Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
SERENITY
Ifelt like I was moving on autopilot, my brain covered in a layer of fuzz my conscious mind couldn’t penetrate. My whole body felt heavy, my limbs weighed down with exhaustion. I was so damn tired by the time Lincoln pulled up to Hunter’s house that I could barely keep my eyes open.
After packing my largest suitcase so full I hadn’t been able to lift the damn thing to put it in the back of Lincoln’s truck, my sister had insisted on coming with us to, in her words, get me settled.
Truthfully, I was glad to have her with me, the one known in a sea of unknown I was currently experiencing.
First, I was being chauffeured around by a man I barely knew.
Sure, he seemed nice, and had been extremely careful with me, but the most I knew of him was that his name was Lincoln, he was my sister’s boss, and was married to one of my new friends, Eden.
Second was the fact I was being shipped off to a place I’d never been in my life.
I was so tired by the time we pulled onto the short tree-lined lane that led to Hunter’s house, that I didn’t even have the energy to scope out my surroundings.
Lincoln hefted my suitcase out of the bed of his truck and rolled it behind him as he led us up a walkway that was shrouded in shadows from the surrounding trees and let us into a dark house by using a code on the keypad lock instead of an actual key.
“Go ahead and make yourself comfortable, sweetheart,” he said after flipping on the lights and holding the door open. “I’m going to make a quick phone call and be right back.”
The door snicked shut behind him, leaving Stella and me alone for the first time all night.
“Well,” she breathed as she looked around. “At least it’s clean, right? That’s a pleasant surprise.”
I didn’t have the energy to do anything more than grunt out in agreement.
A look of sympathy washed over her face before she reached out and took my arm. “Come on, big sis. We’ll get you settled and then you can take a shower and crawl into a nice, warm bed. How’s that sound?”
It sounded like heaven, honestly. Unfortunately, when we moved down the hallway in search of a guest room, we found that a nice, warm bed wasn’t in the cards for me.
The first spare room held a desk and set of shelves, clearly designed to be a home office, and the last of the three bedrooms was full of unpacked boxes and extra-large storage containers.
It was obviously the room Hunter shoved shit into that he either didn’t want to deal with or didn’t know what to do with.
Neither room had a bed.
Fortunately, the couch in the living room was oversized and looked comfy. Also, I was dead on my feet, so I could have happily slept anywhere.
We located the bathroom, and Stella ushered me inside. “You go ahead and get in the shower. I’ll bring you your toiletries and get the couch set up for you when you get out.”
I leaned my head against her shoulder, pulling in a deep breath. “Have I mentioned lately that you’re the best sister a girl could ever hope for?”
“Not in the past few days,” she teased.
“Well, you are. And I don’t know what I’d ever do without you.”
Her arm came around my waist, giving me an affectionate squeeze. “Fortunately for you, you’ll never have to find out. She slapped me on my butt with a playful, “Now, git.”
I moved into the bathroom, noticing that the white subway tiles were sparkling clean beneath the lights. That was a relief.
I stopped in front of the pedestal sink, bracing my hands on the rim, and looked up at my reflection in the mirror.
My hair looked like a nest of rats was living inside of it, the dark blonde strands no longer artfully curled, but a tangled, scraggly mess.
The makeup I’d taken the time to apply perfectly was now smeared, the mascara and eyeliner running down my cheeks and making me look like an extra for The Walking Dead.
Deep purple and blue bruises stippled across my throat, the shape of that asshole’s fingers clear as day on my skin.
I’d been so looking forward to my first night out with friends in my new town. It had been better than I could have hoped for, and that asshole had to go and ruin it, putting a dark cloud over what had been an incredible night. And the capper on it all, he’d made me lose my favorite shoes!
Unable to stare at my bedraggled reflection for another moment, I turned away from the mirror and stripped out of the dress I’d carefully selected for the night.
I made the water as hot as I could possibly stand it before climbing into the shower and closing the curtain. The spray felt decadent as it beat against my aching muscles, doing wonders to loosen the knots that had formed in my shoulders and back over the past couple hours.
I wasn’t sure how long I’d stood there when a gentle knock on the door pulled me from my daze.
“Sere?” Stella’s voice called from the other side of the shower curtain. “I have your toiletries here. And I got you a pair of pajamas too. They’re on the toilet.”
“Thank you,” I rasped.
Once she left, I made quick work of washing that son of a bitch off my skin. Usually, I had a whole routine I performed every time I stepped out of the shower that involved exfoliation, skin care, and moisturizing, but I didn’t have the energy for that.
I toweled myself dry and slipped into the silky tank top and matching sleep shorts Stella had brought me. Ever the thoughtful sister, she’d also brought a clip so I could twist my damp hair into a bun on the crown of my head and secure it in place.
She thought of everything. It was why she was the best.
Ready to crawl onto something soft and pass the hell out, I pulled open the bathroom door, releasing the cloud of steam that had filled the small space, and padded down the hall to the living room.
Stella had managed to find a couple blankets and a pillow somewhere and had made up the couch so that all I had to do was lie down, something I didn’t hesitate doing.
I wasn’t sure a pillow had ever looked more inviting in my entire life.
I realized she’d stolen it off Hunter’s bed the moment I laid my head on it and smelled that manly, spicy scent that was all him. I wasn’t ashamed to admit I might have—definitely—nuzzled farther into the pillow and inhaled deeply, pulling as much of his smell into my lungs as I could.
“You good?” Stella asked, coming to sit on the edge of the sofa cushion. She reached up to brush back some of the damp strands of hair that had escaped my clip, and I knew she was focusing on the bruises on my neck when her forehead dipped into a pained frown.
“I’m great, Stell Bell. Thank you so much for taking care of me. But you should call West to come get you. I’m totally safe here,” I assured her, desperately wanting to clear the sadness from her eyes.
She hesitated a moment, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. “You sure you don’t want me to stay with you?”
My lips curved up into a smile. “I’m not sure how that would work. The couch is the only other place to sleep, and you never were one for snuggling.”
“I snuggle!” she exclaimed in mock affront. “I’m West’s little spoon every damn night. I just didn’t like snuggling with you when we were little because you put off more heat than a damn radiator.”
I let loose a giggle that quickly turned into a yawn.
“Get some sleep, sis. Linc’s right outside if you need him. And I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay?”
My eyelids grew heavy as I blinked up at her. “Okay. Love you.”
“Love you too.”
Less than a minute later, I was out like a light.
Hunter
I twisted the wheel of my truck, turning onto the lane that led to that fucker Cyrus’s place so goddamn fast gravel and clumps of dirt spit from my rear tires, pinging off the windshield of Marco’s SUV as he followed behind me at Lincoln’s instruction.
I didn’t slow down until I neared that fucker’s trailer. Lights started to flick on in the surrounding trailers and RVs at the sound of my engine, and by the time I slammed on the brakes and my truck skidded to a stop, kicking up a plume of dust, doors were flying open.
I threw the door of my truck open and started moving the instant my boots hit the ground.
“Back inside,” I heard Marco bark at the other people, but I was too focused on what was in front of me to pay attention to anyone else.
As if sensing my murderous mood, the dog that was still tied to that gnarled tree stopped barking, letting out a scared whine before burrowing under the shoddy front stoop to hide.
My footsteps were like thunder, matching the deep, resonating pitch of my heartbeat, as I stormed up the rickety steps, then, without so much as taking a breath, I lifted my foot and slammed it into the shitty wood, sending it flying open and breaking right off the hinges.
“Whitlock!” I shouted into the darkness.
But his wasn’t the response I got. “Jesus Christ,” Marco hissed as he rushed in after me, gun in hand.
I was so determined to get to Cyrus Whitlock, I hadn’t taken the time to get my own from the glovebox.
Not smart. I knew that. But I wasn’t feeling particularly smart at the moment. “What’s the fucking plan here, Hunter?”
There was no plan. Clearly.
The only thing that had been going through my head as I drove up here was the image of those bruises on Serenity’s smooth, delicate neck. The only thing I could hear was the sound of her damaged voice. And this fucker was the one who’d done that to her.
When she cowered away from me, my wildcat crouching in fear because of what he’d put her through, my vision stained red. I wanted to make him pay for doing that to her.
“Fuck me,” Marco continued to grumble as he followed me through the disgusting trailer home, gun aimed and at the ready in case anything were to pop out at us. “You can’t just kick someone’s door open and let yourself in.”
“Just fucking did,” I gritted through clenched teeth.
I charged through the house with all the grace of a raging bull, but other than the trash the asshole left behind—and there was a lot of it—the pitiful excuse for a house was empty.
The place wasn’t even fit for rats, let alone a human being.
I wasn’t sure whether or not the place had been any better when Fletcher lived here, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if that boy had been tasked with keeping things clean, and his prick of a father let it go to hell once he was alone.
I stopped in the middle of the living room, scanning the space.
There was a beat-up recliner with a sunken cushion that indicated where Cyrus Whitlock spent most of his time, and a threadbare couch that leaned to the left due to a broken leg.
Beer cans and takeout bags lay crumpled on the stained carpet.
“He’s not here anyway.” I clenched my fists so tight my blunt nails cut into the skin of my palms. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d wanted to beat the living hell out of another human being so badly.
I was craving the bite of pain in my knuckles that would have come with breaking every bone in his face.
“Of course he’s not,” Marco clipped, finally lowering his piece now that it was clear there was no immediate threat.
“You think he’d actually be stupid enough to come back here after the shit he pulled tonight?
Of course not. Leo and Micah sent units to the surrounding hospitals and clinics.
Apparently, Serenity did some damage herself. ”
I turned to look at him over my shoulder, lifting a brow in silent question.
He shook his head and raked his fingers through his hair. “When clawing the shit out of his face didn’t break his hold, she jabbed her thumbs into his eye sockets to get him to let go. That’s how she got away from him.”
My fucking wildcat.
“With any luck, he’ll turn up somewhere, looking to get patched up.” He blew out a huff. “If there’s a God, the asshole would be blinded for life.”
One could hope but given the fact he was able to get away, I doubted it.
I didn’t know what the hell to do with the rage that was eating at my insides, but I knew I couldn’t stay here all night, hoping he’d crawl out from beneath whatever rock he was hiding under.
We started out of the trailer, stepping over the door I’d busted to hell, just as one of the neighbors stepped up onto the porch.
“This is private property! You’ve got no right—”
Marco drew his gun at the sight of the rifle the hillbilly had in his hands, but before anyone could come close to pulling a trigger, I snatched the weasely guy up by his throat and slammed him back against the side of the trailer.
With my free hand, I yanked the rifle from his flimsy hold and passed it to Marco. “That’s the last time you come at me or one of my men with a gun in your hand,” I seethed. “Next time, I’ll shove it up your ass and empty the goddamn thing. You got it?”
The man wheezed and struggled for air as I tightened my fingers before finally nodding frantically.
“You see Cyrus Whitlock, you be sure to give him a message from me. There isn’t anywhere he can hide that I won’t find him.” I leaned in closer, baring my teeth, “And when I’m through with him, there won’t be a body to find.”
With that, I shoved the guy down the stairs and started back to my truck before stopping to point at the cowering dog.
“Cut that thing free,” I told the man who was still hunched against the side of the house, holding his neck as he pulled in air.
That wasn’t half as bad as what was done to Serenity.
“I come back out here, I better not find him still tied to that goddamn tree. He’d have a better chance out in the wild than he has here. ”