“An underground fight club of sorts,” I answer. “And he was there because he owns the place.”
She takes a breath. “A-and you kill people there?”
“Wait, you’ve killed people?” Savannah’s disbelief is evident, but I don’t pay her much mind.
“Not intentionally. The fights I was in, they were the kill-or-be-killed type. Sometimes, it happened.”
“How many?”
I swallow harshly and look away. “Four.”
A strangled whine comes from deep in her throat before she composes herself. “In that room, he said five, ‘if you include the first.’ Who was the first, Knox?”
My eyes find Grayson’s and I raise my brows at him. The next words are his and his alone.
“Savannah’s dad.”
“I’m coming!” I shout. Jesus fucking Christ.
I pull the door open with a scowl on my face, but as soon as I take in the sight in front of me, it’s gone—along with my high. Grayson Hayworth—Pretty Boy, as I like to call him—is standing on my porch. His clothes are stained a deep red, blood covering almost every inch of him. Fury radiates from his body in waves as he grips at his brown hair.
“What the fuck happened to you?”
He shakes his head. “I need your help.”
“All right, let’s just take a minute to relax.”
“I don’t have time to fucking relax, Vaughn. Are you going to help me or not?”
I raise my hands in surrender. “Okay, fine. What do you need? Other than a goddamn shower.”
Turning around, he starts walking toward his car. “You need to help me find Craig Montgomery.”
Montgomery? Savannah’s dad? It all falls into place. The shouts I’ve heard coming from that house. The police and EMS that crowded the street earlier. The blood covering practically every inch of Grayson. Her dad beats her.
“Are you coming or not?” he questions impatiently.
I reach behind me and shut the door. This can only end in disaster.
I sit in the passenger seat while Grayson flies down the road. He’s completely erratic, though I can’t say I blame him. I just hope he knows what he’s doing.
“All right. Why don’t you just calm down a little before you kill us both?”
“Calm down?” He barks incredulously. “He beat her so bad it ruptured her fucking spleen! He would have murdered her if I hadn’t stopped him, and you want me to calm down?”
Drifting around corners, I grip the oh-shit handle on the ceiling. I know the more I say, the angrier he’ll get. Whatever mission he’s on, there is nothing that will deter him from it. Hopefully, he’s thinking with a clear head.
As we pull up behind the rusted Buick, my eyes land on a shadow in the distance. There’s no denying it’s him. I’ve seen his drunk ass stumble out of his house so many times over the years, I’d know that silhouette anywhere.
“You were right, he’s fucking here.” Grayson gets out of the car and slams the door behind him. “Aye, asshole! You and I need to talk.”
I scramble for the door and follow behind. Craig glances back at Grayson for a second, only to laugh.
“I should have known you’d come to find me,” he slurs as we approach. “You never did know how to go the fuck away. Even as a boy, you were so annoying—following Savannah around like a lost little puppy.”
Grayson stops only a few feet behind him but I can tell his restraints are about to snap. “She’s in the fucking hospital. She needed surgery because of you!”
“No. She needed surgery because she’s a nosy little bitch who doesn’t know how to mind her own damn business.”
He’s never going to own up to what he’s done wrong. That man is narcissistic to a fault. He’ll sooner quit drinking before he stops justifying his actions. Grayson is battling a lost cause, but I can somewhat appreciate the effort.
“Listen to me, you prick. You’re going to stay the fuck away from her. If you don’t, you’ll have me to answer to.”
“Oh,” he feigns terror. “I’m shaking in my boots.” Getting up in Grayson’s face, he sneers, and I can smell the alcohol coming off him. “You can’t protect her from me. You’re nothing but a child.”
“Yeah?” he responds, squaring his shoulders. “Fucking try me.”
Craig laughs, stumbling backward a bit and pretending to surrender. “Enjoy your girlfriend while you have her, because next time I get my chance, she might not be so lucky.” He turns around and starts to walk away. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure she knows to tell your dear old dad that you say hello.”
Gray stiffens and I watch as his eyes glaze over. He bends down, grabbing the large rock at his feet, and charges at Craig.
“Grayson, don’t!” I shout, but it’s too late.
He slams the rock into his head so hard his skull completely caves in, and Craig falls onto the ground motionless while the blood flows out.
“What the fuck did you do?” I shout, looking between Grayson and the body lying on the ground. “Hayworth!”
He doesn’t answer me. His eyes don’t even look in my direction. They stay completely trained and focused, watching the blood pool. I don’t need to check for a pulse to know there is no more life in Mr. Montgomery. He’s dead. He’s dead, and I’m in the middle of the crime scene.
“I had to protect her,” Grayson mutters.
Looking at him as if he’s gone crazy, I grab him by the shoulders and force his gaze to meet mine. “Yeah? And how the fuck are you going to do that from prison, tough guy?”
As if in shock, he takes a few steps away and sits down, staring up at the night sky. What’s scary is that he doesn’t even seem remorseful or even the slightest bit panicked. It’s like he knew what he needed to do, and he did it. Simple as that.
Grayson pauses to swallow. “There were cameras, so we were completely fucked—until Knox called a contact he knew from being offered a spot in higher level fights at The Underground.”
I look at Laney. “Your uncle. He wanted repayment, of course. Nothing comes for free, especially not with that man. He blackmailed us into fighting. It’s a rigged system. He supplies his own fighters with the best training possible and then he capitalizes on it.”
“Oh my God,” Delaney whispers, tears flowing down her face.
Savannah looks like she’s about to throw up. She looks around for Zayn. “Do you mind if I…” She points upstairs.
Zayn shakes his head. “No, for sure. It’s all yours.”
She spares one last glance at Grayson before covering her mouth and running up the stairs. Gray exhales then gets up to follow her. Meanwhile, Delaney’s murderous glare is on me.
“Go ahead, Bambi. Lay it on me.”
She wipes her face with the back of her hand. “Who even are you?”
My shoulders sag. “The same person I’ve always been.”
“No,” she says firmly. “No, I don’t believe that. The Knox that spent a whole day taking care of me when I was sick cannot be the same one who kills people.”
The day she’s referring to is a fond memory, one I’ve held onto and flashed back to a lot since I ended the only real relationship I’ve ever had. She came down with a stomach bug, and despite the fact that I can’t handle puke, I let her lay with her head in my lap for hours while I rubbed a cool washcloth against her face. But, those days are gone now—especially now.
“You make it sound like I did it intentionally. This wasn’t a choice. I was forced to fight. When I didn’t…” My voice fades out, knowing I really shouldn’t tell her this.
“When you didn’t what?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“No!” She steps closer. “No more fucking secrets.”
Taking a deep breath, it’s clear there isn’t anything she’ll let me leave out. “When I didn’t—when I tried to stop—he threatened to hurt you.”
The pain on her face is evident as she realizes the man she considered her favorite uncle is actual
ly a total piece of shit. Although, I know nothing can compare to how much it hurts to learn he was willing to hurt his own flesh and blood.
“Laney, I swear. I never meant to hurt anyone.”
She gives me a look that puts me right in my place. “Not even Mr. Montgomery?”
I know what she’s trying to do. She wants me to apologize for what happened to him, but I can’t. I won’t.
“I didn’t touch him, but what do you think Grayson should have done? He was going to kill her! His actions had already destroyed Grayson’s family and got his dad murdered. He did what he needed to protect Savannah. Your friend, remember?”
“And that justifies killing people?” she sobs.
I shake my head. “It didn’t, not at first, anyway. Not until you came barreling into my life like a fucking freight train, giving me no choice in the matter. After that, it made perfect sense. I swear to God, Delaney, I’m no monster like Cal, but I’d kill a hundred Mr. Montgomerys if that’s what it took to keep you safe. You’ll get no apology from me for that, and I wouldn’t expect one from Grayson either.”
Her eyes widen slightly, but my words at least calm her raging temper. However, when she starts walking toward the door, I panic.
“Where are you going?”
She sighs dejectedly. “I need a minute. I need some space.”
I give her a pleading look. “Can you please just do that here? I’ll leave you alone, I promise. It’s just, if something happens to you, I won’t be able to live with myself.”
Thankfully, and to my utmost relief, she nods and goes upstairs instead of outside. Once she’s gone, I go into the kitchen, where Zayn silently hands me a beer. I nod and take a swig.
“Do you hate me?”
He chuckles and shakes his head. “Nah, I’ve known you too long to be able to hate you. But Christ, you always manage to get yourself in a world of shit.”
30
DELANEY
I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. Everything I thought was real, isn’t. People I thought were good, aren’t. Relationships I thought were solid, are tainted with lies and betrayal. If this is what love is like, I’m not sure I want any part of it.
Going upstairs, I find Grayson standing outside a locked door, his head resting against it as he knocks.
“Savi, please.” No answer. “Sav.” Still nothing. “Savannah Jade, can you please just let me know you’re okay?”
“Would you be?” I snap, and he turns to face me. “If you found out that she killed one of your parents, regardless of the reason, would you be okay?” When he goes to answer, I shake my head. “Just go downstairs, Grayson. I’ve got this.”
He looks pained as he places his hand against the door. “I love you, Savi.”
With that, he walks away and leaves me alone with my best friend. I step in front of the room and tap quietly.
“Sav, it’s me. Grayson went downstairs. Let me in.”
It takes a few seconds, but finally, I hear the lock on the door click. I step inside, feeling my heart break as I find the girl who’s normally the strongest person I know in a broken mess on the floor. There may be a lot of things going through my mind right now, and I might have no idea how I’m going to handle Knox, not to mention my sociopathic uncle, but right here—in this room—the only thing that matters is her.
“Oh, Savi,” I weep, dropping down and wrapping her tightly in my arms. “I’m so sorry.”
Sobs rip through her body while her head rests on her shoulder. There’s nothing I can say, nothing I can do that will make this better, so instead, I run my fingers through her hair and hum her favorite song. Finally, when she starts to calm down, she giggles.
“You’re a horrible singer.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Says the girl who can’t carry a single note.”
She gets up with a heavy sigh, walking over to the mirror and cleaning the smeared mascara off her face. It doesn’t do much, but she looks a little less like a trash panda. When she’s done, the two of us sit on the bed.
“Can we go back to the times of playing hide and seek?”
I pull a face. “When you used to scare me for sport? No, thank you.”
She chuckles. “It wasn’t my fault you scared so easily. Besides, those days were so much simpler—when we were too young to know how scary the world is.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Those were better times.” I nudge her with my elbow. “Are you okay?”
Shrugging, she looks down at her hands. “I don’t know. I mean, it’s not even what he did that bothers me. It’s the fact that he lied about it. Is that fucked up? Does it make me a horrible person because I don’t hate him for killing my father?”
“No,” I assure her, because I honestly don’t believe it does. “You went through years of intense trauma brought on by your dad. I don’t think you’re required to feel any kind of sympathy or guilt for what happened to him.”
She thinks about it for a second then rolls her eyes. “I don’t know. This is just all sorts of fucked up.”
I chuckle dryly. “I know what you mean.”
As if she didn’t realize it before, her eyes soften as she looks at me. “How are you holding up?”
It’s a loaded question, really. “As good as I can be after finding out my uncle is a psychopath and my ex-boyfriend is a killer.”
The second the words register in my brain, I hear how insane they sound, and I can’t help but laugh. It starts as a snicker, and I slap my hand over my mouth to try to keep it in. Still, it only grows from there. The next thing I know, I’m in full blown hysterics while Sav watches me like some bizarre circus attraction.
“Laney?”
I only laugh harder. It’s as if I can’t control it. I mean, I may have actually lost my mind.
“It’s just—” I try to calm myself down, taking deep breaths. “Everyone warned me he was bat-shit crazy, and I didn’t listen. Instead, I went and fell in love with him.”
In seconds, the laughter turns to sobs and the amusement turns to grief. Now, it’s Sav’s turn to hold me—and she does, without hesitation.
There isn’t a single part of me that isn’t conflicted. The logical side wants me to run for the fucking hills, leaving Knox in this godforsaken town and never looking back. The bigger side, however, the side that loves him, wants to believe every word that comes out of his mouth like it’s etched in gold and declared as law.
When I finally get a handle on myself, Savannah releases me, and the two of us lie on the bed. All the events of tonight are catching up to me, and while I know I should talk to Knox, I’m not going to be able to make sense of anything until I get some rest.
Sav and I stare up at the dark ceiling, the sound of our breathing the only thing filling the room.
“Are you going to forgive Knox?” she questions.
“I don’t know. Are you going to forgive Grayson?”
She only thinks for a second before letting out a sigh. “Yeah. He’s my Gray. I can’t imagine a world where I don’t. And honestly, what can I really say? He lost his father because of my dad, and then my dad was threatening me.”
It makes sense, and honestly, it’s a little relieving. If the two of them couldn’t make it through this, I’d feel like there’s no point in even attempting it with Knox. The two of them together has always been the one guaranteed thing in my life.
“Are you going to tell him?”
“Tomorrow,” she whispers. “Let him sweat it out for the night.”
An amused smile spreads across my face. “You’ve always been best at making him grovel.”
THE NEXT MORNING, I wake to the sound of my phone ringing. Tessa’s name flashes across the screen, reminding me of everything that’s happened within the last twelve hours. I sit up and run my fingers through my hair before answering.
“Hey, Tess.”
“Delaney?” She sounds panicked.
I roll my eyes at her overprotective tendencies. “I know I’m not hom
e, but I’m all right. It’s a lot to explain, and I still need to figure it all out, but I promise you’ll be—”
“Laney! Whatever he says, don’t listen to him!”
“Shut up!” Another voice comes through the phone—one that makes my heart drop.
“Tessa!” I scream. “Oh my God, Tess.”
A deep chuckle sounds in my ear. “Not such a badass now, are you, Laney?”
My chest gets tight as tears stream down my cheeks. “She has nothing to do with this. Let her go.”
“Now, now, you little bitch,” Uncle Dom sneers. “You don’t call the shots here. I do. And if you don’t want anything to happen to your precious sister, you and your boyfriend will come to The Underground by no later than noon.” I glance at the clock. It’s 10:15. “I don’t think I need to give you details on what will happen if you try any shit, do I?”
The line goes dead, along with any hope that my life will ever be normal again. Savannah looks at me, the fear in her eyes matching my own. In an instant, the two of us jump out of bed and run down the stairs. Grayson, Knox, and Zayn are all in the living room, and the second they see our faces, they jump to their feet.
“Delaney?” Knox’s brows furrow. “What’s wrong?”
“Uncle Dom. He ha—” I swallow down the lump in my throat. “He has Tessa.”
31
KNOX
I lie awake on the couch, watching as the sun rises outside and the darkness turns to light. No part of me slept a wink, but I didn’t expect to. If I’m asleep, my guard is down, and that’s one thing I won’t allow to happen right now. I can’t.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that Cal is out for blood right now, and not just any blood—mine and Delaney’s. He’s not a man who’s used to being told no. Hell, for as long as I’ve known him, he’s never been one to take no for an answer. It’s yes, or yes sir. There is no other option.
The Saint: An Enemies to Lovers Romance (Haven Grace Prep Book 2) Page 20