by K. M. Raya
I look back to my brother. There’s a twinkle in his eyes that’s all too familiar by now. Ellis worries me sometimes, when he falls into old habits. Sometimes I think all it will take to pull him back into the mindset Cole brainwashed him into is the scent of warm blood. His ‘father’ really did a number on him. Cap’s told me stories about Ellis’ time in the Faux house under the tutelage of The Fixer. I’ve heard all about the horrible things that man made my brother do, and it makes my stomach squeeze every time I think about the blood that coats his hands.
After I found out what they’d put Angel through, it was almost enough to make me turn my back on them forever. For some reason I’ve taken a liking to the woman my Brothers are all head over heels for. She’s lucky I’m gay because although I prefer dick, she’s probably the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on and I’ll even be the first to admit she made me question myself for a second there. All in all, I like the devilish little hellion. I like her spirit and her spunk. Any normal person would have shunned the guys after putting her though something like that— letting Micah torture her for information and tricking her into the clearing that night… anyone else would have walked away and never looked back, but that’s just not how our world works. We’re brutal men and women. We live by a different code than your average person.
It took a while to come to terms with the knowledge that our fathers kept this all a secret from us for so long, but after keeping tabs on the guys for the past six months—including regular conversations over the phone with Ellis, I’ve grown fond of the dumb asshole again. Back in the day, the five of us were inseparable. Though I’m a little older, they used to see me like the cool cousin that they could look up to—like a role model until they grew into themselves as men. But it all came crashing down that summer after Charlotte Faux died. I never knew who the real killer was—and in all honesty I always sort of assumed it was someone Cole made and enemy of. The way he loved that woman made it impossible to suspect him.
I spent years warring with the Brotherhood. Years of hatred, bad blood and mistrust still leaves a bitter taste on my tongue, but still, after all we’ve been through, I can say with complete honesty that I’d die for any one of them. In the end, they’re my family, and that’s that. Hence the reason I’m standing here in this nasty ass building with my shoes soaked in blood and vomit, just waiting for it to all be over.
Captain’s head of silvery hair bobs in my peripheral—his arm swinging wide as a man rushes him from the side. His fist connects and the man drops in a heap, passed out cold but likely still alive. There are women scrambling and screaming, but not a single one is coughing up blood. No, that poison was reserved for their sellers only. It’s strange, the way I can look on with detachment as at least thirty or so men lose their lives. But these weren’t really men in my opinion. These guys didn’t deserve the life they led. They’re monsters that needed to be brought to their knees, and all it took was a few drops of something nasty slipped in their scotch to do it.
Holden isn't here yet and it’s starting to worry me that he hasn’t even called to check in. He should have been on the road by now at the very least. After leaving the club with a half-conscious Sofia Valentino in tow, he was supposed to get back to the estate to find and take Angel’s mother to safety while Sal’s distracted or hopefully… dead. My hopes are dashed though when through the darkness, I watch a huddled figure on the ground bring himself to his feet. He’s uneasy and teetering to the side, using the edge of the stage to hoist himself up. Blood is smeared across his slash of a mouth and drips from his thick black beard.
The rage in his green eyes strike pure fear though my heart, regardless of the fact that he’s been weakened by poison. He steps over his fallen comrades like they’re nothing but discarded piles of trash. I watch as he pulls out his gun and fires right into the chest of one of the strippers. She falls in a messy, bloody heap as the other girls scream around her. One after the other Sal shoots them dead, killing them all in a rage. He staggers, but there’s enough life in his eyes to make me back up until I’m obscured in shadows again.
From the corner of my eye, I see a face… a familiar face, but I can’t be sure. I thought I saw a hint of sandy colored hair weaving through the mess of frantic women. I can’t be sure though; my mind is spinning a million miles an hour. Sal comes to a stop over a pile of bodies. His back is to the center stage as his eyes lock with mine. We stare at each other for a few long moments, when he brings his gun up and points it directly towards my face…
A shadow springs from the stage and a red, lace-clad body slams into Sal’s back, wrapping her legs around his torso. He staggers under her weight, though she can’t possibly weigh more than a buck twenty at the most. The poison rushing through his veins makes him weak. Angel’s hair is midnight black again, flowing wildly around her head in soft waves that contrast her pale skin—making her look like an avenging angel. Her gaze meets mine over his shoulder and she smiles savagely—molten eyes flashing with triumph.
The guys rush over, watching as she holds him there, unable to fight back. Cap, Carter and Ellis stare at the love of their lives as she takes matters into her own hands. There’s pride in their eyes as she brings her hand up and around his body. The glint of steel flashes in the spotlight as she brings the blade to her father's throat.
Salvatore goes utterly still. His head is raised, and his green eyes are dilated and filled with bloody tears. He smiles though—that oily smile that never fails to make me want to retch. “Come now, piccolina, you do not wish to hurt your Papa, do you, my love? Think of your Mama...”
She hisses, tightening her hold on his neck and the blade makes his flesh bleed. He grimaces for the first time and it’s satisfying to watch. “I have nothing more to say to you Salvatore,” she whispers. Her wicked voice doesn’t sound like her own anymore. Her eyes fall vacant and her mouth stretches into a serene smile. “It’s time to go.”
“Ang—” he starts to say, but we all watch in fascination as she slides the blade cleanly across his meaty neck—slicing him from ear to ear. He gargles with wide eyes as dark, thick blood leaks from the deep gash in his throat. For a second, I almost think I see a flash of bone it’s so deep.
There’s a wildfire in her eyes as she lets go of her father, letting his body drop to the floor dead, while she stands there heaving—covered in his blood. She looks up, dropping her knife to the ground with the loudest clatter I’ve ever heard.
“It’s done,” she whispers with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. One of the guys goes to step forward, presumably to comfort her.
Boom, boom, boom!
Everything happens so fast. Angel staggers back, clutching her stomach while blood seeps through her fingers. She looks up with confusion and hopelessness clouding her wide eyes. I hear screaming and yelling, but otherwise the room mutes around me. Ellis leaps forward, catching Angel in his arms as she collapses. I see Captain take off for the side stage, fast as lightning and already unloading his pistol. A man stands there watching Angel fall to the ground with a sickening grin on his familiar face. Micah doesn't even try to run away as Cap reaches him. He just stares at Angel—never wavering as Cap rushes him, bringing the barrel of his gun to our cousin’s forehead and pulling the trigger.
Micah's brain splatters as his head explodes. Time moves in slow motion as everything happens at once. I can see Carter pacing back and forth next to Ellis who clutches Angel’s body to his chest with tears streaming down his face. Carter screams and pulls on his long blonde hair, bending at the knees in fucking rage.
Rushing over, I drop to my knees in a pool of Angel’s warm blood. She stares up at Ellis as he strokes her face with bloody hands while his tears fall into the bullet holes in her abdomen. Crimson leaks from her open mouth and tears fall from her already dimming brown eyes. My heart is thundering as Carter’s agonizing screams fill the silence of the club. The sound of his wails will haunt my nightmares for a long time to come. We need to do so
mething, now—before it’s too late...
“No, baby no!” Ellis sobs. “P—please don’t leave me!” He stutters though his tears. It’s almost a chant. “I promise I’ll never let anyone hurt you again, just please don’t fucking leave—” His shoulders shake and heave.
Carter finally collapses next to us, crawling on his hands and knees and reaching for Angel while tears and sobs rip from his eyes and throat. His hair is covered in blood. I’ve never seen my Brothers so wrecked. Angel coughs, blood splattering onto our faces. Captain rushes back over to her other side, gripping his white hair and repeating the word no over and over again.
Suddenly the door bursts open and a man rushes into the room in a hurry. “Get the fuck out of the way!” the man screams at us and it takes a second to realize it’s the burly henchman that follows Angel around like a lapdog—I think his name is Nicolas. “I said move if you want her to fucking live!”
Our choices are limited and there’s nothing more we can do, so one by one we back away. Ellis sets her down gently, scrambling backwards with blank eyes and a heaving chest. We watch in silent horror as Nicolas lifts Angel’s still form from the bloody ground and carries her out into the night.
Epilogue
Angel
Pain. Throbbing, aching, soul searing pain floods my body when I crack my eyelids open and stare blearily at the ceiling. Tears drip from the corners of my eyes. I remember everything.
“Holy shit, she’s awake!” comes an excited voice from beside me—one I haven’t heard in a long time. I turn my head to the side despite the wave of nausea nearly overwhelms me, and I lock eyes with none other than Bethany Lucas…
“I’m dead then?” I ask, and Beth chuckles, shaking her head as her blonde curls bounce softly.
“Not quite,” she says. “You came close though…”
“Where am I?” I groan, wanting to sit up and look around, but a burning in my stomach stops that notion in its tracks.
She smiles softly. “You're home, dummy.”
Home? I don’t think I know what that word means anymore.
“Where are they?”
Beth smiles, shaking her head again and glancing to the side. I watch as she nods towards me. She turns back to face me and leans in, gently placing a kiss on my forehead. For some reason the small gesture brings a smile to my lips. “I missed your stupid ass. I’m glad you’re back, I just wish it were under better circumstances.” Her eyes bounce to someone over my head. “Keep her safe, if you can manage that simple task… I’ll give you some privacy.” She winks at me before turning on her heel and stalking away from my field of vision.
Carter comes into view, followed by Ellis, Cap and Holden. They stare down at me, but it seems like they’re further away than they should be. As my vision starts to clear even more, I take a chance and raise my head to look around. My torso burns, but it just takes a second for me to recognize my old bedroom back in Seaside and that I’m not in a small hospital bed like I’d thought.
“Try not to move too much, you’ll open your wounds back up,” Cap orders with a frown. “That asshole, Nic, went through a lot of trouble to get you to a doctor…”
I lay my head back down to the pillow. “Why are we back in Seaside? What happened?”
Ellis snorts. “Well, you went and got yourself shot.” Holden smacks him in the chest hard enough to make him cough. I want to laugh, but I know I’ll regret it if I do.
Instead, I smile blandly. “I remember that part, but I don’t get it. I thought Sal’s men were all dead by the time I went for him…”
Their faces sober as they look around at one another almost hesitantly.
“Tell me…” I urge them, not wanting any more secrets between us.
Captain clears his throat, and his yellow gold eyes fill with lingering anger and too much sorrow for someone as young as him. “It was Micah—”
I suck in a sharp breath, immediately regretting it. I wince. “You mean…”
He nods solemnly. “I’m so fucking sorry, baby. I had no idea he’d even be there. How could we have? We hadn’t heard a peep from him since that night by the bonfire when he got away. I assumed he fled the country.”
“I don't understand, what was he doing at Sal’s club?”
Captain frowns. “I’m still not sure, but I think he came when he heard we were Sal’s guests. I think maybe he was a little out of his mind…”
“It he—”
Cap grabs my hand and squeezes. “He’s dead, I promise.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I gaze around at the faces of the men I love. “Thank you for getting me out of there… I thought I was going to die.” I remember the cold feeling that seeped through my veins as I laid there on the ground, staring into Ellis’ grey eyes. I remember the hopelessness on his face—heard the agonized wails as Carter screamed somewhere in the distance…
Carter reaches out and strokes my face—the bed dipping as he sits. “But you didn’t, and that’s what matters. Our girl is too tough for something as measly as a bullet to take her out,” he teases, bringing a watery smile to my lips.
We sit in silence for a few long minutes. “So what happens now?” I ask.
Holden smiles down at me. “Whatever you want to happen, little bird. Your father is gone, and—”
“My Mama! Sofia!” I suddenly remember. Frantically I look around, but hands hold me down.
“Shh, shh, they’re okay, I promise,” Carter says softly. “Sofia’s in the next room resting, and your mother is in the kitchen making you some soup.” I stare at him dumbfounded. It all sounds so surreal.
I turn my head to Holden. “Thank you so much for getting them out of that place… you risked your life.”
He strokes my black hair away from my forehead and shakes his head. “What’s it going to take for you to realize I’d die for you?” he asks, and warmth floods my chest. “Gladly, a thousand times over.” A tear drips down my cheek. “The worlds is at your fingertips, little bird,” he tells me, and the other guys smile too. “What’s it gonna be, take over the family business?” Cap punches his arm. “Or are you gonna to do what you’ve always dreamed of and open up a badass gym?”
My heart leaps in my chest. It’s finally happening. With Salvatore finally out of the way, the world truly is mine for the first time in my life… I can truly do anything I set my mind to, and the guys can too for that matter. They can do anything, go anywhere, be whoever they want to be…
I furrow my brow, biting my lip as a thought strikes. A laugh builds in my chest and it takes everything inside of me to contain it. The guys stare at me like I’ve grown another head.
“I had a thought…” I tell them, still trying not to wheeze.
“That never means anything good,” Ellis drawls. I narrow my eyes at him, and he just smiles and shrugs.
“What was your thought, little bird?” Holden asks.
I stare at the four of them standing over me, meeting each of their adoration filled gazes. “I just remembered that none of us even graduated high school...”
Silence. They blink at me. I can’t hold it in any longer. My bellowing laugh ripples through the silence of my bedroom until I’m reduced to nothing but a guffawing mess despite the pain. I’m now surrounded by four glorious, utterly dumbfounded men scratching their heads.
Ellis suddenly barks a deep, bellowing laugh, and it wheezes out of him as he bends at the waist—shoulders shaking. “Fuck...”
The End
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