CHAPTER 2
Saint
LO CLINGS TO me as Caz opens the door to Galen’s private room. Theo has gone back to the house to grab clean clothes for all of us. We’ll freshen up here as there isn’t enough time to go home before the funeral service begins.
“Hey.” Lo’s voice is soft as Galen’s eyes flicker open and his head turns toward her. Alisha—Galen’s mom—is conked out on a chair, softly snoring.
“Angel.” Galen’s voice is gruff and sleep heavy. He’s been sleeping most of the past three days as well; although, he’s been awake for longer periods in between, refusing extra pain meds because he’s desperate to get back on his feet.
I have never been as scared as I was back at the school. We thought we’d lost them.
The scene was a fucking mess. Debris strewn everywhere. Billows of acrid smoke stinging our eyes. Our ears ringing from the noise of the detonation. The bomb drew everyone from school outside, and it was pandemonium. When we finally got to Lo and Galen, they were unconscious on the ground, covered in shit from the explosion.
Because they were closer to the car than us, they suffered the brunt of the damage. Galen was lying on top of Lo, his body shielding hers from the debris, but I worried he’d broken her pelvis or forced all the air from her lungs. Waiting for the EMTs to show up was excruciatingly painful, because we were afraid to move either of them, and we honestly didn’t know if they were going to make it.
“You’re my hero,” Lo tells my cousin, bending over him to plant a light kiss on his lips. “You saved me. Saved us.”
“I’ve been so worried about you,” Galen admits, inching to the side of the bed and opening the covers. He pats the space beside him. “Come here.”
Caz helps Lo up beside Galen, and my chest tightens as her gown opens at the rear, exposing the multicolored bruising covering her back, distracting from the gorgeous ink on her skin. Caz and I exchange a look before flopping into the empty seats by Galen’s bed.
I know the guys feel the same way I do. I want to gut Taylor Tamlin from head to toe, slice layers off her skin, gouge her eyes from their sockets, and rip her insides to shreds, until she’s nothing more than a nonexistent bloody mess on the floor.
How fucking dare she come after us.
How dare she attempt to take the only girl who has ever mattered from us.
Lo cautiously snuggles into Galen’s side, her fingers lifting to the sling on his arm and then on to the myriad of cuts and bruises marring his pretty-boy face. “You got hurt protecting me.” She looks directly into his eyes. “I won’t ever forget that.”
“You’re evenity now,” Caz says, his lips twitching.
“Evenity isn’t a word,” I deadpan, humoring him because we could fucking use it.
“It is according to the urban dictionary.” He lowers his tone so it’s almost reverential.
Dude’s got issues.
“I like that one,” Lo proclaims, grinning at him as she lifts her arm for a knuckle touch. “And for the record, we were already evenity.” She returns her gaze to Galen, and they share a moment. “Galen doesn’t have anything to prove to me.”
Galen lightly clasps her face, kissing her. They engage in a whispered conversation, in between kissing, and I stand, walking to the window, affording them some privacy. I shove my hands in my pockets as I glance out the window. Caz comes up alongside me, his eyes studying me. “What?” I ask.
“I thought you were past the jealousy.”
“I am,” I admit, and it’s not really a lie. I have learned to share her, and it pleases me they were able to move beyond Galen’s sick betrayal, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t dying to kiss her and hold her and tell her how I feel.
The first twenty-four hours after the explosion were a nightmare. Lo was heavily sedated, and the longer she slept, the more I worried she wouldn’t ever wake up. That she wouldn’t know how deep my feelings run. I made a promise to myself I’d tell her the first opportunity I get.
I want nothing left unsaid between us. Nothing.
“I’m giving them some alone time,” I add when Caz doesn’t look convinced. “And I’m looking forward to some alone time of my own.”
Caz smirks, and I elbow him. “Not like that, asshole. She’s injured.”
“Bet she’s still as horny as ever.” He waggles his brows. “And we’ve got to look after all our girl’s needs.”
Now it’s my turn to smirk. “Well, when you put it like that. Can’t let our girl down.” My cock twitches at the thought of Lo’s gorgeous, sexy body, and I adjust myself in my jeans as blood rushes south and my dick hardens. Caz chuckles as the door opens, and Theo slips into the room.
Alisha wakes, kissing her son goodbye and tossing us a wave before she leaves. She has been here every day, and she appears to be making an effort to stay sober for her son although we all know it won’t last long. At least, she’s trying.
Giana has been here every day too, but she doesn’t linger, and I’m grateful because with Giana comes Sinner, and none of us want my prick of a father around our girl. He turned up the first day, but it was just for show. He’s probably wishing Taylor Tamlin had succeeded in eliminating Lo as a threat and solving one problem for him. But hell will freeze over before I let that asshole harm one more hair on my girlfriend’s head.
If there is anything good to come from this, it’s that Sinner’s twisted plans to enjoy Lo with his creepy buddies is on ice. I intend to exaggerate her injuries for as long as we can get away with it, hoping it’ll buy us enough time to come up with a way of extracting her from that aspect of her initiation.
I stay behind to help Galen shower while Theo and Caz go back to Lo’s room to help her do the same.
After we’ve cleaned up and changed our clothes, I force my cousin to eat some of the shit they pass off as food in this joint while I sweet-talk one of the nurses into getting a script for Galen and Lo. Doc told Galen he wanted him to stay here until tomorrow, but fuck that shit. We’re bailing now. Between us, we can take care of them, and none of us wants to spend another goddamned minute in this hellhole.
Galen is finishing the slop on his plate when I walk back into his room. “Got a script,” I say, holding up the two pieces of paper in my hand.
“Good.” Galen pushes the plate away with a grimace. “I want to talk to you about something.” He adjusts the sling around his neck supporting his sore, previously dislocated, shoulder, as I plonk down on the bed beside him.
“What’s up?”
“I think I have a solution which keeps Lo out of Sinner’s grabby hands.”
I straighten up, leveling him with a solemn stare. “Let’s hear it.”
_______________
I’m still mulling over Galen’s suggestion as I drive us to the Catholic church on the outskirts of Lowell, where the service for Sariah is taking place. Everyone is quiet in the car, and the mood is somber. Lo is seated between Theo and Caz in the back seat, the latter fussing over her the entire journey. It’s funny to see this side of Caz, because all he’s known for is his role as the muscle behind our plans. Lo has brought out a softer side to him, to all of us, and it’s changing us in ways we never expected.
“We’re going to be late if you don’t step on it,” Galen grumbles, glancing at the time on his cell.
“I’m taking it easy on purpose, dickwad.” I gesture toward the dazed, injured girl in the back. Lo has been lost in thought the entire trip from the hospital. She hasn’t cried since she broke down when I first told her the news, but she’s teetering on the edge. There’s a haunted look on her face and a tortured glimmer in her eyes that highlights her pain, even if she’s doing her best to numb herself to the emotions.
We all see it.
This has devastated her.
“Put the pedal to the metal,” Lo says in a monotonous tone, empty of feeling. She stares absently out the window, as her chest heaves and air expels from her mouth in a loud rush. “I don’t want to be late.”<
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We rock up to the red-and-gray-brick church ten minutes later. Mourners stream through the doors as I park the car at the side of the road. Galen hisses through his teeth when he slides out of the passenger side, clutching his sore ribs. Theo lifts Lo down from the back seat, and she doesn’t mouth a word of protest, standing stiffly, staring off into space. Theo and I trade another concerned look, and it seems to be all we’re doing these days.
“Galen,” Lo calls after my cousin. “I need you.”
We step back as she grabs hold of Galen’s hand, and they walk ahead of us, toward the church. It’s hard to step aside and let someone else comfort her when all I want is to bundle her into my arms and keep her safe, but I’ve got to let her call the shots. Her head is a mess right now, and we’re all treading on eggshells, wanting to help her but not fully understanding how to do that.
“It’s good they’re getting closer,” Theo murmurs, as if he’s read my thoughts. “Out of all of us, Galen needs her the most.”
I’m not sure I agree, but I’m not up to arguing as I prepare to step foot in a church for the first time in my life. I’m a little on edge, which surprises me because there are few situations I can’t handle. I’m not convinced my black soul won’t be struck down the instant I walk inside, and a healthy dose of fear mixes with curiosity and skepticism as I prepare to enter the building.
But damnation doesn’t rain down on me as I follow Galen and Lo up the center aisle. We attract our fair share of inquisitive glances, but I ignore them, keeping my gaze trained on the girl who has flipped my world upside down.
Galen and Lo take a seat in the first pew, beside Sariah’s grandma Lorna, and Sariah’s boyfriend, Sean. Emmett, Sean’s friend, and the guy who wants into our girl’s panties, is also there. I try to restrain my uncharitable feelings toward the dick, but it’s challenging because the dude annoys the fuck out of me.
The three of us slip into the pew behind them as organ music starts and the congregation stands. I pay attention to the ceremony at first, because I have a natural curiosity, but the priest loses me during the homily when he starts talking about God’s will and death being a test of faith for those left behind.
How the fuck could this be God’s will?
Sariah’s grandma has lost everyone she loves, and I’m baffled that she still supports a God that has taken so much from her. Maybe I’d feel differently if I was religious, but I struggle to wrap my head around it because it’s nonsensical to me.
Galen comforts Lo with his free arm wrapped around her shoulders as he holds her tight to his body. The sounds of open grieving surround us, but our girl doesn’t cry, and that worries me.
Lo was here six months ago, burying her dad, and I know she’s still mourning the man she idolized. Now, she’s lost her best friend, and with so much shit on her plate, I see what she’s doing. Burying her emotions so she’s numb to all feeling.
Internalizing her pain isn’t a good thing. I should know, because I’ve been denying my emotions for years, and it twists a person up like you wouldn’t believe.
When the service concludes, we follow the chief mourners outside to the small graveyard attached to the church.
Ashley Shaw approaches us as we walk to the graveside. She’s holding hands with her boyfriend Chad, and his best friend Jase—aka Ashley’s other, secret, fuckboy—is in tow, hands shoved deep in his pockets. Ashley takes Lo to one side, whispering in her ear as she swipes tears from her eyes.
Chad and Jase nod at us. They got their first shipment a few days ago, and our business arrangement is running smoothly. We have Lowell Academy in the bag. That should please my prick of an old man.
“This sucks, man,” Chad says.
“I didn’t know Sariah well, but she was cool,” Jase adds.
“She didn’t deserve this,” Caz says, his fingers twitching with the craving for a cigarette. Caz and Galen have been trying to kick the habit, because Lo never stops busting their balls.
The girls finish their conversation, and we walk to join the masses surrounding Sariah’s resting place. Lorna is sobbing her heart out, enveloped in Sean’s arms, as she mourns the loss of her beloved granddaughter. Silent tears stream down Sean’s face, and I hurt for the dude.
This shouldn’t have happened to Sariah.
She was attacked because Parker couldn’t get to Lo, and Lo was a target because of her association with us. Guilt slaps me in the face, especially for the selfish thought lingering in the back of my mind, grateful it’s not Lo in that coffin. I’m an asshole for thinking it, and the lump clogging my throat is painful. It’s no secret I don’t do well with emotions, and the virtual outpouring of grief around the graveside rattles me.
Lo hangs her head, fidgeting with her hands, her body shaking with the effort involved in holding it together. She glances around, and her bloodshot eyes meet mine. Pain radiates from her every pore like an aura, and I want to absorb it, to free her from suffering. She gravitates to me, keeping one hand firmly in Galen’s grip as she leans into my side. I kiss the top of her head as my arm snakes around her back, uncaring how this must look to a bunch of do-gooder Holy Joes. I’ve got zero fucks to give, because this is all about my girl.
After the graveyard, we head back to Sariah’s grandma’s house, joining the throng of bodies crowded into her small living room, before Sean pulls us out to the backyard, leaving the oldies inside. Theo and Caz sit on a wobbly wooden bench while Galen and I take a couple of patio chairs beside Ashley, Chad, and Jase. Lo gingerly lowers herself onto my lap, and I carefully wrap my arms around her.
She’s wearing a fitted black dress that clings to her enviable curves with black tights and her beloved black biker boots. Apart from the raised, bruised, scabbed-over grazing on her left cheek and the fact she’s a little hunched over in pain, you’d never know she was injured, or that she just narrowly escaped death.
A familiar red haze sweeps over me, and I fucking hope we find that slut Taylor sooner rather than later.
I’m itching for payback—Sainthood style.
Forcing those murderous thoughts aside, I focus on the beautiful, sad girl on my lap. “You need any pain pills, princess?” I whisper in her ear. I charmed the nurse into giving me a few to tide us over until we can fill the script at a pharmacy.
Lo shakes her head, and waves of her glossy dark hair tumble over her shoulders. “I’m okay.” Her lips pull into a smile, but it doesn’t meet her eyes.
My girl is hurting, and I hate I can’t do anything to help. I rub my thumb along her plump lower lip, choosing not to call her out on the lie. Our eyes connect, and simmering chemistry pulses in the air between us reminding me there is one thing I can do, we can do, to help, but it requires privacy and the new big bed Theo had delivered to the barn yesterday.
I brush my lips across her lips, because I can’t go another second without tasting her, but I pull back before it develops because this isn’t the time or place. Lo sighs, settling her ass back into me, and my cock instantly stirs to life. A devilish glint flashes in her eye, and I bring my mouth to her ear. “Is my dirty girl entertaining dirty thoughts?” I whisper.
She leans down, running her fingers through my shorn blond hair as her mouth hovers millimeters from mine. “Always,” she rasps. “Never doubt that.”
Her sexual confidence, and the way she makes no apologies for her appetite, is one of the things I love most about her.
She pulls back as Emmett emerges from the house with a bucket of beers. There is no love lost between me and him, but I set my personal feelings aside and nod affably as he offers me a beer.
“I can’t believe she’s gone,” Sean says, his eyes downcast as Emmett passes beers around. Galen declines, unsurprisingly, but Lo accepts one, and I subtly shake my head at Theo when I see his lips parting to say something.
Lo needs this, and we’re not her dad. If she wants a fucking beer, she can have one.
“Me either,” Lo adds. “I hope they throw Beth and t
hose other bitches in a cell and they never see the light of day again.” The girls were already arrested and charged with assault, which will now automatically get upgraded to a murder charge. They will get what’s coming to them, and I hope it’s the maximum sentence.
“You can fucking bank on it, Lo,” Sean says, his eyes full of hatred. “They will pay for what they did to my girlfriend.” He chokes on a sob at the end, and tears pool in his eyes. I bleed for the guy. If this was Harlow, I would lose my fucking mind. Scorch the Earth and burn all the motherfuckers responsible.
Tense silence filters through the air until Lo extracts her cell. “Sar wouldn’t want us moping.” She looks at Sean. “She would kick our asses if she saw us right now.” Sean nods, and there’s a hint of a smile on his mouth. Lo glances at Theo. “There’s a loudspeaker in Sar’s room. Would you grab it?”
“I’ll get it,” Sean says, standing. “And you’re right. Sar would hate this. Let’s get fucking drunk and dance and remember how fucking amazing she was, because she was a girl in a million.” He hangs his head as emotion threads through his words, and I share a look with the guys.
I know we are all thinking the same thing and feeling guilty for our selfish thoughts.
Sean comes back with the speaker, and Lo hooks up her cell, playing one of her and Sariah’s playlists, and we hang back, swapping stories about Sariah over a few beers.
Day turns to night, and Lorna joins us when the rest of the oldies have gone home. Lo sings along to Sariah’s favorite songs, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. Theo takes my place when I need to go inside for a piss, and I seize the opportunity to grab some water, handing the bottle and a few pain pills to Galen. He’s quiet, not complaining, but the sweat beads on his brow attest to his pain. His ribs were already fucked before they took another battering, so it’s obvious he’s hurting.
I’m just about to suggest we head home when my cell vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out and read the text message from one of the junior chapter members.
The Sainthood : A Dark High School Romance (The Complete Series) Page 57
