by E. C. Land
After pressing a few keys to make sure the volume is where I want it, I close my eyes and let the music take hold as I begin playing the notes to one of our popular songs, “Dark Lullabies”.
A moment later, I start to sing the words to the song as I play, losing myself the way I need to.
A world filled with darkness comes
Through the darkness is a light
A voice as sweet as a melody shines through
Becoming known as a dark lullaby.
A lullaby that can only be heard in the dark of night
Can you hear the melody
The soothing sound of a dark lullaby
In this moment my thoughts about what must be done today are gone and I’m in the now with my music where I need and want to be.
Nothing else matters.
At least for now. Because soon I will have to face Satan, find out what he’ll want now or find a way to break the hold he has on all of us.
One way or another, I will make sure he doesn’t touch anyone I hold close to me.
Chapter Two
Mackenzie
“Get your fuckin’ ass over here, now.” I cringe at the sound of Anabelle’s uncle’s voice through the phone line.
For the past two years, since I turned sixteen, I had no other choice but to do as he commands, he says jump, I have to ask how high. Today being no different.
“I’ll be right there,” I mutter quietly into the phone.
To protect my best friend and sister by everything but blood, I’ve done everything Justin has demanded of me. I do this so she doesn’t have to live with that monster, but I also do this to protect her brother, Lex. The very same man, I’ve been in love with and declared I’d save myself for.
Sucks that life turned out the way it has. Now Justin has tainted me to the point even if Lex liked me more than just his sister’s friend, he wouldn’t want me.
“You have five minutes,” Justin mutters before hanging up on me.
Sighing, as I put my phone down, I know I’ll have to come up with an excuse as to why I need to head out this morning considering it’s mine and Anabelle’s eighteenth birthday. Mom always did chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, and sausage for us every year since I could remember.
When we were both six Anabelle’s parents died, and my mom took on the mother role to my best friend and Lex. Although she went to live with Justin for a few years she moved in with us after Lex moved out to live with the guys in his band.
Maybe if I tell them, I’m running out for a quick errand, none of them will question my leaving. Better yet, let them be distracted so that I can sneak out. They don’t know the horrors my life has been for the past two years and I don’t ever want them to.
Throwing a hoodie over my tank top, I slip my feet into my flip flops, and grab my phone. Once ready I head down the stairs on silent feet. Stopping at the foot of the stairs, I can hear my mom clattering away in the kitchen as she hums some tune to herself. Anabelle must still be asleep. This is good, I can go out the front without anyone realizing I’d left.
As quickly as I can, I hurry out the door making sure to not make a sound when I close it behind me. I don’t have much time left to get to Justin’s and I’m not going to drive. There is no point when it’s only three blocks over.
By the time I get there, Justin’s standing in the doorway. “You’re a minute late,” he sneers.
“I’m sorry,” I murmur, bowing my head. It’s one of his many rules, I’m to never meet his gaze unless he commands.
“Get your ass in here,” he snaps as he steps out of the way.
“Yes, sir.” Stepping past him, I dread what’s about to happen.
“Go into the office and strip. You know what I want you to do.” Oh, I know what he wants and every time I have to endure it, I puke the moment I’m far enough away from him.
What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?
For god sake it’s my damn birthday. I should at least get a reprieve.
Nodding my head, I do as he asks. Once I’m in his office, I step out of my shoes and remove my clothes, folding them neatly into a pile on top of my flip-flops. Naked, I move to kneel directly in front of his desk which is how Justin finds me when he enters the room.
“My chattel, always the obedient one. You learned quickly not to anger me too much.” He says as he slowly moves toward me. “Today’s your birthday, same as my niece. You will take twice as many lashes than you normally would take.”
Great, I won’t be able to move to do anything today after this.
I’ll be too weak.
“Once you take your lashing, you’re to get up and move to my desk and take position. Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir,” I murmur.
“Good girl,” he groans.
Closing my eyes, I brace for the hell I’m about to go through.
“Now count each one,” Justin commands as he lands the first lash from his belt on my back.
“One,” I say, quietly.
“Louder,” he snaps, hitting me harder this time.
“Two.”
By the time he gets to thirty-six, I’m barely able to hold myself up as I scream the last number.
“Now get the fuck up and on the desk. My cock is ready for you,” Justin chuckles with glee. He seems to get off on beating me.
It takes me a moment to get up, but I struggle through the pain to do as I’m told. I don’t want him to make things worse. He’s prone for doing just that.
Leaning over his desk, I cringe when I feel him step behind me.
“Happy Birthday, chattel,” he mutters, running his hand over my hair as he lines himself up behind me.
Right before he goes further, I close my mind off, taking myself somewhere else in my mind. It’s the only way I’ve been able to deal with this torture throughout the years. By allowing myself to conjure visions of being on the beach with Lex, playing in the waves as he laughs at me is my favorite place to go. He’s always the one I think of in order to get through everything Justin does. If only my life was different. Maybe I’d be confronting him today and professing my love for him.
Instead I’m here being tainted even more.
I don’t know when it happened or how, but throughout the rest of the morning well into the afternoon, Justin continued to hurt me.
Only when his cell phone rang, did he finally release me.
With what little strength I had, I struggled into my clothes thankful everything was loose and wouldn’t cling to my skin.
Slipping into my shoes, I make my escape. Exiting the front door, I come face to chest with none other than Lex himself.
Oh my God.
Please don’t let this be happening.
“Kenzie,” Lex says my name in shock.
Shaking my head, I try to fight off the tears. This can’t be happening.
I flinch as Lex grips my chin and forces me to look at him. His eyes darken with fury as he scans mine.
“How long?” I don’t have to ask to know what he means.
“I can’t,” I whisper.
“Fuck. Alright, let’s get you home,” he mutters.
“No, it’s okay. I’ll walk,” I protest.
“Like hell you are, babe,” he growls.
“I . . . I . . . I c–can’t let t–them know. Ju–Justin will k–kill them and you.” Tears fall down my cheeks as I dart my eyes from his face to the door I’d just exited.
“Then I’ll take you somewhere else. Somewhere where I know you’ll be safe,” he declares as he does something I never expected and has me crying out in pain. He lifts me into his arms.
Damnit the first time I’m really in Lex’s arms I’m tainted by Justin.
Due to the pain shooting through my body, my vision blurs as my head grows heavy right before everything goes dark.
Chapter Three
Lex
I’m going to kill the motherfucker. I was to be here today to find out what he wanted now that the girls
were eighteen. Only I stepped directly into one of the things I feared most happening. He’d sunk his claws into my Starlight.
Carrying her limp body to my truck, I maneuver her in my arms in order to open the door and put her in the seat. Securing her in place, I cup the side of her face and wonder how the fuck I missed something so imperative.
I didn’t need her to answer to know how long this had been going on. Justin has been playing the two of us like a fiddle to get what he wants. Me, to pay him cash. Mackenzie, fuck I don’t even want to think of what he’s made her do. From the state she’s in, I can only imagine. Then again the idea of the shit she’s been going through makes me want to fuckin’ puke.
Climbing in my truck, I slide in behind the wheel as I pull out my phone. With her mom evidently not being clued into what’s been going on, I call the only person who can help at this point. Hitting the number, I put the phone to my ear as I pull out of Justin’s driveway. As much as I want to go in there and beat the fucker to death, Mackenzie needs help more than my desire to end my uncle’s life.
“Yeah,” Gadget says from the other end of the line, sounding distracted. Over the years we’ve all gotten to know each other. The band is pretty close with the club.
“Connors at the clinic?” I ask.
“No, what’s going?” This time when Gadget responds he’s more alert.
“Need to see her. It’s urgent.” I don’t have to go further into details for him to know what I mean.
“Come to the clubhouse.” With that he disconnects.
Pulling my phone away from my ear, I toss it on the dash and floor it in the direction of the clubhouse. Once I know what’s going on, I’ll call Anabelle and Lisa, Mackenzie’s mom. My hands grip the steering wheel as if it were a lifeline right now as failure consumes me. I didn’t protect my Starlight like I should have. If I’d paid more attention to everything going on, I might have been able to save her from all she’s endured at Justin’s hands.
It doesn’t take long for me to pull up at the gate to the clubhouse, I stop long enough for the prospect to open the gate. After shit went down a while back to Kenny and Ally, Twister, the Prez of the club, had the gate installed. It’s manned at all times to keep anyone who isn’t welcomed out.
Nodding to the prospect he opens the gate for me. I’ve been here plenty for him to recognize me and I know Gadget would have shot him a text or called him after getting off the phone.
“Lex,” Mackenzie calls up with a whimper. “Don’t hurt him. Please. I’ll do whatever you ask, I promise.”
Is she talking to me? Telling me not to hurt Justin?
My stomach turns at what she’s saying. Putting the truck in park I glance over at Mackenzie to find her shaking her head side to side. “Justin, I beg you don’t.”
Fuck.
She’s talking in her sleep and what’s coming out of her mouth causes me to see red. I know I keep saying it to myself, since putting her in the seat next to me, but my uncle is a dead man walking.
Grabbing my phone off the dashboard, I put it back in my pocket as I climb out of the truck. I quickly round the front to get to the passenger side. Opening the door, I scoop Mackenzie into my arms. With each movement she whimpers. “It’s okay, Starlight,” I murmur soothingly.
“What the fuck?” Gadget demands from the entrance to the club.
“Long story man and I don’t even know the whole thing,” I grunt as I pass him.
I stop right in the doorway as all eyes turn to me. Members of the club and their ol’ ladies, the ones that are here at least stare at the woman in my arms.
Fuck me, this is not how Mackenzie should be spending her eighteenth birthday.
“She needs Connors,” I say as Badger steps forward, his eyes set into narrow slits while his ol’ lady, Jordan, moves from his side.
“Come on let’s get her to the back,” she states and turns toward a hallway.
Mackenzie starts to stir in my arms. Glancing down at her, I find her eyes still closed. Right before we step into the hallway, she screams my name.
Behind us a loud crash resounds.
“Shh, Kenzie it’s okay. I’ve got you, Starlight,” I murmur pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
“In here,” Jordan whispers, lifting my head to meet her gaze, I notice the tears streaming down her face. “Lay her on the bed. I’m going to have to remove the clothes from her to see what’s going on. Connors was just putting the kids in their room and she’ll be here soon. It would probably be best if you left this to us for right this minute.”
I’d heard what happened with Jordan, how Badger had found her nearly lifeless, so I’m sure this is probably hitting close to home for her.
Nodding my head, I do as she says and lay Mackenzie on the bed and step away. “If she wakes up just tell her I’m right outside,” I murmur, not once taking my eyes off of my Starlight.
“I’ll make sure she knows, Lex. Just go talk to the guys,” Jordan says softly from the other side of the bed where she was putting on a pair of latex gloves.
Clearing my throat, I meet Jordan’s gaze. “Today’s her birthday. She’s eighteen and I’m a hundred percent sure she’s been raped by my uncle.” Why did I tell this woman something so personal? I don’t know.
“Lex, go talk to the guys. Clear your head. I’ve got her and if she was, then Connors and I’ll make sure she’s good. You might want to call her family.” At Jordan’s urging, I shake my head.
“Not until I know what’s going on with her,” I mutter as another thought occurs to me. If Justin is doing this shit to Mackenzie, is he hurting my sister as well?
“Alright, Lex.” She nods.
“What do we have here?” Connors demands as she strides into the room, her eyes focusing solely on Mackenzie while she moves to wash her hands.
Jordan relates to her what I’d said and goes about gently removing Mackenzie’s clothes from her body. Reluctantly, I turn and leave the room; however, I know I can trust these two women with my Starlight.
Walking to the main room, I’m hit by a wall of tension as every one of the men standing there are waiting for me to explain. I open my mouth to speak but shut it.
“Lex, brother, you’re gonna have to tell us what the fuck happened and who is she? Shit, is she even legal?” Twister demands.
Gripping my hands together behind my head, I let out a deep breath. “That’s my little sister’s best friend, Mackenzie. As of this morning, yeah, she’s legal. I don’t know what all fuckin’ happened but I do know the man responsible is my uncle and soon to be a dead man. Once I get out of here, I intend to go put a bullet in his head.”
“Easy, Lex. You can’t go out there and just kill someone, especially your uncle without knowing all the facts,” Horse states.
“The hell I can’t. Do you know who my uncle is?” I don’t even give him a chance to answer before I snap. “Justin Keahi, the owner of the Lounge and loan shark scumbag.”
“We know that Justin is your uncle,” Twister mutters, running his hands through his hair. “But Horse is right, you can’t go killing Keahi. How about we all sit down, call Hunter, Chaz, and Tanner? Once we get them here, we’ll explain why.”
“I gotta call my sister and talk to her. Not only is it Mackenzie’s birthday, it’s Anabelle’s,” I grumble. I need to make sure she’s good.
“That would be a good idea. Why don’t you have her come to the clubhouse? She will probably want to see her friend,” Badger speaks up from where he’s silently watching and listening. Glancing in his direction, I meet his dark eyes. The tick in his jaw tells me everything I already know. Seeing me carry Mackenzie into the clubhouse had to have been like history repeating itself in his head. Then again Jordan’s shit was completely different.
As far as I know it’s not the same, I have a feeling Mackenzie’s shit is worse.
Nodding, I step to one of the tables and pull out a chair. As I take a seat, several of the members of the club join me. Burner
being one of them along with Rage.
Rage is the first to speak up. “I’m calling Cleo in. If what was done to that girl is like I’m thinking Cleo can help.”
“Same with Ally, I’ve already sent her a text,” Burner grunts.
“Thanks, you all don’t have to do all that. The club has already done a lot this past year for all of us,” I protest.
“Lex, man. Doesn’t matter if we’ve done shit or not for you and your brothers. You guys might not be official members of the club; however, that doesn’t mean you’re not a part of this club by extension,” Twister rumbles as he plants his ass in a chair directly next to me. “Now call your sister and get her here. Might as well get her mom here as well.”
Fucking hell, this is not going to be good and Mackenzie is going to be pissed but Twister’s right. I need to call Lisa, get her here along with my sister. I know before I even call Lisa, I have two other people to call. One being to Nick, Lisa’s going to need him. The other being Finley, my cousin. She’s going to be the key to getting what I want from my uncle.
Sighing, I pull my phone out of my pocket and find Nick’s number. As I put it to my ear, I look up to see the men sitting at the table with me staring at me as the line rings.
“Lex, son, what are you doing calling when you should be here by now?” Nick asks.
“Sorry, Nick. Look, are you near Lisa?”
“No, she’s in the kitchen finishing up cooking dinner for the girls, since they both missed out on their birthday breakfast bonanza Lisa fixed for them. Anabelle slept in and Mackenzie was up and out of the house first thing this morning. What’s up son?”
Closing my eyes, I lift a hand to pinch the bridge of my nose. “I need you to bring Lisa and my sister to the DRMC clubhouse,” I pause briefly before saying the last bit that sends a knife straight through my gut. “It’s Mackenzie. She’s been raped.”
Chapter Four