Chapter 19 #2
I don’t say anything because in a way he’s right. Rage has done nothing but take care of me, and I haven’t given him much in return.
“So, why did you lie to him?” he asks.
Lie? What did I lie about? “I haven’t.”
He laughs, and it makes me scoot farther back into my chair. The man is truly frightening.
“Let’s talk about your brother.” He tips his head to the side.
Rage asked about him too. Why? “What do you want to know?”
“Let’s start with his name and why you told us he was dead.”
“His name is Silas.” I shake my head, slow to register the second part of his question. “Are you telling me he’s not dead?”
“I think you already know the answer to that.”
“I only know what my mother told me, and she told me my brother was dead.”
The feeling of doom I was experiencing earlier today returns with a vengeance.
“Is Savage alive?” he asks.
Carver taps his knife over my thigh, and I freeze. “As far as I know,” I answer, my voice trembling.
“They’re one and the same, now aren’t they, luv?”
“What?”
He sets a piece of paper on the table and then stabs his knife into it. “Before you lie to me, take a look at what I already know.”
My heart beats wildly as I tug the knife from the table, keeping it firmly in my hand as I turn the paper over. I stop breathing as I stare at the photo. It’s my brother, and he’s wearing a Scorpion vest. And then my eyes slide to the name on his cut … Savage.
The knife falls to the floor as I grab the paper, pulling it to my face. I don’t believe my eyes.
I don’t understand. He’s not Savage. I met him. Not him, but Savage.
Suddenly I’m thrust back in my chair, and Carver has his knife at my throat.
“I should cut you from ear to ear for deceiving my brother and his baby sister.” His eyes are filled with hate.
But I find I don’t care. Nothing matters anymore. It’s as if my emotions just up and left. How could my brother do this to me? He let me believe he was dead.
He had Mr. Johnson killed.
“You and your brother are pieces of shit!” Carver yells, spitting in my face.
I look him in the eye. “Do it.”
“I should. You know I fucking should.”
“Do it!” I scream.
The tip of his blade rips open the skin on my throat, and something wet trickles down my neck.
Suddenly the door bursts open, and the room becomes complete mayhem. Carver is ripped away from me.
Rage roars, and he wraps his arm around his brother’s neck. Carver begins to kick his feet, his face turning purple as he tries to touch the ground.
“He’s going to kill him!” Cub yells, and I find myself being shoved aside as they try to pry Rage away from Carver. Every single one of them wrestles him and still he doesn’t let go.
I rush out of the room and into the parking lot. It’s getting dark, and I have no idea what to do. So, I run into the trees. I run for miles. I run until I find myself crawling through the broken window of the room where I found Mila.
The harshness of my breath is the only thing to break the silence. I’m afraid to move.
“What the fuck just happened?” I whisper, squeezing the piece of paper still clutched in my hand.
This can’t be true.
My brother has put me in danger before, but if he is Savage, he’s crossed the line. My mother too.
I sob so hard that I have to roll to my knees, suddenly sick to my stomach.
Eventually, I pick myself up and stumble over the dirty carpet to the living room.
I find a lighter along with a candle so I can read the information Carver gave me.
I smooth the paper against the coffee table and then lean over to read it.
When a drop of blood plops on my brother’s photo, I place my fingertips against my neck.
“What the fuck have you done?” I whisper to the brother I once loved.
My gaze scans the words in front of me, catching something about the cartel. Oh my god. Does he owe them money?
“You’re so fucking stupid!” I cry out, then whisper, “I’ve been stupid too.”
I let myself fall in love with Mila. Why did I let that happen?
My mind drifts to the anger I saw in Rage tonight, and I wonder if he killed Carver.
I hope not. He has Mila to think about.
Why did he barge into the room like that? Was he saving me, or was he in such a frenzy of confusion he was blinded by his own rage? Did he think it was my neck and not Carver’s in his big hands?
I don’t blame him if that’s the case. This looks bad. The information on this piece of paper makes it seem as if I lied to them. I wouldn’t trust me either.
After my mind runs through every scenario, I decide to try and get some sleep. I prop myself against the wall and close my eyes. I just need to stay here until morning and then … well, I don’t know what I’ll do, but I do know I have to get out of here.
An hour or so later, I give up. There’s no way I’m getting any sleep tonight.
To pass the time, I make my way to the room filled with the things Rage bought for his sister. Placing the candle on the dresser, I slowly begin sifting through it. Despite the endless tears, I’m searching for things Mila might still be able to use, and then I have a separate pile for donations.
When a light shifts across the room, I quickly blow out the candle. I crouch on the floor by the window. My car pulls into the driveway. Rage gets out and stands in front of the headlights, staring at the front door.
Even though this looks like a scenario straight out of a horror movie, I know it’s not. Rage won’t hurt me.
His head falls before he goes back to the car and shuts it off. Then he walks away, disappearing into the dark of night.
My heart beats fast as I wait for him to return. I’m not sure if I’m hopeful or terrified. When he doesn’t come back, my heart sinks, giving me my answer. This is his way of telling me to get out of town.
I gather up all of the little clothes I’m selfishly taking for myself, and then I wash up in the sink as best I can. There’s nothing left to do but wait. He might be watching for me in the dark. I can’t risk it and let him get the jump on me.
As soon as it’s light enough to see, I exit out the back of the trailer and slowly make my way around to my car, picking my way around the junk in the yard.
When I open the driver’s door, I find an envelope on the seat with two thousand dollars in it.
I grab it and storm back inside of the trailer, throwing it on the coffee table.
I don’t need his fucking money.
The ring on my finger catches my attention. “You can have your stupid ring back too,” I whisper, fighting another wave of tears. “I knew there was no such thing as happily ever after. I don’t know why I let myself believe it.”
As I drive away, the sun begins to rise.
I take a deep breath, releasing the sadness I embraced last night.
It’s over. What’s done is done. I need to move on, because Mila is still in danger.
The Scorpions threatened to cause problems for Rage if he didn’t hand over the guns and me.
I can remedy one of those things easily enough, but the other … that I’m going to have to think on.
Nothing can stand in the way of Rage getting custody of Mila.
Nothing.