by Erin Trejo
“Kyza. It’s been a long time,” he says casually with a smile on his face. It’s almost like we’re having a family reunion.
“Dad.”
“How are you? You look well.”
“I’m alive,” I tell him.
He chuckles and moves closer to me to draw me into an awkward hug. I knew it was all wrong. I knew he never was the hugging type. I know I’m right when he whispers, “Not alive for long.”
He pulls back and my stomach lurches. I swallow hard and remember exactly what and who he is. I remember what he did and what he allowed to happen to me.
“Viking. You did well. Please come in,” he says looking around me.
He places his hand on my back and guides me up the rest of the driveway and around the house. The pool sparkles in the sunlight. The air is salty from the ocean nearby. I stop moving when I see her.
“Annie love, we have a guest,” he says grabbing her attention.
Annie sits up from her lounger and looks over to me. I can see her mouth fall open. She rises slowly and walks toward us on unsteady steps as she takes me in.
“Why don’t you two chat for a moment while I take care of business?”
I glance over my shoulder and see Monster give me a subtle nod. They move past me and follow my dad, but I stay glued in place and turn my head back to look at Annie again.
“You’re here?” She whispers softly. Her eyes are darting over my face. I nod.
“I’m here.”
“How? Why? Where have you been? He’s going to kill you Kyza,” She hisses almost loud enough for the guards to hear her. I shake my head and hold it high.
“Let’s go sit. You need to stay calm,” I tell her as I walk past her and sit on the lounger. She moves slowly. She’s watching me as if I might disappear before she sits down next to me.
“Can they hear us?” I whisper.
She shakes her head no.
“What’s happening? Why would you come back?” She asks with tears streaming down her cheeks.
“We’re leaving soon,” I tell her.
“What? How? He will kill you. I’ve heard him talking.”
“Annie, please just listen. I know what he wants to do to me. It’s not going to happen. I’m here for you. Just you.”
She looks shocked.
“What? Why now? You never came back for me Kyza. You left me to this.” And there it is. That’s the pain that I buried deep that she still carries.
“You were better than me. You listened and did what he asked. He didn’t let them hurt you,” I say as I look down at my hands.
“Is that what you really think? That they didn’t hurt me? Are you crazy? That’s all they ever did was hurt me. I was the pliable one. I was the one that listened, yes, but that was just what everyone saw. Behind closed doors he let them…” she trails off and my stomach sinks.
How had I never known this? I always thought she was okay because they came after me. My insides hollow out and I just feel empty. I try to suppress the rage I’m feeling, but I’m failing.
“I didn’t know,” I say as a tear slides down my cheek.
“You didn’t look. I get it Kyza. What happened to you was far worse.”
I reach for her hand and she lets me grab it. I need it. It’s a fucking lifeline that I never thought I would touch, but here it is.
“We’re getting out of here. Those guys are helping us out.”
“What? They make deals with him all of the time,” she says as she inches closer to me.
“I know. They don’t anymore. He set them up. Trust me. We’re getting out of here. Understand?”
It’s strange to be here, being the older sister and trying to comfort my younger one. We haven’t been in this position before.
“Are you sure?” She whispers as I nod my head.
“Yes. We just need to take care of one thing,” I tell her as Monster motions for me.
I hold her hand tightly as I stand and bring her up with me. We walk in silence. As soon as I step into the room my heart leaps into my throat. My dad is on his knees with a gun to his head.
“You little bitch. Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” He hisses at me.
I release Annie’s hand and move toward Viking. He pulls a second gun from his jeans and passes it to me.
“I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m doing what I was taught to do. You let them hurt me so many times. You didn’t even care. You didn’t think about how anything would affect me, even when I killed Ryan. All you ever cared about was yourself,” I spit at him.
He watches me. There’s no doubt he’s wondering what the hell is wrong with me. I used to wonder what was wrong with me too. Not anymore I don’t. Because I know exactly who I am.
“You think my men will let you get away?” He laughs when Mason comes into view.
“We’re all set,” Mason says with a smirk.
“Grinder will you take my sister to go grab her things please?” I ask.
Grinder smirks. I can see it out of the corner of my eye.
“No,” Annie protests.
“He won’t hurt you,” I tell her, but I can’t look at her as I need to focus on him.
“Come on darlin’. She’s right that I won’t ever touch you. I’m just here for your protection, yeah?” Grinder tells her. She moves up next to me and cocks her head to the side before she asks, “How do you live with it?”
“You liked it. You never had to work for anything. You laid out by the pool your entire fucking life,” he roars.
Annie moves closer and I glance up to Monster. He nods once more and I know that his hands must be tied behind him.
I watch as Annie leans down closer to him and says, “You are one sick bastard. I hope that during your time in hell that you are tortured just like we were in life.”
With that she turns and walks away.
“As much fun as I think it would be to torture you, I’m not going to do that. Without you I wouldn’t be alive today,” I tell him.
Viking takes a step back as they all watch me.
“You were nothing. You turned on me. You were helping Ryan get intel on me. Those men are fools if they think you wouldn’t do the same to them.”
I shake my head and smirk at him.
“You’re wrong. I never once helped Ryan. I didn’t know about him until you knew. Once I heard what he had planned for us, I fixed the problem. I took out the problem for you. You never saw me as your child. I was just a tool. I was a toy you could pass around, but that’s not the case anymore. Is it daddy?” I spit the word out like the venom it is. I catch sight of Grinder and Annie as they come back down the stairs.
“Get her out of here,” Monster tells him.
Grinder nods, but Annie doesn’t move.
“You’re not like me Annie. Go with them.”
“Come with me Kyza. Don’t let him win,” she cries begging me.
I hold the gun aimed at my dad’s head as emotions run wild inside of me. When Monster steps closer to me the shaking in my hands stops. His warmth soothes me. Simply his presence makes everything okay.
“Go outside Annie. I’ll be right behind you,” I tell her.
“You don’t have the guts Kyza,” my dad says.
I actually do laugh this time. He doesn’t know me. He doesn’t know the real me.
Once I know that Annie is outside I look to Viking and Mason. They both give me a nod of approval, but when Monster leans down and presses a kiss just behind my ear I stiffen. My dad laughs.
“You’re with him?” he hisses as I laugh again.
“He’s the one that showed me the truth. He’s the one that helped me realize that it’s okay to be who I am. You never wanted that did you? After all of these years I’d been hiding in the dark. Now is my time to shine,” I hiss.
My dad opens his mouth, but I pull the trigger before he can get a word out. His body thuds to the floor as I take a deep breath. Monster takes the gun from my hand and passes it back to
Viking.
“We need to go now baby. We don’t have much time before his men come back in to check on shit,” Monster says.
I nod, but I don’t move. I can hear them. The guys are coming our way, but I’m trapped in a daze.
After all of this time.
After all of these years.
I’m finally free of it all.
Chapter 25
Monster
The first bullet grazed my arm with my first step. She was either in shock or just stunned. It didn’t matter either way. I just had to get her out of there.
She was lifeless when I picked her up and carried her out of the house. When it blew she didn’t even blink. I was scared shitless of what was running through that pretty head of hers. I had watched her stand in front of her own dad and take his life. I watched as the darkness enveloped her and pulled her into a place of comfort.
Now I sit here as Paul checks my arm. I’m wondering if she will ever find her way back to me out of that darkness.
“She’s fine. She’s just in shock,” Paul tells me again.
“She’s killed before doc. What the fuck?” I growl. Paul just waves his hand through the air as he finished stitching me up.
“It’s different this time. She killed her dad Monster. I’m sure you can understand that.”
I sigh and run my free hand over my face. Maybe he’s right, but I hate seeing her like this.
“Are you sure you can’t give her somethin’?” I ask him again when he puts the bandage around my arm.
“I already gave her something to relax her. She needs to rest now. She’ll be fine.”
“I’m not leavin’ her,” I warn him.
Paul just laughs and slaps my arm.
“I didn’t figure you would. You’re more than welcome to stay. She’s in her old room.” I nod and watch as he leaves. I slide off the bed and head into the hallway. I see Viking there.
“You good brother?” Viking asks.
“Yeah. I’m all stitched up. I’m stayin’ here tonight.”
“I figured you would. Annie refuses to leave too. She’s in there with Kyza now. We’re headin’ out,” he says.
“Thanks brother. For everything.”
“It’s what we do yeah? Get her feelin’ better and bring her home Monster. You got a good girl in there,” he tells me with a smile.
I nod my head as I already know that. She’s my rock. She’s my safe place. I head down the hall and into the room. I see Kyza sleeping peacefully. Annie is wrapped around her. Annie lifts her head when she sees me.
“She loves you,” she says softly.
“I love her too.”
“She’s been whispering it over and over,” she says with a smile.
I nod my head and climb onto the bed on the other side. Annie looks a little afraid, but I make sure not to touch her in any way. I cuddle up next to Kyza and inhale her scent.
“She loves you too, you know?” I tell Annie.
“I’ve missed her, but I also hated her. I hated that she left me.” I can hear the sob and I know she’s crying. There’s nothing I can do for her though.
“She did what she had to do to live,” I remind her.
“I know that. I didn’t get it back then though. It was hard not having her,” she cries softly.
Kyza stirs and her big, blue eyes open.
“Monster?”
“Yeah baby, I’m here,” I tell her before I press a kiss to the side of her head. She turns to look at me blinking to try to clear the fog away.
“You’re here?” she says softly. I nod my head and kiss her lips gently.
“I’m not goin’ anywhere. I told you that.”
“I love you.”
“I love you too babe.”
Annie’s sobs catch her attention. Kyza turns her head and reaches for her sister.
“I’m so sorry,” she repeats over and over as she runs her hand down her back.
Annie cries into her chest and I can’t stop watching. This is what fucking family is. This is what I have with the guys. She’s missed out on years with her sister for something her dad did. It pisses me off and makes me want to kill his ass all over again.
“I love you Kyza. I always have. I’m sorry that I was the way I was. I wasn’t as strong as you are. I’m sorry,” Annie cries even harder.
Kyza keeps her close when she too starts to cry. I slip my arm under her head and pull her closer to me. I pull them both closer to me.
“Monster?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t get any crazy ideas about a threesome with my sister,” Kyza says.
I burst into laughter and Annie does the same. Annie pulls back to sit up so Kyza and I follow suit. She looks like heaven on earth and I don’t think I could ever love her any more than I do right now.
“Yeah. That’s so not happening,” Annie adds.
“I wouldn’t even think it,” I try to defend myself again when Kyza shoots me a look.
I laugh again.
“What?”
“You are so full of shit. You were probably thinking it before I even said it,” Kyza teases me.
She looks at the bandage on my arm and back up to mine before her eyes widen.
“It’s nothin’. Paul fixed me up.”
“How come you’re always here to get patched up?” she teases again.
Fuck I love this girl. I love her more and more every time she opens her mouth. I lean in and press kiss to her lips before I smirk at her.
“You didn’t complain about me bein’ here when I bent you over the bed,” I tell her not losing my smirk.
The girls both laugh and Kyza falls into my arms. She reaches for Annie and pulls her in too.
“Monster?” Kyza asks softly.
“Yeah?”
“Are we okay?”
I hold her as close as I possibly can and press a kiss to the side of her head.
“We’re okay. We’re all okay.”
Family isn’t always blood. Hell, sometimes it’s the furthest thing from it, but for Kyza she has some of her blood back. No matter how much she had to go through to get it she came out on the other side a fighter and stronger than ever. She fought for her life and she won. She’s a goddamn warrior in my book.
I hold onto both of them and I know that our world is complete. I’m never letting Kyza go and I know she’s never letting Annie go.
“I mean it Monster. I can feel your cock getting hard. No threesomes damn it,” Kyza snaps.
Annie laughs and I chuckle.
That’s my girl.
The END!
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