Wow, it feels great to get that off my chest, and even better when he his body goes still, clearly shocked.
“What? Not going to argue with me this time? You know your precious Sara is likely whoring herself instead of coming back to you. Forget about her already.”
Forget about her and see me the way you see her. See that I’m your future, and she’s just a memory from your past.
He flies across the room so fast, I don’t have time to move out of the way. Climbing onto the bed, he gets in my face and hisses, “From now on, forget about us.”
I don’t even flinch. I’m starting to like getting this reaction from him. It’s better than the sulky asshole attitude he rocks, and I see clearly how fucked up he makes me.
Getting to my knees, I inch my face even closer to his. “Even if I could, you can’t forget me, Luca Jackson. You hate me because I’m not her, and you hate yourself because you want me. Go see your dad, and I’ll see you when you get back.”
He knows we still have shit to sort out, and this is far from over. But from now on, my backbone just got hell of a lot stronger. This boy isn’t walking all over me anymore.
Luca drags his ass off the bed and storms out past JJ.
“And don’t you go saying anything,” I snap at JJ as I climb off the bed.
Shaking his head, he turns, giving me his back. Why do people find the naked body such a thing to be embarrassed about? Every single woman on this earth has breasts, a vagina, and an ass. Seriously, the way men act like we’re freaking aliens or something is ridiculous.
Dressing swiftly, I place my hand on his arm, nudging him out of the room.
“It’s only skin, JJ.” I close the door behind us. “Please, keep your mouth shut. Luca has enough to deal with without my grandpa chasing him down.”
Luca stands at Leo’s side while the brothers discuss who’s going with them to the hospital. I take a seat at my brothers’ table, who aren’t bothered about leaving with them, and more interested in their own plans for the night.
“We wait till Leo’s left. Sparky’s going with them, so no one will notice us slip away,” Mason says to Myles with a sly smirk.
I couldn’t care less about their plans. It probably involves some poor girl they’ve made believe they’re in love with, when it couldn’t be further from the truth.
Luca meets my eyes. It’s like I can hear his thoughts, and he’s telling me our conversation isn’t over, and then he walks out, and the bar quietens with brothers following him and Leo outside.
“Shouldn’t you two be going with them?”
“When did you sit down?” Mason asks.
Rolling my eyes, I tell him, “An hour ago. Seriously, why aren’t you going to the hospital?”
“Dad said we were to stay here.”
“But you’re planning on leaving to go into town?”
The sarcasm in my tone isn’t lost on them, and they both narrow their eyes. When they continue to stare at me, I frown.
“What?”
I touch my face, but I don’t feel anything on it.
“There’s something about you… it’s different,” they both say in unison.
“No, there’s not. Now, why are you planning to leave when Dad told you not to?”
Their smirks are playful, but sinister. Not a good combination.
“Why are you all up in our business?” Mason grunts.
At my shrug, they pour themselves a drink from the bottle of tequila on the table, and I rest my chin on my hand and close my eyes.
All I see is Luca’s face. I hear his voice, and I can still feel him on my skin.
I’m a big believer that life is what you make it, but I’m also a big believer in destiny. The two combining gives me a headache. But I can’t work out why a higher being would want me to experience these darker times? I just wish everything could’ve been different. It’s exhausting, being jealous over someone who’s no longer around, and never to return. This isn’t me. It’s not who I am in my heart. Luca is twisting me up, and I’m not strong enough to stop him. My desire for him is much stronger than my will to stay away from him. It’s so pathetic.
Oh, what a mess this is, and all because Luca Jackson has a smile that draws me in like a fish to bait. Stupid fucking fish.
“What the fuck?”
A loud crash has my eyes flying open, but all I can see are Mason and Myles’ backs, blocking my view. They spring forward, going for their guns as Black Crows rush in. Punches are thrown, shots are fired. The place is in utter chaos.
In my haste to get up, the chair tumbles over behind me, and I stumble over my own feet. This doesn’t happen. The club is a safe zone, yet it’s crawling with the enemy.
“Victoria!”
Mom is running toward me, her face awash with fear. A shot’s fired, and she nearly falls over from jumping so hard. When she reaches me, she pushes me behind the couch and yanks on my hand until I’m on my ass beside her.
“Pass me your phone,” she orders, her voice shrill.
“I don’t have it.”
It must still be up in Luca’s room.
“How did they even get in here?” I whisper.
“They stormed the gates. I came straight over for you when I saw they weren’t Lost Souls. They must’ve seen everyone ride out to the hospital.”
“They’re here for Leo and Harper, aren’t they?”
“I’m pretty sure, yeah. This night is going to be long and bloody, mark my words. You do not leave my side, you hear me?”
Nodding, I cover my ears when someone is thrown on the table near us, his bones cracking in the most disgusting way.
My instinct is to run, and I must jolt to get up because Mom grabs my arm and holds me in place.
“Don’t move,” she grinds out. “The guys will be back once they hear what’s happening.”
Though we can’t see what’s happening, the sounds of banging, fists meeting flesh, and men yelling out threats has my heart hammering against my chest. It feels like it goes on for a lifetime before someone shouts, “If I could get everyone’s attention!”
Mom and I share a look, neither of us recognising the voice. The fighting stops, and Mom peeks her head up. When I see her eyes widen, I get to my knees so I can see what she does for myself, and I nearly gasp out loud. India is being held by a guy I’m assuming is Ellis.
Myles swings his fist into a Black Crows’ jaw, and then there’s silence. With the Lost Souls focusing on India, the Crows take advantage and pull their guns, some pointing them at the heads of the men I’ve grown up around my entire life.
The old ladies move slowly. Mom pulls me up with her, and we all try to squeeze onto the couches. The hang arounds shriek and cry, huddling together along the wall for support.
“Now that I have your undivided attention, would you cock-fucking-suckers drop to your knees. And for the love of peace and harmony, keep your women quiet or I will.”
As Lost Souls drop to their knees, I close my eyes and chant, “This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening…” Grabbing my hand, Mom pulls it into her lap and squeezes. This is a nightmare. Slinking back into the couch, I wedge myself between my mom and the armrest. Luca. If I die tonight, the last conversation we had would’ve been about Sara fucking Lancaster, and me not wanting his baby. Though I doubt he’d care much about losing me.
I block out Ellis’s voice as he goads India and makes threats. My mind wanders away to a life that could be possible if I live through this night, and if Luca changes his whole attitude.
I hear Ellis speaking to Cas on the phone, running his mouth and making demands.
Maybe if I keep my eyes shut, this’ll all be over by the time I open them.
Ellis continues to taunt India, and I sing through Janis Joplin’s greatest hits, trying to drown him out. He’s cold and manic, and nothing good can come from someone who managed to get through our gates. They’re not images I want to remember.
“El
l, behind you!” a guy hollers, the warning forcing my eyes to spring open.
Zach jumps Ellis and they land on the floor, but before he can throw a punch, he’s being pulled off by three of Ellis’s guys, who shove him down and bash their boots into his body. One Crow punches him so hard, I could swear I feel the impact myself. My brothers jump up to help him, but they don’t get far. They have their own Crows to fight.
Crow scumbags drag Zach into the middle of the bar and continue their beatdown. The Lost Souls shouting drown out Janis’s voice in my head, and I squeeze my eyes closed again. I can’t watch this. It’s like I can feel their pain, and I’m helpless to stop it.
The violence settles, but I don’t trust to see what’s going down. I sing louder in my head, forcing myself not to peek through one slightly opened eye.
Ellis weaves his way through the brothers, some still on their knees, others flat down on their stomachs.
My heart thumps so hard in my chest, I feel dizzy when he stops behind me. I don’t dare turn my head when he rests his hands on my tense, shaking shoulders.
“What’s your name? he asks. and I guess he’s talking to me.
Assuming he’s talking to me, I look to Mom, whose anger is ready to boil over, but she nods, telling me to answer him.
“Victoria.”
“And who do you belong to, Victoria?”
“Belong to? N-No one.”
“Let me rephrase. Who in this club do you have any sort of connection to?”
He digs his fingers into my shoulders when I don’t answer fast enough. It hurts.
“Are you withholding someone here from me because you think I’ll kill them?”
His joy at being lord and master has him thinking he’s invincible.
“Who are you trying to protect?”
One of his hands releases my shoulder, and I brace myself for anything. Is he going to hit me? Wrap his hand around my throat? A tear slips down my cheek, and I sob as quietly as I can. Mom’s horror heightens seconds before someone dumps water over head. No, not water—whiskey. It gets up my nose and I try to get away, but he pushes back down.
The smell of the whiskey makes me gag, but the sound of him flicking his lighter, and the flame entering my peripheral vision, causes me to feel faint.
“Answer me!” he roars, and I nearly jump out of my seat.
My brothers rush to their feet, ignoring the guns pointing at them.
“She’s our sister!” Mason shouts, as Mom shrieks, “She’s my daughter!”
Mom reaches for my hand again, but I don’t feel her warmth anymore.
“How old are you, sweetheart?” he asks close to my ear.
“Seventeen,” I manage to say.
“Did you think you would die tonight when you woke up this morning?”
I choke on the sob trying to escape until it bursts from my throat. The worst I thought would happen tonight would be Luca losing his shit with me over the baby. That would’ve been a walk in the park compared to this.
He flicks the lighter wheel again, and a frantic screech escapes past my lips as he holds the flame at my side.
“Have you ever smelled burning flesh before?”
I’m close to passing out. Black dots swarm in my vision as the world starts to slip away.
“Don’t do this. She had nothing to do with Leo and your brother!” Mom screams.
“She’s a fucking kid. Fight us like a proper fucking man, and not with your blade,” Zach snarls, making Ellis laugh.
The flame is swept in front of my face and I inch away, knowing if it gets much closer, I’ll be burnt to hell.
“All I wanted was Leo and Harper,” Ellis calls out to the room.
“Please…” I beg. “Don’t.”
“All I’d have to do is drop this lighter, and you’d be burning up like a barbecue.”
I saw what he did to Harper. He has no problem hurting women, and no doubt, killing them.
“No, please. Please…”
I don’t want to die. I want to see so much more of life. I make promises to anyone who can hear me that I’ll do anything if I just make it through this night.
“Leo told me how he killed your brother. He laughed about it when he described the moment your brother hit the ground.”
A rush of trapped air bursts up my throat and out of my mouth. Mom wraps her arms when Ellis struts across the room, over to India. She said that to lure him away from me.
I know I should pull myself together, but I can’t stop sobbing. My mom rocks me back and forth, and it’s not long before Kristen moves beside me and rubs my back. All I can smell is the whiskey, and if I never smell it again, it’ll be too soon.
I suppose it doesn’t matter. We’re all going to die, and everything I thought was a mess will die with me.
Chapter Seventeen
Luca
I tune out everyone arguing about what to do and pull my phone out of my pocket. Bringing up the thread I have with Tor, I type out a message.
I’m… I’m what? Sorry? Going to charge in and save her? Fuck! I delete the single word and bang the back of my head against the cupboard. It doesn’t help, but it does get the attention of my dad.
“How you doing, son?”
“I’m fine,” I lie.
This is not the time to tell him Tor is pregnant with my baby.
They continue to debate what move to make next, and all I can think of is Victoria. It’s time to admit she means more to me than I’ve let on.
JJ suggests storming the club. Ricky wants to send a couple of brothers in through the back and take down as many Crows as possible, while the others come through the front, guns blazing.
Dad sits there listening to it all, and I can tell he’s not on board.
Banging upstairs halts their arguing, and everyone looks up to the ceiling as if they can see through to the bedrooms.
Mom comes running down the stairs and into the kitchen.
“He’s gone, and so is Harper. They’re not here.”
Sighing, Dad asks, “The baby?”
“She’s asleep in her crib.”
JJ runs upstairs to see that his wife is gone for himself, and all we hear is him roar, “For fuck’s sake, Harps!”
“They’ve gone to the club,” Ricky murmurs, to which Dad snaps, “No shit.”
JJ’s boots stomp down the stairs, and as soon as he steps into the kitchen, he growls, “What are we waiting for? Let’s go. If he gets his dirty hands on Harper, who knows what he’ll do to her this time.”
Mom stands there, frozen. Leo has stepped over the line this time, and Mom’s going to kick his ass for sure when she gets her hands on him, as well as Dad.
“Babe, go sit with the kid. Be there for her if these fuckers wake her up.”
Mom disappears up the stairs, and dad turns on JJ. “We’ve been sitting here for over an hour while we thought they were upstairs. They could already be there. We’ll wait for sunrise, when they’ve been up all night riding. Their adrenaline rush will start to wear down, then we’ll attack.”
Ricky shakes his head, muttering, “Oh, so now that your kids are in there, we can storm the place?”
“The fuck you say to me?” Dad snaps. “We’re storming it now because my asshole kids have moved the die, so to speak. Their presence in Ellis’s orbit will be enough for him to lose his damned mind as it is. Us showing up can’t make it any worse.”
To be fair to Ricky, it sure seems like Dad’s changed his mind because of his kids, but I remain quiet on the subject.
“We have seven hours before sunrise. Go collect all the guns you can find, and make it back here before the sun comes up.”
Something’s up with JJ. Instead of following orders, he just stands there, shaking his head.
“Do you have something to say, JJ?” Dad questions.
“Anything could happen before sunrise. He could kill them both.”
A coldness washes over my dad, and he steps closer to JJ, getting in his
face.
“I’m fully fucking aware of that. They could already be dead. Go with your dad, and bring back every weapon you can find.”
I’m the only one who doesn’t leave, and once the kitchen is empty, Dad picks up a glass and throws it at the wall, sending shards of glass everywhere.
“So, I’ll clear that up before Mom comes back down.”
I go to search the cupboards for a brush and dustpan when Dad spins around, just realising I’m still here.
“Does this mean I’m going with you? And do I get a gun?”
“You think this is a game?”
I’m deadly serious, and he sees it.
“You’re coming. But if I give you a gun, your mom will put a bullet between my eyes. You’ll stay on the out until told otherwise.”
“That’s bullshit, Dad. I want to help.”
“Why?”
Not wanting him to read what’s written on my face, I look down at the floor. “The people in there are our family.” I shrug. “They’d fight for me.”
“I slapped that prospect patch on you so you can start learning about the club from within, not from being my son. This is where you listen to what I say and follow it without question, without hesitation, and without nothing less than everything you have. You understand?”
I don’t need to hear this, but I nod and bite down on my tongue, because he doesn’t need me giving him grief right now.
Dad heads upstairs, and I stay back to clean up the broken glass. Dumping it into the trash, I put the pan and brush away, listening to the silence lingering through the first floor. If anything happens to Victoria… I can’t bring myself to think along those lines. Taking the stairs two at a time, Dad’s voice has me slowing my steps.
“Do I dare ask if Luca is going with you?” I hear Mom ask as I creep down the hall. “He’s a prospect, and any other prospect would go too.”
I cling to the wall, fearing I’ll make a noise.
“I know,” Dad states, “but he’s been a prospect for a hot minute. If you want, he can stay. He’s not even eighteen yet.”
“I would rather him be anywhere than there, but he’s wearing the patch. I feel sick at the thought of him jumping into the fight, but I feel the same for you, for Leo—for everyone.”
His Twisted Heart : Sons of Lost Souls MC Series Book Nine Page 10