Chapter Twenty-Three
Romy
Several weeks later…
I s summer over yet?
I’m going to die from this heat. But Kaitlyn can’t get enough of her pool time, and like the good mom I am, I’m out here indulging her.
And dying.
Being pregnant during the summer seems like a punishment of some kind that I don’t wish on anyone.
My phone buzzes and I snatch it from the table, eager for a text from Caius bearing good news.
It’s just LuLu.
LuLu: They don’t understand why I can’t just magically get better.
Despite not being Caius, I’m grateful to have this new relationship with LuLu. After our trip to deal with Solomon, we’ve grown closer.
Me: What does Penelope say?
LuLu: Penelope says whatever she thinks I want her to say. I told Mom therapy is a waste of money. We’re not getting anywhere.
Me: At least your therapist isn’t like mine was. She made me feel crazy and pushed prescriptions on me.
Now that I know what lengths Gideon went through to make me forget about the sexual abuse by my own mother, I can’t help but feel like my therapist was a cohort in keeping me in the dark.
LuLu: We talked about Caius a little bit.
This piques my interest.
Me: Oh yeah?
LuLu: I told her I did something behind his back and even though I knew he was mad at me, he still stood up for me. And that it meant a lot to me.
That’s a gross understatement of what truly happened, but Penelope doesn’t need to know LuLu tried to kill her sex trafficker abuser and almost got herself killed in the process. The only reason I was there, directly disobeying Caius’s order to remain at the motel, was that she was going with or without me. I did what I had to do to keep an eye on her.
Me: Caius cares for you.
LuLu: Because he still thinks of me as Calista.
Me: No. He cares for you, LuLu. Like a real little sister. You know that.
LuLu: I do. That’s why I want to come live with you guys. My parents said no.
Me: Want me to talk to them? Maybe you all can come stay for a bit. Koyn and Hadley don’t seem to mind extra guests.
As much as I want to move on with my life with Caius and Kaitlyn, we’re not finished. People are still out there hurting the innocent and only we have the means and knowledge to stop them. We even have a greasy, tattooed, insane army of motorcycle men helping us. It’s now or never, no matter how exhausted I am by it all.
I hear Eva calling my name and turn to see her jogging across the field from the clubhouse where she’s staying with us. The concern on her face has me sitting up straight, immediately worried. She’s out of breath when she reaches me.
“What’s wrong?” I demand. “Has Dad found you?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m pretty sure whatever Koyn did to my phone means it’s untraceable.”
“Grandma, watch this!” Kaitlyn jumps into the pool nearest to us, splashing us both. I’m not mad about it because it cools me off.
“Great job, honey,” Eva says, giving her a pleased grin. “I’ll come swim in a bit as soon as I finish laundry.” She then turns her attention back to me. “It’s Vivienne. She texted me.”
Vivienne only stayed at Stormy and Copper’s for a few days before she vanished. Caius thinks it’s for the best. Understandably, he doesn’t want her near us.
“Let me see,” I mutter as I take her phone to read the text.
Vivienne: I talked her into meeting me. We’re going to a hotel near the airport. Tell the biker dudes they’re going to have to dispose of her body when I finish.
I respond back to her.
Eva: This is Romy. Which hotel? Are you still in Oklahoma?
Theo chooses this moment to exit Koyn’s house. When several of them went on a recon mission, including Caius, he was made to stay back. Halo is his shadow, never letting him far out of sight.
“You have to take me to the airport,” I bark out to Theo. “Hurry. She’s planning to kill Ava. If she does this and brings attention on us, we may never have our chance to end this. We have to go.”
I rise to my feet and am rewarded with a sharp pain in my back that radiates around my side. Not only am I hot, but I’ve been dealing with these intermittent aches as well. Grimacing, I rub at my stomach and try to ease the pain.
“Let me and Halo handle this, babe,” Theo says, eyebrows scrunching. “You’re about to burst. You need to be resting.”
Ignoring him, I tell Kaitlyn goodbye and make sure Eva’s good with watching her while I’m gone. Then I walk—or maybe it’s more like limp waddle—to the back door. Inside, the air conditioning is heavenly, but I can’t bask in it for long.
Halo stalks past me and heads for one of the SUVs parked out front. Theo, even though I’m still upset with him, makes sure to open my car door and help me into the passenger seat before taking the one behind me.
I text Caius to let him know what’s happening, but he doesn’t respond. They must be focused on what they’re doing. The pains in my side are relentless, but at least now the AC is blasting me in the face.
“Airport?” Halo asks as he peels out of the driveway.
“Yep. I’m trying to figure out which hotel.”
We’re quiet as we drive. Not sure what we’re going to be dealing with when we get there, but it does need to be dealt with.
Vivienne has always been a wild card. She’s sick and twisted, and clearly not mentally well after what all she did with me and Kaitlyn. That’s why we have to get to her. If she somehow reveals our intentions or even who she is to me, and Ava manages to escape unscathed, all our hard work will be for nothing. There will be no element of surprise.
People like Gideon, Huxley, and Orion aren’t stupid. They’re going to find it suspicious that not only did me and Kaitlyn escape the facility, but Caius and LuLu left around the same time. And even though Theo claims Orion doesn’t know anything, I’m not sure I believe that. It’s obvious we’ve managed to circumvent their mind warfare and found our way to each other.
However, they can’t be for sure. And they certainly don’t know we’ve been working with Vivienne and Theo or Koyn’s group, or that we were behind Seth’s and Solomon’s deaths.
I just don’t trust Vivienne. She’ll throw us under the bus just to get the satisfaction of seeing Ava bewildered. We can’t take those chances.
The drive from Sand Springs, where the compound is located, to the Tulsa International Airport is a quiet one, aside from Halo instructing Theo on where to find weapons stashed in the SUV.
I’ve texted a few more times to Vivienne from Eva’s phone I brought with me, only to be left on unread. Finally, as we get closer, she sends a pin along with a room number.
“Come on,” I mutter under my breath. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
I guide Halo to the hotel and we find a parking spot behind the building. When I go to get out, I’m hit with another pain, this one much sharper than the last.
I’m not going into labor.
I still have another week or two based on my calculations.
Forcing thoughts of giving birth out of my head, I follow after Halo slowly. Theo lingers by my side as if he’s ready to catch me if I start to fall. I hate him, but, like before when dealing with snares he set for me, I’m thankful to have him with me.
Why am I so soft when it comes to Theo?
Because he’s like a brother, and apparently, you like brothers who screw with your head.
I scowl just thinking about Bastian. The betrayal I feel cuts deep. I’ll never forgive him or our father.
Someone exits the building and Halo runs ahead to catch the door before it closes. The room number Vivienne told me is on the third floor. I’d rather take the elevator, but Halo seems to think the stairs are better. I grunt with each step, the pain worsening.
Please do not let me go into labor without Caius.
I can’t do this without him.
Tears prickle my eyes. He didn’t want to go on the recon mission, but Koyn made him. Koyn’s hospitality doesn’t come without strings. Caius is helping bring down these monsters and Koyn won’t let him sit any of this out.
We hear shouts before we make it to the room. Maybe we’re not too late.
“You don’t remember me,” Vivienne says, voice cold and filled with venom. “I remember everything about you.”
Ava lets loose a nervous laugh. “All I know is that you said you knew Dr. Huxley and had girls I might be interested in. Was this a setup? Are you a cop?”
Halo pounds on the door. “Let us in.”
“Who’s that?” Ava asks. “Is that the police?”
“Enough with the police,” Vivienne snaps. “It’s the cleanup crew.” Then, to us, she says, “Not done yet. Give me five.”
Halo curses under his breath.
“We have to get inside,” I hiss. “Can’t you like pick the lock or something?”
He gives me a withering look. It’s Theo who pulls out his phone and uses an app to unlock the door.
“Learned this trick back in New York from Caius,” Theo explains as he pushes through the door.
“Theo? Oh my God, you have to help me, sugar. This woman is crazy.”
Theo stiffens when Ava addresses him. She’s put together like the other times I’ve seen her. Her red hair hangs in sleek sheets in front of her shoulders, highlighting her plump, perky breasts that are practically spilling out of her summer dress. Ava is vibrant and always impeccably made up.
Vivienne is her complete opposite.
With them side by side, Vivienne, with her soft blond hair, innocent features, and demure clothing, it’s as if they’re a devil and an angel.
I know, though, they’re both evil.
“I’m not crazy,” Vivienne says, waving a large, pointy knife in Ava’s direction, which isn’t helping her case. “I’m here for revenge.”
Ava takes offense and scoffs at her. “For what? I don’t know you.” Then her eyes land on me. “What are you doing here?” Her bottom lip juts out as she glances over at Theo. “Sweetie, what’s happening? Did you come to save me?”
Theo stiffens and looks down at his feet. His shoulders curl inward. The whole shutdown from his usual confidence is alarming. For some reason, this makes me want to protect him.
“Save you?” Vivienne says with a cackle. “He’s here to dispose of your dead body.”
Ava gapes at us in confusion. Her eyes skim over my belly and she shoots me a look of disgust. She never did like me. The feeling is mutual.
“You’re so fucking ridiculous, Ava,” Vivienne snarls, stepping closer to her. “And pathetic. You think if you flash Theo a sexy look he’ll do your bidding? He’s not Dr. Huxley.”
Ava snaps her head to glower at Vivienne. “Wait. You’re that insane bitch who was obsessed with him.” She laughs cruelly. “He told me all about your ideations of the two of you being together.”
“Ideations?” Vivienne jabs a pointy red fingernail at me. “He got me pregnant with her .”
It’s almost comical how large Ava’s eyes widen.
“That’s impossible,” Ava bites out. “He doesn’t have a daughter.”
Vivienne snags a handful of Ava’s red hair and jerks her to her. The giant knife gets pressed between Ava’s breasts. “He does and she’s standing right there.”
Ava shoots me a wild look, pleading for me to do something. I can’t do anything. Vivienne is a monster. But so is Ava.
This is what you call fighting fire with fire.
“Theo,” Ava cries out, tears welling in her eyes. “Sweetie, help me. Don’t let her do this. I was your first. That has to mean something to you.”
He flinches at the mention of the loss of his virginity. “I…”
“He was a child,” I say coolly, leveling Ava with a fierce glare. “You can’t manipulate him like you have before. I won’t let you.”
His head jerks to the side as he regards me with confusion. “You won’t?”
“You stole them. Girls like LuLu,” I tell her, wincing when another wave of pain hits. I can feel Halo’s eyes on me, but he stays back, silent. “Sold them like they were produce at a market. You preyed upon the vulnerable and now karma is here, knocking at your door.”
Vivienne jerks her arm, stabbing the knife into the center of Ava’s chest. Ava lets out a raspy, surprised sound before crumpling to the ground.
That’s when Vivienne loses it.
“You bitch! You man stealing bitch! I could have married him! We could have been a family!” Vivienne screams as she launches herself at Ava. “Because of you, I went insane and hurt kids!”
There’s a bit of a scuffle since Ava’s still somehow alive. Theo starts for them, but Halo’s hand clamps down on my shoulder to keep me from intervening.
I see a flash of a bloody knife and then Vivienne howls. Theo manages to grab hold of Vivienne to pull her off, but it’s too late.
Blood.
So much blood.
An arc of it shoots out like a water hose, splattering the bed and floor. Vivienne holds the side of her neck, but the blood gushes out between her fingers. She collapses onto her ass, head thudding hard against the wall. Ava, only a few feet away, clutches her chest with one hand and grips the knife in the other.
Bile creeps up my throat. The metallic scent of blood turns my stomach. So much carnage. Two villains slain by each other.
Ava doesn’t move, even when Theo crouches beside her. The last of her life drains away, forever staining the carpet beneath her. Vivienne, with a sickly pale face, moves her mouth as if she’s trying to speak to me.
Rather than go to her in her last moments, I remain standing, safe under Halo’s firm grip.
I don’t owe this woman anything.
Certainly not any sort of compassion.
Whatever words she murmured will go to the grave with her. I don’t care.
“This is a fucking nightmare,” Halo hisses. “I’m going to have to torch it. I’ll need a distraction.”
More gushing.
This time between my thighs, a liquid coming out of me and soaking the carpet.
“Did your water just break?” Theo asks, astonished, from his crouch.
Halo chuckles. “Ask and you shall receive. Get to the front desk and have them call for an ambulance. Theo, go with her.”
Theo wipes his bloody hand on the bedspread and then makes his way over to me. “Holy shit, babe, you’re having the baby.”
The next wave of pain makes me scream.