Malachi #6
I feel the air rush out of my lungs as I’m thrown to the floor.
I struggle to get out of his grasp and am stunned by the stinging slap across my face.
Mack is ruthless with everyone. Boy, girl, it doesn’t matter.
Tears well in my eyes as I hold my hand over my reddening cheek, my face turned to the side to hide my reaction. Tears will only make it worse.
He leans down over my face and grips my chin forcing me to look at him. Locking eyes with me, he leans in, the hate in his eyes so fierce I can practically feel it just as I can feel the heat of his breath and the spittle landing on my face as he growls, “WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?”
Playing dumb may not be smart but it’s the only option I have. “I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” I grit out through clenched teeth, grunting in pain as he reaches up, jerking my head back by my hair.
“Don't play stupid with me, Girl. Where’s the shit Maddy had you hold onto?” he spits out, face red with anger. He jerks my hair again and I whimper as he tightens his hold.
With all the jostling, my eyes widen as I feel the necklace hidden in my shirt slide across my neck and the key thunks against the ground as it falls. Looking down at the noise, he sees the key and smirks as he releases my chin and rips the chain from my neck.
Releasing my hair, he shifts, placing a knee on my chest, he looks to Nik. “Hold her while I find it. Must be somethin’ pretty damn special hidden in there if he has it in a locked box.”
Nik moves to take hold of me as Mack moves, I glance towards my closet and hope like hell he didn’t see it, but he follows my line of sight to the closet.
“Is it in here?” He taunts, walking towards my closet. Yanking the door open he starts ripping everything out. Throwing everything over his shoulder, destroying my room and getting closer to finding Maddox’s biggest secret.
Closing my eyes, not able to watch as my brother’s deepest secrets are revealed, I plead with Nik to let me go. Shaking his head he grips my shoulders, pulling me tighter into his hold. I thrash, trying to get free as he whispers, “Sorry,” in my ear.
I freeze, ‘Sorry?? He’s sorry? This is his fault and he’s SORRY? Fuck that!’ I think, headbutting him. He grunts as I hit him in the nose and feel his grip loosen. Slipping out of his hold I make a run for my door.
Nik’s whining about his nose causes Mack to whip back around.
He snatches me back by the hair with one hand while throwing the box on the bed with the other.
I yelp as my head is jerked backwards before I feel his fist connect with my stomach.
I fall to my knees as he backhands me across the face and I see stars for a moment before it all goes black.
Malachi
Glaring at my bitch of a daughter, I send Niky to clean his nose. Stepping over Melly’s prone body on the floor, I make my way over to the bed, using the key the bitch was hiding, I open the box. ‘Let’s see what you’re hidin’ from me boy,’ I think.
Lifting the lid, I’m surprised by what I find.
Inside are sex magazines, movie ticket stubs, a couple of random matchbooks from bars, and pictures of some red-headed kid that I know I’ve seen around the house before.
Seeing pictures of this kid and Maddy together, arms wrapped around each other and kissing, I’m disgusted.
Hatred floods my veins and my blood boils as I tip the box over, dumping the rest of the contents on the bed.
Watching everything scatter across the blankets, my anger only rises, my knuckles creaking as my fists clench.
Looking up as Niky rejoins me in the room, fire blazing behind my eyes, I grit out the only question I have, “Where do I find the kid?”
Niky looks at everything and shrugs, “I don’t know.”
Grunting as I grab him by the collar, “Well until I find him or know where to find him, you’re stayin’ with me. Got it?”
Nik nods quickly. Might as well, he doesn’t have a choice in it anyways.
I shove him away from me, leaving the room as I pull out my phone to make a call.
I eye him leaving Melly’s room and slink to his as I pull up my contacts.
I drop heavily on the half broken couch and push the call button.
The phone is answered before the first ring finishes.
“Weasel, just the man I need to speak to,” I say as the call connects.
I roll my eyes as he immediately starts whining about how he’s doing the best he can to get the hours adjusted. He stops talking as I cut him off, “Will you shut the fuck up!? That’s not why I’m callin’. Where the fuck is Maddy? Where can I find him?”
He stutters and stumbles over his words. “F-f-find him? Fuck, I didn’t know he was lost.”
“He’s not lost, he just didn’t show up for work this mornin’ like he was supposed to,” I snap out, thinking, ‘Fuckin’ moron.’
“Sir, it’s only 7:30 in the morning, he’s not due to work till 3. So what…”
He goes silent as I growl into the phone, “WEASEL! FOCUS!!”
I hear him gulp, “Yes sir?”
“Maddox was supposed to cover Niky’s shift, he didn’t show, he’s not home, and I found his box’a gay shit. Now, where would he be? Has he mentioned a boyfriend or anything to you?” I ask as calmly as I can.
I’m so over all of this bullshit and it’s too fucking early for any of it. Between my shoulder and ribs hurting me after the visit from Zak and Grigory last night and this shit today? I just want to hurt someone, get some head, and crash for twelve hours after I dose for the pain again.
I listen to him mumbling as he flips through papers, before he says, “No, he hasn’t mentioned anything to me, and I don’t have anything in his file for anywhere he could be. All I have is work and home.”
“Fine!” I snarl. “If you see him, you send him my way,” hanging up the phone without hearing his response. It didn't matter, it’ll be a yes anyway.
Niky finally comes back into the living room, fully dressed, and stands by the door waiting for my instructions. ‘That’s right, I’m top dog, you do what I tell you,’ I think, pulling out the vial of coke again. I do a line off the table and toss the truck keys to him as I stand.
"You're drivin’. Let's go find your runt of a brother cause he damn sure ain’t no son of mine,” I say, grabbing him by the back of the neck and shoving him out the door.
Melody
I wince as I come to. Looking around before I move, listening for any sounds in the house, I notice the house is quiet, too quiet.
I sit up slowly, looking around at the damage dad did to my room.
When my eyes trail over my bed I notice Dax’s box tossed to the side, the contents strewn across my bed.
‘Fuck me! This day just keeps gettin’ better,’ I think as I pull myself off the floor, wincing with every move. Everything hurts and my face feels hot and swollen.
Stumbling into the bathroom, I flip on the light as I look in the mirror. ‘God I’m a mess,’ I think as I examine the damage left by my own father’s hands.
My long hair is knotted and sticking up everywhere and it takes some work just to pull it into a messy bun.
I wash my face the best I can, trying to get the dried blood from my skin, avoiding the bruises and trying not to re-open my split lip.
Sighing as I take in the results, which don’t really change much, I head back to my room to change clothes.
Pulling on a pair of yoga pants and one of Seb’s hoodies, I look for my phone and, hoping I am not too late, text Dax.
Thing 1: Fucker, Nik told dad EVERYTHING! Dad found the box. He knows! DO NOT COME HOME!
Thing 2: FUCK ME, this day just keeps gettin better. Where R U?
Thing 1: Headed for Kai’s, meet u there?
Thing 2: smh, yeah. Fuck
Slipping my phone into my pocket, I slide my feet into my shoes and grab a bag, quickly tossing a few things in before heading to Kai’s. The walk over doesn’t take long, even with ducking down back alleys and staying off the main walk ways.
Kai’s waiting on the front porch when I get there.
He takes one look at me and stands, immediately pulling me into a hug.
Leaning back, he carefully grabs my chin, tilting my head into the light to see better.
His eyes trail over my face, assessing my injuries before he ushers me in the house, directing me to the weird bathroom under the stairs.
He pulls out a first aid kit, and as he patches me up, he finally asks, “What happened?”
I shake my head no, sniffling as I say, “When I tell this story, I’m only doin’ it once, so you’ll just have to wait ‘til Dax gets here.” He picks that moment to hit a particularly sore spot on my face where Mack’s ring left a particularly deep cut. “Ow, fucker, be gentle!”
With a sheepish grin he mutters, “Sorry,” and moves to another spot. He smirks then, adding, “That’s not what your brother said last night.”
I scrunch up my face at the visual, smacking his chest, “GROSS and OW! Don’t say that dumb shit. I don’t wanna know that!”
Dax chooses that moment to show up. Standing in the doorway, a worried look crosses his face as he looks me over. Shaking his head, he licks his lips and asks, “What dumb shit’s he sayin’ now?”
Kai smiles at Dax, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, Dax leans into the touch letting a small smile slip as he looks me up and down.
Kai drops the cotton balls in the trash and covers the spot on my cheek with a bandage, dropping a kiss on my forehead he declares, “All done,” as he steps out of the bathroom.
I stand to follow and as we move back to the living room I spot a drink tray with coffee from the Pump Palace on the table. They sit on the couch as I grab mine before settling on the couch between them, their arms stretched out behind me across the back of the couch, their fingers linked together.
Once we’re settled, I answer Dax’s question, “He was talkin’ about what y’all did last night, what you weren’t sayin’,” I shudder, “And no one wants to hear about that. No one,” I add, taking a sip of coffee.
I grimace as pain radiates from my split lip as I think, ‘It’s not the good stuff, but it’s coffee. I guess it’ll do.’
Fiddling with my cup, I feel their eyes on me as they wait to hear what happened. ‘Might as well get it over with,’ I think with a sigh.
I flick my thumb nail against the plastic lid as I tell them what happened this morning and feel them both tensing beside me at certain points in the story.
When I finish telling them everything, they’re both staring at me, jaws dropped, anger in their eyes.
The silence stretches out, it’s deafening.
When I can’t take it any more, I look back and forth between them. Kai’s jaw sets, he scratches at the scruff on his chin. Dax’s face sets in a perma-scowl and he tongues at the inside of his cheek. Groaning, I say, “Somebody say something! Anything!”
Only met with more silence, I stand and head for the kitchen, freezing when Seb walks through the door with a bucket of chicken.
The look on his face when he sees me doesn’t help anything. He freezes, only for a moment, before dropping the chicken on the table. He strides towards me quickly and within a few steps he’s wrapping me in his arms murmuring, “What happened?” in my ear.
“Mack!” is shouted from the living room, where apparently the silence has finally become too much for them.
I feel air tickling my ear as Seb whispers, “Fuck,” into my hair as he nuzzles into my neck. He holds me tighter as the realization of what happened settles over him. We’ve been in this strange on-again/off-again pattern and luckily for me, on this night in particular, we were currently on again.
I pull away from Seb’s hold, and turn hearing Dax behind me. He was leaning against the door of the kitchen, arms crossed over his chest, fingers digging into his flexed biceps, he says, “I’m gonna handle it. I don’t know how yet, but I will fix this.”
I smile bashfully at my protective twin as Seb turns to grab the bucket of chicken from the table while I walk over to Dax.
Stopping in front of him, he’s not much taller than me but he still has a few inches on me.
“Please don’t do anything dumb? Okay?” I plead with him, my eyes begging him to be safe.
His eyes take in the bruising on my face before he wraps me in his arms, “Okay,” he whispers, kissing the top of my head before heading back to the living room.
I sigh, watching as Dax climbs into Kai’s lap. Feeling Seb tug on my arm, pulling me through the living room towards the stairs, “I’m gonna go hang with him for a bit,” I say, pausing at the back of the couch. “We’ll talk later?”
Dax nods as Kai wraps himself around him. I squeeze Kai’s hand as I turn, trailing behind Seb up the stairs.
Maddox
Leaning into Kai’s arms, “Tell me not to do anything,” I whisper.
Kai tightens his hold, “Don’t do it, Baby,” he says, kissing my temple. “Why don’t we fix somethin’ to eat? Hang out here or the van tonight and call Zak in the morning?”
Biting my lip, I pull out of his hold, walk to the kitchen and hop up on the counter as Kai follows behind me. He digs in the refrigerator for a moment before tossing me a beer. I crack it open while he turns back to find us something to eat.
Taking a gulp of beer, I say, “I would love to call Zak, but…I don’t have a number for Zak. He just kinda shows up.”
He pauses his search, turning to look at me, he asks, “So what’re we gonna do?”
Taking another drink of my beer, I shrug, saying, “I don’t know. I need’ta think on it and I do my best thinkin’ with you in my arms.”
Kai turns around, a fond look on his face, a bag of pizza rolls in his hands. He sets the bag on the counter and clears the space between us in two steps. He wraps his arms around me and coos, “Is that so?” as he hovers over my lips before leaning in with a chaste kiss.
My face heats and I duck my head, nuzzling into his chest. He chuckles and kisses the top of my head. We stay that way for a minute, basking in the warmth of the other, holding the peace of the moment. Indulging in the feeling of safety we’ve created together.
He breaks away, tilting my head up to meet his gaze.
There’s so much behind those eyes, I wish I knew what it all was.
“Let me put these in and you go wait for me on the couch. Thank God it’s the weekend and Tessa took everyone outta town for that weird thing her company was doing,” he says, stepping out of my space.
I can’t help but agree with him, feeling fuzzy and happy as I hop off the counter and head back to the couch.