Chapter 36
Beatings and Betrayals
Alex
Panic and dread have become my constant companions for the past day, threatening to overwhelm me. The only reason I’m not completely lost to them is because of the rage burning inside me. Rage I’m taking out on one of the bastards who attacked our community.
“Where the fuck did they take them?” I snarl in the face of the bloodied and beaten Scourge gang member as I grip his throat.
“I don’t know, man,” he mumbles, his head lolling to the side as if he can longer hold it up.
Both of his eyes are blackened and swollen shut, making it impossible for him to see out of and his lips are split.
His nose is broken at an odd angle, with blood trickling down his chin to drip onto the ground between us.
My fingers flex around his neck as I growl in frustration at his shit answer.
“Not good enough, you prick.” I slam him back against the wall, a thrill of satisfaction rushing through me at the noise his skull makes when it cracks against the wall.
“Tell me where your bastard friends took Ollie and Rhys.”
“I dunno! We were just told to get inside and cause mayhem.” Tears leak from his ruined eyes and quickly turn pink as they run down his face. “Luke never told us shit.”
“I find that hard to believe.” I cock my hand back, intending to slam it into his stomach. Maybe more pain will loosen his tongue.
A hand wraps around my fist before I can let it fly and I growl like a wild animal as I snap my gaze to see who the fuck has a death wish.
Theo stands behind me, his brow furrowed with concern. He looks terrible, the heavy bags beneath his eyes only made worse by his pale face and messy hair. “Let him go, Alex. He’s telling the truth,” he murmurs, talking to me like he would a cornered animal.
Not that I blame him. I feel like one; all panic and savage rage that has nowhere to go ever since I found Rhys’s rifle and Ollie’s bow lying in the dirt, forgotten.
I thought interrogating the Scourge members that were left alive would be the perfect outlet, but if anything, they’ve made it worse by their lack of answers.
I grind my teeth together and reluctantly release my hand from around the piece of shit’s neck. He moans and collapses to the ground, his body falling into a puddle of his own piss and blood. Not even seeing him broken at my feet quells the fury blazing inside me.
On some level, I understand that I’m becoming the violent monster I’ve spent my life avoiding, but I don’t care. I’ll do anything to get Ollie and Rhys back to us alive. If that means I become the one thing I hate and fear, then so be it.
For Ollie, I’ll be a monster.
Theo’s hand drops from mine to grip my shoulder. “Come on. You need a shower and some food. You won’t be any good to anyone if you don’t look after yourself.”
The thought of food makes my stomach growl even as nausea rolls through me.
I haven’t eaten since midday yesterday and a part of me can’t fathom me eating when I have no idea if the woman I love and my best friend are even alive.
But Theo’s tone, coupled with his firm grip on my shoulder, tells me he won’t take no for an answer.
Which only makes me feel guilty since he shouldn’t have to look after me. Not when he’s probably struggling just as much as I am with Ollie and Rhys’s loss, and that’s not including that he was shot in the fight.
I frown at him. “You shouldn’t be out of bed,” I say, narrowing my eyes at the tightness of his eyes and how tense his jaw is. It’s obvious he’s in pain, and yet here he is, yanking me out of my bloodthirsty spiral instead of resting.
I’m such a piece of shit.
He waves me off. “I’m fine. My injuries aren’t that bad and I’m being careful not to rip any stitches. The doc is just being overly cautious.” He sounds so confident, but the effect is ruined when he shifts his weight and winces.
It’s a little ironic that a man who’s often complained about difficult patients not following his advice as a paramedic is currently ignoring his own doctor’s advice. But I’m not about to call him out. I know he’ll only go mad if he has to stay in bed while Ollie and Rhys are out there.
So, with a sigh, I turn and help him hobble out of an old cabin we’ve turned into a makeshift prison for the Scourge members who survived last night, making sure to lock the door behind us.
Anthony and another member of the security team are standing guard, their faces set with grim expressions as they hold their rifles against their chests, all but daring anyone to try their luck against them.
Every security team member was incensed to hear that Rhys had been taken during the fight, and jumped at the chance to help in any way they could.
That included collecting the surviving Scourge members, piling them into the cabin and then developing a rota of guards.
Although this is the third time I’ve seen Anthony on duty, meaning he’s probably taking on more than the rest.
The man in question inclines his head in greeting as we leave the cabin. “Get anything?” he asks, a nugget of hope in his voice.
My jaw clenches as that hope dies when I shake my head.
“He’s saying what the others did; they have no idea where they’d take prisoners and that they were only told to get inside Haven and ‘cause mayhem’.
” It’s become apparent that the Scourge who were sent into Haven were expected to die or get taken hostage, meaning they know jack shit.
Anthony sighs heavily. “That’s not reassuring.” He flicks his eyes around before moving closer to us. “We should have a meeting at your cabin later. I may have uncovered something… concerning.” The worried look in his eyes and in his low voice tells me that whatever it is, it’s bad.
Theo nods. “Come over tonight and we can discuss it while I break out the good booze. God knows we need it with all this shit going on.”
Anthony agrees, and Theo and I make our way back to our cabin.
The space makes my heart hurt because I half expect to see Ollie come out of her room or Rhys to sit in front of the fireplace while cleaning one of his guns.
But the place is painfully empty and cold, like all the life and warmth has been leeched from it.
It’s no longer a home but an agonising reminder that two people we care about are in hell and there’s not a bloody thing we can do to help them.
I rub my aching chest and help Theo to the sofa in front of the fire. He groans as he curls up on the cushions, being careful of his injured thigh and bum. In any other situation, I would have mercilessly ribbed the fuck out of him for getting shot in the ass, but I can’t muster the energy.
“We’ll find them, Alex,” Theo mumbles, his voice muffled by the cushion he’s smashed his face into.
“I bloody hope so,” I say before turning and heading to the shower.
We have no choice but to find them because I’m not sure either of us will survive without them.
Later that day, our cabin is filled to the brim with people intent on finding Rhys and Ollie.
While there’s some laughter and joking, there’s a sombre undercurrent to the atmosphere that lingers in the background. The sight of our lounge being filled with so many people I consider friends and family should fill me with hope and warmth, but all I feel is cold.
And angry. So bloody angry.
Ollie’s brother is sitting in the armchair, his pregnant wife curled up in his lap as he talks quietly with a pale and haggard looking Rachel.
Rachel’s partner, Tamsin, sits on her other side on the sofa, clutching her hand in her lap in silent support.
While Andy’s condition hasn’t worsened since he was bitten, the doc is still reluctant to clear him when there’s still a chance he could turn.
Theo is curled up on the other side of the sofa, wincing every time he moves in his infinite but impossible quest to get comfortable.
Anthony sits on the rug in front of him, glass of whisky in hand as he talks with a few of the guys from the security team who are sitting on the floor with him, including Simon.
The other armchair is taken by Harriet, Rhys’s sister, who’s cuddled up in her husband Matt’s arms.
I’m the only one standing, choosing to lean against the wall behind the sofa while cradling an untouched glass of whisky that Anthony shoved at me nearly half an hour ago.
Harlow sits beside me, refusing to leave my side the moment I walked out of the shower earlier.
The poor dog has been miserable since Ollie was taken, whining and howling whenever she’s left alone and running around Haven whenever she’s let outside. It’s heartbreaking.
Even Ketchup has noticed Ollie’s absence.
I’ve found her restlessly flying back and forth around Haven, cawing and chirping as if calling out for Ollie.
Bean, at least, hasn’t noticed yet. She’s still content to hang out and graze in her field, but it’s only a matter of time until she realises Ollie isn’t here.
There’s a knock on the door, causing Harlow to woof softly before trotting over. Since I’m the only one standing, I follow her and open the door, shocked to find Charles and Jerri, of all people, standing there. What the hell are they doing here? Harlow grumbles by my side, mirroring my thoughts.
“Are you going to let us in?” Charles finally says as his eyes flick down to Harlow uneasily.
Jerri crosses her arms over her chest with a scowl.
I frown. While it’s not completely Charles’s fault that Ollie and Rhys were taken, his and the Council’s incompetence definitely aided in the Scourge enacting their plan. As for Jerri… well, I’m not in the mood to deal with her bullshit, not with how short my temper has been lately.
“Why should I?” I ask him, my eyes narrowing with suspicion.
He rolls his eyes. “Because we’re the ones who organised this whole thing. Now let us in so we can share the damn information you need.”