Chapter 37
Delaney
I’ve never been this far up the highway. At least not on my own. I think we passed this way on vacation one summer, but I was too young to see how fucking creepy it is.
The old highway ties into the new one built twenty years ago so there’s no reason to be here unless you’re stopping in between.
While I drive white-knuckled down the road, my phone rings and I slow when I see that it’s Draven.
Shit. The asshole did lie.
Relief floods my limbs, and I fumble with the phone, before finally pressing call. As soon as it picks up, I sob, “Draven?”
Except it’s not Draven who barks, “Where the fuck is my sister, Delaney?”
“Maddox?” I whisper, my heart sinking to my toes. I guess it is true. Ice does have Draven and I’m about to walk into the fray.
Damn.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he says. “She with you?”
Technically, it’s not my job to fix her problems but despite her prickly attitude and often questionable way of going about it, I do believe Draven has always been trying to help me.
If only, she hadn’t been foolish enough to put herself in harm’s way. Still, I can’t leave her in his clutches. Shit.
Shaking my head even though he can’t see me, I bat away the tears welling in my eyes. How do I tell him that his greatest enemy has captured yet another of his loved ones?
“Princess?” he rasps, and I wince before clearing my throat—twice.
“No, um, she isn’t. Is everything okay?” I ask, aiming for a nonchalance I nowhere near feel.
Maddox’s tortured gaze while he described what these animals did to his mother passes over my vision. What will they do to Draven if I don’t come or worse if I bring the Saints with me?
Please, powers that be, don’t break his heart again. I don’t think he could live through it this time.
“No, it’s not fucking okay,” he says. “If you know where my sister is, you need to tell me now.”
His voice echoes through the cab and I frown. I hate lying to him, but it doesn’t matter.
Even if Draven lives through this and I pray with every particle of my being that she does, his hate for the man, who’s related to me, will only grow and fester until inevitably I’m burned from the fallout.
“Delaney? What do you know?” he growls, and I laugh helplessly.
“What? You think I had something to do with Draven? I’ve got more important shit to worry about then what your sister is doing, asshole.”
At my bitter words, silence descends between us before he says, “What’s going on?”
Apparently, my acting skills are not up to par and tapping my finger against the wheel, I wince when my navigation app blares at me to make a right turn.
Slowing until I see the poor excuse for a road I’m supposed to turn down, I grab for my phone as he says, “Where the fuck are you?”
It’s too late for Maddox to intervene and I’m hoping that if I explain my suspicions to Ice, this won’t be as horrible as my mind has conjured all the way here.
Besides, I can’t bring Maddox into this mess. It’s sordid and horrible enough already which is why I mumble, “What are you talking about?”
“Delaney,” he says, and I shiver at the low tone. He means business but I’m tired of running from Ice. I’m tired of this man ruling what happens to me.
I’m just fucking tired…
“Maybe I can make this better somehow?” I whisper. “Maybe you won’t hate me. I’m sorry, Maddox. I’m so sorry…”
I trail off when tears clog my throat which is just as well because he says, just before I lose cell service, “Princess, I don’t–”
Although I wish I could have heard his words, even if they were a lie, there’s not much that I can do about it. The distance between us is insurmountable and I’m not talking about physical miles.
It’s so fucking dark, I almost miss the turn and as soon as I do, I spy an old, faded sign that proclaims this a wildlife sanctuary although the gates are broken down and hopefully the animals long gone.
My car bumps along the unmaintained road and I clutch the steering wheel tightly as I round a bend where more trees greet me. I’m relieved for the reprieve, although I know it won’t last for long.
All too soon, I round another curve, and a squat building comes into sight, spreading across an open space with gates falling off the hinges.
A single light shines above the old doors with two men, to my dismay, standing before them, holding rifles in their hands.
The one to the right holds up his palm and I slow to a stop.
He cocks his head and makes a lewd gesture with his tongue before the second dude waves me out of the car.
I don’t see Draven and now I feel stupid because I didn’t ask for proof of life or some shit, except Maddox has her phone. She is missing.
As soon as I exit, the man to the left, sporting a greasy mullet and porn ‘stache says, “Well, well, well. Can’t wait to get a piece of that.”
I hide my shudder behind a shrug of the shoulders and say, “Whatever. Where’s Ice?”
The other dude chuckles and points toward the door. “Your funeral. Gimme your keys.”
It takes the last of my flagging courage to march inside that building, but I’m not prepared for what greets me.
Based on the layout, I’m assuming this used to be the cafe and while I wish I was here to order a greasy snack and watch wild animals roam the area, instead I’m greeted by an animal of the human variety.
“‘Bout time you got here,” Ice says while I stagger in shock at the sight of Kidd laying on the concrete floor before a booth.
With his hands and feet tied behind his back, his body is forced into a weird arc that looks super uncomfortable.
Even worse, save for the blue, blue eyes and mop of shaggy hair, his face is beaten so badly, I can’t make out his features.
“What?” I gasp, covering my mouth.
“Huh?” Ice says following my gaze. “Oh him? Got what he deserved.”
“B-But he’s your son,” I whisper, and he chuckles.
The cruel sound sends a shiver down my spine as he spits, “He ain’t nothing but a little traitor. Right, boy?”
Ice nudges him with his steel toed boot and I wince, hoping to distract him by saying, “Where is she?”
When Ice swings my way, his lips tilt into a gruesome smile before he strokes his hand over his lip and says, “Who?”
Okay, I am the stupidest person on the planet.
Fuck me.
“Look,” I say, splaying my hands. “Maybe we can work something out. You know? Maybe–”
“Ain’t nothing to work out, sweetheart. I know you been sleeping with the Saints. Little whore just like your ma. That fucker comes to me, and you can go.”
Which fucker might that be?
Curling my fingers into my palms, I ask, “Who?”
“Who?” he chuckles before shaking his head. “Man, your ma really did think she would get away with it.”
The sinking sensation in my gut tells me that once again, I’m about to get hit with another truth but this time, I have to play the game. Am I ready?
When I don’t respond quickly enough to his words, he rocks back on his heels and says, “I know everything little girl. Everything. That bitch is my puppet, and I pull the strings.”
“I don’t understand,” I say and he cocks his head.
“You really don’t know?”
When I shake my head, he says, “Joey ain’t your dad, little bitch. At least he did that right though, the prick.”
This isn’t exactly a shock, but I’m still confused, and I wave my hand because I can’t speak through the lump in my throat. If he knows that Joey’s isn’t my dad, is that because he is?
With a grunt, Ice says, “Shoulda been mine. I tried hard enough but she never could get knocked up again.”
Again?
Swaying, I hold out my hand, but I have nothing to grab as he continues. “Musta been all the drugs.”
Part of me wants to shake this fucker until he says whatever and backs the fuck off. However, that could be deadly, especially considering I think he’s telling me that he’s not my father.
Thank fuck. Although, I might have stood a better chance if he was…or not, I think, glancing at Kidd.
His blue, blue eyes meet mine, but I can’t read the message behind them, and I’m pulled back to Ice when he says, “Whatever. Castro comes and it’s done.”
Okay…Castro. Who’s that?
Right about now, I don’t fucking care.
“Just like that?” I ask, studying him closely but I don’t know this man. He could be lying, and I’d never be able to tell the difference.
“Yep,” he says, rocking back on his heels, and I glance at Kidd.
“What about him?”
“What? Now you’re bargainin’? Ain’t that cute,” he sneers. “Kidd‘ll take his licks like a man and that’s that.”
My heart sinks at his words but I have no power here. It’s not like I can refuse and leave.
Fuck me. I hoped I could change something but all I did was walk into a trap. I’m no match for this man and if he’s willing to beat Kidd, what’s he going to do to me?
“Now what?” I ask, licking my lips. “I don’t have cell service out here.”
Even contemplating being here leaves an ashy taste on my tongue but at this point I have to believe if I’m not useful then I go and I don’t think it’s back to my car and out those gates.
With an icy smile to match his name, Ice says, “Leave that to me.”
Maddox
After the call drops, I stare at Draven’s phone in disbelief.
My lungs burn but no sound emerges as I open my mouth and raise my eyes to the ceiling.
Maybe you won’t hate me.
“Fuck!” I bellow, throwing the phone against the wall.
With a thwack, it falls to the floor and I follow, grabbing my head.
Delaney is out there somewhere, and I don’t think it’s for a fucking joyride through town.
Although she didn’t really say shit, so there’s that. Hell, maybe I’m projecting. Maybe I misunderstood?
She could be home right now.
There’s only one way to find out and ignoring the brutal burn in my chest, I head for the door only pausing when Wolf steps in front of me.
“Where the fuck are you going?” he barks.
“Out,” I grit through my teeth, staring over his shoulder.
“Out? Your sister is missing and you’re going out!”
I’m past the point of rational thought though and I grab his shirt and shove him against the wall, snarling, “She’s walking right into his trap.”
“Who?”