Epilogue.
Phoenix
A s I walked out to my car to go home, I was distracted. I was already thinking of Bonfire Night. Americans didn’t celebrate it, but being English, it was a custom I’d kept up. The kids loved the fireworks, and we always had hamburgers, hotdogs, chilli, and jacket potatoes.
Over time, Rage and Hellfire had come to accept the night as well. It was a weird tradition, celebrating Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the British Parliament. A slight smile crossed my lips. The English were perverse, to say the least.
Concentrating on Bonfire Night helped distract me from the fact McKenna was in hospital. A week had passed now. McKenna was alive but unresponsive. She refused to speak or see anyone. Everybody was worried sick, and I knew the guys were beating themselves up. From Rage to RCPD to Hawthorne’s, everybody blamed themselves.
Marissa and Lina were apparently a mess. I’d not seen them, although I’d spoken to them. The girls held a shitload of self-blame. There was a lot of guilt going around. McKenna was worrying everyone with her shut down. I just hoped, in time, McKenna would recover.
The Fangs had shut down cameras in the Escape Rooms they’d attacked us in. But not in McKenna’s office. Thirteen men had raped that precious girl. Thirteen. They had swept her desk of everything, held her down and pulled a train on her. Drake had seen the footage and had banned any woman from watching it, including Artemis. For five nights now, Drake woke up shouting and sweating.
As I pulled my keys out and pressed them to open the car, a figure stepped out from behind another parked truck.
I caught sight of the twisted serpent on his cut and dug into my bag for my weapon. The guy moved into the light but remained still, with his hands held up clearly.
“Phoenix, I’m not here to hurt you,” he said softly as I dropped the purse and trained my gun steadily on him.
“Then why is a member of the Venomous Fangs confronting me here?”
“Because I require help,” he replied.
“You need my help? After what you assholes did to McKenna? Hawthorne will gut you with a blunt knife, and I’ll cheer Dylan on,” I snarled.
“Phoenix, I really need help,” he insisted.
“Not likely. I’m aware of who you are,” I stated, keeping the gun locked on him. “Volcano, Fury’s last living son, and the rapist of a dear friend of mine.”
“Phoe, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Volcano said, looking puzzled.
“McKenna!” I screamed. “The woman you raped in the Escape Rooms.”
“Nobody was to be raped, that was my order!” Volcano snapped.
“Liar!”
“Phoe, I’m being honest. I ordered that nobody was to be harmed and certainly not raped. I knew I was going to make a run for it at the Escape Rooms. Why the fuck would I risk upsetting anyone? If I allowed a rape to happen, then you’d not help me and I need Rage and your help. All the staff were to be locked up safe and sound,” Volcano insisted.
“McKenna was gang raped. Tell me why the fuck should I believe you? You killed your siblings.”
“That’s not quite true,” Volcano answered calmly.
“Which bit?”
Was I really standing here having a conversation with a guy acknowledged to be a psychopath? This wanker was one of McKenna’s rapists.
“I’m not Fury’s last son. My two brothers are alive, as are my three sisters. No way would I condone the assault of a woman. I honestly ordered nobody be hurt,” Volcano replied.
“Yeah, I don’t quite trust any of that,” I snarled.
“It’s true. Dad set us against one another the moment we were born. But we weren’t like Dad. When I was twelve, I witnessed Dad rape an eight-year-old child and guessed my sisters weren’t safe. And at twelve, Phoenix, you had better understand I was a man. Quietly, I arranged for my eldest two sisters and Mom to disappear, and they did so successfully. Before they did, I made them drain some blood and smear it over the house. Dad thought they’d been killed.”
“This is a pretty story.”
“Next, I saved my youngest sister the following year, and, over time, I got my brothers out. I stayed to take Dad down, but he’s never alone now. Dad’s too fuckin’ paranoid, and he knew I was going to make a move. He put a hit on me first, and I ran.”
“What proof do you have, Volcano?”
“I’m reaching for my phone, Phoenix. Don’t shoot,” Volcano said.
“Slowly,” I ordered.
Volcano yanked his phone out and flicked it on. He pulled up pictures, placed it on the car and moved away.
“Take a look.”
Cautiously, I stepped forward, snatched the phone, and glanced back and forth between it and him as I checked out the images. The photos depicted two men who bore a strong resemblance to Volcano, suggesting they were family. But there was one photo that made me pause.
“Is that…?” I asked and peered closer.
“Yup. That is.”
“Drake thought he was dead.”
“Nope. The man protected my family. He’s still as crazy as fuck,” Volcano stated with a slight chuckle. That sounded odd, like he was unused to laughing.
“What do you want, Volcano?” I asked.
“To protect them—and one other. Help to bring Dad down. He’s insane.”
“Who is the other person?”
“Me,” a second guy announced, stepping forward. He smiled warily.
“Who are you?” I demanded.
“Grunt. I was working with Irish. Fury uncovered my lies, and I fled. Volcano hid me. Send Irish a picture and confirm it,” Grunt said, moving closer to Volcano so that I had them both in range.
I took a snap and sent it to Irish. Moments later, my phone pinged.
‘ Where is he? That’s my informant, and Grunt’s supposed to be dead. Phoe, get him safe! ’ Irish replied.
I gazed at the two men. I was about to either make the biggest mistake of my life or save two lives. Regardless, Drake was going to have a screaming fit.
“Get in the back of the car and duck. I’ll take you to Drake,” I said.
Before he did, Volcano turned to Grunt.
“Do what we discussed,” Volcano demanded. To my surprise, Volcano spun around, and Grunt cuffed his hands behind his back. “To ensure your safety, Phoenix.”
That I could appreciate.
“Here,” Grunt called and tossed me a second set.
“Irish vouched for you,” I said.
“This will reassure you that you’re safe,” Grunt replied.
Moments later, they were both secure and in the back of my car.
“Duck. I don’t doubt Fury is looking for you both,” I ordered as I pulled out.
They obeyed as I hit the call button on my phone.
“Hey baby, you on your way?” Drake asked.
I took a deep breath. “Hey honey, guess what happened…”
◆◆◆
Drake’s roars lasted all the way to Reading Hall.