Chapter Eighteen
Evie
“You okay?” Raven asks gently, her concern written all over her face. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
I shake my head, unable to force the words out. Freaking fake-ass pain.
“I just got a text from Knox,” Sophie says, her tone tense. “It says we need to get out of the clubhouse.”
“Did he say why?” Steel asks just as his phone starts ringing.
He answers immediately. “King. What’s going on? … Got it … With my life, brother.”
As he pockets his phone, his face is set with urgency. “Pack up, ladies. We need to move. Now.”
What? Does he seriously expect me to move right now?
“What’s happening?” Raven asks, her voice edging toward panic. I grit my teeth, trying to stifle a cry as another massive jolt of pain surges through my leg. My missing. Freaking. Leg. How stupid.
“Knox and Emily found something on Viktor’s phone,” Steel explains, his voice steady despite the tension. “It mentions this clubhouse. I don’t think it’s safe to take you all to the safehouse with Ma and Pops. All the kids are there, and I can’t risk leading anyone to them. So, we’re heading to Hotel King.”
“Oh, I really hope he cleaned it out,” Amara mutters, clutching her stomach like the thought alone is enough to make her sick.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what “Hotel King” really is. The place he takes people to torture them. I’m not dumb. It’s easy to put two and two together with just a few words.
Strangely, it doesn’t scare me.
The fact that it doesn’t scare me should probably freak me out, though.
Pain racks my body, sharp and relentless. At this point, I wouldn’t even care if I ended up on King’s slab of torture. Surely, it couldn’t be worse than this. At least I’d die, and the pain would finally end.
“Did Reynolds take the van?” Maddy asks, glancing around. “It’s the only vehicle we can all fit in. Well, unless we take your truck, but most of us would have to ride in the back.”
“The van’s here,” Steel replies, pulling Raven into his arms with practiced ease. “Everyone ready?”
A sharp grunt of pain escapes me as I try to sit up straighter. I glance at the group. Maddy, Raven, Sophie, Delphi, Amara, and Steel all stare at me with concern etched on their faces.
“I can’t,” I grit out, my voice trembling as another wave of pain crashes through me. “My body is…in a constant state of being sh-shocked. I don’t exactly have control over it right n-now. You guys go. I’ll lock up.”
“Pet, grab her prosthetic and cane,” Steel says, pressing a quick kiss to Raven’s head before shifting his focus back to the group. “I want you all to follow me closely and quickly. No stragglers.”
Well, at least he’s nice enough to have my things brought where I can reach them.
I cry out as a hot poker is jammed through my right foot. You know….the one that isn’t there. Yes, I keep saying that. But if I say it enough times, maybe my freaking brain will catch up.
“Fuck, sweetheart,” Steel mutters, crossing the room in two strides to scoop me into his arms. His grip is steady but gentle like he’s afraid of breaking me. “I’m so fucking sorry you have to go through this.”
For once, I don’t have a sarcastic response. All I can do is bury my head against his chest, letting the steady thrum of his heartbeat drown out the phantom agony burning through my body.
“Fuck,” Steel mutters. “Evie, I need to put you down for just a minute. It’s pouring out there. Between that and the darkness, I can’t see a fucking thing. I’m going to run and get the van and pull it up to the door.”
“I’ll stay with her,” Maddy says, pulling out a handgun I didn’t know she had on her. “You guys go ahead and get in the van.”
Everyone turns to her, wide-eyed.
“What?” she shrugs. “You think my man is going to let me leave the house without some form of defending myself?”
“Cool,” Raven says.
“Nope,” Steel shakes his head. “You’re not getting a gun, Pet. I’m going to put you on the floor, Evie. I’ll be right back. Let’s go, ladies.”
I watch as everyone but Maddy follows Steel out the door. With a clear view outside, I can see that he was right. It’s downpouring, and the storm clouds are blocking any natural light. It’s pitch black out there.
“I hope Mitchell and the team find Sara soon,” I say through gritted teeth. “I really hope no one gets hurt.”
“They won’t,” Maddy says. “We have to have faith that our men know what they’re doing. They saved me from a really bad situation a while back. My twin sister and mother are the evilest women I’ve ever met. King and I had only just started seeing one another and things kind of went sideways there for a while. But, in the end, they all saved me and King has since made it his life mission to keep me safe.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper, clenching my fist and punching my stump, desperate to redirect my focus to a pain I can control.
It doesn’t work.
“I told you that so that you know, they’re smart,” she smiles down at me. “These men may seem rough and grouchy to the world, but they love so freaking hard that it’s scary. And, when someone threatens someone they love, they’ll burn down the world to save them. You and Sara might have just joined our family, but it doesn’t matter. You belong to the Obsidians. Someone made a terrible mistake taking one of our own.”
Do they really consider me part of their family? I’m not really sure if Mitchell and I are even together. Okay, that’s a lie. We totally are. But it’s still too new to be anything special. Now, Sara is a different story. She’s Mitchell’s family and an actual Princess. He only just got her back. Losing her would break something in him.
I wish I could trade places with her.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it’s wrong.”
“What?”
“The look on your face,” she says, sitting beside me. “I had that same look when I thought King hated me. I went through so many different emotions when he pushed me away. But the worst feeling was when I thought he didn’t want me because I was fat. It’s tough accepting that someone loves you for who you are when you’re not society’s definition of pretty. But none of it was true.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“It was all just a huge misunderstanding,” she sighs. “I’ll tell you all about it another day. I just want you to know that you mean more to Mitchell than what you’re thinking.”
I glance down at my stump and sigh.
“Society’s definition of pretty is definitely someone with all of her limbs,” I say softly. “I mean, look at us right now. We’re sitting on the floor waiting for Steel to bring the van close because I can’t walk to it. I’m not a whole person. I spend most of my days in pain.”
I wipe away the tears that fall.
Yeah, I’m having a pity party. A selfish pity part, considering Sara is missing.
“I’m a terrible person,” I say, looking up at Maddy. “I’m sitting here feeling sorry for myself when Sara could be in danger. Help me up. We need to do as we’re told so the guys can focus.”
Helping me to my feet, Maddy wraps her hand around my back to help support me. I wish they hadn’t already taken my crutches.
“Hello?”
I startle at the new soft voice coming from the entrance.
“Uhm, hey,” Maddy says. “Can we help you?”
“Uhm… is ugh… is Knox here?”
I take a closer look at the young boy. He’s about my height, a whooping five foot four inches, but he has stubble on his round face.
So, a man, not a boy. Got it.
“He’s not,” I smile gently. He looks terrified. “Is there something we can help you with?”
“Oh,” he whispers. “No thanks.”
“What’s your name?” Maddy asks. “We can tell him that you stopped by.”
“Steel?” he asks instead? “Blaze? Taylor?”
“Steel is,” I say. “He just went outside but will be back any second. Do you want to come in out of the rain and wait for him?”
He seems unsure, but he nods.
“Follow us,” Maddy says. “We’ll wait on the couch.”
Using Maddy as a crutch, I hop awkwardly to the couch, grateful to finally sit down. I glance at the man as he comes fully into the light of the building, noticing for the first time the bruises on his face.
“Who the hell hit you?” I demand, furious on his behalf.
Tears streak down his cheeks as he perches on the edge of a chair, looking completely lost.
“Go get Steel,” I urge Maddy. She nods quickly and rushes out of the building.
Turning back to the man, I soften my voice, trying not to alarm him. “What happened, honey? Are you okay?”
Before he can answer, another jolt tears through my body, more intense than the last. The pain is so overwhelming that my muscles seize, locking me in place.
“What’s happening?” the man asks, his voice rising with concern. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
I want to answer, but my vocal cords are frozen, just like the rest of me. The current of pain holds me captive, leaving me unable to do anything but endure it until it passes.
Five seconds. It only lasted five seconds, but I’m completely drained.
“I’m okay,” I manage between shallow breaths. “It’s not real pain. Just phantom pain.” I force a small smile, hoping to ease the tension. He just seems so scared. “Now, what’s your name?”
“Ollie,” the man says softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “My name is Ollie.”
Steel’s voice cuts through the storm raging outside, sharp and filled with an edge I’ve never heard from him before. “Ollie!” he yells, panic lacing his tone. Steel, always composed, always in control, sounds shaken.
Ollie’s shoulders relax visibly at the sound of his name. “Safe,” he whispers, relief flooding his face as Steel steps into the doorway.
Steel strides forward, crouching to cup Ollie’s face with both hands. “Oh, little one,” he murmurs, his voice low and dangerous, though his touch is gentle. “When I get us to safety, I want his fucking name.”
“Steel,” someone calls out.
“Stay here with Evie,” Steel says, his tone firm. “I just need to get the van unstuck from the fucking mud.”
The door swings shut behind him, and no sooner does he step outside than the power goes out.
Ollie gasps a sharp, fearful sound that cuts through the oppressive darkness. I’m not a huge fan of the pitch-black, either. It’s suffocating.
“Ollie, can you come sit with me?” I ask gently, my voice steady despite the unease crawling up my spine.
I hear him shuffling around in the dark. A dull thud tells me he’s tripped, but he doesn’t complain. Moments later, he’s at my side.
“Darkness is scary,” he whispers, his voice trembling.
“I know,” I say softly. “But we’ll be okay. Can you hold my hand?”
I won’t lie. I freaking hate the dark. The silence. The uncertainty of what’s lurking... it makes my skin crawl.
I’m about to suggest we step outside. It’s less claustrophobic out there, even in the dark, when suddenly the world explodes around us.
A deafening crash reverberates through the room, the loudest sound I’ve ever heard. A blinding flash of light fills the space, disorienting me completely. Before I can process what’s happening, something massive slams down on top of me, driving the breath from my lungs.
For a moment, there’s nothing but silence. Heavy and suffocating. My ears ring from the blast, and my head spins as I struggle to make sense of what just happened.
I’m pinned. Something impossibly heavy presses against my chest, and I can’t move my one good leg. I can barely breathe.
“Ollie,” I rasp, my voice barely a whisper. “Ollie, are you okay?”
No response.
Panic flares in my chest, sharper than the phantom pains ever could. “Ollie!” I try again, louder this time. The weight shifts slightly with my movement, and I bite back a scream as sharp pain shoots through my ribs.
“I’m here,” a small voice finally answers. “I…I’m stuck.”
Relief washes over me, but it’s short-lived. He sounds terrified, and I can’t even reach out to comfort him.
“It’s going to be okay,” I say, forcing calm into my tone. “Steel will be back any second. He’ll get us out of here.”
“I can’t see,” Ollie whimpers. “I can’t move.”
I close my eyes against the tears threatening to spill. I hate this, too. The helplessness, the suffocating weight, the darkness pressing in like it’s alive. But Ollie needs me to be strong.
Something about this man makes me want to wrap him in bubble wrap and keep him safe.
“We just have to hang tight,” I say, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Steel’s going to come back, and he’s going to move all this... stuff. You’ll see. He won’t leave us.”
There’s a groan of shifting debris above us, and I freeze. The last thing we need is for whatever’s left of the building to collapse even further.
“Ollie, don’t move, okay? Stay as still as you can.”
“I’m scared,” he whispers, his voice breaking.
“I know,” I say softly. “I’m scared too. But we’re going to get out of this. Steel is probably outside right now, cursing up a storm and tearing through the rubble to find us.”
That earns a shaky, nervous laugh from Ollie. “He’s scary when he’s mad.”
I chuckle, though it comes out weak and strained. “Yeah, he is. But that’s a good thing right now. He’ll move mountains… or buildings…. if he has to.”