous tone.

  “No.” Hawa swallowed. “I knew I couldn’t take care of her. She would have ended up in this hotel, like these kids.”

  “Bullshit.” Blade glared at her stomach. “You tore her out of you.”

  “No!” Hawa’s shriek echoed through th
e empty foyer. “You stole her from me. You hurt her. You killed her!”

  Hawa sprinted forward and collided with Blade. They both went down in a ball of flying fists. Blade grabbed Hawa by the shoulders and rolled on top of her, then coiled his fingers around her neck, bearing down with all of his weight.

  Hawa’s eyes widened, and she kicked under him, clawing at Blade’s wrists.

  Jayden tore Blade off and grabbed him by his shirt, lifting him to his feet. He drew Blade’s face an inch from his. “That’s the last time you’ll ever touch her.”

  Blade grabbed his arms, digging his fingers into Jay’s muscles. “Then I won’t be the only one.” Blade shoved Jay back and threw a right hook, cracking his solid knuckle against Jay’s cheekbone.

  Jay stumbled back and blinked repeatedly, shaking off the rattled daze. He curled his lips into a grin. “That all you got?” Jayden ran forward and tackled him like a cornerback, slamming Blade into the wall.

  Blade snatched the knife from his side and pressed it to Jay’s throat. “If I take off your head, will you die then?”

  Jayden jumped back. Good question. Something had to kill him, and decapitation seemed like a pretty sure way to get it done.

  Blade raised the knife and lunged forward, bringing it down at Jayden’s chest. Jay spun and punched Blade in the back of his head, sending his face slamming into the floor. When Blade turned on his back, blood drizzled from his mouth, down his chin.

  Hawa ran between them, extending her hands.

  Jayden froze.

  “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

  Jayden examined her hunched posture and the circular bruise encompassing her neck. “How’s it going to be, then? Blade beating up on you some more, and you running to save him?”

  She stood up a bit straighter. “No. But you don’t have to be like him. You’re better than that.”

  Jayden ground his teeth. “Maybe.” He shifted, the heat in his gut slowly cooling. “I want to be.”

  Hawa smiled softly. “I know it.”

  Blade stood, and Jayden caught the motion over Hawa’s shoulder. Her ex loomed behind her, his eye twitching, and he lifted the knife to his side, aiming the pointed steel at her back.

  Jayden sucked in a sharp breath. “Move!”

  Hawa dropped on instinct, just as Blade jabbed the glistening weapon in the air. Jayden seized Blade’s wrist as tightly as he could and gave it a swift twist. The loud snap of bone made even him wince.

  Blade shouted, and the knife clattered to the floor.

  Jay grabbed the fabric of Blade’s shirt and punched him in the face once, twice, three times—after a few moments he’d lost count. But Blade’s inner fight was stronger than Jay had anticipated. Even with blood dribbling down Blade’s nose and his lip split open, he managed to land a solid punch to Jay’s gut, tearing open the stitches from the knife wound Hawa had stitched.

  Jay stumbled up the stairs as Blade pushed forward, raw fury burning in his contorted features. Blade swung again, missing his target. It didn’t take long for him to charge forward, forcing Jay further up the stairs to the upper floor.

  Swaying at the top of the stairs, Blade gave a bloody, sinister smile. “She may not want me, but if I can’t have her, neither can you.” He charged forward and plowed into Jayden like a pissed off bull seeing red. Blade crashed through rusted iron, taking Jayden down with him. They fell three stories, and the wood boards cracked and splintered when they hit the floor.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jayden blinked open his eyes, fog drifting around the edge of his vision. With a grunt, he rolled off Blade and onto the cool, wood floor.

  “Jayden.” Hawa’s voice was breathless. He lifted his head and found her, hunched on the floor, clutching her stomach with one hand while the other pressed over her lips. She slowly stood. “What have you done?”

  “What?” He blinked again, still trying to recall what had happened that day. Everything was cloudy and muddled.

  Hawa shook her head, staring at the person beside him.

  Jayden scowled, planted his hands on the floor, and pushed himself up. His fingers landed in something thick, wet, and warm. When he picked up his hand, scarlet covered his fingertips, dripping down his palm. “What…”

  Run. Modem’s voice brought it all rushing back.

  Jayden sprang to his feet, still staring at his blood-coated hand. He looked at Hawa, whose gaze was now locked on him, and not Blade’s lifeless body.

  “We need to get out of here,” Jayden said softly. He quickly analyzed himself by tightening his muscles, surprised he didn’t take any damage from the fall. He swallowed against a dry throat and fisted his hands. “Now.”

  The creaking of rusty hinges on hotel room doors filled the air. He raised his gaze to a few of the orphan kids who were now in the hall, some of them leaning over the railing, staring down at the scene below.

  I said run, while you still can. Modem’s voice in his head somehow soothed the sheer panic streaking through him.

  I can’t just leave you here, Jayden replied.

  Tiny whispers from the orphan kids carried through the air, growing louder by the second.

  I’m not strong enough to walk.

  He turned to Hawa. “I’m getting Modem, and we’re getting out of here.”

  Hawa nodded. “We better hurry.” She approached Blade’s body and crouched beside him. After a moment of hesitation, she glided her hand over his face, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry.” A tear slid down her cheek, but this time she didn’t wipe it. “I wish things could have been different.”

  Jayden tried not to watch, but he couldn’t look away.

  Hawa sniffled and reached into Blade’s front pocket, pulling out an old flip phone. She opened it and pressed a few buttons, then held it to her ear.

  She must have been calling Peter. That was the smart thing to do right now. They would need him.

  Jayden left Hawa to the call and dashed up the stairs, trying to ignore the wide eyes and tiny faces of the children he passed in the halls. Some were crying. Others were pale and standing with their backs pressed against the wall, dirt streaked over their faces. One tiny girl was curled into a ball, rocking herself back and forth in the doorway. He paused beside her, but couldn’t find the courage to speak.

  After a few more strides, he flung open the door to the room Modem and Tic-Tac were in. Modem stood with Tic-Tac’s support. Her arm was slung around his shoulder, both of them making their way toward the hall.

  Jayden ruffled Tic-Tac’s hair and winked. “You did good, kid.” He scooped Modem in his arms and gestured toward the hall with a nod. “Let’s go.”

  “Me too?” Tic-Tac said, blinking up at him.

  “Hell yeah, you too.”

  Tic-Tac beamed. “Yes!”

  As he darted out the door, Jayden snagged him by the arm and swung him around. “Listen to me.” He crouched as low as he could with Modem in his arms. “When you go out there, don’t look over the railing. Don’t look around at all, even when you get down to the foyer, you got it? Just keep your eyes down, and go from this door, to that main exit.” He jabbed his finger in the air as he spoke.

  “O…okay.” Tic-Tac nodded.

  “Good.” He stood and waved him on. “Run.”

  Jayden cradled Modem tighter against his chest and gazed down at her pale cheeks and limp, curly hair hanging around her face. “You up for this?”

  “I kind of have to be, don’t I?” Her voice quivered, but it was stronger than before.

  “Yeah, I guess you do.” Jayden drew in a deep breath and walked forward, through the hall, down the stairs, and to Hawa’s side.

  Modem nestled her face against Jayden’s chest. Her small fingers curled around his shirt. Is it bad?

  Thick blood had pooled under Blade’s body, reaching out in tiny rivers, flowing into the seams of the beaten hardwood floor. Jayden clenched his jaw. Yeah, it’s bad.

  All he’d wanted to do was take Blade o
ut. Now that Blade was dead, he’d give anything to take it back. Blade may have been the world’s biggest douche bag, and maybe even a killer, but he’d kept all these kids alive, and Jay had stripped them of that protection—however little it may have been.

  Tic-Tac’s tiny footsteps grew louder behind him until the kid passed them to the front door. He walked straight out, onto the sidewalk without a word.

  “Where’s Peter?” Jayden asked. Modem was weak, and could use a healing session.

  Hawa shrugged. “I haven’t talked to him.” She wiped the cellphone clean with her sleeve and then tossed it beside Blade’s body.

  Sirens pierced the air.

  Jayden stared at the phone, then dragged his gaze back to Hawa. “What did you do?”

  Hawa looked up at the dozens of hotel room doors and the hallways with kids staring down at them. “It’s over. These kids need a real home.”

  Jayden’s throat tightened as his focus shifted, and he watched Tic-Tac standing outside the open door. “What about the kid?”

  Hawa stole a glance over her shoulder. “He needs a good home more than anyone.”

  “So he’s not coming,” he said, more as a statement than a question. Her silence gave him the answer he needed. The sirens grew louder. “Are we going to tell him?”

  “We don’t have any time. The police will be here soon, and if we don’t want to end up in handcuffs, we have to go.”

  She was right. He knew she was right. It was the right thing to do. Even so, it was still seriously fucked up.

  There’s no time. Modem’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

  Jayden took one last, long look at Tic-Tac through the smudgy glass doors. With a good home, he’d have a chance to grow up and be someone. He deserved that much. He turned and carried Modem to the side exit, Hawa hot on his heels.

  ***

  Jayden watched Peter open the windows in the Marriott suite he’d reserved for a few days. “I talked to Renato. He was happy to hear everyone’s okay.” A warm breeze swept through the room, whipping around the sheer curtains and playing with strands of Hawa’s dark hair.