Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
EROS
Jax wanted to drive, but I needed to have some form of control right now. I have, however, calmed down to a degree, but now a new sensation is causing a burn in my chest, and it’s not my heart.
“You all right?” Jax asks from the passenger seat.
“Fine,” I grunt out.
“I would like to tell you it gets easier,” he responds. “But that feeling you get when they’re not close doesn’t die down. You have to learn to live with it.”
“It’s in my chest.” Jax knows what I’m going through.
“Heartburn. Take an antacid,” Damon says from the back seat.
“Fuck off,” I clip back.
“Only trying to help.” I can hear the smirk in his words. I don’t need to see his smug face.
“Don’t let him get a rise out of you. He’ll have his day and eat his words.”
“That’s fucked. Don’t put that shit on me.” Damon’s tone turns heated. He’s dead serious. “I enjoy having my head on straight. Someone has to around here. You guys are dropping like damn flies.”
Jax turns to glance back at our younger brother. “You believe that you think straight?”
“Shut up.” He kicks the back of Jax's seat. “Eros is supposed to be the most rational. That’s gone left.” I do tend to be rather black and white when it comes to things. Jax can waver in the middle.
“Eros? The most rational?” Jax shakes his head.
“When he’s got his temper in check, at least.”
“How about both of you shut the fuck up before I lose my temper?” The inside of Jax’s Charger goes quiet. It doesn’t last long.
“What would you do if you came face-to-face with her father?” Jax asks.
“Why are you asking?” I toss back because I don’t know what I’d do. That’s a conversation I need to have with Bonte. My instinct would be to protect her at all costs no matter who the enemy was. I’m not convinced he’s the enemy, though, as far as she’s concerned.
“Because you know Dad would kill him. Just cleaner that way. Be done with it,” Jax says, and Damon leans forward between the two seats.
“I know.” I grip the wheel tighter.
“He’s asking so we know what to do,” Damon adds. Their message is loud and clear. They’ll do what I want. I nod in understanding.
“You could say thank you.” Jax tosses his hands up in theatrics.
“It won’t kill you.” Damon is there with another two cents. He always is. Those two have always tried to team up on me.
"Thank you."
"See, not so hard." Damon drops back into his seat. "Tomorrow, we'll work on 'I'm sorry' and 'I love you.'" I fight a smirk, and I know that's half the point. They're trying to calm me down. It's been a long time since they last had to calm me down.
"They know we're close?" Jax asks Damon.
"You think he's not stalking us right now?"
"Wasn't sure if it was Mac or Dad," Jax responds. They are talking about the cameras and cutting them off when we get there. I have the key card that works on the whole building already. But it's not as easy as flipping off the cameras this time.
The Feds or whatever agents that are linked to this will be monitoring them. Dad will have to make a dummy feed to play over and not simply kill them altogether. It could alert them, and we need a little time to collect what we're coming for.
"Dad's got it," I inform them as I turn onto the street where her building is located. I pull down to the underground garage, scanning the key card and triggering the gate to open so I can pull in and park.
We go around to the trunk, and Jax grabs the kit to do a collection. None of us have actually done this before. We know how to, but this will be the first time we collect prints and DNA. That will be Jax's role tonight.
I grab a couple of weapons, strapping them on. They do the same before we're heading for the stairs, not bothering with the elevator. Not a fucking chance I'm getting in the box tonight.
When we get to Bonte’s floor, I slowly push open the door to peer out into the hallway. There is one other condo on this floor, and it’s vacant. My eyes flick to that door. Is it? I’ll have to check for myself, but first things first.
I motion for them to follow me, sliding the key card into the lock; it clicks over, letting us in. We quietly move down the small hallway entry toward the living room. I motion with my hands which way for them to go.
We split, going in different directions, clearing the condo, checking every room or space that a person could fit.
“All clear,” I say when we all get back to the living room.
“Pretty fucking creepy.” Jax nods to one of the bloody messages on the wall. The other is in the woman's room.
“This one didn’t see him coming.” Damon's eyes roam over the couch and up the wall. We all glance up to see how far the blood spatter went.
“It was a knife,” I say, but they already know that. I motion with my finger along the spatter lines. There has to be a dozen of them. "That's a lot of pullouts and push-back-ins."
"He didn't like this one." Jax sits down with the kit on the floor in front of the couch to get started.
"The woman's room is cleaner. I think he may have only stabbed her once." I nod in agreement to Damon. It makes me wonder if Bonte’s dad does drag out some of the murders more than others based on whatever offenses he thinks they committed. It’s not much different than some of the family business we conduct down in the hole.
My mind wants to know why he wanted the man to pay. It goes to very dark places that I have to push back to keep a level head right now. I don't think The Collector, as they call him, would care if you were male or female if he was coming to kill.
I wouldn't if I believed I was protecting Bonte, but I'm not sure what these two did that pissed him off. I know they were dicks but left Bonte alone for the most part. Being an asshole to her might be enough for her father.
“I’m going to grab a few things from her room.” I tell them, leaving them to collect what’s needed here.
I grab a couple of bags out of her closet and start tossing clothes and other items inside. I got a few things before, but she’ll need more. I can order shit, but that will take a day or two. There isn’t a chance in hell she’ll be coming back here.
When I pack as much as I can in a couple of bags, I head back toward the living room to see Damon and Jax lifting a print off the coffee table. I take the bags and drop them next to the front door.
My mind snaps back to the other condo on this floor. I have to go check it. I debate telling my brothers but decide against it. I slip out and down the hallway, sliding my key into the lock. It clicks, and I push the door open.
Quietly, I shut the door, but there is no stopping the small snick sound as it does. There is no sign of anything in the entryway. This condo has the same layout as the other. The only light spills in from the outside; the moon is bright tonight.
I clear the empty living room and then the kitchen, but a cup on the counter catches my eye.
Anyone could have left it. I move down the hallway toward the bedrooms, clearing the first. I push open two doors—the second one and one more to the left to clear.
I freeze when I hear a creak. I press my foot down and feel the weak spot in the floor, and it lets out another creak.
I shake my head at myself, entering fully into the second bedroom and not seeing anything. I push open the closet and lean inside as the sound of another creak hits my ears, and I know for a fact it's not me.
I spin around to see a figure in all black swinging at me. I lean back, and the blade of a knife grazes my cheek. I reach under and out, grabbing the forearm holding the knife and twisting.
The knife drops, but he swings at me with his other hand. I block it with my arm as I sweep a foot out. The man starts to fall, but I grab him by the hoodie he's wearing and slam him into the wall. The hood falls free as my eyes lock with ones I know well.
I keep him braced against the wall with one hand and use my other hand to wrap around his throat. He's quick, his hand wrapping around mine.
"Marino," he says, his voice thick. I'm a good five inches taller than him, but not a lick of fear shows on his face.
"You thought to kill me?" I ask.
"You thought I wouldn't?"
"I don't know what the fuck you're doing."
The fucker smirks, and I know that smirk too. It's almost disarming. Almost.
"That's the point." He lets all his body weight go, releasing his hold on me in the process. It catches me off guard, and he nails me in the stomach. I expect to feel the blade enter me, but instead I feel a shock.
I grit my teeth as the electrical charge floods my body, and I step back a few feet.
"Impressive." He grabs the knife from off the floor. It's not my first time being hit with a stun gun. Silas points the knife toward me; we're a good distance from each other. "You've got my girl."
"She's not your girl anymore." I'm not sure what I’m doing right now. But trying to provoke him so he'll charge me seems like a decent idea.
"You going to try to kill me?"
“Yes.” He gives that fucking smirk again, and I know he knows I’m bluffing.
I won’t kill him. Not yet at least. Not until I have Bonte’s permission to do so.
There is no way in hell I’d be able to live with myself if she hated me for offing her dad.
He may be a psychopath, but she doesn’t view him in that way. Not completely, anyway.
“Tell my angel I’ll be seeing her soon,” Silas says before he throws the knife toward me. I drop down to my knees, and it goes right over my head, lodging itself into the wall behind me.
Silas is already out the bedroom door. “Fuck.” I push to my feet as I hear the front door open and slam closed. I know my brothers would have heard that.
I pull the knife out of the wall, going for the last bedroom. There isn’t much here but a bed pallet on the floor and a bag he left behind.
“Eros!” Jax bellows before I hear a loud crashing sound. The front door gives way, and my brothers enter.
“It’s clear,” I shout back so they know they’re good to come fully in without a check. A second later, they both appear at the door of the room I’m in.
“What the fuck happened?” Damon asks. I reach up and swipe my cheek, seeing the blood on my fingers. I only now feel the burn from the knife on my skin. When your adrenaline is pumping, you don’t feel much else.
"He was here." I grab the bag off the ground. I'll go through it later. "Are we good to go?" Damon gives a curt nod.
"Who? Her—"
"We'll talk about it in the car." I cut Jax off.
He could have stabbed me. I'm sure he had another blade on him, but he only used the stun gun.
It has me wondering if he is as worried about killing me as I am about him.