54. Stitches
STITCHES
I hit the punching bag in the basement hard, trying to get out of my head. It had almost been a week since we took Ethan from the engagement party. Sleep evaded me. I didn’t know the guy, but I worried about him because I knew what it was like to be stuck in Everett’s clutches.
I also knew if anyone found out it was us who took him, someone as high-profile as the fucking sugar daddy, we’d be in a world of hurt. The same world we were trying to break away from to keep our family safe.
I pounded the bag on repeat, my body drenched in sweat. Shadow came in and wrapped his knuckles. I paused and watched him work the other punching bag.
He had moves. I never in a million years would have imagined it, but there he was, beating the shit out of the bag, his face set in a stone mask.
“You pissed too?” I grunted out, grabbing a bottle of water.
“Seems to be the trend lately for all of us,” he said between hits.
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong on that account.
“How was Sirena this morning?” I asked.
“She’s currently fucking Sin and Ashes in the shower.”
“You didn’t join in?”
“I fucked her first, which was why she needed the shower.” He stopped hitting the bag and grinned at me.
I chuckled and shook my head at him. “Can’t believe you didn’t invite me.”
“You had her last night with Church.”
I shrugged. “My cock is always ready to fuck.”
“I believe that.” He went back to hitting the bag.
I watched him for a long time before flopping down in a chair. He finally stopped punching and took the chair next to me.
“What do you think?” I asked.
“I think this whole thing is completely fucked up, but it wouldn’t be our life if it wasn’t.”
I nodded. “True. I can’t wait for it to be over.”
“You’re done here in a few months. Same with the guys. What are you planning to do?”
I sat forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “I don’t know. We never really thought about life after Chapel Crest. I guess I assumed I’d be working in the Underground with Church. That we all would be. Now? I don’t know. It’s the last place I want to be. Not that I wanted to be there to begin with, but now it’s not really an option.”
“Ever worry about being stuck in one of these places forever?” He gestured around us.
“Not really, I guess. I assumed Church would just bail my ass out. I was sent here because of my anger and the fact Everett pretty much owns the place. And you know Sin and Ashes’s stories.”
He nodded. “Life is happening fast, though, Malachi. I’m free here in a few months, too. I would have also been going to the Underground. Most of us here end up there one way or another. That’s just life. We weren’t saved here. We were fed poison and brainwashed to be food for bigger monsters. Collateral damage, even.”
I stared at the floor. He wasn’t wrong. That’s all our lives had been. None of us had family anymore. Church had me, and I had him, and we all had one another, but parents? Family outside one another? Nothing worth talking about.
“I think Church will take over the Underground once Everett is dead,” I said. “It seems to be where his head is.”
“Will you follow?” Shadow asked.
I was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yeah. I go where he goes. He’s my brother. One of my best friends. We have Sirena. I’ll never leave. You?”
“Until the death.” Shadow gave me a sad smile. “Isn’t that the mantra here? We’re in until we die?”
“That and we keep fucking breathing and trust one another to keep our sanity,” I murmured.
“I’d say we’re doing good.” He got up and stretched his shoulders. “Want to punch each other for a bit?”
I grinned and got to my feet. “You fucking know I do.”
* * *
A knock on our front door later that night had me answering it to find Mirage on the step wearing his rabbit mask and holding his carrot.
“Hey, haven’t seen you in a hot minute,” I said, stepping aside for him.
“I’ve been working,” he said, coming into the room. “I have something we should discuss.”
“Church!” I shouted. “Church! Mirage is here!”
Sirena came barreling out of the hall and threw herself at Mirage. He caught her in his arms and held her tightly against him.
“Hey, Rinny. I’ve missed you.”
She hugged him tighter as Church came down the stairs with Ashes in tow. Sin popped out from his bedroom, and Shadow sat up on the couch where he’d been lounging, reading a book on physics or some shit. Dude was smart, but I figured it had more to do with his insane memory than anything else.
He’d given me the finger when I’d told him that.
“What’s going on?” Church demanded.
Mirage released Sirena and took her hand, leading her to sit. She took a spot next to him, and we all sat in various places in the living room.
“I have a name. I found out who arranged for Cady to go missing,” Mirage said.
Sirena’s eyes widened.
“Who?” Church snarled. He’d been extra snappy lately. I’d even seen he’d purchased baby clothes. I assumed knowing he was going to be an uncle had lit a fire under his ass. Sirena clearly thought it was sweet because she’d fucked the shit out of him when she saw everything for Cady and the baby.
Mirage exhaled and took Sirena’s hand in his and held it.
“Sister Esther arranged it. She called Cady from therapy to meet with her. Once Cady was there, Emerson had her taken.”
“How do you know?” Church asked, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
“We had to kill one of the lower-level priests here to get the information,” Mirage said, tapping his head. “Father Stanley will no longer be joining us on Sundays or Wednesdays.”
I looked back at Church. He was working through what Mirage had said.
“Let’s kill her,” Sirena said, her voice filling the silence.
I blinked and looked over at her.
“Angel, baby, we’ll handle it?—”
“I want to handle it. Let me.” She gave me a wide-eyed, innocent look.
“So be it,” Church said. “Let Sirena have this. It’s retribution for taking Cady.”
“I don’t want her to,” Ashes said immediately. “I don’t want her to get hurt.”
“She won’t be hurt. We’ll be with her,” Mirage said, tapping his head again and smiling at her, his hand still enclosed around hers.
“I’ll be there too. You guys will wait and watch. Make sure we aren’t interrupted.”
“So that’s it? You’re just going to walk in and kill the old bitch?” Sin asked.
Church contemplated his question before nodding. “Yes. I believe that’s exactly what we’ll do. We need to start fucking cleansing this place of the scum. They all need to die. If we take them slowly, it’ll send a strong fucking message.”
“And what’s the message? We’re putting ourselves in danger, and Sirena, by doing this. They’re under your father’s protection,” Ashes argued. “I want them to fucking pay, too, but he has Cady. What if he lashes out and goes back on his word and hurts her?”
He was right. Everett was a fucking snake.
“They’re too bold. Too ego-driven. Too fucking narcissistic,” Mirage said softly. “They enjoy the game. Everett will adore this. He’ll think we’re losing it when we’re really strategically taking out the pieces.”
“Do you know this works?” I asked, staring him down. “Can you guarantee it, Seth? Because I need a guarantee.”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed except death, and to that I say, yes. I can guarantee it.”
“Yeah, but whose death?” I mumbled.
“Faith, Malachi. I promise it’ll work out. The road will have many bumps, but the journey is worth it. I swear it to you.” Mirage looked straight at me. “ Trust the fall . The fire refines. Truth will carve through tangled lies. The ones who must suffer will, in disguise. ”
I nodded. He’d never steered us wrong before so I would trust the goddamn process even if the process fucked my head inside.
“OK. I’m in,” I said. “Blind fucking trust.”
“I appreciate that.” Mirage smiled at me.
“I’m in too. I just… fuck, man. I’m scared, though.” Ashes sighed.
“That’s how you know it’s real. The fear,” Mirage said. “Now we use it to our advantage. Sinclair? You in?”
“Until the death,” Sin said, nodding.
We all looked at Church.
“Specter, get your hatchet. We have work to do.” Church’s lips turned up into a sinister smile.
If I didn’t believe in hell before, I did now, because I was staring at the fucking devil himself.
And he meant business.