Twisted in Chaos (Destructive Devastation #2)

Chapter 11.2

“I can hide him.”

Facing her, I note the determination in her sparkling eyes. “Hide him?”

She nods, marching toward her iPad. She clicks a few times and nods.

“The West Wing is no longer in use because of renovations. I can wheel him over there until he wakes up. I can watch him until then.”

I tilt my head. “You’d go out of your way to ensure he lives? If my father gets wind of this…” I raise a brow at the implications.

He’ll murder her, for sure. Lori won’t have a family to go back to because they’ll be dead. Gabriel will take no mercy on her for aiding our escape.

She swallows hard but nods. “I understand.”

“Why?” I ask, stepping forward.

It’s not every day someone puts their life on the line for us, especially a civilian who isn’t under our control. She has no allegiance to us. Sure, we helped her get her life together, but it was not a charity. It was a loan.

“I already told you. You saved me. If I weren’t back in this hospital, then I would be dead, anyway.” She wipes the tears from her eyes.

Suspicious. But I have no other choice. I must leave him here.

But the thought of leaving him alone has my stomach twisting in knots. Maybe I could toss his ass through the window I came through and get him back to my car.

No. It would not work.

My father probably dispatched his guards to find me here and take me out, along with Arrow. Discretion is my best bet. But fuck. Leaving him here was never a part of the damn equation.

“We will wipe your debt clean. If you are successful in keeping my brother safe from the guards that will come to kill us, then we’ll owe you. More than just erasing your debt, Lori.” I raise a brow, hoping she understands where I’m going with this.

Lori will never have to worry about money again. She’s living proof of why we help the citizens of this town with their problems. We’re needed. She was helpless.

Her eyes widen. “But you… you gave me…”

“Thirty thousand. I’m aware. You got your new life and away from that man. Now, if you do this, the Viotto family will wipe away what is owed to us. If he survives,” I say with ease, trying to keep my teeth from clenching at the prospect of my brother succumbing to my father’s nefarious plans. “You understand? You’ll be owed a great debt from the Family. Arrow must wake up and leave this hospital intact, though.”

“Yes,” she says shakily. “I will do everything I can. But you have to help me move him. I will administer the drug. But we need to wheel his bed to the other side of the hospital.”

“Consider it done,” I say with a nod. “Now, begin the wake-up process.”

Lori gets to work as quickly as possible, injecting Arrow with the wake-up serum straight into his IV.

I watch closely, noting the shake of her hands and the paleness of her face.

“Where are the guards?” It is something that has bothered me since the moment I stepped foot into this room.

If my father was so adamant about killing Arrow to keep my obedience, then he had to have men standing outside waiting for me to arrive.

Unless he was bluffing.

But that’s not Gabriel Viotto’s modus operandi. He never bluffs. Always acts. It is how he has gotten himself to the top for so many years. Never caring about who he has hurt to get what he wants. Including the boy he essentially adopted from the priest so he could hone his psychopathic tendencies and use them for his gain.

Lori’s eyes flick to me. “They usually stand outside, watching like statues. They were waiting for you.” Were. So, they have gone somewhere.

“But there was no one there,” I state it as fact as my shoulders tighten. “Did you, by chance, distract them?”

She discreetly nods.

“How?”

“I may have mentioned seeing someone suspicious. Like you in the ER waiting room. They wouldn’t let me in here, so I had to get creative. I knew if Arrow was here and in this state, then he needed help.”

“So, all along, you were going to wake him up without being told to?”

“I was trying to show my appreciation,” she says with a small voice, stepping back from Arrow’s IV. “Okay, it’s in.”

My muscles stiffen when squeaking footsteps come from outside the door. Murmured voices float through the air, sounding disgruntled and rage-filled. It’s either the door guards returning to their post, or the rest of the goons outside have decided to join the party in their search for me.

“They’re back,” Lori squeaks, bringing her hands over her heart. She pales more, staring wide-eyed at me like I have all the answers. Something I’m not confident I have right now.

I heave a calming breath, counting inside my mind. All I need is a simple solution to save Arrow, Lori, and myself. My fingers clench at my sides the moment the beast inside my chest awakens, clawing to break free, sensing the bloodshed about to happen.

I shake out the tension in my body, taking a centering breath. Everything falls away from me.

“In order to get him to safety, I’m going to have to get rid of the guards standing outside.” I raise a brow when she shakily nods at me.

I am accustomed to violence and blood. It lives in my soul. Just like my father wanted. Only I am not as cold and calculating as he would have liked. Calculated? Yes. Cold? Without Journey, yes.

But Lori?

She is shaking like a leaf, eyeing me with a wariness that has my teeth aching from clenching them so hard.

“Wh-what do…”

I put a hand up to stop her trembling voice from escalating. In a matter of seconds, they will be here, sweeping the room. They abandoned their post, finding nothing. So, they will be extra pissed that they defied orders and did not let the other guards stationed outside take care of the sighting.

“You’re officially protected by me at this moment. And that’s why I need you to climb into that cabinet and shut the door. Cover your ears. What you hear and see won’t be pretty.”

Her entire body locks up when the door handle jiggles slightly, and the voices of what sounds like two guards get closer than ever.

Marching forward, I grab Lori by the shoulders and gently help her into the cabinet.

“It’s of utmost importance that you do not make a peep. If they hear you because I’m guessing you aren’t assigned to his care, they’ll dispose of you. Cover your ears tight.”

She nods in compliance, slowly covering her ears with her hands. Her entire body contorts in the small cabinet, but it’ll do. It has to.

A coldness hits me out of nowhere as all my emotions flee for their lives as my beast slams down on me. My humanity barely clings on, whimpering as I give into the darkness clouding my eyes.

I shut the cabinet softly and lean against it, staring at the door. My body rests in the shadows of the dim room. For the briefest second, I look Arrow’s unmoving body over with a sharp eye. He’s deadly still and breathing normally. How I thought this would go off without a hitch has me mentally chastising myself. I knew anything Gabriel put into place would be almost impossible to defeat. Almost being the keyword.

I palm two knives hidden away in my security get-up and slowly walk toward the door, aiming to hide behind it.

“We tell no one that fucking happened.” Ah, I recognize that voice. Gerard. My father’s number one bodyguard, who always stands by his side at public events. Conveniently, he wasn’t at the initiation ball. How fucking curious that is.

“Boss will fucking kill us,” another voice hisses.

No. Your boss won’t murder you. I will.

“Not a word that we left our post. We were here the whole time. I’ll take care of the security tapes.”

I smirk. It’s funny how one determined nurse had the power to get them to move away from their assigned post. Gabriel will not be too happy when he hears about this.

“I swear I saw him on the surveillance video,” the other voice I do not recognize says with rage. “He was here, sneaking around.”

“Boss says to pull the plug,” Gerard rumbles with a sigh. “Let’s check the room. We need to get this done ASAP.”

Good luck with that.

I ready myself as the door opens and closes, permitting them entry. I do not bother with pleasantries. Hi. How unfortunate to see you again. Now, goodbye.

Instead, I take Arrow’s approach. Stab first and ask questions later.

My knives plunge through their backs and into their chests, hopefully nicking their hearts all in one go. But I am not that lucky. The unknown guard falls face first, his body jerking violently until he stops altogether.

Pathetic.

One down. One to go.

Gerard pivots on his heel with a familiar scowl. But then he wobbles, staring down at the wound on his chest. His meaty fingers swipe at the blood staining his shirt. Then, like a good boy, he drops to his knees before me.

“No one will touch Arrow.”

And I mean that. He may be able to protect himself. But I’m his goddamn keeper. Today. Tomorrow. For fucking ever.

“Jericho,” Gerard bubbles out, blood seeping between his lips, staining them red. It appears I hit his lung instead of his heart—such a shame. An inch over, I’d have hit my mark.

“Any last words? I ask, quickly disarming him and pocketing the two handguns that were tucked in his pants. A fun treat I’ll use later. I palm the bloodied knife again, waiting for his words.

“You’ll never win,” he rasps out, laughing maniacally. “Ever. There are so many plans in place. You cannot even fathom.”

I click my tongue at him, noting his lack of fight. They are supposed to protect their jobs at all costs. But some men think dying on duty is the ultimate honor. That Gabriel will walk their bodies through the streets in a hero’s parade for protecting their asset.

Gag me.

“You’re not going to beg for your life? No tears or pleas?” I raise a brow when I rest the knife against his throat.

He swallows a lump. “I never beg. You’ll never see my tears. Boss taught me better than that,” he hisses with venom.

“Indeed. He taught us all better than that, didn’t he? Even his five-year-old son, who he flung into a closet.” I shake my head at the memory of my cries and pleas as my father walked away, leaving this asshole in his place.

Gerard smirks, obviously remembering where my mind went. “Poor little Jericho locked in a closet crying for his mommy.” My eyes glaze over with red, tinting my vision.

“You enjoyed the show, though. Didn’t you?” I dig the edge of the knife into his neck. “The sufferings of a little boy who lost his mother.”

Gerard grins at that, exposing his yellowing teeth tinged with blood and putrid breath. “Best entertainment I had in years.” He spits blood on the ground lazily, unable to move well with my knife threatening his life.

“I’m curious,” I say, leaning in closer. He will die whether or not I slit his throat. The wound on his chest guarantees that, not to mention the blood coating his trachea.

He smirks. “Curious? What could you be curious about? Hmm?” He lifts his chin further, practically begging me to end his suffering.

All in due time, Gerard.

“About my brother,” I say, tilting my head. I am going on an assumption, of course. The Viotto Crime Family does not put women in charge. They are second-class citizens within the organization. Sexist? Yes. Women can be powerful leaders. Like my fucking queen. She will rule this land.

If we live to see it.

So, in theory. I have a mysterious brother out there. Someone my father has kept hidden from the masses—a secret weapon. But I have my doubts. Gabriel is not known for his truths. Only lies.

Gerald’s eyes widen slightly, muscles stiffening. “What fucking brother? You are the only Viotto fuck from Daddy Dearest,” he snarls.

I smirk. “And thank fuck for that,” I say, digging the teeth of my knife deeper into his flesh until more blood seeps out. “So, no other heirs to my throne, hmm?

“Fuck no,” Gerard wheezes out, gagging loudly and sending more blood spewing from his lips and onto my clothes, distracting me from his movements. In that split second, I miss the knife he grabs from somewhere on his person and thrusts through the calf of my left leg.

Pain fucking explodes through my calf, and I bite my tongue when he slightly twists it in his weakening state. It burns, sending fire through my nerves. It’s worse than anything I have experienced in a long time. But you know what they say about pain? It proves you are still alive. Feeling.

“You motherfucker,” I grit out, thrusting my knife through his throat and out through his neck.

Life drains from his eyes and, much to my disappointment, he falls to the side without divulging information. Such a pity.

My teeth grit to dust when I stupidly kick his body and regret it immediately. I stumble back, gasping for breath. A sharp pain radiates from the fresh knife wound, seeping small amounts of blood through my fucking pants.

Fuck. God damn it. That hurts. Burns. Fucking throbs beneath my flesh like a spider crawling beneath and biting every nerve ending along the way. Standing straight, I close my eyes. That is two guards down and probably a million to go. I cannot linger here any longer. Or keep Arrow unarmed. I need to get him settled then and get on my way to East Point. Until then, I must survive this fucking stab wound and not bleed out.

Stiffly, I bend down, checking the two guards for a pulse. Dead. Worthless, motherfuckers. Good fucking riddance. Moving as quickly as I can on an injured leg, I drag the bodies of both guards into the bathroom and set them in the shower. Although whoever enters this room will see the blood on the floor, they will have to investigate further to find them. This leaves me with a smidge of guilt for whichever innocent person walks through those doors to check on Arrow and gets the surprise of their lives.

I quickly wash the blood from my skin with a heavy sigh. Once Arrow settles in his new room, I will change out of these blood-stained clothes and have Lori check over my wound.

After cleaning up, I head to the cabinet and open it slowly, pleasantly surprised that Lori listened to my instructions. She presses her hands against her ears and squeezes her eyes shut.

“Lori,” I say gently, tapping her hand.

Her eyes pop open, and she jumps when she sees me looking down at her. Slowly, she removes her hands from her ears, staring wide-eyed at my bloody clothes.

“It’s done. The guards stationed at this door will no longer be an issue. But I can’t say the same about the others lingering on the property.” I step back, giving her shaky body enough room to crawl out.

Her eyes dart around the hospital room, stopping on the large puddle of blood pooling on the floor. She swallows hard and shakes her head.

“Okay,” she breathes. “Let’s get him out of here.”

Lori and I get to work, maneuvering his bed out the door and down the hallway. We take several turns, avoiding the other nurses and doctors. Finally, after sneaking past several people in the halls, we make our way into the abandoned part of the hospital.

Quiet descends on us the moment we push through the double doors. My only worry now is the cameras that followed our every move. Something I’ll take care of with a quick text.

Me

Suppose I need someone to erase a hospital’s security feed.

Carter

… It’s 3 A.M. And why the fuck would I help you?

He’s always so pleasant to speak with and eager to be in my company. Or anyone’s, really. The only person I’ve ever seen calm him down is his wife.

Me

Because you’re my cousin’s partner.

Carter

Text her. Not me, asshole.

Me

Well, if my cousin was a computer genius, I would. But she can barely log into her emails…

I can practically feel his rage from here.

Carter

What hospital? Timestamp? Do I even want the reason?

Me

Briar Cove Memorial. Erase the last twenty-four hours of events. Especially the second floor.

Carter

You owe me.

Me

**thumbs up emoji**

Carter

You fucking contact me at three in the morning for this shit and then give me the thumbs-up emoji?

I smirk. We’re not on the best of terms. We only know each other through my cousin, Olivia. He disapproves of my business. And I raise a brow at his being a government agent. But there are a few things we’ve agreed on in the past.

He does something for me. I take out someone for him.

I put my phone into my pocket, watching Lori with a sharp stare.

“He should be safe here. No one will bother him.” Lori gently sets up his IV bag above him and wipes her hands down her scrubs. “I’ll keep an eye out. But I have to go back to my station. I wasn’t even supposed to be in his room. I’m technically on break.”

“Thank you for your assistance.” I nod in her direction.

She offers me a soft smile. “I’ll take care of Arrow. I promise. I—oh my God. You’re bleeding!” Her face pales when she looks down at the floor.

Indeed. I am bleeding and apparently leaving a small trail in my wake. I eye the red in the darkness of the room, barely able to make out the small trail from the door to here. Great. The stab wound will be my damn downfall.

“Gerard stabbed me,” I say, staring down at the blood soaking through.

My body slightly wavers. A cold prickling crawls up my spine as a sheen of sweat appears on my flesh. Well, then. I am a little worse off than I thought. Perhaps I should sit and let Lori tend to my wounds. There is no way I’d make it to Olivia’s on half a tank of fucking blood.

“I can look at it. Give me just a second to grab some gloves, and I can patch you up as best I can,” Lori whispers, giving me a reassuring smile before leaving the room. In seconds, she’s back with gloves and a suturing kit. “Come here,” she says, waving me over to a chair and pointing for me to sit. I follow her instructions, and I’m thankful I’m somewhere that can aid with my wound.

“Thank you, Lori,” I say, leaning my head back with a sigh. A dull ache begins in the back of my skull as the stress of everything pushes down on me. Arrow’s safe. For the time being. Shepp and Journey, on the other hand? In God’s hands, I suppose.

Lori gets to work, gently raising my pant leg. Whatever she sees, she doesn’t make a face. “It doesn’t look too bad,” Lori says, looking at me from the floor. “Is your leg functioning, okay?” she asks as she opens the sterile suturing kit and sets it up.

I nod. “Surprisingly, yes.” Perhaps it’s the adrenaline keeping me going. Or my own sheer will. Whatever it is, it needs to last me a few more hours until I can get properly checked out in East Point Bluff.

I grit my teeth a few times as she sews me up and then puts two large bandages over the wound.

“This was a quick sew-up job. Mr. Viotto. From what I could tell, it does not seem like you have any damage to the bones or ligaments. But I’d have a doctor check it out, just in case. You could have nerve damage...” she trails off when her iPad beeps. “Damn it,” she mutters, clicking a few times. “I need to go back to my station.” Her brows furrow as she collects the trash and throws it away in a nearby garbage can.

“No need to worry about me. I will have someone do an in-depth checkup at my next destination.” I offer her a thankful nod for everything she is doing: helping Arrow, hiding him, and patching me up. She has gone beyond what any regular citizen would.

“I will check on him in an hour to ensure his vitals are fine. I promise I will get him out of here.” Her chin raises when she looks me in the eye like a dutiful soldier pledging her life to the Viotto Family.

At least we have allies in the people we have helped.

“Thank you for your sacrifice, Lori. I deeply appreciate you helping me. We will be in contact later.” I offer her a sharp nod.

Lori nods, heading out the door with more promises of helping him escape. Once the door closes, I sigh, staring at him. For such a Devil when his eyes are open, he sure sleeps like an angel.

Shaking my head, I remove my backpack and remove Aiden’s too-small clothes. I hiss when my pants and socks come off, sticking to my flesh from the blood. I grunt, tossing them aside, and stare at the bandaged area free of blood. For now. I am sure she did the best she could, but I know I’ll need something more. Pain meds would be mighty handy. But I am sure driving on them would only complicate things further. So, I push ahead with my quickly formed plan.

Once, I’m dressed in loose-fitting sweatpants and a T-shirt, disguising myself from my usual attire. I turn to Arrow and lean against the railing of his hospital bed.

“Things are well and truly fucked,” I say to his sleeping form. “And my father is at the center of this fuckery. I am sure when you wake, you will leave a trail of bodies behind.” I smirk at the imagery.

Once Arrow wakes, he will be on a damn warpath to get Journey back. He only has three things he genuinely cares about. Torture. The Devils. Journey. And she is always number one.

“I’m counting on you, Arrow,” I murmur, pinching the bridge of my nose. “It’s you and me until we get them back.”

You and me against the fucking world we have to burn down to get our girl and best friend away from Shadow.

Fuck.

Urgency hits me as I look through the cabinets, finally coming across a notepad and a worn-down pencil. How lucky?

Arrow-

Time is not on our side. The milk is bad. You know the drill. Find me where the pines touch snow.

-J

“It’s up to us.” The world crashes down on my shoulders when I tuck the note into his hand. Hopefully, when he opens his eyes, he will understand the code.

Get to the cabin, our rendezvous point. I will meet you there. Then, we will get our girl and brother back.

I take one last look over my shoulder at him. One last look before I leave him behind in the hands of strangers.

Strangers I have to trust will take care of him while I’m gone.