Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
NADINE
There, just several feet away from me, is my brother.
It’s Brody.
But not just Brody.
It’s Brody and Landon Tate.
Brody is sitting in a folding chair, and Landon is standing next to him, holding a gun, the barrel pressing against his temple.
I expected to see something like this.
I hoped it wasn’t the case, but I just had that sinking feeling that Brody was somehow dragged into this, and I was right.
But now, running out of here is out of the question.
I will never knowingly harm my brother.
“Welcome to the party,” Landon announces.
I don’t ask him what he wants, mainly because I already know, but also, I don’t want to hear him say it out loud.
I don’t want to hear him say anything.
I wish he would just fade away.
Never to be seen or heard from again.
But I, of all people, know that wishes don’t come true.
At least not for long.
If they did, I would have been with Grayson for a lot longer than just a few days.
As much as I want to be angry about not having him for long, I need to be thankful, and I am, for the time we had together.
At least I was able to know what it was like, and it was better than I ever imagined.
“Where is my drive?” he demands.
Brody growls from his seat, but I can’t look down at him.
If I do, I might cry, and I refuse to cry in front of Landon Tate…
in front of my husband.
How gross.
I cannot believe I am married to this asshole.
“Considering I was kidnapped, I don’t have it on me,” I snap.
Landon's eyes narrow on me, his lips press together, and I know from vast experience that he is ready to snap. I do not cower in the fear that fills me from the expression he’s wearing on his face.
I am not eighteen any longer.
He does not own me.
I refuse.
“Then you can take me to it,” he states.
I almost, almost laugh in his face, though I decide against it because while I’m not scared of him, I also know that he can and will hurt Brody to bend me to his will. He has proven that to me more than once over our relationship in many different ways.
Ways that I don’t ever want to think about again.
“It’s at the Night Devils clubhouse,” I say. “In my purse.”
Landon’s eyes widen, then they flick over to my parents, who are now standing together to my right as if they’re supporting one another. Or maybe they’re scared of what Landon will do to them when I piss him off.
Oh well.
Landon drops the gun from Brody’s head, the move causing my breath to hitch. I can see it in his eyes. He’s pissed off. No, he’s irritated. Likely because my parents are incompetent and didn’t get what he wanted the way he wanted it.
Which, to be honest, I’m not sure why he thought they could get the job done. They’re junkies and deep in their addictions, judging by their outward appearances. I do feel bad for them… no, I feel pity for them.
They’ve thrown their whole lives away. They threw me away, and in turn, Brody left, too. They have nothing but one another and drugs. Maybe that’s all they’ve ever wanted, though—one another and drugs.
To be able to just drown in both, and if that’s the case, then they have achieved it all.
“You took her without ensuring she had the thumb drive?” Landon asks, his focus on my mother.
Apparently, she was the brains behind the operation. I almost burst out in laughter, but instead, I shift my gaze to Brody while Landon berates my parents for being idiot junkies . His words, not mine.
I would probably just call them addicts and actually not ask them to do anything for me, since the last time I was involved with them, they sold me to this asshole to save their asses.
Brody’s gaze holds mine, and I tilt my head slightly to the side in a silent question of, Are you alright? He jerks his chin once, then again, but the second time, he jerks it toward the front door.
My lips twitch into a smirk because that front door was the first thing I noticed in this room, too. But I’m not leaving without him, and he’s tied to that chair somehow. Otherwise, he would have already been up with Landon being distracted.
I can hear Landon’s voice rising, although I’m not listening to the words he’s saying. Giving Brody a bright smile, I try as hard as possible to stay positive, at least from the outside looking in. Because I’m scared to death right now. I’m also not sure we’re going to make it out of here alive, but Brody and I are going to do our damnedest.
When Landon shouts for my parents to get on their knees, it brings my attention back to the situation. Tearing my gaze from Brody, I look over to see both of my parents on their knees and their hands in the air, palms up in a surrender position.
“I let you work and live. Paid you for your work. Staged your deaths, and this is how you repay me?” Landon asks.
Well, that answers that. Which, honestly, I’m not surprised at all. Landon Tate craves control over every person in his life. My parents were a liability that he, without a doubt, needed to control. Because what if they got sober and thought about what he had done?
What if they went to the authorities?
I mean, I could have told him that would never happen. I don’t think my parents have been sober a day past high school. Their courtship, their marriage, every aspect of their lives has revolved around drugs, doing drugs, making drugs, selling drugs.
Brody and I were nuisances that just got in the way of their addiction.
Stepping to the side, I know what is coming. There is no way that Landon is going to allow them to survive. But as I brace myself for the sound of the gun’s blast to bounce off the walls around me in this small house, it doesn’t happen.
Instead, I watch as he moves toward them, then crouches down in front of them. He produces two baggies and hands one to each of them.
“What’s this?” my father demands, but the way he says it sounds as if he’s excited.
Like maybe he’s salivating at the mouth.
And when my parents open the little baggies and I watch them snort them up their noses, I know that yes, indeed, they are happy. The only thing that makes them happy—their drugs. I watch as they gleefully snort the contents of the baggie off the floor.
They are, without a doubt, the epitome of stereotypical addicts. The way Landon watches them, I have a feeling they are about to die. He’s smiling, his expression almost soft and tender.
I remember that look.
That was the look he gave me when he was attempting to lull me into a false sense of security right before he delivered a severe dose of pain. Maybe I should use these last few moments with them to forgive them for what they’ve done to me, because I have forgiven them.
What I haven’t done is ever forgotten, but I forgave them years ago. I made excuses for them, which was wrong, but I did forgive them. Though I didn’t do that for them. It was for myself. I needed to forgive them and let it all go. Otherwise, I knew it would eat away at my soul.
“Don’t,” Brody grinds out. I open my mouth to ask him what he’s saying, but he continues. “Don’t you dare give them that.”
“That?” I ask.
Brody jerks his chin. “Do not forgive them.”
He knew. Of course, he knew. It doesn’t surprise me that Brody could read me that well. Sure, we haven’t been around one another much as adults, but we were thick as thieves as kids.
He was always my protector.
He’s the only reason I came back to Nights when I ran away from Landon, even though I knew that this was likely the first place Landon would come looking for me. A thump draws my attention away from Brody, and I watch as my mother flops onto the floor, my father following shortly.
The signs are there. It happened fast, but there is no denying what’s happening. They’re overdosing. I don’t bother asking Landon what he gave them. I can only assume that whatever it was was in a high dosage, which is why it happened as quickly as it did.
My parents die for the second time in my life.
This time it’s real, though.
I’m not sure what I expect Landon to do, but it isn’t to stay crouched and just watch as my parents die in front of us.
He’s enjoying it.
Granted, I have always known that he was sadistic, but I just didn’t realize that he was quite like this, that he actually got off on watching anyone suffer. I thought it was just during sex.
But he gets off on control—every single aspect of it.
My entire body trembles because I know that something really scary is coming next, and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to get out of here before it happens.