by K. H. Kate
The thought makes me giddier. I'm already snooping her on my arms when Xavier enters through the door. He takes one look at Kitty and rubs a hand over his head before marching to where we are.
"We have to move. I caught some movement near the garden." Leave. Take her. I know I should just leave but don't know why I don't. Instead, I turn back to look at the woman and grunt.
"Thank you."
Her eyes share some hope, the smile still radiating. "I wish I could have met her sooner."
I don't know what makes me say the next words. I think even she doesn't get them either. "Do you want to come with-"
"No!" She jerks back from me as if what I said is mortifying. "I belong to this manor. I can't leave. I...I won't leave." With that, she runs back to where she came from.
I don't say anything. I just take Kitty and leave with Xavier. Behind us, I can hear shouting and sounds of breaking furniture. I think I can even hear a woman's cry. Maybe she really did belong to the manor. Maybe her screams will always be a part of this house like a haunting melody. And that's why we walk faster until I put Kitty in the car and Xavier starts to drive.
I know we were being reckless when Xavier stops near a motel. The same motel we rented for the night. Coming here in one of Ceaser's jets and then finding Pedro's manor was harder than I first thought. And after what we did to Ceaser's men, I'd be really worried if no one comes looking for us.
"I'll crash on the coach." Xavier mutters sighing.
"You do that." I say while I help Kitty to put on the bed. She looks devastated. So I don't wake her up from her sleep. Fuck knows how many nights she has endured pain in Desmond's hands. Speaking of Desmond, is he still alive or dead? Because if the bastard isn't dead yet, I'd love to put a bullet in his dick.
"Have you thought of anything? What are you going to do next?" Xavier frowns as if he thought of something bad. "If Pedro is dead then that makes her and her sister the new heiress of the La Eme."
Fuck! I was hoping he wouldn't bring it up.
"Not only that, we destroyed half the Sinaloa cartel. Fuck! What shit did we get ourselves into?" he asks as if disbelieved.
"Then there's only one way." I grit out. Fuck! I was hoping all these secrets didn't come to this. "Call Lethal and let him know what happened. Then tell him to hook Vixen up for a call when I say."
He almost jumps from the coach. "He'll kill me. Fuckkk! Sniper, he's not going to be a ray of sunshine."
My grin never felt so fake. "I wouldn't count on anything else."
Almost immediately Xavier disappears behind the door to talk and I walk closer to where she lays peacefully. Her dump hair clings to her face, her brow furrowing once I trail my finger over the small cut near her lips.
Even so tired, she looks beautiful. I can still remember the early days she used to stare at me like I had all the answers to her pain. Like I am the only one who can give her peace. Only one who can love her like she's the last air on earth.
I can barely hear a word that's being said in the other room but I can detect the tension from here. It burns like a coil until I can hear footsteps coming behind me. And even before I turn around I know things are not the same anymore. I can't hide behind my brothers and lie to save their life.
"What did he say?" My mind craves more. What the fuck was his reaction? Is he angry? Pissed? Disappointed?
I hear a loud sigh. "Apparently I wasn't fucking informed that your cousin is still alive. He ratted you out to Lethal even before my call. This phone call just helped him to know our location."
Carter ratted me out?
I want to laugh at the weird discovery. Did my cousin for the first time choose my safety over his? The Carter I know would never go to Lethal willingly. Fuck! He even hates the Devils like I hate alcohol. So for him to actually go through with it…
"He did, didn't he? What else?"
Cautiously he glances between me and Kitty. "Your VP was rather pissed. Lethal is on his way with Vixen and Foxy. I gave them our location but we might have to run again if we see any strange men in this motel."
"Ok." I shrug. That went better than I thought. But I said it too early as he paused for a second before I hear him grit out.
"But that's not the only thing he said."
And what he says makes my head swirl. For once, I'm stunned. I'm aching to chuckle, to say stop until that's the only word I know. I want Xavier to be wrong. I want his words just to be a joke. But lying can only go so far. And if Lethal had any saying on this...
I deserved everything that was coming for me.
***
Kitty wakes up after an hour. Disoriented and panicking, she looks around until her eyes find me in shock. Thank God Xavier is already out guarding us or getting high again. I don't blame him either.
"How did I..."
"A woman helped you." I don't want to fish for answers but I'm pretty damn interested to know what happened. At the mention of the woman, her eyes lighten up.
"Is she here? Please tell me she's here somewhere." What does she expect me to say? I wonder looking at her hopeful eyes.
"She's not here." Her eyes go slack. "I offered her to run with us, she didn't want to come."
"Oh. How are you here though?" I know it hurts her to not know. I know she sees in my eyes what the woman's fate was. No one can turn their back on freedom and leave unscathed in our dark world.
"I killed Ceaser." I don't see her bat an eyelash to hear that. Our enemy is dead. What a fucking relief. "I was comin’ for you when… It was already too late. We forced one of his men to give us a jet."
She smiles. "Desmond is dead too. And Pedro, they are both dead because of Carmen. If she wasn't there...I might have killed myself."
As I would. We don't need to hear the words to know. If she wasn't alive I would gladly leave this fucking cruel world to be with her. Maybe she understands too as her smile brightens more.
"We are free, Seth."
Yes, free. Not bound into a cage. Not hiding behind a lie. We have a lot to talk about still. Yet perhaps that's what makes me make the first move. My lips are on hers even before she can breathe another word. And I swallow every other word she wants to say.
We are free. We are broken. We will be alright.
We always are.
Her fucking taste lingers in my mouth. So I take more until she's only moaning out my name. Seth, Seth, Seth. She's already ripping my shirt off before I realize that my hands are on her dress, tugging the zipper down until it's on the floor. Her nails scratch and rack down my chest leaving a burning trail making me groan.
"Fuck!"
"Yes, f...fuck." She nods pulling me closer to her. We breathe the same air, falling over the bed. She straddles my hips and I swallow hard when she finds the outline of my cock through the jeans.
"C...can I?"
"Yes." Fuck! If she would want me to hand over my dick I would have given it to her with a fucking smile. She shares the same look, those dark eyes wide in despair and when her hands finally unzip my jeans...oh fuck.
Maybe I am the one who groans in the beautiful pain of her small hands on me. Or maybe she was the one moaning as I can feel her clit near my cock, throbbing in want. Either way, we tear apart our demons with screams of pleasure. My fingers find their way to her pussy as her lips open in a broken cry, she bites down hard over my neck and when she finally sinks down my cock...its fucking hell. The one I'm willing to walk down for eternity.
"Oh, Seth...Oh, God!" My teeth graze down over her nipples, biting them softly. They bounce every time as she takes me hard. We watch each other while she rocks up and down. Faster, harder, twisting enough to make me pull her hair, biting the delicious skin of hers.
"Fuck, Kitty! Slow down." Her legs spread more and her hand's fist my hair in a moan when I flick her clit making her jerk violently. "You feel this baby? How tight you feel around my cock? How many times can I make you cum? Two, three times?"
I flip her to her stomach and take her har
d. Her one ankle is resting over my shoulder, another wrapped around my waist. I can hear the whining. More. Love you. Give me more, Seth. Telling me to fuck her. So I do. And she comes too. With a loud scream, her pussy quivers and she comes all over my cock. My hips jerk and I'm not far behind her. She's too wet, too fucking good that I can't stop myself from spilling into her.
"F...fuck!"
I have taken another orgasm from her as it looks like. We both come from the high but none of us are ready to go back to the real world. But we have to. And the thought never felt so terrifying before.
She drags his thumb over my cheeks. Her voice is unsure. "Is something wrong?"
"I had Xavier call Lethal." Her back stiffens but she's quick to hide it. "Vixen knows where we are. She's comin’ to see you."
I don't know what she feels at this point, about seeing her sister. We both lied to save the people we love. She lied to her sister while I did it for my brothers.
"Did she sound mad?" Her voice cracks at the last letter. I'm gripping her chin even before she can leave the bed.
"They both will be mad. But now we have to think about what our next plan is. You can't be the heir of a mafia now that Pedro is dead. They will always hunt for you, Kitty. A mafia needs their leader or they will all crumble down. There's many who would find the leader forcefully even if you like it or not. Do you want to live that life for the rest of your life?"
"N...o. I don't. But, I don't understand..."
I silence her by taking her lips. They are swollen. So fuckable. "That's why we…the Devils decided something. I know it might sound harsh but we brought it upon us. I love you, Gwen. And even if I lose everything, I have you. And, that's enough for me."
"What did you do? Seth?" She shakes her head waiting for me to explain. Her eyes are wide with worry. A worry for me. I can't hide the smile.
"I don't know about you but I've already agreed. It's only a matter of time we talk face to face." She looks more confused, so I break to her the one bit of news that I know will change everything.
"We are leaving Devil’s Shadow…Southside. For good."
EPILOGUE
GWEN
ONE YEAR LATER
"Lean backward. Don't raise your leg just yet..."
As the music picks up its tempo, all fifteen girls lean backward with their hands up. I watch, mesmerized as they listen to every one of my instructions and dance their hearts out. A part of me wants to laugh. Even after everything, I still can't stop the dreamy look from resurfacing on my face when I dance myself or teach the girls.
"Miss, I can't match the drops. Can you see what I'm doing wrong, pretty please?" Cassie asks pouting. She's only eleven but has so much potential. She reminds me so much of our childhood. Speaking of that…
I haven't seen Grace or any of the Devils since the last time we met up in Mexico in that cheap motel.
After I was well enough to travel, I left for Cuba. Everything was going well. No one knew who I was and where I came from. I had to hide in motel after motel in fear of getting traced back. After three months when no one came banging on my door that I took a small job as a ghostwriter. I thought I'd build a life for myself, since it was decided that I can't go back to Southside. But my world shook again when I got a call from the current Sinaloa cartel, drug lord Elijah asking for me to make a peace treaty as my sperm-donor was dead. In his words, it was something like...
Since the old fools are dead, why don't we forget why they were enemies and make new allies, eh?
I fled the same day leaving once again everything behind me. This time I ended up in New Zealand. I didn't think of putting my life at risk by doing any jobs. There was a time that I had to pickpocket to get some food. Yet that didn't stop a woman from La Eme finding me and corner me into an alley.
Carter found me scared out of mind fighting in an alley with blood all over me.
I didn't even last a month there before I was forced to leave with Carter and come to Australia. That was eight months ago. Here I don't have to worry about my father's men or any drug cartel. Here I am free. Here I can be Gwen without looking back every time I’m was outside.
"Hold your stance and bend a little, darling." I can hear myself mutter while Cassie tries to match her classmates. After I help her stretch the way she needs to, she gives me a big smile that I can't help but share with her.
Another perk of me coming here was finding this dance studio. When Carter introduced me to my landlords, I was hesitating to bring an old couple in my troublesome life. But they only helped me build a life here. Not only that, when they saw my love for dance, they willingly offered me to use their daughter's old dance studio.
The kids loved every new move I did and by the fifth month, I was running a full class of three different batches. And I loved it. I was happy and yet...
"Listen up, kids. You did well today and with practice, we will do even better. Today's class is now dismissed. Don't forget to practice at home, ok?"
They all cheer with a yes and run to their respective parents. Only when I lock the studio and start to walk, I can breathe again. I can feel my fingers tingle to think of just what's coming. I don't take notice of the shadows around the corner. In the night they play the role of a mysterious danger. But right now I'm not a bit concerned. Sirens wail somewhere around. I walk faster until I catch the shouts coming from the end of the road.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!"
Finally.
My breath hitch in anticipation. To visit the same hell. To feel that familiar feeling of drawing blood.
Time to let the Kitty out of her cage.
"Where the fuck were you?" Erick snarls catching up with me when I'm halfway down by the cage. He's not mad. Not really.
"You know. The usual."
"Hmph." He hums walking with me to the cage. Today the cage is full of people. Maybe the bet is higher as well. Not that I care. I only need to leave the rage, the pent-up pain of what I went through for the night by fighting. Almost every night anyway.
Just when I take a step to face my fighter of the night, Erick tugs on my arms, stopping me. He hovers over me, his face revealing nothing when he grits out.
"Don't die on me, Kitty."
I don't miss the clench of his jaw when I smile. "Wouldn't think of it, coach."
A year ago I was too fucking lost to decide who I really was. That girl who couldn't talk or walk. Who wasn't ready to embrace her dark world. But for the first time in my life, I know who I am. I know what I want.
And I'm not afraid to walk through hell to get it...
***
SNIPER
I watch her.
There are a dozen others who watch her in awe as she forms a fist and slams it down at the poor man's face. She doesn't even stop until the man is breathing hard and begging her to let go. My Kitty...
"Shit!" Someone mutters behind me. Don't tell me,..I don't have to look behind when I hear him again. "Knockout. Again."
Carter...
"What the fuck are you doin’ here?" I can't hide the distress from seeing him again. The last I saw of him was two months ago when we clearly had a deal to meet every four months.
"Relax, cuz." he says with a grin. "I'm not here to steal your gal."
Son of a bitch. "Kidding! I only came here to deliver some news, cuz. I promise."
My brow furrows. "What kind of news?"
We both watch Kitty walk back to Erick to collect the money. He spits out in somewhat anger. "You left Seth. That brought a hella lot of problems in the Southside, with the Devils. I have to run with the Bratva just to clear my name. Then there’s the blunder with the cartels in Mexico. Have you any idea how fucking risky that was!?"
Fuck! He was still on that topic. "You know we had to. That's what we were all doing since Mexico. I can't see her get hurt again, Carter. That will fuckin’ kill me."
"I know." He admits sighing. "That's why I came here earlier than I was meant to. Remember I told you about that cop that
bails me out? He caught some interesting news. There's some rumor going around about a prisoner escaping soon..."
"Why does that have anything to do with us? No one knows where we are." I made sure of that. It was hard to say goodbye to my old life. Sniper knew how to deal with this kind of business, Seth doesn't give a shit about any prisoner running through the town.
"Fucking let me finish." I stop immediately and he huffs a breath out as if to say finally. "Now, as I was saying. There's going to be a huge prison break in a few weeks. And the prisoner just happens to be the same bastard you send to that prison. Does the name Lorenzo ring any bells? Darla and her father have finally fessed up against him. The court date is coming up and if my source is right, then we will have a dangerous prisoner running around the Southside in a few weeks."
Darla? As in Kitty's old nurse I paid to leave Southside?
I'm still stunned when he continues. "The first place he will go to is your club. Mark my words, cuz. The Devils didn't take my word kindly, but we all know who really messed up."
I know. Shit! I basically called the cops.
"What did Lethal say? Did he said anythin’ about...me?" It's not odd to ask Carter about what's going on in the club. I might not be welcome anymore but I can't help but keep contact via Carter for months. The clubhouse is where I grew up. No matter how fucking scary my childhood was, I can't cut contact completely like Lethal wanted.
He drags a hand through his hair. "Not really. I mean you know how much of a fucking stubborn ass he is. He'll never say it aloud but I saw the tiny bit of worry when he asked me where you were, since I'm your cousin."
"And did you tell him?" As much I loved that Lethal still cares I can't just break-
"I didn't tell him. I know our deal, cuz. We don't share with anyone where you are."
"And that better stay enact." The warning is clear as day as he waves his hands in surrender.
"It will be. Now that, I've told ya, I should go. See you in another four." He turns to disappear into the dark alleys when something makes me stop him.
"Don't you want to meet her?"