Chapter 30
Hannah
I ’d ridden with Stella and Hawk to get Pearl and the little girl, who was named Emma, something to eat.
I wanted to get the girls away from the house, and I needed a minute to breathe.
My entire life, I didn’t understand why my mother left me, why she didn’t want me, why she hated me.
To find out I was meant to be traded to a crime family, so she could raise the next leader, caused a rip to open inside me.
Growing up, I never felt wanted, and finding out I really wasn’t, was just a little too much to handle.
What was so wrong with me?
Why wasn’t I good enough?
The questions swirled around in my head as we grabbed food from a drive-thru and returned to the house to have a picnic.
Three of the Death Hounds left to go back to Portstill, and three others stayed behind to guard us.
I had to admit, I was expecting hardnosed tough guys.
But after spending time with Skid, Hawk, someone named Jackal, who seemed a little crazy, a big man named Basher, and a quiet man named Bull, who kept his eyes locked on Emma, making sure she was okay, I realized my mistake.
They were honorable men who were protectors, as well as bad asses.
Stella came and sat next to me as two hours turned into three. “How are you holding up?”
I shrugged. “I always knew she didn’t want me, but hearing her say I was a pawn, well, it’s a little tough to swallow.”
She plucked a few springs of grass from the lawn as she looked across the yard to the house and absently said, “I lived here for three years, close to twenty years ago.” I snapped my head to look at her as she spoke.
“The man I was given to was tasked with running the brothels, and this was his pride and joy. My daughter and I lived in the big bedroom on the second floor with him, and after we were rescued by the U.S. Marshals, I thought I’d never see it again.
When James told Hawk where you were, I had to come. ”
“I . . . I had no idea,” I replied softly as I turned my eyes back to the house.
“You had no way of knowing,” she reasoned. “You’re around Hailey’s age, and I wish . . . I wish I’d known about you.”
“I think we all got screwed by Sergey,” I remarked, and she nodded solemnly. “Can I ask you a question?”
She turned and smiled at me. “Ask away. I’m an open book, for the most part.”
“Why did you kill Sergey?”
Exhaling, she began to explain. “He was the worst father and parent you could imagine, who only cared about himself. I think he killed our mother, but I can’t be sure.
He sold Devlin, bartered away my innocence, and then he decided to testify, spilling all the secrets.
The only problem was, Hailey’s father had been murdered a few years prior, and if Sergey spoke of her and her connection to him, then they may have started looking into what happened, and I couldn’t have that attention on her. ” She paused, then added, “Or me.”
“Did you . . .”
I left the question unasked, and she turned to look me in the eye as she nodded. “Sometimes, the only way to vanquish a monster from your mind is to bathe in its blood.”
She didn’t say anything else, and I sat there with her, silently staring at the house, thinking about what was supposed to happen inside. The thought of what my monster of a mother had planned for me, without a care for me or the damage her decisions would cause, was making my blood boil.
I glanced at Stella, and she peered out the side of her eye and smiled.
A tug of war was taking place inside me over right and wrong, and when I turned back to look at Stella, she handed me a large knife in a woven sheath.
I took it from her, and she stood from her seat on the ground next to me, brushed off the back of her pants, and walked over to Pearl and Emma as they finished their deserts with two of the Death Hounds.
Standing, I brushed off my pants, and with the knife in my grip, I walked across the yard to the house. I could feel someone watching me, but I didn’t turn around to see who it was. I was sure it was Stella silently giving me strength to vanquish the monster from my life.
Walking inside, I heard voices coming from the office to the left, and I nodded to one of Lucian’s men standing guard in the entrance before knocking on the broken door. Rhys opened it and stepped out with a worried look on his face.
I looked up at him and asked, “Do you remember when I asked you what it was like to kill someone?” He nodded silently, and I stepped closer to him. “I think I’m ready to find out the answer.”
“Are you sure, baby? There’s no coming back from that, and I don’t want you to carry unnecessary guilt over her death,” Rhys explained, and I knew he was trying to protect me.
“I need to know that she’ll never come back to hurt me or anyone else again,” I tried to explain, but I didn’t feel like I was expressing my feelings adequately.
“She’s the boogieman in the closet, and the only way for me to make sure she can’t get me is to destroy her myself.
” I paused and asked, “Does that make any sense?”
He leaned over and kissed me softly as he stroked my cheek. “I completely understand, but if you change your mind . . .”
I nodded, and he took me by the hand and escorted me into the office.
Pieces of the splintered door and evidence of the grenade he tossed was all over the floor.
As I stepped into the room, James, Devlin, and Lucian all turned to look at me.
Kelly stood in front of the desk with her head down and tears running down her face.
Devlin gave me a quizzical look, and I lifted Stella’s knife up so he could see it.
He gave me a knowing nod before stepping in front of me.
“I know what you need to do, but that’s not right for you.
A little birdy told James you’re pretty good with a pistol.
” I nodded, and he reached down to his thigh and handed me his weapon.
It was silver with faint black ravens in the coating. “She’s accurate with little kickback.”
I lifted my eyes to him and offered what I hoped was a smile. Just as I went to step around him, Devlin leaned over and whispered, “We’re all a little crazy here.”
His knowing smirk was reassuring as I felt Rhys release my hand with a kiss.
I glanced at him and saw the loving affection shining back in his eyes.
Lucian was still in front of Kelly, and when I stepped around James, he noticed the gun and moved to the side without going far.
When I was in front of Kelly, I glanced and saw Devlin standing on the other side of me.
James and Rhys stood off to the side, allowing them a perfect view of my descent into insanity.
Kelly finally realized someone beside Lucian was standing in front of her, and as she lifted her red, swollen eyes to mine, I witnessed fresh tears fall down her face.
“I knew it would be you,” she remarked as she exhaled.
“For years, I knew you would take my last breath from me. And I deserve it for what I did to you. Can you ever forgive me?”
Hesitation gets you killed, I heard Granny’s voice whisper and remembered her guidance. When confronted with danger, hesitation gets you killed.
Lifting the gun so it was pointed at her head, I replied simply, “No,” before pulling the trigger.
The bullet struck her forehead, and for a microsecond, she stood looking at me with a surprised expression on her face.
Then, a single ribbon of blood fell from the hole and she dropped to the floor like a stone.
There wasn’t another breath and she made no more sounds.
A hand touched each of my shoulders, and I glanced to see my brothers standing beside me, giving me strength.
Lowering the gun, I absentmindedly handed it to Devlin as I moved across the room to Rhys.
He pulled me into a hug and kissed my head as he whispered, “Are you okay?” I nodded against his chest, and he pulled me tighter to him as he asked, “Are you ready to leave?”
I looked up at him and replied, “I’m going to Portstill with Stella and Hawk, so you can finish up here, and when you’re done, you can come get me.”
He pressed his lips against mine and replied, “I think that’s a great idea. And you can see the twins.”
“Speaking of twins, Lucian, you need to go home and be with Rylee and the babies. We’ve got this covered here,” Devlin suggested, and I could see Lucian teeter between going and staying.
“Why don’t you come back with me, check on the family, and you can be back within, what, a couple hours, if needed,” I suggested, and he nodded. “Good, then I won’t be stuck riding on someone’s bike for the next four hours.”
Rhys walked and Lucian and me out as Devlin and James stayed behind. I didn’t want to know what all they uncovered as long as they made sure no more innocent girls were dragged into this fucking madness. Rhys kept his hand in mine as we walked down the stairs and out to the vehicles.
Skid was waiting for us, and he spoke quietly to Lucian.
“Pearl is the granddaughter of Franco Pastori, who was the founder of the Syndicate. Her part of the family has been clean for two generations. Her father will be here in a few minutes to take her back home, and I took the liberty of assigning some of your security to her until she can get sorted.”
Lucian nodded, and I asked, “What about Ella?”
“Ella is a little more difficult. Her parents are Anita and Paulo Territs, and they were killed in a plane crash last month while they were on vacation. Her aunt took her in, and we’re looking for her now, but Ella can come back to Portstill with us until we find her aunt.”
“And neither of them was . . .” Skid shook his head, answering my unfinished question.
“It doesn’t appear that anything happened. I think they can thank you. Pearl nearly stabbed me with a butter knife when I opened her door, and she said you gave it to her.”