I almost think he’s about to say something when he just squeezes my hip and lets out a small, seemingly frustrated growl instead.
It has my entire body on fire with need, something inside of me feeling alive for the first time in years.
This is wrong, right? Me wanting this, needing it after all that happened?
But I want to continue to feel this.
I don’t want to sleep, but I know I should. I’m both mentally and physically exhausted, drained from everything Kevin put me through over the last few days.
I’ve never been so damn scared in my life. When he dragged me down those stairs by my hair, I thought I would die. I was sure he’d beat me until there was nothing left, holding me in his arms until he knew I’d taken my last breath.
I’ll never forget the lies I told to keep myself safe while he kept me captive with him in the basement of our home. How I had to convince him of my love for him and that we’d be together forever.
He’d be fine for a little while. He’d calm down and believe the bullshit that was coming from my lips. Then out of nowhere he would freak out again and hit me, telling me he knew I’d leave him as soon as I left the house.
And I did.
I didn’t tell Sterling all of this, didn’t know where to start. Although I wanted to be honest, I also knew it would just upset him more.
And then I’d gotten free.
I had jumped in my car and headed back home to the town I had told myself I’d never return to. To the place my father always controlled me, giving me reason to want to get away as soon as possible… to feel free for the first time in my life.
But I knew I needed to get back to Sterling, because Kevin won’t stop. His love for me is sick; an obsession he can’t control.
Obsessions are dangerous and sometimes deadly.
I know that because that’s how my mother died. At the hands of my piece of shit father while he was drinking. He thinks I was too young to remember, but I’ll never forget that day. Not for as long as I live.
He denied to himself that it was his fault, covered it up with a lie that I think even he grew to believe himself, and if I had stayed with Kevin, I have no doubt, from the possessive look in his eyes, that Kevin would have done the same to me.
6
Wynter
I try to go back to sleep, but as the heavy, deep and even breathing of Sterling almost lulls me to rest, all I can think about is my past.
I feel like I’ve fucked up so much in my life.
There is so much I wanted to do, wanted to see. The love I have in my heart is big, strong, and I almost wasted it on that piece of shit Kevin.
I sit up and bring the blanket around my body, this slight chill racing over me. Sterling shifts on the bed slightly, but he still seems asleep.
I stare at him for long seconds, wondering what he’s thinking, what he’s dreaming about.
Does he wonder about the life he could’ve had if he’d had a different childhood? Does he wonder where he would be right now if he’d left this town?
I stand and walk over to the bathroom, the blanket still wrapped tightly around me. I turn the light on and stare at myself in the mirror, the person looking back at me a reflection of what I’ve let myself become.
Dark messy hair is scattered around my face. My eyes look wide, the bags under them noticeable.
Taking a small breath, I drop the blanket and grab the hem of my shirt, pulling it up so my stomach is exposed. There are bruises along my pale flesh, a reminder of what Kevin did.
They’ll heal, the physical memory gone, but I’ll always remember. I’ll have that scar inside of me forever.
I don’t know how Sterling or the other brothers have gone through it, or lived their lives. They have gone through so much, worse than I have in these last three days, but they are still surviving.
Closing my eyes, I let the shirt drop back down and brace my hands on the counter, breathing out roughly. Can I actually go through with this? Can I actually have Sterling go find Kevin and hurt him the way he hurt me?
The more I think about it, the more dangerous—maybe even petty—it sounds. But there’s a part of me that wants revenge, wants Kevin to know that there are bigger, stronger people out there who won’t let him hurt people, hurt women.
There’s a part of me that wants blood drawn, wants Kevin to feel what I felt.
“Are you okay?”
I glance over at Sterling, who is leaning against the doorframe. He’s still shirtless, his big arms crossed over his chest. His biceps are bulging, his tattoos on display. I stare at the scars, wanting to ask him about how he feels, but knowing better.
Sterling is not the type of man who will open up easily, if at all.
“Yeah, I’m okay.” It’s partially a lie, but the truth is I think I will be fine.
Even if I hadn’t come here and asked Sterling for help, this part of me, deep down, knows that I’ll get through this.
I have no choice but to survive.
* * *
Sterling
I let her walk past me and back to my bed. I can’t sleep, haven’t been able to once I was lying beside her. I listened to her sleep, listened to the steady breathing of her respirations.
She calms me, whether she ever knows that or not.
She sits on the edge of the bed and I move next to her. I reach out and stroke her back with my hand, wanting to comfort her, to fucking feel her.
“You don’t seem okay,” I say stiffly.
She shakes her head, but glances at me.
“I’m fine, just tired on the inside and out.” She smiles at me and it lights up my fucking life.
It’s the most beautiful fucking thing I’ve seen in a long damn time in this dark and fucked-up life I’ve been living.
“We’ll handle that motherfucker. Don’t worry. He won’t ever hurt you again.” I feel my anger start to rise again at the thought of that prick. “That’s a fucking promise I don’t intend to break, no matter what hell I have to face.”
She swallows, keeping her gaze down at her lap. “A part of me thinks maybe I’m selfish for coming here, for asking for you to help me. I hate that I’m doing this to you. Maybe I…”
“Don’t.” I pull her in for a hug, holding her close, keeping her against my chest. She smells like me, and that has the possessive side of me rising up like a violent fucking beast.
I don’t say anything else, because truth is I can’t just let this go. I will go after that bastard. I will make him pay.
I will avenge the woman I love.
Wynter is far from selfish for wanting to hurt that prick back. For wanting me to hurt him for her.
The fact that she came here in the first place makes me happy as shit. It means she trusts me to protect her. It means she’s thought about me over the years—and that’s all the push I need.
“I need something from you, Wynter.”
She tilts her head up to look at me. “I’ll give you anything you need, Sterling.”
A savage smile tugs at my lips. “I need you to tell me where that motherfucker lays his head at night. My brother and I have a little trip to plan.”
“It’s about three hours from here. In Gaylin.”
Grinding my jaw, I look up at the old clock on the wall. It’s just past two. “Ace and I can make it there in just over two.” I stand up and start packing a bag of shit I’ll need. “Aston will stay here with you. If you need anything, let him know and he’ll take care of you while I’m gone. Got it?”
Her gaze stays on me as she reaches over and into her purse and pulls out a key, holding it out to me. “You’re gonna need this. It unlocks the back door.”
I grab the key and shove it into my pocket before crawling above her, covering her small body with my big one. “Tell me you feel safe here, Wynter.” I place my hand around her neck and give it a light squeeze. “Tell me this doesn’t scare you.”
I feel her swallow as her gaze meets mine. “I feel safe
here and you don’t scare me, Sterling. You never really have.” She closes her eyes and lets out a small moan as my body moves to settle between her legs. “Still not scared,” she breathes.
I move my lips down to press just below her ear. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”
With that, I crawl out of bed and finish packing my bag, happy as hell to hear she’s not afraid of me.
‘Cause I’m anything but gentle.
My family is anything but gentle and I need her to realize that and still feel safe here.
Ace better be ready for a motherfucking road trip, because this shit is happening tonight.
7
Sterling
After throwing our shit into the back of the SUV, Ace jumps into the passenger seat and yells out the window for me to hurry my ass up.
As if I’m not in as much of a hurry as he is.
That motherfucker is lucky he’s family because it’s not going to take much to set my ass off right now.
Good thing his hammer’s in the back, because I have a feeling he’s gonna want to use it on me by the time we reach our damn destination.
“Give me a fucking minute, asshole.” I take one last drag from my cigarette before snubbing it out and jumping into the SUV. “When Wynter was writing down the address she told me he’s got a few friends most likely staying with him now that she’s gone. You ready for this, brother?”
Ace gives me that twisted grin he’s known for. “I’ve been looking for another excuse to use my baby and you’ve just given me one, brother. Drive… fast,” he demands.
His response gets me even more pumped up and ready to teach this prick a lesson.
Wynter may not have told me all the details of what Kevin did to her, but she didn’t need to. I know he hurt her bad, not just physically, but pretty fucking badly in the emotional department too.
Seeing her in the bathroom with her head hung low showcased just how much damage he truly did, giving me every reason in the fucking world not to wait another day.
I smile and hit the gas.
“Let’s get bloody.”
Two hours and fifteen minutes later, we show up outside of a big brown house that has two cars and a motorcycle parked out front.
Unfortunately for these assholes, the house is at the end of the street, secluded from the other houses.
More room to allow things to get as messy and loud as needed.
I park the SUV and look over to see Ace grinning again. “Fuck, this is perfect.”
“No. It’ll be perfect after I smash that motherfucker’s face in and teach him what true fear feels like.”
We both jump out at the same time and walk around to the back of the Expedition. Ace reaches for his hammer, while I grab for the small bag in the back and unzip it.
Keeping my gaze on the big brown house, I slip my brass knuckles on before tossing the strap of the bag over my shoulder.
“It’s going to be a long night for us, brother, so be sure not to bust the coffee pot with your ten pounds of titanium this time when we get back.”
He shrugs and swings his hammer around a few times, before setting it atop his shoulder. “I can’t make any promises. Let’s go.”
It’s late as fuck, and the perfect time to do this. No need to have the fucking neighbors see all the heinous shit we are about to do.
We make our way up to the front of the house. The lights are off, but I can hear the steady thump of music coming from the back.
“Come on,” I say, and we head around to the back. I see a light on from a basement window, and know the music is coming from there even though I’m not close enough to make sure.
Ace gets close to the window first, crouches, and peers inside. I do the same and see a group of guys sitting around a poker table, bottles of opened and half-drunk liquor sitting on the table.
I may not know what the fucker Kevin looks like, but I don’t need to, given the fact the only one with a nasty fucking bruise on the side of his head is the damn prick.
My rage comes alive even more as I stare at the motherfucker. I curl my hand into a tight fist, the brass knuckles digging into my skin.
I stand slowly and roll my head around my neck. I am feeling pumped, juiced up, ready to kick ass and take names. Hell, I hope his little friends jump in on the action.
The more violence the better.
We make our way to the back door, kick that fucker in, and head inside. This is going to be fun, like broken bones kind of fun.
I grin. Yeah, time to settle the fucking score.
* * *
Wynter
I wake up with a start, my heart racing, my body covered in this light sheen of sweat. I glance around the room, not seeing Sterling and having this feeling in the pit of my stomach intensify.
I know where he is, know what he is doing right now. I’m scared, not for Sterling, because I know he can handle himself, but for the repercussions that might happen because of all of this.
I stand and make my way into the bathroom, turn on the light and stare at myself in the mirror. Beads of sweat cover my forehead, and I turn the faucet on and splash water on my face.
I try to grapple with everything that's going on, with everything that will go on after this is all said and done. I freeze when I hear a knock on the door. Before I can see who it is, I hear the door opening.
I leave the bathroom and see a young woman standing in the doorway. I recognize her from when I first came to Sterling's place. She’d been sitting on Aston's lap, the love on her face as she looked at the Locke brother clear.
“Hey," she says softly, her smile making me feel a little easier. “I’m Kadence.”
“Hi.” A moment of silence passes. “You're Aston's girl?”
She nods but doesn't move any farther into the room.
“Come on in,” I say.
She comes in and sits on the chair in the corner, looking nervous, or maybe she’s worried about me. I have no doubt that she knows good and well why I'm here and what happened.
The Locke brothers don’t keep anything from each other, and I made my presence known pretty strongly when I first arrived. I also had a nasty bruise covering my face.
“How are you feeling?”
I shrug, because honestly I don't know how to answer that.
We sit in silence for several long minutes. I know she’s probably trying to make me feel better, maybe letting me know I have somebody to talk to if I want, but there's nothing I really have to say.
“Everything will be okay,” she finally says.
I nod, but to be honest I don't know really if that is the truth. Yes, Sterling will handle everything, take care of Kevin and make sure I am never hurt again. But what about after?
I care about Sterling so much, but I don’t know if a man like him can ever really be with somebody. And even if he is with me, can I really stay in town, my own past tarnished and darkened?
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, knowing that right now Sterling is probably destroying Kevin. But to be honest all I can feel is a mixture of emptiness, but also this spark of happiness over what is happening.
Maybe Sterling and I aren’t so different after all?
8
Sterling
Keeping my jaw tightly clenched, I make my way down the basement steps, prepared to take out any motherfucker who gets in my way.
Ace is following at my heels, no doubt his face plastered with a wicked grin, the adrenaline rushing through his veins just as it’s coursing through mine right now.
The thrill of destroying someone who hurt a woman I care about has completely taken over and transformed me into a beast ready to take out its prey. There will be no fucks given tonight, no matter how hard he begs.
As soon as we hit the bottom of the steps, the asshole facing us jumps up from the table and tosses his cards down. “Who the fuck are you assholes?”
I smirk as everyone at the table turns to look at us. “You’re about to fi
nd out if you don’t sit the fuck down.”
The first guy throws his hands up. “Look, we don’t want any trouble. If you’re looking for Kevin he’s not here. He went looking for his girl around town.”
“Not his fucking girl,” I growl out, ready to rip this motherfucker’s head off.
“Who’s this little prick then?” Ace walks up behind the guy with a bruise covering the side of his face and places his hammer across this throat.
“James,” he squeaks out. “My name is James. I swear I’m not Kevin. I’m telling the truth, he’s not here.”
This son of a bitch is testing my patience right now. “Throw me your fucking wallet.” I hold my hand out and wait, but the asshole is moving so damn slow. “Now!” I yell.
“Okay… I’m getting it. It’s kind of hard to function when there’s a hammer across your throat.” He pulls a black leather wallet from his back pocket and hands it to Ace, who tosses it to me.
Disappointment washes through me when I open it to see the fucker isn’t lying. “What happened to your face, James?”
“Got into a fight a few days ago with my ex’s new boyfriend.”
“Kevin took off a few hours ago when Wynter never showed back up. My guess is he’s either out getting laid or looking for her.” The little guy gives us a confused look. “Why are you guys looking for Kevin, anyway? What did the dumbass do?”
Rage boils throughout me, making it hard not take my anger out on one of these innocent pricks just to let off some steam. “He hurt someone I care about. Now he’s gonna hurt.”
“Fuck.” Some tall blond guy grabs for the bottle of whiskey and tilts it back, looking pissed off now. “That son of a bitch.”
Looks like blondie has a thing for my girl.
I walk around the table and stop behind blondie’s chair, getting all up in his ear. “Whatever the fuck feelings you have for my girl…” I growl, “I suggest you lose them real fucking fast. You wouldn’t want that pretty face of yours getting all jacked up and unrecognizable.”
Locke Brothers Series Page 12