Twenty-Four
S titch was practically fucking vibrating with rage, and I knew another explosion was coming.
“Look, I get that you’re pissed at me, but don’t do this again in front of Elise, please. You wanna kick my ass later, fine, I know I deserve it. Just, she’s dealing with enough right now, please.”
My VP fixed me with the kind of glare people probably only saw moments before their mouths were stitched shut. Fuck .
“You think I don’t realise that? That I don’t recognise that my fucking sister has been through hell tonight? If you’d just stayed away from her, she wouldn’t be here right now, reeling from whatever that sick fuck did to her.”
Wasn’t that just the kind of agonising truth I was trying to hide from?
“I know. I’m always gonna hate myself for risking her safety. We just… look, it’s not just some kind of fucking fling or something. She’s it for me. She’s all I fucking want. I can’t go five minutes without thinking of her, and when I’m away from her, all I can think about is getting back to wherever she is. Think what you want of me, but I wouldn’t risk everything that matters to me, for someone who didn’t matter more.”
He didn’t look any less pissed off, which was a surprise, considering that I thought part of the problem was that he thought it was just some fucking dalliance or something.
“I mean it, man. This is real. I tried to fight it, but-”
“You’re weak, yeah I got that. Look, I’m not gonna beat the fuck out of you right now, because she comes first, and she doesn’t need to see that. This isn’t over though. You don’t just get to make a move on my fucking sister, and nearly get her raped and killed, and we just get past it. You’re not what I want for her. She’s meant for more than some biker asshole, who fucked half of this damn town, and moonlights as a fucking porn star. God no. There’s a fucking showdown coming, and I don’t know what that means for you, because I can’t see us both having a future here.”
Jesus. That stabbed feeling in my gut earlier on? He just punched that same spot, and it nearly stole my breath. He was really going to kick me from the club? For falling in love?
“Stitch…”
“The only reason you’re still here right now is because she was clinging to you for dear fucking life. I don’t know what kind of twisted spell you’ve got over her, but it ends and it ends now. I’ll tolerate you around her for as long as it takes to figure out how to remove you.”
Fuck . Stitch glanced at the cut I’d thrown back onto my bare chest after Elise finally let go of me.
“Hope it was worth it, getting your end away. You just lost everything.”
I fought the raging emotions inside me, and the desperation at the loss of everything I’d worked so hard for, because there was only one thing to say.
“She’s fucking worth it. She IS my everything.”
Elise
T he atmosphere between Seth and Has-Been was almost unbearable when they returned to my side, and Doc quietly told them what I’d told him, because he was right, my voice couldn’t say those things twice. They both looked relieved that they’d interrupted the bastard before he raped me, but it didn’t become any less tense between them.
“I’d suggest that we let Elise go back to where she feels safest for the night, be that her room or wherever. I’m sure she wants to freshen up after what she’s been through. And yeah, I can see the fact that you two are ready to kill each other, but just hold that shit back at least for tonight, because Elise needs support and comfort right now. Not a fucking massacre.”
Seth wasn’t even looking at Has-Been, like he’d already dismissed him or written him off somehow, and I realised that my words earlier had probably been the ones that destroyed Has’ life. We could have pretended it was anything other than it was, but I’d made it real. I’d said words we hadn’t even said to each other, because we hadn’t even had more than a few hours together.
“Seth, this isn’t Has-Been’s fault.”
Has sighed, reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear, and I watched as my brother glowered at him, like he wanted to rip his hand off for even touching me.
“Shhh it’s okay, babe. All that matters right now is you. I shouldn’t have risked taking you away from here.”
“I can’t stay locked in a room forever, and this could have happened any time I left.”
Seth frowned, his eyes moving unseeingly, as if he was puzzling something out.
“We were in the middle of nowhere… what were the chances that this was an opportunist… whoever this is, he knew. He knew you were there. If it’s the bastard who was messaging you-”
“It was, he said so.”
“Fuck,” Has-Been muttered, taking my hand again and squeezing it. “Somehow he’s tracking her, or he’s tracking us.” His eyes met Seth’s and, despite the animosity, I saw them puzzling things out together.
“You don’t have the same phone as before, so it’s not that.”
Seth wasn’t talking to me, not really. He was working things out. Plotting. His eyes suddenly lifted, and he was looking at Has again.
“But you had yours.”
Has-Been pulled the phone out of his jeans pocket and stared at it.
“Whoever hacked Ice could have accessed any of our numbers, and could be tracking any of us. Just in case though, Ice needs to take a look at this, right?”
Seth nodded as he took the phone from him.
“Sweets, let’s get you settled in your room first, then we’ll get him on this.”
“Only if Has stays with me.”
Seth grimaced, and I saw his fists clench.
“I’m not okay with this. One of the old ladies should stay with you.”
“Why, because I’m a pathetic virgin who can’t possibly be around a man in case my virginity accidentally evaporates?”
I saw the same awkward embarrassment on all three faces as I spoke.
“Wait… you’re… I mean, you’re still…”
I rolled my eyes at my brother.
“Yes, I’m still pathetic, thanks for focusing on that. Can I go now? I want to get clean, and I want Has to hold me while I sleep. You know, Seth, you can judge him all you want, but he’s been a perfect gentleman, no matter how many times I tried throwing myself at him. That’s because he’s been trying to honour you, and this club. He’s not the bad guy, but there is one out there, and you need to stop him.”