I leaned into the bike and cocked my wrist on the throttle, pegging it to red. I ramped a small hill in front of the creek, soaring through the air. Bullets sliced past me. I floated over the creek bed and braced myself as the tires slammed into the asphalt.
The bike corrected and I sped down the road with a smile on my face, thinking about Kiril's bandaged face and his reaction when he learned of my escape. I laughed to myself.
I rolled into the driveway, parking a ways from the house. I skulked through the garage and down the hall to the secret room leading up to the closet.
I quickly concealed most of my wounds with makeup and I dressed the rest of them quietly. Thank god Cody is too beat up to touch me.
I pressed the corner of my eye and cringed. On the desk sat my notebook with printouts of Kiril's plans. They confirmed my suspicions all along. Suki received injections. The thought chilled my core. I had to stop him. Soon.
I exited the closet, looking as presentable as possible. The house was quiet as I retraced my path to the front of the house. I had to make it look like I was just coming home from meeting with my security team.
I idled in front of the door for a moment, composing myself for the events to come. I'd have to look at Cody’s beaten body and lie to him in the process. I knew I'd be scolded by Grandpa, but he was usually good about waiting for the right moment.
I fidgeted with the door handle, pretending to unlock it and pushed it open. I stepped through.
"Hello." My voice echoed up the staircase and vaulted ceiling.
"In here," said Grandpa.
I strolled around the corner to the guest room. Cody was on his back in bed.
"Oh my god." I ran to his side.
He was half awake. I ran my hand along his bruised arms and lightly traced his face, careful not to press on his dressed wounds.
Cody managed a smile, then groaned when the wound in his cheek peeled open.
"Shh, sit still." I brushed his hair from his face. "Don't say anything."
My head snapped back to Grandpa and the acting continued.
"What the hell happened?"
"Ask him." Grandpa looked at the man sitting in a chair against the wall.
I looked over to a mop of sienna hair atop his head, familiar brown eyes rounding out his lean, muscular face. His grin sent goosebumps down my arms. I knew the grin. I knew him. He looked like — Dad.
I stared for what seemed an eternity.
"Hey, umm, Beks." He stared at me and I froze.
The acting ceased.
"Kyle?"
I sprang from the floor, tackling him into the wall with a giant bear hug. Grandpa smiled from ear to ear, before pulling out his suture kit and strolling over to tend to Cody.
"What? How? I don't care!" I squealed and smothered him with all the strength I could conjure up.
"Missed you too, sis."
Grandpa cleaned up Cody's face and started stitching him as Cody watched us from the bed.
I pulled back from my brother, warming my palms on his cheeks. “I want to know everything.”
Cody napped in the guest room, trying to regain his strength. Grandpa, Kyle, and I sat around the table, telling tales from childhood. I nearly followed Kyle into the restroom a minute earlier, intent on never letting him out of my sight again.
"So you rescued Cody? How? Why?" My senses were still shocked.
Kyle smiled.
"I escaped from Kiril's prison a while back. Been keeping an eye on him ever since. Something is going on."
"Why don't you go to the authorities?" Grandpa looked to Kyle.
Kyle chuckled.
"They're on his payroll. They won't do shit."
I twitched when my forearm bumped the table.
Kyle looked down to my arm, then back up at me.
"You alright?"
My head shot up to his face.
"Yeah, I'm good. Just overwhelmed. Sorry for being so overbearing. Don't mean to hover over you."
He and Grandpa smiled at each other. My teeth clenched and my jaw tightened.
"So, how did you know to bring him here?" I turned to Grandpa. He looked away, humming some old show tune. He'd have made a terrible poker player.
The two of them sat in silence.
"How long?"
"Beks look—" Kyle stared at me.
"Grandpa?" I turned to the old man. "How long?"
Kyle interrupted when Grandpa started to speak. “About a week.”
I glared at the old prick. A look he was all too familiar with.
"Does he know?" I gestured to Kyle.
Their heads dropped.
"What the hell were you two thinking?" I growled at them through my teeth. "You could have killed us with that blast."
"He was looking out for you. That's what brothers do, Bekah. Don't be ungrateful. You flew out of here, emotional, chasing after your boyfriend—"
"I just wanted to help. I know that place in and out." Kyle's eyes cut into me. I couldn't help but think it was some kind of trick. That it wasn't really him. Grandpa sat there, thankful to be interrupted.
I gave both of them a cold stare.
"I didn't need help." I looked away, muttering to myself.
"We care about you. We know you care about the guy lying in bed." Grandpa's voice was stern. Maybe I was too hard on both of them. They cared about me. It was understandable.
Kyle reached over and took my hand.
"I missed you." His grin was the same as I remembered.
I smiled back at him as old feelings and memories ran through every inch of me.
"I missed you too. I love both of you assholes so much."
I motioned to Cody. "What'd you tell him?"
"You were meeting with your security team. What we discussed on the phone. Nothing more," said Grandpa.
"I wasn't compromised?"
"Secret is safe." Kyle nodded, trying to reassure me.
I sat in my room, eyes squinting, pushing a needle through my skin. My brain beat on my skull. I tried to recall ever taking a punch that hard. Toes first, I slid under the cool, cotton sheets. Motorized curtains opened to reveal a curved glass window encompassing half the room. From atop the hill where my house sat, the skyline of Bathory filled the view. I stared. It gave me comfort, reminding me when I was a child staring up at the large skyscrapers sprouting to the clouds. The pillow was soft against my cheek. Memories and thoughts of childhood flooded back. Fatigue overwhelmed me and I tumbled into a deep sleep.
I bolted upright in bed, saturated with cold sweat, panting and gasping for breath. My stitches ripped at my skin, stinging as I scratched at them. When I realized my dark visions were only a dream, I drew in huge heaves of air, sending my chest rising and falling. The nightmares were frequent. They'd plagued me since the night I escaped.
I swept the sheet to the side, reaching for the glass of water on my nightstand. I gulped down half of it.
I need something stronger.
I pulled a cloth robe over my naked, battered body. The wool in my slippers tickled my toes as I slid them on and crept through the bedroom door. I eased past Grandpa's room in time with his snores. When I made it halfway down the staircase, I heard rapping on a keyboard, and saw a light filling the living area from the couch. What the hell is he doing out of bed?
I assumed it was Cody being restless. When I peeked around the corner I saw Kyle with a serious look on his face, staring at the laptop.
"Hey little brother."
Kyle jolted, nearly knocking his computer to the ground as he clawed at it, clutching it in his arms.
"Jesus Christ, Mags. I mean, umm, Bekah. You scared the shit out of me!" He paused. "You're barely older than me you know? And sorry, I'm still getting used to this 'Bekah’ business."
"Can still whip your ass too." I stared at him with my arms folded across my chest.
"Please." He stared at me. "Okay, fine. Superhero. I'm sure you could. Can't sleep?"
"Bad dream. What are you doing up?"
"Just chatting online."
"Ohh. A girl?"
"Maybe." Kyle blushed and looked to his laptop.
I walked over sat next to him on the couch, curling my legs up under me. I propped my head up on my hand. I could tell he wanted to ask, but we'd avoided the topic since he'd come back into my life.
"Kiril?" He tossed his computer aside.
I nodded, clutching a pillow to my chest. His face held compassion as I let my guard fall, showing him the fear I usually tucked deep inside me.
He reached over, pulling my trembling body close, wrapping me up in his arms. He squeezed my head tight against his chest and we sat for a moment in silence.
"He told me you were dead. That you and mom were both gone." I buried my face in his shoulder.
He hugged me tighter.
"I know. He let me know every day I'd never see you again."
“Do you think mom—”
“No Mags, I saw…” He pulled me face to face. "I'm here now."
I smiled and hugged him again, this time harder.
"I would have come for you. I didn't know." I said it over and over, burying my face back into him. "I should've known. I'm so sorry. I didn't—"
He cut me off mid-sentence. "It wasn't your fault."
He wrapped an arm around my neck and I snuggled into him.
"It wasn't your fault," he said.
I looked up to him as he stared off at the pictures on the wall.
Two days later, Cody was still laid up in bed. We all sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast. Cody was recovering, slowly. I'd been inseparable from Kyle the past few days while Cody was on the mend. Catching up, telling stories from childhood, reminiscing.
My phone vibrated against the oak tabletop. I answered while sipping on a scalding hot cup of coffee. The steam wafted into my nose, bringing my senses to life. My limp was slowly subsiding and I had taken a few days off from work. Well, I hadn't gone in to the office in a few days anyway. I hung up the phone.
"He updated his Twitter." I stared at Kyle and Grandpa.
"Ka0s?" asked Grandpa.
This got Kyle's attention. He straightened in his chair. "What's it say?"
"'Greetings from the Capitol. I have a surprise for you, soon.' He signed it. There's a picture of him with the Capitol in the background."
Kyle smirked. Grandpa and I both looked at him.
"What? You have to admit he has a point about some things."
"He's a murderer." Grandpa squeezed the coffee cup tight in his hand.
"He wants justice. Who doesn't? People are fed up."
"He kills children, women, innocent people—"
Kyle stared at me and knew to tread lightly.
"I'm just sayin' the power in this country is out of touch. Out of control if you ask me. Spying on citizens? That's not freedom. It's tyranny."
I examined my brother carefully. He was always strong-willed in his beliefs, even as a boy. But I had studied Ka0s meticulously. So had Grandpa. We knew what he was and what he was capable of.
"Well, there are other ways to change things," I said.
"I suppose. Have to admit he's effective. Wonder what his Tweet meant?" Kyle was always curious as a boy. He always had to figure everything out.
The thought of it sent pin pricks down my arms. I needed to find out. Soon.
Lightly knocking on the door, I heard Cody speaking in his room.
"Come in."
I inched my way in with a glass of iced tea and a sandwich. The swelling had subsided and he could open his eyes. I placed my hand under the back of his head as his hand squeezed my thigh. A warmth rushed into my heart. I pored over the stitches in his cheek. Grandpa had done a good job sewing him back together, but it was going to leave an awful scar.
"What do you mean?" Cody barked into the phone before cringing and placing a hand on his stitches. "No, no, that's impossible. Why didn't you call—"
I heard a dial tone on the other end. Cody clutched his face in his palms, avoiding the stitches.
"What?" I fidgeted with my fingers as I looked at him.
He turned up to me, black crescents under his eyes.
"I lost it. They — they sold the company."
"Kiril?"
"No, some other company I've never heard of. They got to my brother and sister. Made them a huge offer if they agreed to sell their stake. They told me I get to stay on and run the place, but it's not ours. It's not my family's anymore."
"I'm so sorry, babe." I caressed his hair.
"It's all I've got left. I promised them I'd take care of it."
Guilt crept under my skin.
I clutched his head, looking deep into his emerald eyes, ignoring the bruises. "I'm going to go get dressed and we're going for a walk. You need some fresh air. Okay?"
Cody nodded and I walked through the room, ignoring the shocks of pain in my abdomen.
"You need to tell him, Bekah." Grandpa sat on a bench in the hallway.
"I can't deal with this shit right now."
"He's going to find out. One way or another. Better to come from you."
I spun around and glared at him, hard.
"I said not now." I started up the staircase.
When I got to my room I flung my dresser open and ripped at the clothes in my drawer. The handles rattled against the wood and I stared at myself in the mirror, hating what I saw. I slammed my fist down on the top of the dresser.
"Goddamn it."
I threw on a pair of jeans and a white blouse and started back toward Cody’s room. Kyle walked past, clearly on his way out.
"Going to see your girl?" I turned to Grandpa when Kyle nodded. "He has a girl he's after."
"Well, is she after you?" Grandpa looked at him, his eyes wide and a smile on his wrinkled face.
Kyle looked up at me, smiling.
"She is. She just doesn't know it yet." He winked at both of us.
The three of us huddled up in a group hug. Kyle walked through the door and hopped into a black car that was arranged to pick him up. He waved through the window as I wrapped my arm around the old man.
Grandpa turned to me.
"Where you off to?"
"Taking Cody for a walk. Hopefully help him clear his mind and focus on his recovery."
"You going to tell him?"
"Let the shit go, old man."
Cody and I circled around a large pond on the grounds. My house sat on twenty-five acres spanning most of the hill. The skyline grew gorgeous as we reached the top. The end of the pond overlooked every square mile of the city.
"It's beautiful out here." Cody turned to me. He was starting to heal.
"Yeah, I love the view. I used to stare at it as a kid."
He turned to me and moved a strand of hair blowing wayward in the wind.
"I wasn't talking about the buildings." He smiled.
My cheeks warmed as I giggled.
"Take it easy, you need to recover before you try anything frisky." I gave him a playful shove on the shoulder and he winced. "Oh shit. I'm so sorry."
"It's okay. I think I'm up for it." He took a step and grabbed at his hip, arching his back in pain.
I stepped in to let him prop his arm on my shoulder, bearing some of the weight.
"I see that." I grinned back at him. "Sit down and rest for a minute?"
"Yeah."
He hobbled to one of the benches that sat along the rippling water with me at his side.
"You going somewhere today?"
"No, why?" I looked at him puzzled.
"No reason."
I shot him another quick glance then played it off. It must have been the makeup I’d caked on to hide the bruises.
"Had a conference call this morning. Had to look good from the neck up."
"Gotcha."
Whew, I think he bought it.
We sat and stared out at the city, both with a million thoughts racing through our minds. Cody concerned about the company and his next m
ove. I was trying to figure out how to navigate my life — all the secrets. Lying to him tore me up inside, but I knew things could go south in a hurry and it would only get worse. Now wasn't the time. He needed to focus on recovering and didn't need any distractions.
He moved his hand to mine, sensing something was wrong.
"So much for taking things slow." He smiled.
Both hiding our pain, we laughed. Cody ran his hand up along the stitches and turned his face away.
"It's okay." I turned his head to meet my eyes.
"Have you looked at me? It's humiliating." He looked broken, scared. It ripped me up inside.
I put my hand gently to his face. He tried to shy away but I wouldn't let him.
I pressed my lips to his. It stung, but the warmth rushing over my face outweighed the pain I felt as his lips melted back into mine.
I grinned as our lips parted ways.
"What?" His cheeks were flushed.
"Chicks dig scars. I'm just sayin'."
He smiled at me and we laughed, falling back into each other's arms.
We strolled back down the hill and into the house. Grandpa had made dinner.
"Charles." Cody nodded to Grandpa as he came through the door.
"Charles? What the hell is that all about?" I'd never heard anyone call him Charles.
"Not everyone calls me Grandpa, Margaret."
My mouth dropped to the floor. I stared at him and played it off. "You'll pay for that, old man."
"Why Margaret?" Cody looked flummoxed.
I cut Grandpa off before he gave away any more of my past. "It's an old family name. Rebekah is my middle name." I shot Grandpa a pissed off look when Cody turned and Grandpa mouthed 'sorry' at me.
"Oh." Cody smiled.
We sat around the table, passing the meat loaf and sides back and forth while one of the Supreme Court justices was interviewed on a national TV show. Cody scoffed at the man's answers regarding his opinion on the case. I bit my tongue, refusing to rock the boat. I'd done enough already.
Grandpa reached for the remote as they were taking phone calls from people with questions. He was about to turn off the TV when we heard the next caller's voice. My fork clattered to my plate.
The Matriarch: An Erotic Superhero Romance (The Matriarch Trilogy Book 1) Page 17