Royal Havoc

54. Poked- Not Sliced

fifty-four

Poked- Not Sliced

Onyx: 2024

I t’s the second you have to stop and ask yourself if reality’s a dream that you start to question your life choices.

A psycho sister hidden in an asylum. An estranged sperm sack turned Dad. The guy you’ve loved to hate since childhood, proving you wrong.

My life’s havoc… but could I exist any other way?

You thrive on havoc!

For the first time in a long time, all I want to do is sleep. The insanity clustering in my brain has finally fallen silent. Vex leads the way down the dimly lit steps, jolting my claustrophobia. He opens the heavy door, holding it for me. The bunkers are more spacious than I expected, giving the vibe of an open loft with a couple of rooms off to the side.

Hendrix and Vance sit at a large round table, each of them reading a file open in front of them. I glance around the space, searching for crazy eyes, only finding monitors revealing the grounds. What appears to be a kitchen area and a row of closed doors. There are also a couple of sofas tucked in a corner.

“About time,” Hendrix grumbles without bothering to look up.

Vex pulls out a chair for me. “We had some shit to work out,” he says, winking at me when I sit.

“No shit talk,” Hendrix warns sternly, closing the file. He looks at me for a second. “You okay?” he asks. “You look tired.”

Clearing my throat. “I’ll be fine. What are we reading?” I ask, deflecting his question, leaning forward to peek at the file name.

He and Vance exchange a glance as Vex sets a bottle of water in front of me. “Brock Brickman and Amethyst Whithe’s files from The Row,” Hendrix answers solemnly.

Vance glances at Vex, then at me. “You’re the first female to attend a Four meeting,” he advises.

My brows scrunch, looking around the table. “Um, shouldn’t there be four of you if it’s a meeting?”

Hendrix smiles. “Depends on the topic,” he answers lazily.

“Oh,” I answer, not even a clue as to what he means. “Someone going to share the topic?” I finally ask.

“For starters,” Hendrix says, locating a paper he hands to Vex. “Carney’s no longer paired with you. And she’ll no longer be living in River’s Edge,” he explains to Vex, and I feel a weight lift from my chest. “Second. Onyx, do you want to be paired with him?” he asks, tipping his chin at Vex.

“Yes,” I answer honestly.

Hendrix nods, and I swear I hear Vex sigh in relief. “Sign it, and file it,” Hendrix instructs Vex, leaning back to stretch.

“That’s seriously it?” I scoff. “Sign a paper, and you’re done? You guys are a boring group. I’m glad I’m not forced to attend your snooze fests.”

The three of them laugh, but I wasn’t joking.

“Amethyst’s going to wake up. I’m going to get answers. I’m giving you a choice. Staying or going?” Hendrix asks me seriously, lacing his hands on the table.

I swallow hard. “Staying. I want answers, too.”

He nods, and the three of them stand together. Vex walks to the row of doors, and I realize they’re sliding doors, made to look like normal ones. He enters a code, and the door glides to the side, disappearing into the one beside it. He enters another code and slides the next door open. Both sets disappear into the third.

That’s some mind fuck trickery.

Two steal cages are revealed side by side. Each of them the size of an office. Amethyst sits strapped to a chair in one. Brock the same in the other. Both of them silenced with gags.

They open Brock’s first. Hendrix sets a chair in front of him and takes a seat. The other two stand behind him at his sides. While I observe from the outside.

“Your brother’s gone.”

Brock rolls his eyes. Hendrix motions and Vance removes the gag. “I know,” Brock rasps, moving his jaw around to release what I assume is a cramp.

Hendrix rests his elbows on his knees. “What did you do to Hannah Perry and her husband?”

Brock stares at the three of them. “The bitch got what she deserved for her sister hurting princess,” he answers.

“So, are you admitting you killed them?” Hendrix asks.

“I’m admitting I had fun,” Brock says cryptically before his head jolts to the side when Hendrix punches him. Brock laughs, smiling evilly, spitting blood on the floor. “Guess that hurt his feelings,” he tries to joke with Vex, earning him another jaw-cracking hit.

“Who hired you at Edge?” Hendrix continues his interrogation.

He licks the blood from his lip. “A dude in a suit. A friend of Ollie's,” he answers smugly.

Hendrix nods at Vance before they stand. The three of them leave the cage, and Vex removes the chair. They migrate towards Amethyst’s cage, approaching her sleeping ass using the same setup.

This time, I follow them inside, stopping Hendrix before he sits. “My turn,” I tell him, sitting in the seat.

I smash my foot on top of hers, watching her eyes flutter open, slowly taking in the scene in front of her. Vance removes her gag, and a charged silence gathers around us.

I slip the small knife from my pocket and notice her watching me as I open it. “Where should we start?” I ask, checking out the blade. “Right,” I say, stabbing the blade into her leg above her knee. “I’m a poker, not really into slicing. Don’t really have the patience for it.” I shrug.

“You bitch,” she grits, wiggling in her chair.

“Onyx,” Hendrix warns, squeezing my shoulder.

I glance up at him. “I thought we were playing a game. She took her turn and sliced open my arm. That was my turn,” I explain simply.

“I’m going to —”

“You’re not going to do shit,” Vex growls, stepping close to my side.

Her eyes narrow, sliding between each of us. “Where’s B?”

“Here,” he answers from his cage.

Her head whips to the side, smiling as soon as she sees him. “Hi,” she whispers.

Hendrix snaps his fingers, drawing her attention back to us. “Why’d you try to kill me?” I ask before he can say anything, proving I’m the one in charge of this portion of the interrogation.

Her eyes raise to meet mine, a bright smile spreading over her lips. “Mommy said if you didn’t have lungs, you couldn’t cry,” she answers. “I wasn’t trying to kill you. I was trying to pop your lungs.” She shrugs as if there’s a clear difference.

“You kicked her over the cliff,” Hendrix growls, flexing his hands.

She rolls her eyes. “You keep saying that. But you’re wrong. I tried to pop her lung like a balloon. I missed, obviously . She fell and tripped on a rock. I tried to grab her because I was going to try again, but she slid over the edge. I was mad too, because I couldn’t reach her, and I messed up,” she whines, explaining herself as though it had just happened.

“Why’d you lie?” he asks.

She shakes her head like he’s asked the dumbest question she’s ever heard. “She said if I told, you’d take her away. Guess she didn’t think you’d give me away.”

Tired of listening, I stand and start to pace around her. Stalking her like she did me. “You chased me in those woods that night,” I accuse, wondering if she’ll admit it.

Sick laughter bubbles out of her. “Poor little Dark Queen. So scared. Shivering all alone. Yelling for your little boy toy,” she cackles, doubling over.

I snatch the wooden bat standing in the corner, swinging it and connecting with her shoulder. The chair tips, but Vance catches her before she falls. “I was fucking ten, you evil bitch!” I shout, releasing the anger I’ve held onto for years.

“So what I’m hearing… is you’ve been a crybaby all your life,” she taunts, biting back her laughter. “She didn’t even look for you. She left with Ollie, and they fucked like rabbits.” She cackles, her head falling back.

“Don’t you fucking touch her!” Brock shouts out of nowhere, glaring through the cage at Vex.

I tune everyone out, grabbing the stupid bun hanging loosely from her head, and force her to look at me. Rage fuels my veins like a blazing fire, causing me to shake. “Why did you send Zoey after me? Was it your idea?” I question, needing answers so that I can be done with her.

Her brows raise as she glances at Vex. “Your boy must have popped her cherry good because she’s after that cock.”

My palm stings from connecting with her face. “Did you send her?” I repeat, running out of patience.

“She found me when she heard you were coming back to town. All she kept saying was they were going to be happy together. Then she offered to watch you for me. How do you think I got in the cottage?”

“It was you? The flowers. All the stuff,” I gasp.

“Stuff? I left you some flowers once. I don’t know anything about stuff,” she sighs.

“I stocked the place. You didn’t have shit,” Vex speaks up.

My eyes grow wide in shock. “You bought me chapstick?”

His brows pull tight. “You wear it all the time.” He shrugs, not even knowing how sweet he is in the moment.

Hendrix’s hand wraps around mine, urging me to release her hair. “I think you should rest,” he says softly. “Vex, take her back to the cottage. Vance and I still have some questions, before Lusk shows up to escort these two to the prison.”

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t exhausted, and my wounds started to bleed again. Vex steps beside me, wrapping his arm around me, leading me from the cage.

“I’ll be seeing you, sis,” Amethyst calls, making chills erupt over my body as Vex opens the heavy door for me.

Once we reach the top of the steps, he lifts me into his arms, cradling me against his chest, and I feel myself slipping into darkness within minutes. Finally, I’m where I'm meant to be.