by K. T Fisher
Chapter Twenty One
Rachel
I’m heading back to my apartment when I hear it. His voice. But, how can it be?
“You did good, Rachel.”
He’s dead. He can’t be talking to me. I look around, scouring the street for any sign of where the voice is coming from. Someone’s got to be playing a sick joke on me. Besides, no way on earth would Satan ever have praised me.
“Rachel, I’m part of you, baby. We’re going to be together real soon, but first you have to finish what I started. I’m so proud of you.”
I’m going fucking mad. I must be. I’ve got Satan’s voice inside my head. I’m fucking losing it, big time. Not to mention, it’s a much less fucked up Satan than I’m used to, or so I thought. The voice continues, cajoling, promising, and by the time he’s finished talking I know it’s him. I don’t know how, I’m not going to question whatever has given me this gift, power or voice, call it what you fucking will. I embrace it. I cherish it. And I set off to carry out its request. It’s what I wanted to do all along anyway.
***
I park away from the house. I don’t want anyone to see me. Pushing the door of my crappy, beat up car closed as quietly as I can, I look around me. The house is impressive, that’s her influence. She always had good taste. It’s a good home for a little boy. But not for much longer.
I’m drawn closer by the sound of children’s laughter. Cautiously I make my way around the side of the house. Shit, I was hoping he would be alone, but she’s out here as well. No matter. I’ll deal with her.
The children are playing in a splash pool, having a fantastic time judging by the sound of laughter and screaming they’re making. I have to look closer at the little girl to work out who she is. It’s that little Severed brat. What the fuck is she doing here at a Carnal house? The world’s gone mad. Nothing is as it should be anymore. Today, I’m going to put that right.
The voice is back in my head, soothing my nerves, encouraging me. There’s no way Scalp will have left Maggie alone. There’s got to be protection somewhere round here. I wait patiently, it’s killing me not to just run in there and take my son, but the voice is urging caution. I have to be careful; I can’t put Jamie at risk.
The clump of boots becomes audible, and the prospect sticks his head out of the back door.
“We’ve run out of ice.” He looks bored.
“Can you run to the store for me? It’s warm out here today, we need ice for the kids drinks.” Maggie asks him.
“The boss would have my ass if I left you here alone.” The prospect shifts uncomfortably on his feet.
“Well, the only boss you need to worry about right now is me.” Maggie laughs. The prospect looks at her. It’s obvious he’s torn over his decision. I wouldn’t go against Scalp if I was him, but Maggie has obviously toughened up more than I thought as he quickly decides in her favor.
“I’ll be fifteen minutes, max.” He assures her, looking around him, searching out anything that could give him cause for concern.
“Don’t worry about us, we’re not going anywhere.” Maggie points at the two children, oblivious to everything around them. They’re having a fantastic time splashing each other in the pool. My heart swells at the sound of my boy’s laughter. I crave to be closer to him.
The prospect seems to take forever to leave. It’s obvious he’s going reluctantly. He eventually goes, thank fuck. I wait until the roar of his bike has faded away. He said he’s only going to be fifteen minutes so I don’t have time to waste.
I feel the comforting touch of the knife blade against my arm. Satan’s voice reassures me as I move closer. Maggie hasn’t got a clue I’m here. I make my way over to her, as quickly as I can without making a noise. She turns at the last moment, shock written all over her face when she notices me. It’s too late though. I stab the knife into her stomach and twist. I watch as her eyes widen, and I take a perverse pleasure in the pain she’s experiencing. Fuck, I’ll give her some credit though. The bitch doesn’t give up, she’s determined. Even though she’s collapsed on the ground, she’s trying to crawl towards the kids. Luckily they’re so busy having fun that they haven’t noticed anything yet. She tries to call out to Jamie, but she’s already too weak. Stupid bitch shouldn’t have stolen what was mine, this is all her fault.
Jamie looks up and sees me standing over his mother. A look of horror on his face when he sees her lying face down on the ground. I quickly hide the knife in my sleeve, out of sight, and move towards the children.
“Jamie.” I say as softly as I can. “Mummy’s hurt. We need to go and get her some help. I need you to be a big, brave boy and come with me.” I reassure him, but he doesn’t look convinced.
“Mom said not to talk to strangers.” He tells me. Shit. My heart breaks at his words. I want to scream at him that I’m not a fucking stranger, I’m his mom. I don’t have time to explain it to him right now, so instead I try and reassure him.
“I’m your mummy’s sister, Rachel. I’m not a stranger.” I offer.
“Mom doesn’t have a sister.” This little man is a fighter; I can see it in him. I’m so proud of him. I don’t have time to reason with him right now though, that prospect could be back at any time.
“Jamie, trust me. I’m your mummy’s sister. It’s really important we go get her help. Now!” I scream the last word and instantly regret it. His eyes fill with fear and he takes a step back. He holds out his arms defensively, and looks around. He’s trying to protect the little Severed brat who has sneaked up behind him during our exchange. Shit. I don’t know whether to be proud of the little man he’s become, or pissed that he doesn’t believe me.
“Maggie hurt.” The little girl states, worry in her voice. “Maggie need help.”
That’s it brat. Convince Jamie he has to come with me.
Jamie looks between the brat and me, and seems to make up is mind. “We need to go get Daddy.” He states.
“Yes, yes.” I let out the breath I’ve been holding. “Come on, let’s go get Daddy. We’ll get him to come help Mom.”
Jamie looks at me, almost as though he’s appraising me. My boy is smart.
“You know my Daddy?” He questions.
“Yes, of course. I told you I’m your Mom’s sister.” I reach for his hand, but he draws away from me. If I didn’t think it would freak him out more I’d stab my fucking sister again for that. How dare she raise my son to be scared of me? He doesn’t even know who the fuck I am. The voice reasons with me, calming me down. Scaring Jamie won’t get us out of here.
“It’s okay Jamie. I understand you don’t know me, but we really need to go find Daddy. Mom’s hurt, real bad and she needs us to get her help.” He looks to the brat beside him, she nods her head at him. She’s scared. She’s sucking her thumb in her mouth. I reach my hand out to him and he takes it, cautiously.
My heart feels like it’s about to beat out of my chest at his touch. It’s been so long, I’d forgotten how good it feels. The voice speaks again; reminding me I need to get out of here. Quickly, I lead the children to the car. I’m so close to succeeding I can almost taste victory.
Strapping them in, Jamie complains about the lack of child seats. I’ll have to sort one out for him. Every time he speaks I become more proud of the smart little guy he’s turned into.
“We haven’t got time to find them. We need to go get help for Mom.” I assure him. He seems to accept this. He’s way calmer than I expected him to be. The brat seems to be following his lead. She’s not scared, more cautious of me than anything. Would I have been this calm at their age? I don’t have time to think about the answer. I need to get the fuck out of here before that prospect gets back.
I race off, trying to work out what I’m going to do next. I hear the roar of the bike before I see it. He’s coming back earlier than I expected. Shit. What do I do?
Looking back to make sure Jamie is safely strapped in, I hit the accelerator, aiming the car at the bike. The stupid fuck
didn’t have time to react before he was thrown over the bonnet. I swerve around the remains of the bike, hoping I haven’t caused too much damage to the car.
“What did you do?” Jamie cries out from the back seat. He’s trying to unfasten his seatbelt, but his little fingers can’t quite manage it.
“Sit your ass back down on that seat and shut the fuck up!” I scream at him. My plan is unraveling around me. I need to think of something, and fast. Where’s the fucking voice gone? I need him to talk to me, to tell me what to do. How to get us out of this mess. But he’s silent.
Jamie sags back into his seat, fear written all over him. The brat is crying now, it’s making my head hurt.
“Shut the fuck up the pair of you!” I scream at them.
I’m losing it. This isn’t how it was supposed to happen. What the fuck do I do now?
Twenty Two
Eve
I stare at my phone in my hand as I sit in the clubhouse communal area. The men have all congregated in the bar, while the women have gathered out here.
I sigh as I think about ringing her again.
Elle looks at me with sympathy. “She still not answering honey?”
“No.” I shake my head.
I’ve been trying to get hold of Maggie for a while now. She’s not answering her phone. Elizabeth and Jamie must have her running around like crazy. I know that when my little girl is excited she tends to get really hyperactive. I just hope she’s not acting up, and dragging Jamie into it.
I dial her number again, but it just rings out. Hanging up, I get up and walk towards the bar. The men are all talking in hushed voices and stop when they see me.
“What’s up babe?” Gabe asks.
“Have you got Scalp’s number? I can’t get through to Maggie. I just want to talk to Elizabeth.”
Gabe grins and throws me his phone. “Bring it back.” He calls after me as I walk away.
As soon as I re-enter the communal area, I scroll through Gabe’s phone looking for Scalp’s number. Quickly hitting the call button, I cross my fingers, hoping he’s at home so I can hear Elizabeth’s voice. I’m missing her a lot. After everything that happened this morning, I just need to talk to my girl.
“Angel.” He answers, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Scalp? This is Eve.”
“Angel’s old lady?”
“Yeah, hi. It is okay to call?”
His laughter fills the line. “Of course it is, what’s the problem? Angel okay?”
“Oh yes, he’s fine. It’s just that Maggie has Elizabeth at yours, and I’ve tried ringing her so I can talk to her, but there’s no answer.”
“She probably has her hands full with those two.” He laughs. “But, I’ll give her a call and let you know when I hear from her. Don’t you worry precious.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
The line goes dead and I return Gabe’s phone to him. The men have moved from the large round table they were huddled around, and are spread out now, having a break from the look of the drinks in their hands.
Gabe wraps an arm around my shoulder, and kisses me on the forehead. “What did our princess have to say?”
“Oh, Scalp’s not at home, but he said he’d get hold of Maggie and have her call.”
Gabe nods his head, but I feel him tense slightly as I lean against his body.
About five minutes later Gabe’s phone, which is still in my hand, starts to ring. It’s Scalp. Not bothering to give it to Gabe, I answer it.
“Hi.” I answer, a smile on my face, I’m so excited to hear from my baby girl.
“Is Angel there?”
I look at Gabe who’s watching me carefully. I frown. “Yes, is this to do with Elizabeth?”
I hear him clear his throat. “Maybe it’s best I talk to your old man.”
I straighten my body. “Now you listen to me, if this has something to do with my baby, then you’d damn well better talk to me.” I say it so loudly it draws attention.
I hear Scalp sigh before answering. Gabe is looking at me along with everyone else in the room.
“Okay. Maggie didn’t answer my call, neither did the prospect I have over there. I’ve sent some of my guys over, and I’m heading home myself. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“Do you think something’s happened?”
“I don’t know.” He hangs up on me, and I almost drop the phone.
Gabe places his hands on my shoulders. “What did he say?”
I swallow hard, and repeat what Scalp said. Gabe’s grip on my shoulder tightens. Prez walks over to see what’s going on. My raised voice has obviously alerted the others that something is wrong.
“It’s nothing Prez. Eve’s getting concerned that she can’t get a hold of Maggie. Scalp’s sending some guys over to his house just to be on the safe side. She’s probably just gone out for the day and let her phone go dead.” Who’s Gabe trying to convince, him or me?
There’s something wrong. I have this awful feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach. This isn’t just a dead phone battery. Besides, her phone was ringing out.
Emma walks up and puts her arm around me. “Is everything okay, Eve?” Gabe’s about to tell her that it is, but I stop him.
“No it’s not alright.” I scream. “I can’t get hold of Maggie and that means I can’t get hold of Elizabeth. Something’s wrong.” I’m becoming hysterical.
“Eve, she’ll be fine. It’s just a dead phone battery.” Gabe tries to reassure me.
“Angel, this is not a dead phone battery. Her phone fucking rings out. Her husband is concerned enough to be going to their house himself.” I really am getting hysterical now.
I get even more pissed when I see Angel incline his head to Doc. He wouldn’t. The fucker better not do what I think he’s about to do.
I’m shaking with anger now, but I can’t stop Doc from injecting the sedative. I can’t believe Angel would do this to me. Doesn’t he realize our girl is in danger? Why can’t he sense it?
“Eve, calm down. It’s been a stressful day and you’re getting yourself into a state over nothing. I’m heading over there myself. Elizabeth’s going to be fine, just you wait and see.”
Wait and see? I’m so furious with Gabe right now. He’s the one who needs to wait and fucking see. When I get hold of him I’m going to fucking kill him. How dare he have me sedated when my girl’s in danger? I’m still thinking of all the ways I’m going to hurt Gabe when I pass out.
Chapter Twenty Three
Angel
I race to Scalp’s house, my heart in my throat the whole fucking time. I just pray that when I get there, this is all just some huge misunderstanding. That’s what I told Eve just before I left. A misunderstanding, but she says it’s not. I know it, and she fucking knows it too. Some fucking shit about a mother’s intuition. She’s inconsolable. She wouldn’t stop crying and screaming. Fuck it nearly made me tear up seeing her like that. Doc had to give her a shot to knock her out; she’d become so hysterical. Sue is keeping an eye on her. I don’t know where the fuck Teresa is though, I’ve not seen her all bloody day. She needs to get her ass back to the compound and be there for her friend. I’m afraid that whatever I find out in the next few minutes, she will need her best friend. When I asked Prez about it, he just muttered some shit about an errand she’d had out of state. I don’t think he knew himself.
When I arrive, there’s a line of bikes parked up in the front yard, and it looks like Scalp has already arrived. There’s no one out front though, just their bikes and that unsettles me. If everything was okay then surely someone would be waiting for me. Pushing the bike onto its stand, I reach behind me, feeling for the gun tucked in the back of my waistband. Reassured of its presence, I move cautiously towards the house. I need to get my little girl back to her terrified mother.
There’s shouting coming from the back, so I head around there. When I see the scene that awaits me, I almost fall to my knees.
Scalp is on the ground, cradling Maggie’s head in his lap. The front of her white blouse is covered in blood, and he’s actually crying. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this man get upset, never mind full on crying. There’s no sign of Elizabeth or Scalp’s little boy Jamie from what I can see. What the fuck is going on here?
Razor, Scalp’s VP, moves over to me. His features drawn and haggard.
“Is she?” I indicate my head towards Maggie. I can barely get the words out of my mouth.
Razor shakes his head, and I let out a sigh of relief. “She’s not good, she’s unconscious and she’s lost a lot of blood, but she’s still with us.” He looks back at Maggie. “She’s a fighter, that’s for sure.”