When they go silent, I step into the doorway.
“It’s not up for debate. I’m going with you, Dad.”
They both look at me, and Dad asks, “Why?”
“He’s got a girl in there,” Mom murmurs, and I don’t deny it.
She’d be even more upset if she knew the girl was pregnant with her grandchild.
Dad rises to his feet and points his finger at me.
“You do as I say, when I say. And if you put one foot out of line over pussy, son or not, I’ll make you regret it. You hear me?”
“Loud and fucking clear.”
Leo’s an asshole. He couldn’t just wait a few hours. Of course I’m worried about him being close to Ellis after shooting his brother dead, but he didn’t go because it was the right thing for him to do. He went because of India. I have Victoria in there, pregnant with my kid, but you don’t see me rushing in like a fool. Dad’s been the president all these years for a reason.
I drive the van, following behind my dad and Sparky, with JJ and Ricky taking up the rear. The closer we get to the club, the more impending doom fills me. Who knows what we’re walking into? All I can picture is Victoria dead on the floor.
Ellis hasn’t called in hours. For all we know, they could all be dead, and Leo and Harper are long gone.
Dad slows, and I push my foot down on the brake. From what I can see, the gates are open. Rolling down my window, I listen for something, anything, but it’s eerily quiet. Too quiet.
Holding up his hand, Dad signals for us to follow him in. He said I had to wait on the out while they entered first, but now that we’re here, he won’t notice what I get up to.
I climb out of the van while they dismount their bikes. Slade is first on his feet and running into the bar. His roar of pain rocks through me, and I follow Dad into the bar where Slade’s cries fill the air.
JJ’s running toward my brother as I step inside, and he grips Leo’s cut, bellowing, “Where is she?”
Destruction is everywhere I look, and when my eyes land on Victoria, I find she’s in one piece, sitting next to her mom.
Moving around a broken chair, I stare at my brother. Leo doesn’t say a word. I don’t think he can. While JJ impatiently waits for his answer, I take in the state of my brother, covered in blood.
“I know you, and I know her. I know neither of you would’ve needed much persuading to go behind my fucking back. Next time India wants to put herself in danger, I’ll take her with me to meet the fucking devil.”
“She’s already been there,” Leo struggles to say.
I look down at Slade and Kristen hunched over on the floor, sobbing, and my chest tightens when I see them holding India.
A dead India.
India with a fucking hole in her head.
It’s India’s blood Leo’s covered in.
Fuck.
It registers with JJ that she’s dead, and he lets go of my brother, stumbling away from the scene.
“Where the fuck is Harper?”
“She’s gone,” Zach calls out, coming down the stairs.
Shit. He looks like he’s taken several beatings. His left cheek has been slashed open, his right eye is half swollen shut, and blood is crusted down his chin.
“Then we need to fucking find her, now!”
I tune JJ out and look at my dad, who’s staring down at India in her parents’ arms. I then look to my brother, who can’t seem to take his eyes off his dead fiancée’s lifeless body.
Mason’s talking somewhere, but I don’t bother listening. The women start to pour into the bar, and their cries grate on me. Slade, noticing the crowd forming around them, stands with India in his arms, Kristen staying as close as she can. Her eyes lock with Leo’s, and she spits out, “This is your fault. You did this!”
She flies toward my brother and slaps him across the face, but I doubt he’s feeling a damn thing.
She continues to slap him until Zachery pulls her away.
“I will never forgive you for this. She should be away at college, and now…”
Moving quickly, I stand in front of Leo, attempting to block him from the grief Kristen is throwing at him, but he’s not seeing me. His eyes are empty. There’s nothing going on in there.
Wrapping my hand around his arm, I get in his face. “You need to get out of here.”
He’s not helping the McCarthy’s, and they’re not helping him. First of all, he needs to clean India’s blood off of him. “Brother, please.”
“I wish he had shot you. It was you he was here for, not my sweet daughter,” Kristen sobs.
Leo grips my hoodie in his fists, but I don’t think he knows it’s me he’s latching on to.
“I wish that too!” he roars. There’s not one corner of the club his pain doesn’t reach.
Leo slumps against me and chokes out, “I wish that too.”
Kirsten may be India’s mom, but Leo loved her more than anything in this world, and I won’t have her trampling on his pain as if he doesn’t deserve to grieve.
“Okay, enough!” I yell, and she shuts the hell up.
I walk Leo up to his room and I close the door behind us. He goes to leave and bumps straight into me.
“I need to find Ellis.”
“No, you need to change and go be with India.”
I expect him to fight me, but he shuts down. “Leo, you need to shower. You’re covered in her blood.”
“I don’t think I can move,” he admits quietly.
I don’t claim to understand his pain, or even try to imagine how he’s feeling right now, but I understand he needs me.
I leave him standing in the middle of the room and turn on the shower in his bathroom. When I’m satisfied with the temperature, I make my way back to him.
If there’s one thing I thought I’d never have to do, it would be to undress my brother.
I slip his cut over his shoulders and toss it onto the bed. Pulling his hoodie up and over his head, I toss it aside, unbuckle his jeans, and pull them down his legs.
“You’re gonna have to help me out here, brother. The shower’s ready for you. Get in, and I’ll get you some fresh clothes.”
He steps out of his jeans and silently walks into the bathroom.
Picking up his bloodied clothes, I’m looking around for a bag to put them in when Dad walks in, closes the door, and takes a seat at the edge of the bed.
Leo’s cries ripple through us both. Needing to get away, I dump his clothes into a bag I find and head out into the hall, where I slide down the wall and land on my ass, gripping my ankles so hard, they’ll be sure to leave bruises.
I may not understand his pain, but I know I don’t like hearing him break into a million pieces. This shit is cutting deep.
“Luca?”
Hearing my mom’s voice, I raise my head to see her coming down the hallway.
Jumping to my feet, I rush over and wrap my arms around her. She stiffens in surprise, but she gets over it quickly and hugs me back.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Leaning away, I look at her incredulously. “You haven’t heard?”
How is that possible?
I open Leo’s door. She first sees Dad sitting on the bed, and then she hears Leo’s cries.
She darts past me and rushes for the bathroom until Dad grabs her arm to stop her.
“Talk to me, Cas,” she urges.
“Ellis. He killed India.”
When another howl of pain pierces the air, Mom slams open the bathroom door and gasps, no doubt seeing Leo curled up in the shower.
Bloody carnage is still coming for the club, and I vow to stand at my brother’s side until he finds his vengeance. Whatever he needs, I’m here for him. I’ve got his back.
Chapter Eighteen
Victoria
The water in the bathtub rises around me as the water from the shower pours over my head. Mom grabs the bottle of shampoo and squeezes a healthy dollop into my hair. The smell of whiskey is stron
g. It’s like it’s seeped through the pores of my skin and into my bloodstream.
Hugging my knees to my chest, I can’t shake the fear of death. While I’m still lucky to be here, India’s not.
I truly believed he was going to kill me, but he didn’t.
I also believed he wouldn’t kill India, especially after Leo showed up, but he did.
When her body hit the floor, an explosion erupted inside of me.
Her blood was everywhere.
“You’re safe now.”
I hear my mom, but are we, really? We’ve always believed the club was the safest place to be, but last night, a night filled with terror, has blown that belief out of the water. I doubt we’ll ever feel safe here again.
Mom’s fingers massage my scalp, and I feel like a small child again. Her hands tremble, and every now and then, her sniffle reminds me of the pain every single person in this club is feeling.
“We’ll get you clean, and then we’ll…”
She doesn’t know what we’ll do, because no one knows what’s going to happen next. India saved my life last night and lost hers. I can’t ever repay her for distracting him when he held that flame close to my liquor-coated skin. The sound of the lighter wheel being flicked rolls through my head like a freight train, getting louder every time I remember it.
Death is literally clinging to me, and I can’t deal with it. What kind of world is this to raise a child in? My mom had to watch as her daughter came so close to death. I couldn’t do that with a child of mine.
“Mom, I need your help, and after everything that’s happened, I don’t want you to hate me, or be angry with me.”
“I could never hate you, sweet girl. What is it?”
“You have to promise me it’ll stay a secret between us. You can’t tell Dad or Gramps, and never the twins.”
Her brows pinch together, but as usual, my laid-back mother is more intent to help me than fly off the handle, thinking the worst.
“You’re scaring me, Victoria.”
“I’m pregnant.”
I’m pretty sure it’s relief that washes over her as she scoops away the wet hair plastered to the side of my face.
“Oh, darling,” she purrs.
I start to cry. “I don’t want it.”
“Is it Luca’s? We’ve all seen the two of you spending time together lately.”
“No, he’s just my friend.” I hate lying to her, but the Jacksons have enough to deal with.
“The who’s the father? You’re not yet eighteen, so there’re questions he’ll have to answer.”
Another tear falls, and I cling tighter to my legs.
“I’m sorry, Momma, but I can’t tell you. Will you still help me?”
Her face falls, but she leans over the edge of the tub and holds me. “Of course I will. You don’t even need to ask.”
Brushing the back of her hand down the side of my face, I lean into her touch, soaking in the feeling of safety and protection.
“I’ll wash your hair one last time, and then we’ll get you into something warm and dry. Then, I’ll make us both a hot tea.”
“Sounds like a plan,” I murmur.
“And tomorrow, I’ll take you into town and we’ll see the doctor.”
India’s dead. There isn’t a doctor alive who could help her now. BANG! I don’t know what’s louder, the sound of the shot or her body hitting the floor.
For a few seconds, I’ll forget what happened, only to have it return with a vengeance. It’s never going to go away, and it scares the hell out of me. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering Slade and Kristen are feeling, but I saw her die. I saw her trembling as the gun was forced against her head. And the way she looked at Leo, never taking her eyes away from him, as if she knew they were their last moments together. Leo’s cries as the shot echoed around the bar will haunt me forever. Love is truly painful.
“Victoria? Are you hurt?”
Shaking the image of loss from my mind, I focus on my mom when I see her looking down at the bathtub in horror. Following her gaze, I observe red swirling around the water, spreading and growing darker from between my legs.
Jumping up, I slip on the bottom of the tub, barely catching myself before toppling over.
“Oh, honey, it’s okay.”
All I can do is stand there while Mom pulls the plug and showers me down.
“Sweetheart, you’re miscarrying. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to be okay, I swear it,” she frets.
I believe everything she says. She’s my mom. She always makes everything better.
“Are you in pain? Cramps?”
Now that she mentions it, I do feel crampy and achy. Holding my stomach, I hear Grandpa’s voice telling me, “Karma is as real as me and him, and it always come for you.” Is this my karma?
I’ve never noticed the shadows in the darkness before. Grandpa always said the monsters were as real as me or him. That anything creeping in the dark is nothing but a coward hiding under the blanket of night.
Tonight, the shadows scare me. Ellis was a coward. He’d be the type to creep in the dark to get you, and every time I close my eyes, it’s him I see.
It’s him who pours whiskey over me, threatening to burn me alive. If it weren’t for India, he would’ve done it. I owe her my life. I’m only here because of her. He asked me if I knew what burning flesh smelt like, and I told him no, because I didn’t. But like my mind playing tricks on me, the smell of burning flesh fills my nose, and it won’t go away.
I stare at the moon through the window and focus on the night sky. I wish I could be up there where no one could hurt me, the silence offering a level of peace not known her on Earth.
The door clicks open, and before it brushes over the soft carpet, I jump up, my heart racing and my mouth drying.
Luca steps in and quietly closes the door behind him. A rush of breath escapes me, and I lie back down, trying to calm myself.
“I didn’t mean to scare you,” he whispers, crossing the room. Kicking out of his boots, he pulls the sheets back far enough for him to climb in beside me. Pulling me into his arms, I let him, and sneak my hand under his hoodie, resting my palm on his warm, hard stomach. I need to feel something real.
“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. I was with Leo, and then I was sent out to look for Ellis and Harper.”
“I understand. How is Leo?”
“He’s not good, babe. But I’m here for you. I heard…”
He tenses under my touch. I can’t let him finish what he was going to say.
“Talk to me. It might help.”
Staring at the moon with Luca warming me through, I find my voice.
“At first, I was just sitting with Mom and the other old ladies. He was more interested in India. And even though I was scared, I was still okay. But then he grabbed a bottle of whiskey from behind the bar and started walking around. Everyone was watching him, and when he stopped behind me, I didn’t dare look around to see what he was doing. He poured the whiskey over my head. He mocked me, Luca. He kept flicking the lighter and holding the flame near my face. I was so scared he was going to kill me. I thought I was going to die.”
“You didn’t. You’re here, and you’re safe now.”
Safe. I’m learning fast to hate that word. Nothing is safe.
“If you’re here, does that mean you found him?”
Hope blooms, and then quickly dies away when he says, “No, but we will soon.”
He strokes my hair, lulling my mind into a peaceful place, making my eyes grow heavy. Whatever is going on out there, in this room, I’m with Luca, and I’m able to fall asleep.
“We still need to talk about the baby,” he whispers.
I can’t talk about the baby right now.
“I haven’t changed my mind. Nothing has changed with you—”
“You don’t speak for me, Tor,” he growls.
Leaning up on my forearm, I stare at him, biting down the truth. I finally see this isn’
t going anywhere between us. It’s better for him to hate me. If he truly comes to despise me, it’ll make it easier for me to stay away from him. Eventually, we’ll go back to how it was before I wanted to play this game.
“Answer me this. If Sara showed up tomorrow, would you still be creeping into my bed?”
His nonanswer is all the answer I need.
“One day, you’ll see this is for the best, when we’re living our own lives with the people we’re meant to be with. There’ll be nothing tying us together.”
I’m sure that’ll hurt when I replay it in the clear light of day. But for tonight, in the darkness, I drown in the pain Ellis has caused and allow the carnage of what’s to come in.
Chapter Nineteen
Luca
Victoria is sitting on the main house steps, and while Dad isn’t hollering for me to do anything, I head over and sit beside her.
Leo’s in a dark place, and as I take in Tor, I can see she’s not that far behind him. She’s usually so full of light and fucking happiness. The emptiness that now resides in her eyes tugs at me, and reignites my anger toward Ellis.
I want her to change her mind about the baby, but after everything she’s been through, I can’t push her too hard, no matter how much I want to.
I know if I made her mine, she’d keep it without hesitation and not care for the fallout from our families. She’d stand at my side, her hand in mine, and tell them all to back off and stay out of our business. I can’t make her mine. She isn’t mine to have, and I’m not hers to have, but I need her to see that this kid doesn’t have to suffer, that we could still give it a good life.
Lighting a cigarette, I hit it hard and exhale slowly.
“No one’s safe while he’s out there.”
Her voice is quiet, another attribute that doesn’t belong to her.
“He won’t get in here again,” I assure her.
He has Harper, and he’s destroyed Leo. He has no need to return, but it doesn’t stop her from crying again. Wrapping my arm around her, I let her sob against me, trying to shield her from everyone lingering about. I catch Dad staring at us, looking confused.
His Twisted Heart : Sons of Lost Souls MC Series Book Nine Page 11
