Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Stone
The SUV barely comes to a halt before my feet spring into action and I race toward the gym door and throw it open. The destruction is everywhere, and my heart skips a beat. Chaos ensued, for sure.
My eyes scan the scene. The gym equipment has been upturned, graffiti mars the walls, and the potent scent of smoke fills my nostrils.
Everything is destroyed.
Everything.
Panic slices through me at an alarming pace.
“Elijah?” I bark out, but deep inside, I know it’s futile.
I know.
The broken glass crunches beneath my boots as I head toward the office door with a lump gathered in my throat. “Elijah?”
Pain in my temple radiates down my face and my pulse speeds up as I move through the gym. My heart gallops, and my body trembles. “Elijah?” I say again, but the door is lodged shut. Something is wedged behind it, stopping it from opening farther. So, using what force I have left in my weary body, I shoulder-barge it open. A scene of utter horror hits me square in the chest, and I stumble, unable to come to terms with what I’m seeing. Vomit rushes up my throat, burning it with its flaming venom, and I gag toward the floor, once again hating this cruel world I’m a prisoner to.
My vision swirls, and I fall to my knees to take the only man I’ve ever liked into my arms. I struggle to breathe as my lungs feel like they’re caving in.
A bullet wound to the neck causes blood to coat my arms as I hug him close to me. My chin wobbles, and I fight back the tears at imagining the torture he endured. I should know, my father and Vector delivered me the very same. His lower half is naked, covered in tortuous burn marks, giving away their punishment, and I squeeze my eyes closed, desperate to block it all out. Hating that he endured this because of our connection. It’s an evil taunt and a threat to me. I know exactly what instrument has been used to hurt the man who has only ever shown me kindness.
His bare body is riddled with violent scorches, the tips of his fingers missing, and blood trickles from his mouth. I imagine he bit into his tongue while they violated him.
Over and fucking over.
I shrug off my jacket and cover his lower body, hoping to give him a sliver of dignity I never received.
“I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry I caused this.” I swallow hard, finding it difficult to construct my words. “Jesus, I’m sorry I didn’t protect you.”
Then I squeeze my eyes closed when his words hit me. “I’m here when you need me.”
Tears fall onto him as I keep my eyes squeezed tight, unable to see the trail of my pain falling on him again. “I wish I’d talked to you, old man. I wish I’d have told you everything.”
I don’t know how long it is until I’m able to open my eyes again, but when I do, it’s with a steely determination. “I don’t know what I did in my former life, but I’m going to find out.” It’s the truth, and it’s what all the questions in my head boil down to.
Who the fuck am I?
Where the hell did I come from?
And how did I become the son of a man who seems to be my enemy?
Placing a promising kiss on the old man’s head, I rest him on the floor and swipe away the snot dripping from my nose. “Sleep now, old man.” I wish I could tell him he was the reason for the change in me today, that this moment is a catalyst for my future. That his death will not be in vain but in vengeance. “Thank you for everything.”
I get to my feet and broaden my shoulders with a newfound focus, to find the truth Eli always encouraged me to search for. I just wish I’d had the courage to do it before now, so I swallow back the lump of regret in my throat, then walk around the desk and lower myself down to the safe stored behind his bookshelf. Then I send a silent thank you to Elijah for gifting me the access code.
My thick fingers press the keypad with a tremble, and I’m unsure if it’s because of the drugs, the knowledge of Sienna’s marriage, the betrayal of my brothers, or the slaughter of the only man who cared for me.
Opening the door, I retrieve his gun, a wad of cash, and his bank cards. I might have my own, but something tells me I will need more. I slam it shut and stand taller, refusing to look at Elijah again. Instead, I head out the door and into my future.