Chapter 39
Delaney
We drop back to silence as Draven navigates through the rocky terrain. I’m pretty sure we cross areas not meant for vehicles but to her credit she doesn’t falter.
The entire way, those horrible screams bounce around in my head, interspersed with the crunch of the man’s skull that I crushed.
By the time we pull to a stop, I’m in a trance of sorts and blinking, I look up at the compound as a dozen bikers emerge from inside the fence.
Beside me, Draven unlatches her belt and jumps from the truck before rushing into Joker’s arms.
“What happened?” he shouts while I fumble with my own door, ignoring his questioning glance.
When Maddox appears at my side, his wide eyes drop to the gun that I’m still clutching before he touches my hand, but my fingers are frozen around the metal, and I can’t unclench them.
Finally, he brushes a finger across my cheek and says, “Let go, princess.”
As if he said the magic words, I drop the gun, and he swipes it up before handing it to someone behind him.
When he turns back to me, I meet his pretty dark gaze and blink when he asks, “You okay, princess?”
His words don’t truly penetrate though, and I rub my aching eyes as he says, “Sh, it’s okay.”
I don’t respond because what can I possibly say and his mouth curls into a frown before he picks me up and steps away from the truck.
Immediately my stomach heaves and I struggle out of his grip, tumbling to the ground where I retch into the rocks, my stomach cramping viciously.
When it finally dies down, I feel Maddox’s warm hands against my back and stiffen. I can’t explain it but it’s like my skin is too tender to feel someone else’s touch and I pull away from the burn.
“Are you hurt, princess?” Maddox asks and I look up.
What a strange question.
Physically I’ll be fine, but I don’t think I can ever come back from what I did, from what I saw…or heard and when the world narrows to a dark tunnel, I welcome the relief because everything goes black.
“She’s still sleeping,” Draven says, and I blink my eyes open.
I don’t recognize the four walls surrounding me and for a blissful moment, I’m free until those screams flash through my brain, echoing macabrely before they end so abruptly that once again, I’m disoriented.
“Dray…” Maddox growls, and I curl my icy fingers into fists.
No, I can’t do this now…maybe never but even as I think it, a new burn takes up residence in my chest and I sneer, “We’re all evil. Right? Because we’re Aces.”
The two drop into silence when I push to my feet and grab the edge of the bed. My stomach cramps as soon as I’m vertical and my head begins to throb.
After all the abuse it took yesterday, I guess I’m lucky to be alive, none of which I care about when I turn and meet Maddox’s dark gaze.
“Nobody’s innocent,” I rasp. “Right?”
His brow flickers but, wisely he doesn’t speak as Draven backs cautiously to his side, her eyes wide.
My soul aches and there’s fuck all I can do about it but shout, “Fuck you, Maddox. Fuck…you. He died for me…for her while you did nothing.”
When his nostrils flare, I eye the tic in his jaw and laugh, throwing out my arm. “How does it feel to know Aces spawn died for your sister?”
The darkness spreading through my soul like a cancer covers my vision in black dots and I stumble into the bathroom before slamming the door behind me.
Kidd’s screams echo in my ears and I drop to my knees, vomiting into the toilet. Unfortunately, there’s nothing left to give and all I can do is heave miserably.
When I’m done, I lay my head on the cool floor and just breathe. In. Out. In. Out.
Eventually, the door swings inward and Draven appears.
She slides to the floor and sits beside me while I breathe…just fucking breathe.
After a short nap and picking at a sandwich that Lilli delivered, Wolf appears in the doorway.
Draven left a while ago and with a silent sigh, I stand, having expected this for a while.
He eyes the purpling bruise on the side of my face with furrowed brows before saying, quietly, “We need to ask you a few questions, Delaney.”
Of course they do. We wouldn’t want to miss an opportunity to exact vengeance against the enemy.
Right?
I have no use for him or any of the assholes and shrug to show my disdain when I push past him and stalk down the hall before descending the stairs.
At the bottom, I wait, a strange numbness pulling at my limbs when Wolf guides me down the intersecting hall and into a room much bigger than the last.
Oh joy. This interrogation includes half the damn MC.
Ignoring their curious stares, I sit in the chair Wolf pulls out for me and drop my gaze to the wood.
When the low murmurs die down, Joker clears his throat and says, “Delaney?”
“Hm?”
There’s a mark in the wood that looks a bit like a heart. Beside it a cloud. The shape of the man’s head…
Nope, not going there.
“We need to know everything we can. Ice won’t take this lying down,” Joker says, and I look up, meeting Maddox’s granite stare over his shoulder.
He searches my eyes, his brows furrowing and with a wan smile, I say, “Of course. You need to protect your people.”
Joker shifts in his chair before bowing his head. “That’s not–”
“I was looking for Kidd, I thought maybe he was with Draven.”
When Joker whips his head up, I shrug.
Oops, I guess I outed Draven but who cares. She’s never going to see the poor fucker again anyway.
Kidd’s bright blue eyes flash before me and clearing my throat, I say, “Ice gave me an ultimatum and I accepted.”
Like a goddamn moron. Shit.
I’m no one’s savior and after last night, I’m quite sure that Draven could have escaped without my assistance just fine.
“How did you find them?” Maddox asks and I meet his blistering stare with a smirk.
Oh, is he upset? Too bad. He can take his fucking feelings and shove them up his fine ass.
“I drove,” I say with a shrug.
“You drove…” Maddox barks, running his hands through his hair.
When I raise a brow, he takes a step toward me only to pause when Wolf says, “Look, we need to know what Ice wants. Why? What was he going to do?”
Dropping my gaze back to the table, I return to the wood. Heart. Cloud. Head…fuck.
“Delaney?” Wolf says and I sigh.
“How would I know? Ice didn’t exactly lay it out for me.”
Who is Castro? Why did he go to all this trouble just to find him?
Maybe I should admit what Ice said but without more information, I don’t want to create a bigger mess. I mean, look what happened when I spoke about Snake before.
“How did you get away?” Romeo asks and I silently sigh.
I like Romeo but he’s one of them and I don’t trust them. Not anymore. I should never have involved the Saints.
Maybe Kidd would be alive if I had just done what Ice wanted.
Why do I care about the Saints? They sure as fuck didn’t care about me while they were trying to lure Ice out.
What makes them so damn different in the end?
When I meet Romeo’s stare, he winks but it’s lost on me when I say, “We escaped.”
“How?” Wolf interjects and I lock my jaw. If these assholes want answers, maybe they should talk amongst themselves.
“We just did,” I finally grit through my teeth.
“Delaney—” Maddox says, and I slam my palm on the table.
Raising my chin, I meet Joker’s wide eyes before moving to Maddox who drops his chin as I say, “No. We got out. That’s it. I don’t know anything anyway. All I do know is that Ice is crazy. He’s…he’ll do anything to get his way.”
It’s true. I mean, he sacrificed his own freaking son. He’s a monster.
Chuckling, I grab my stomach as tears spring to my eyes. These fuckers don’t know the half of it, and I’m tempted to let them know just how fucked up this is, except I don’t want to talk anymore.
When my bout of hysterical laughter dies down, Wolf says into the awkward silence, “Who are you trying to protect?”
“Hey–” Maddox growls and I push back my chair.
“I don’t give a damn about you or him. You want Ice, hunt the bastard down for all I care.”
Wolf frowns but backs off when Joker says, “It’s not safe for you here as long as that fucker is looking.”
“What?” Maddox barks, stepping forward, but I fling out my arm.
“Ha! No problem. The pigs will protect me. I’m not your fucking bait anymore.”
“Enough,” Romeo bellows and I pause, sucking in a breath.
He eyes me with what I do suspect is disappointment, but I don’t fucking care when I say, “Do what you want but you won’t be using me anymore.”
Silence follows my statement until Joker says, “Everybody out.”
I suspect he doesn’t mean me which is confirmed when I go to follow and Joker grunts, “Not you.”
Raising my eyes to the ceiling, I shake my head. What fucking now?
Once everyone leaves, I turn to find Joker in a standoff with Maddox.
“You can go,” he barks but Maddox shakes his head.
“Nope.”
“Son…”
“Pops…”
“You n–”
When Maddox leans against the wall, crossing his arms, Joker eyes him with a scowl before sighing and turning to me. “You need to call Helen.”
“Why? So, you can threaten her?” I mutter.
“I didn’t threaten her,” he says, casting Maddox another frown when he stiffens.
“Really?” I snort. “You want to talk to my mom? You call her.”
I can’t speak to my mom right now. I just…can’t. There’s a darkness writhing beneath my soul and I’m afraid of what I might do if I hear her voice.
Did she lie to me again? Or is Ice delusional?
I don’t freaking know and after what I saw…what I did, it’s not something I can bear to share and if anyone is going to pry it out of me, it’s her.
“She needs to know you’re okay,” Joker says.
“Whatever,” I mutter, grabbing the pad and pencil in the middle of the table, before scrawling her number across the top and pushing it toward him.
“Knock yourself out,” I say and his lip twitches.
Pulling the pad toward him, Joker shakes his head and says, “Stubborn just like your mother.”
Ignoring the comment because I’m not sure it’s a compliment, I move toward the door but pause when Joker says, “You can go, but don’t think about leaving until I talk to her.”
“Did you know?” I ask.