Crucify Thy Demons: Snakes Henchmen MC

by Grayson, Alivia

  “That’s what I said,” Ace tells me. “That’s why I took it to someone else for a second opinion. Same results. She didn’t send him those messages, Roman.”

  “The fuck?” What the fuck is this shit?

  “I had someone track Marley’s lost phone,” I turn my head in Tank’s direction. “It took a couple of hours, but we managed to track it.”

  “It’s still in use?”

  I had the fucking contract terminated!

  Tank nods, Jett picks up where he left off. “We tracked the phone to an address about fifteen miles away. An address belonging to Dr. Marcus Nickson.”

  My world suddenly zooms right in, and everything inside me is stone cold. Marley wasn’t lying to me; she was telling the truth the whole fucking time.

  That son of a bitch stole her phone and sent the messages to his fucking self!

  Fuck, what have I done?

  “She was tellin’ the truth.” I’m not asking a question, just stating a fact.

  I’ve fucked up royally.

  Marley is never going to forgive me for this.

  Never.

  Who the hell could blame her?

  “I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna fuckin’ kill him!”

  “Calm down!”

  It’s all right for Shepard to say calm down this isn’t his life that’s been fucked around with. It’s not his woman, his wife that’s been hurt by this. This is my woman, my life, her life, that’s been fucked around with.

  My god, what have I done to her?

  All this time, I’ve kept her daughter away from her, called her horrible names, threatened to kill her, made her feel worthless.

  Why couldn’t I have given Marley the benefit of the doubt?

  Why couldn’t I have looked inside myself and seen the lie?

  I’m a dumb fucking cunt! I did what I swore never to do because of my own stupid fears.

  “You’ll get your chance, Roman, but first things first, you need to put your family back together. You need to get on your fuckin’ hands and knees and beg that beautiful girl to forgive you for what you’ve done. And I hope for your sake that she does.”

  Prez is right; I have some fucking groveling to do.

  All I can do is nod my head while scrubbing my hands over my face.

  I ain’t no pussy ass motherfucker, and I’ll suck it up and beg her for the rest of my life if I have to.

  I have to get out of here. I have to find her.

  Once I have, then I’m gunning for that motherfucker!

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Marley

  This was a terrible idea.

  I drove back to my hometown to see Marcus. I want to make him tell me the truth about what he’s done, how he managed to fool Roman into thinking I’d sent those messages.

  I’ve been sitting in my car for about twenty minutes outside his house. He still lives here, the house that was going to be ours. Why he wouldn’t live closer to the hospital he now works at is beyond me. The commute must drive him crazy, but whatever, it’s none of my business.

  My stomach is rolling over with nerves. I should turn around and go back to Elie’s. I’ve been staying there since Roman threw me out. He’s still refusing to let me see Romany, and I can’t go on like this anymore. I miss my little girl so badly that my whole body and soul ache with the need to hold her. I’m not giving up. I will get my daughter back, and my husband if I can prove Marcus lied through his brilliant white teeth.

  My phone is buzzing in my purse. I grab it if only to pass some time. I know what I want to say to the man who has single-handedly ruined my life, but Marcus has always been able to manipulate me into believing his words. I’m not so blind to him anymore, but I need to make sure I’m strong enough to tell him what I came here to say without him talking himself out of it. I don’t want to leave here with any regrets.

  It’s Elie calling.

  “Hey, Elie.”

  “Where are you? I came out of the shower, and you were gone.”

  “I’m getting my family back. There’s something I have to do so that Roman will believe me.”

  “Do not tell me you’re with that asshole!”

  I clutch the steering wheel with my right hand, eyes still on the house. I don’t think Marcus is home. Not that I’ve checked, but his car isn’t here, so I’m assuming he isn’t. If he were, he would have seen me through the window and come to speak with me.

  “I’m not with him. I’m waiting outside his house for him to get back.”

  “Jesus, Marley.” I can imagine her rolling his hand over her face in annoyance. I love Elie, but she can be a cow sometimes. “Do you have any idea what Roman will think if he finds out about this?”

  “I’m doing this for Roman, Elie. He needs to know the truth. I can’t go one more day without seeing my daughter. This is killing me. Do you have any idea what it feels like not to be with your child every day?”

  No,” She sighs. “But my mom does, and I know she’d be doing the same thing you are right now if she was in your situation.”

  “Thank you.” I notice Marcus’ car pull up behind mine through the rearview mirror. “Elie, I have to go, he just pulled up.” I end the call before she can say anything.

  I unbuckle my belt and climb out of my car. A smirk creeps across his face as he makes his way toward me. There’s nothing to smirk about right now. Marcus fucked my life over and wasn’t even man enough to come to me and tell me why.

  Who the actual fuck fakes messages from their ex and shows them to the person they’re now with, with the intention of forcing them apart, but then doesn’t even try to win the woman back?

  “I knew you’d turn up eventually.”

  Oh, that’s why. Marcus wanted me to come to him. I have, but not for the reason he thinks.

  “I’m not here for what you think I am, Marcus.”

  “Then what are you here for?” He slides his hands into his suit pants pockets. He seems so cocky all of a sudden.

  Did I really not see how cocky he was when I was with him?

  Was I so blinded by him?

  “I want you to tell me why you did this to me, Marcus? What did I ever do to you?!” Yes, I’m angry, but I have every right to be!

  “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about, Marley. What is it you think I’ve done?”

  “You know exactly what you’ve done! Don’t play games with me, Marcus. Why did you seek Roman out and lie to him the way you did? How did you even get those messages from me, they weren’t from me!”

  Marcus grabs my arm forcefully. “Let’s talk inside.”

  I yank out of his grasp. I’m not fucking stupid, and there is no way I’m going inside that house with him. For all I know, he’d make out like we’d slept together and tell Roman that. Even though Marcus has already told Roman that we’ve slept together, me being in that house would just make Roman think the worst.

  “I am going nowhere with you. We can talk here. Now answer me!”

  Dropping his briefcase, Marcus faces me, sighing in frustration. He’s always been like this, I just never realized it before now. He would always intimidate me into doing things. How could I not have seen it? Was I so under his spell that I’d just go along with everything he wanted me to say and do?

  “I told you that I wouldn’t give you up, and I won’t. I made that biker scum see that you belong with me. I gave you some time to come around to the idea of us again. I have no doubt that piece of crap has been treating you like shit this past week. I knew if I were patient, you’d come around.”

  “Are you for real?” I feel like someone has punched me in the gut. “You lied to the man I love about us so that he’d leave me, thinking I’d run to you?” Marcus smirks again, leaning closer to me. I take a step back. I do not want anything to do with this man again! “If I didn’t want you before, Marcus, I certainly don’t want you now!”

  “Then, why are you here, huh?”

  “Because I want you to tell Roman the
truth. I want my family back, Marcus!”

  His hand sneaks out and touches my cheek. I move my head, not wanting him to touch me, but he grabs my face between his hands and forces me to look at him. Marcus snarls, and I don’t even recognize him anymore. He’s not the man I fell in love with as a teenager. He’s not the man I wanted to spend my life with or the man I wanted to start a family with.

  God, I really was a silly little girl.

  “You belong to me. Nothing you say or do from this moment on will make any difference. You ain’t leavin’ this place.”

  “Get off me!” I thump at Marcus’ chest, but he clutches me around the waist and lifts me off the floor, dragging me inside his house. He drops me, and I rush for the door, but Marcus smacks me across the face. I fall to the floor, blood dripping from the cut on my lip.

  He can’t do this to me! He can’t keep me here; I’m not a possession for him to own.

  Why did I come here?

  How stupid could I have been?

  However, I thought he’d confess to what he’d done, and Roman would forgive me and take me back. It wasn’t just about getting Romany back, although that was a massive part of it, I wanted my man back too.

  The universe seriously has it in for me. Whenever things are going good, something comes along and ruins it. My stupidity and need to be with my daughter led me here. I don’t know what Marcus plans to do with me, but he can’t keep me here indefinitely. He won’t kill me; he doesn’t have that in him. I hope.

  “You can’t keep me here, Marcus. Roman will be looking for me.”

  “Roman.” He laughs loudly, as he stands above me like Lord of the underworld. “He ain’t coming for you, Marley. He threw you out, took your kid. The man fucking hates you, and you know it.” I whimper because he’s right, Roman won’t be looking for me anytime soon. “We leave for Paris in three days.”

  “I’m not going anywhere with you!”

  Marcus grabs my upper arms and drags me to my feet. “You’re going with me all right. You won’t even be awake to know what the fuck is goin’ on.” I swallow hard, eyes wide, tears filling them. “Pity about the kid, but we’ll be makin’ our own soon enough.”

  “In your dreams!”

  “You’re gonna learn to behave, Marley. Believe me.”

  I’m screaming my lungs out as Marcus drags me through his house, but who the hell is going to hear me when there’s no one else around for miles? There are no neighbors, but for the small cottage across the way. I don’t even think anyone lives there. There are no houses near this one for at least a mile and a half.

  I kick and punch at him, of course, I do. However, it’s pointless when he’s just so damn strong. If Marcus thinks he’s going to force me into anything I don’t want, then he’s stupid. I’ve been through it more times than I care to remember. Marcus is nothing like Bulldog, I couldn’t stand up to him, but I can stand up to Marcus.

  As he pins me to his bed in this large room, I claw at his face with my long nails, and he punches me in anger. Marcus never hit me when we were together, not once. We were happy. Sure, he was dominant, put me down subtly, made me try harder to please him, but never once did he hurt me like this.

  I don’t know what happened to him in the time I was gone, but it hurts to think he’d turn into this man. The man holding me down, beating me, forcing me to do what he wants. He isn’t sexually touching me right now, but I’m scared that he might try. He notices my tattoo, and I vaguely hear him say something about removing it. That won’t happen in this lifetime.

  I need to get away from him. I’ll fight Marcus to the death if I have to, but I’m starting to feel very weak. I can feel my eyes fluttering closed from the force of his hands around my neck. He’s not going to kill me; he wants me to go to Paris with him too badly for that to happen. However, at this moment, I’m finding it hard to believe that I won’t die right here.

  “This will only hurt a little, Marley. You’re just going to sleep for a little while. Don’t worry,” I hear him say as something pricks the vein in my neck. “I’ll take care of you.”

  Everything is suddenly black, silent, calm.

  I can see Roman and Romany in my mind. They’re standing on the sandy beach. I don’t know which one, but I can see how amazingly beautiful it is. The sun is shining behind my man as he holds our little girl in his arms. She’s not a baby, though; she seems to be around two years of age. How did that happen?

  There’s a beautiful smile on Roman’s face, a giggle on my little girl’s lips. She’s the image of her daddy, and I can’t help smiling at them both. Roman is dressed in white board shorts and nothing else, my little girl is in a pretty white summer dress, no shoes on her feet.

  They call to me, and I reach out to touch them. I sigh contently and lay my head on my husband’s shoulder, my arm around our daughter, his arm around me tightly. This is where I’m meant to be. It doesn’t matter what happened in the past because this right here is my family, and they are all I will ever want. My heart is happy here.

  ‘Promise me something, Marley.’

  ‘What?’ I whisper.

  ‘Don’t give up, baby. Never give up.’

  ‘I won’t.’ I whisper against him.

  ‘Fight, baby. Fight!’ Roman yells, and I’m gasping for air. I can’t see or feel Roman anymore; everything is dark, and I’m fighting for breath.

  Oh god!

  Chapter Thirty

  Roman

  I can’t find Marley anywhere. It’s like she’s vanished into thin air. All Elie told me was that she went out for some air. I thought she might have realized my mother is caring for Romany, so I thought she might have gone there to see her. It’s not like Marley hasn’t been there once or twice to ask my mom for help – which she promised to give her behind my damn back! – however, she wasn’t there.

  Then I get a fucking call from Wrench to tell me Marley went to fuckers house to try and make him tell me the truth, but that she hasn’t been seen since. Now, Ace, Hawk, Jett, Tank, Hammer, Ghost, Wrench, Shepard, BlackJack, and I are all outside motherfuckers house. Marley’s car isn’t here, that doesn’t mean she isn’t.

  I wanted to blow the fucking front door off and make the cunt tell me where she is, but Shepard won’t let me. Idiot thinks it’s too risky. What if the prick has got Marley locked up in there? He might snap and kill her. It isn’t like he’s got anything to lose right now.

  Alternatively, Marley could’ve left hours ago. She could be out there somewhere upset by the fact she couldn’t get him to confess. Everyone knows how badly Marley is missing Romany. Maybe she’s so depressed by now that she’s snapped and taken off.

  Fucking killing me to think about it.

  However, whom the fuck have I got to blame but me? I won’t forgive myself for not believing Marley. I should never have doubted her love for me. I should have asked her about what Marcus told me. Jesus, I’m the worst kind of motherfucker for what I did. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will make it up to her. I will show Marley that she is everything to me, the only woman I have ever and will ever love.

  “How long we supposed to wait out here?”

  “Until you calm the fuck down!” Shepard snaps at me. Fucking asshole! “We do this the right way, Roman.”

  “Prez is right. We need to do this properly, Roman. I know you’re anxious to find Marley, but if we go in there all guns blazin’, he could kill her. If she’s even here.”

  There’s no talking to these fuckers right now. Jett will always side with his father, always has. However, it isn’t their girl that’s missing. They’ve all been where I am right now, all of them could have lost their woman in one way or another. I don’t ever want to feel the way they’ve felt in the past. However, I’m halfway there right now.

  “What the fuck are you filthy motherfuckin’ bikers doin’ on my property?!” I didn’t even see jerkoff come out of his house, but here he is walking toward us like the king of the fucking world.

 
“Where’s Marley, you son of a bitch?” I’m already off my biker and standing right in front of him. Weedy little cunt!

  “She’s not here. Even if she were, I wouldn’t let you anywhere near her. Don’t you think you’ve done enough damage already?”

  “Where is she, jerkoff?!” I’ve got the fucker by the shirt front. I’ll wring his fucking neck if I have to!

  “My brother asked you a question. I suggest you answer it.”

  Cunt features looks Ace up and down with a sneer on his face. “I’ve already said, she ain’t here, Ace.”

  “And I know you’re lyin’. There’s a signal comin’ from the garage.” Wrench is a smart little fuck. He’s been tracking Marley’s phone from his own.

  Dickheads eyes are now wide. He doesn’t have a clue how we know. He’s going to die today, no matter what, I’m going to kill him, Roman style.

  “You best hope she’s okay, motherfucker, or Roman here’s gonna show you just how he got his name.” I laugh deep in my throat, and fuckers eyes are stuck on Hammer. He’s scared. Any idiot can work out how I got my name. It doesn’t take a genius.

  “Hold onto this piece of shit!” I push him at Jett, who grabs him and pins him to the wall. He won’t get away from Jett, trust me.

  The rest of us make our way to the garage around the side of the house. Tank rips the door open, and there it is; Marley’s car. I rip every fucking door open looking for her, but she’s not here. I find her phone on the front seat, her purse on the floor.

  “She’s not here!” I yell in frustration.

  “There’s only one other place to look.” Hawk’s right. We need to look inside the house. “She’s here, Roman, I can feel it.”

  “Anyone else take a good look at his face?” I shake my head at Ace. Why the fuck would, I want to get close enough? Might’ve had him pinned but I didn’t look at his face, not enough to see him anyway. “Someone’s scratched him down the right side.”

  “Marley.” I’m out of that garage and running toward Jett faster than I’ve ever run in my life. “Keep him there, Jett! She’s inside.”