by Ella Miles
“A local bar.”
“I don’t think anyone deserves to die just because they like to drink.”
“We aren’t killing someone because they drink too much. We are killing a known rapist.”
It’s like Langston hit me with a bolt of lighting. Rage erupts in me to be near a man inside this bar who raped other women. That is not something that should ever happen.
“How do you know?”
“He paid the judge to throw out the case. I’ve seen the evidence; it was all over the local papers here. He’s guilty. He owns this bar, and not a single woman will enter for fear of what he will do to them.”
I let my anger flow through me.
“Name.”
“Fred Parry.”
“Do you have a picture?”
“No, you aren’t going inside the bar. You’ll wait here, and I’ll drag him out—“
“No, I’m going. We are trying to trigger my memories. I need to be as involved as possible.”
“It’s not—“
“Safe? This man is a rapist, not an assassin. I have a gun and a knife. I have a badass bodyguard. I’ll be fine.” My eyes shoot into Langston, not giving him a choice in the matter.
He nods.
We jump out of the car and start walking toward the bar side by side. I’m focused on my mission. There is nothing that gets my adrenaline going more than killing an evil, vile monster. I’m going to enjoy this a little too much.
We walk into the bar, and as Langston said, there are no women. The scene is the exact opposite of when I found Zeke and Langston in their bar all those years ago.
“I never asked, why was there only women in the bar when I met you?”
“We were stupid playboys who didn’t realize that women like you and Kai existed. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have been wasting time just getting laid every night.”
“Good answer.” I look around as all the men’s eyes stare at me with a silent hunger.
“I’m looking for a Mr. Fred Parry,” I say loudly. I suspect that if I killed several men in this bar, it would all be deserved.
None of the men answer me.
I look to Langston, who they will answer to.
“Where is Fred Parry?” Langston says, his voice booming with an aura of authority.
A man points in the direction of the back.
“Carry on,” I say as we walk through the bar like we own the place. Langston stops at the back door and steps through first with his gun raised.
I follow after. I would prefer to walk in first, but it’s safer to enter second.
We walk through a short hallway to an open door that leads to a cramped office. Two men are smoking a cigar around a desk.
“Fred Parry?” Langston asks the man sitting behind the desk.
“Yes, who the bloody hell are you? You aren’t supposed to be back here. Get out!”
Langston shakes his head and then grabs the other man by the back of the shirt. “You, get out.”
“But—“ the man mumbles.
“Get. Out.” Langston growls to the man who finally spots the gun he’s holding. The man scurries out so fast that you’d think his feet were on fire.
I step inside the office next, shutting the door behind me with a thud.
“What the hell is this?” Fred yells at us, his voice gruff from years of smoking, no doubt.
“We are here to deliver justice,” I say.
Fred laughs, turning into a cough of smoke. “Justice? Like there is such a thing.”
“Well, you are about to find out how justice works,” I say.
I walk over to his desk, grab him by the back of his neck, and turn him in his chair to me. He tries to fight me off him, but I only hold on harder.
“Did you rape a woman in this very bar?”
He narrows his eyes. “Go to hell.”
I slam his head down on the desk.
“Did you rape someone?”
His throat tightens, his face now bloodied from a most likely broken nose, but he realizes that I’m serious.
I move to slam his head down again.
“Yes!” he screams. “Yes, I raped her.”
“Just her?” I ask sternly.
“No, I’ve raped six other women.”
So much emotion pours through me. The thought that Zeke could die from a man who raped me has me on edge. Holding this rapist’s neck sets me on fire.
I want to burn this whole place down. I can feel the energy in this room. He brought the women here. He raped them here, most likely on this very desk. After I kill him, I will burn this bar to the ground. I will ensure the women have their justice.
I slam his head down again, and the man screams like he’s being tortured. He has no idea what torture feels like—yet.
“Please, I have money. I can pay you,” the man pleads.
God, he disgusts me. Like I would want to take money from a man like him.
I look to Langston, who is leaning against the wall watching this happen.
“Leave us. I’d like to have a little chat alone with Mr. Parry here.”
Langston frowns. He doesn’t want to leave me alone, but I can handle this vile man. He’s not dangerous, and I need to let all the feelings flow if I have a chance at getting my memories back.
“I’ll be right outside,” Langston says before stepping out. He’ll be listening and will barge back in at any second if I need him.
I nod. He shuts the door to the office, leaving me and Mr. Parry alone.
I consider torturing the man. He deserves it, but I don’t think it will help me get my memories back, and it won’t heal me.
But Fred won’t be walking out of this office alive.
“What do you want then?” Fred asks with a shaky voice.
I consider his question. I want his death. I want to spill his blood on the table where he tortured people. But other than that, what do I want?
“Why? Why did you do it?” I ask, realizing that’s what I want. To know why a man rapes. Why was I raped? Why, when Julian could have convinced any number of women to sleep with him? Why, when he could have paid for the pleasure? Why take from me? Why am I not more hurt by the pain I experienced?
The man stares at me, blinking like I can’t be serious to ask such a question. That’s when I realize that there is no reason. There is just something dark inside that drives some men to do bad things.
I close my eyes and let my own rape fill my head. I let all the dark images of Julian being on top of me, hurting me, taking from me. I remember it all. Not the images of Zeke that I filled my head with to hide my pain, I let the real truth come through.
Until my hands are clammy and shaking. Until my breath has sped up. Until I’m afraid this man standing in front of me could do the same thing to me unless I stop him.
Only then do I open my eyes and pull the trigger.
The man falls dead in front of me in a single shot. I stare at his lifeless bloodied body. He got off easy.
I close my eyes and try to remember my parents, my pain then. My horror at finding out that the box I stole for them was dangerous to the world, and what their intentions were.
But all I see is Julian.
“Damn,” I curse under my breath, knowing that this trauma isn’t close enough. I don’t know what is, but this isn’t.
The door opens, and Langston looks from me to Fred then back to me with a question in his eyes.
I shake my head.
“We can try again.”
“No, I need to think more about it. As much as I’d love to scour the entire city, ridding it of all the rapists and murders, I need to find something else, something that doesn’t remind me of my own rape.”
Langston nods. “Let’s get out of here.”
I follow Langston out into the hallway. I find the fire alarm and pull it, ensuring the bar empties out. Then I walk into the main bar, now empty, and pull out a bottle of rum. I drench everything in sight. Then light a match and toss it
on the bar.
It immediately catches fires. The bar will burn. This place will be lost to history. The women will get their justice.
“Come on, we should go,” Langston says as sirens sound in the distance.
I follow Langston out the back, the heat of the fire warming our backsides.
I stop suddenly, an unusual cold washing over me.
“What is it?” Langston stops abruptly, holding my biceps as he stares down at me.
“I don’t know. Just a coldness washed over me. A dark chill. Something’s wrong.”
I meet Langston’s eyes, and I don’t have to tell him what I think it means. Something has happened to Zeke.
Langston pulls out his phone, and we both look down at the missed call flashing on the screen.
It’s from Julian.
Fuck.
21
Zeke
“Who wants to tell me where the real box is? Hmm?” Julian asks as he looks from me to Enzo and Kai. They’re bound still, but standing on their own.
I’m the only unrestrained one, but with a dozen guns aimed at me, I’m as tied up as they are.
None of us speak. I need a plan. If we give him a random destination and there is no box there, then what? We are no better off than we are now. And he might kill us and go search for it himself. He doesn’t realize Siren knows. He thinks we have it and hid it.
I could kill Julian now, as I still have my gun, but I’d be risking my friend’s lives. No, now isn’t the time. I need to give them a chance to break free first. Then, I can figure out who Julian’s backer is and kill them both.
“No one wants to speak, huh? Should I get Bishop back on the phone?” Julian takes his phone out again and dials a number.
“Rot in hell,” Kai yells at Julian, drawing his attention to her. He holds out the phone, and we all watch it ring as he walks toward her.
Don’t pick up. Don’t pick up.
I can’t handle listening to Siren screaming again. I’ll lose my mind.
The phone stops ringing, playing a voicemail recording.
Julian ends the call as he licks his lips, staring at Kai like he’s just realized she’s a woman.
“Too bad for you,” Julian says to Kai.
Enzo and I lose it at the same time. Julian will not touch Kai. He will never touch another woman who doesn’t willingly give herself over to him.
I charge at Julian from behind, while Enzo trips Julian up, keeping him from touching her.
I grab onto Julian, and we tumble to the ground. I punch him hard. My rage overflows in me, rage at what he wanted to do to Kai, at what he did to Siren. All other thoughts of how to keep everyone safe fly out of my mind.
I punch him viciously in the face, drawing blood from his mouth. I probably knocked a tooth loose. I punch three more times before arms go around me, pulling me up.
Guns are pointed at me, but no one shoots. They may torture us, but they won’t kill us. They don’t know which one of us has the information. They think we are protecting ourselves by not spreading the information through our group. They don’t realize that none of us knows. The only person who knows is Siren, and her memories are locked away at the moment.
“Shoot me. Kill me. None of us will ever tell you where the box is,” I taunt Julian.
He glares at me with a bruised and bloodied face. It felt good to punch him.
Julian approaches me when his phone rings again.
He stops and pulls it out of his pocket.
I try to fight to get free from the men holding me back, but I can’t. From the timid look on Julian’s face, it’s not Langston calling him back.
“Yes,” he says sternly.
Pause.
“Not yet, sir.”
Sir. This must be the man financing this whole venture.
“Yes, sir.”
Julian hangs up. “Everyone out.” His eyes hang on me, letting me know I’ll be staying.
The guards start dragging Kai and Enzo out, which is a good thing. They will be safe away from Julian.
“Tie him up first, then leave us,” Julian says to the guards holding me back.
They tie my wrists behind my back, and my ankles together, before leaving me standing in the room alone.
“Coward. You can’t even fight me without me being tied up,” I spout.
“I’m not going to fight you. I’m going to make you see reason.”
“Yea, and what reason is that?”
“I need the box. And you need Siren to survive. We need each other.”
“No, you need me. I don’t need you.”
“You have until Bishop calls me back to tell me where the box is, or who among you knows. If you don’t, I’ll have him rape Siren. If that doesn’t do the trick, I’ll have him kill her.”
“If you do that, you’ll have nothing to hold over me.”
“Time is running out. I don’t have any choice anymore.”
“You mean, your boss has grown impatient and wants results.”
He growls at me before taking his phone out. He types a quick text message to Langston and then hits send. He holds up the phone to show it to me. Tie up Siren and then FaceTime me.
Fuck, no. How is Langston going to be able to hide what he’s doing to Siren if it’s on video?
“Tell me, and this all ends. Tell me where the box is. Tell me who knows where it is hidden, and I won’t give Bishop the order.”
I grit my teeth. I don’t know how to stop this.
“Your problem is with me, take it out on me like a man.”
“No, you’ve been tortured and near death too many times. The only thing that even comes close to bringing you pain anymore is when I hurt Siren.”
“You care about Siren too, don’t let another man hurt her.”
“I don’t take enjoyment in having another man touch a woman who I feel is mine. But since I had her first, I think I can make an exception.”
The phone rings. I stare at it—a video call from Bishop.
I squeeze my eyes closed and then open them again, hoping to God this isn’t happening, that it’s all a nightmare.
But when I open them again, Julian is answering the phone call.
“Hello, Bishop, so happy you could call me back.”
“Since I don’t exactly work for you, I don’t have to be at your beck and call or tell you what I’m doing. This is a partnership.”
“Yes, of course. But I think you’re going to like where our partnership is headed. Is Siren tied up?”
“Yes,” Langston says, moving the phone so I can see Siren tied in a similar fashion to me, except she’s seated. She’s wearing a loose sweatshirt that hides her belly with black leggings underneath.
A beautiful and heartbreaking sight.
“Zeke here needs a little motivation to tell us where the box is,” Julian says.
The camera is still pointed at Siren. “Don’t tell him anything!” she shouts at me.
“Siren! Baby!” I cry out.
“Hush,” Julian orders, muting the phone so that my voice can no longer be heard. When I’m quiet, he unmutes it and speaks.
“Slap her.”
Langston does. I hear the slap of her cheek. The redness is growing. It was a real slap. There was no way to hide it. No way to fake it.
“One last chance,” Julian says to me.
I’m sweaty. I’m broken. I can feel every bit of her pain. I can’t watch Langston try to fake his way through hurting her. He’ll have no choice but to hurt her or reveal the truth. It’s best if Julian still trusts Langston. And if for some reason I’m wrong, and Langston really is on Julian’s side and not mine, then I need to protect Siren.
“Stop this, and I’ll talk,” I say.
Julian walks over to me. “Start talking.”
“I need to know that everyone is safe. Release Kai and Enzo in good faith that you will release Siren and me when the time comes.”
“No.”
“Then I’m not givi
ng you the information,” I say, and hope to death that Julian won’t push Langston any further to hurt Siren.
Julian studies me. Both of us need to win this war, not wanting to back down.
Whoever blinks first will show weakness. How far will I push this before I crack and protect Siren at all costs? How desperate is Julian to know the information?
“I’ll leave Kai and Enzo here tied up with two guards. It will take them some time to break free, but they are more than capable of getting them untied and taking down two guards while we go get the box. That is the best I will do.”
“Deal,” I say, knowing that is as far as I can push him while also protecting Siren’s life.
“So, where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Who knows?” Julian gets in my face.
I have to make a decision. I’ve tried fighting Julian apart and failed. And as much as I don’t want to let Julian anywhere near Siren, I think the best decision is to be together. Together we can take him down. Langston can help. It’s the only way I can think to save us all.
Julian reads it on my face. I don’t even have to tell him.
“Siren knows,” he says after muting the phone.
“Yes,” I say. At least it keeps him from killing her if he thinks she knows where the box is. But it doesn’t save her from being tortured. Although, maybe he’ll torture me to get her to speak. So I add, “And her only weakness is me.”
Julian grins. “I’m going to enjoy torturing you while I persuade my Aria to talk.”
Good. As long as you don’t touch her, do whatever you want to me.
Julian picks up the phone and unmutes it. “We are headed to you. We will be there in twenty-four hours.”
“Do you know where the box is?” Langston asks back.
“No, but we will soon,” Julian says and then hangs up before calling in his guards to carry me to the car still tied up. Julian thinks he needs to keep me tied up, but he doesn’t. I won’t fight him, bringing me back to Siren. That I will never fight.
Langston, you better be ready to take this motherfucker down. There is no way I’m going to let him touch Siren.
22
Siren
Langston hangs up the phone.