Chapter 30 Caspian
Caspian
Waking up with a start and breathing in a scent of ammonia so fucking strong, I whip my head from side to side to get away from it.
Fuck! My eyes blink a few times as they water, causing my vision to blur.
I try to focus and gather my thoughts. Where Am I?
Where’s Rick? Brax? What the hell happened?
One minute, I was heading to the gate to see why it wasn’t opening, but a whizzing sound stopped me in my tracks.
Screaming at Rick and flying backward from the impact of the blow to the shop is the last thing I remember.
Once my vision clears, I take in the dark red room I’m in and the suit standing directly in front of me.
There’s a glass table in the middle of the U-shaped deep red couch and a bar in the far right corner.
To my left is a huge mirror lined with dark red LEDs that light up with the bass of the low music.
Moving my hands and wrists, I let out a breath and thank the heavens above that I’m not restrained to this leather couch.
I take in the room we are sitting in. “Ah, Mr. Cyprus. I’m glad you returned to the land of living.
You are a very hard man to get a hold of.
My apologies for taking you and your brother like this,” he says, bending down, grabbing my face and forcing me to look up at him.
“I’ve told you time and time again. When I call, you fucking answer,” he spits, his accent thick with anger.
Fuck! I snap my face out of his hold and narrow my eyes.
“Was it you, Esteban, who blew up my shop killing my twin?” I question, and he laughs, taking a long pull of his cigar, blowing the sweet cedar into my face.
My jaw ticks waiting for an answer as a groan next to me catches my attention.
Shifting my eyes to the side, I see it’s Rick.
Thank fucking god. Esteban ignores my accusations as Armando comes over waving what looks like smelling salts under Rick’s nose.
He startles and gasps for air as he continues to hold the salts under his nose.
“That’s enough!” I growl, and a slap to my face from Esteban's hand has me biting my lip.
The taste of copper lets me know he broke the skin and blood seeps into my mouth.
Reaching up, I wipe my lip and narrow my eyes at The Aces.
I fucking hate these two, and I wish I had never got into bed with them.
“Not my style. I’m more into torturing you than making it quick with a bomb.” He laughs as my hands ball into fists.
“What the fuck is going on? Who are these guys?” Rick asks, and I take a deep breath.
“The prick standing in front of you is Esteban and the other is Armando. But they are better known as The Aces,” I reveal as my eyes connect with his and they narrow into slits.
“I-I don’t understand. Why are we here?” But before I can answer, Armando interrupts.
“Oh, your dear brother has poor listening skills. Plus, we have someone we want you to meet.” He grins. I don’t like that fucking look. I don’t fear many people, but these two scare the shit out of me.
“Where’s Braxton?” Rick asks, but I cast my eyes down.
The shop is gone. Everything we worked so fucking hard for, the only legit business we had is gone.
My twin. Gone. Harley. Locked up and Axel…
I trail off, not wanting to think of the torture my baby brother is going through.
My stomach flips thinking about it all. All the emotions I keep locked away are starting to boil over.
I should have done what I was told to do long ago, but that nagging fucking voice of my older brother kept tickling me, knowing it wasn’t my kill, despite the orders I was sent to do.
“What you want is me. Let my brother go, and I’ll get it done tonight,” I tell them, and they both look at me then at each other.
“It’s a little too late to be making deals with us.
You knew what was at stake, and you still didn’t follow through,” Esteban spits, and I tighten my fists.
Fuck! The door suddenly swings open and two men enter.
I swallow thickly, and tighten my fists.
What the fuck is he doing here? This prick.
Senator Dalton Callaghan! I should’ve known.
He’s never too far from The Aces. Always sucking their ass, begging for a bone.
It’s pathetic. But the other. I never thought in a million years we’d ever be in the same room, and I hope they don’t know what I know, otherwise it's just another secret I’ve kept all my life, just for it to end like this. A huge shit show.
“Good evening, gentleman. Any chance you boys are into a battered woman being fucked with a knife? Ya know, there’s nothing like listening to them scream for help,” he says, and I roll my eyes.
“No, just me.” He laughs as Johnny sits on the opposite couch looking bored.
God, he looks so much like her it makes me sick.
“Don’t look so glum. Let’s enjoy some refreshments before we get to business,” Armando states, taking out a few joints and passing them around.
Great, just what I want to do. Get high with these jackholes.
The lights dim a little and sensual music plays softly through the speakers as a girl dressed in a leather harness that is strapped over her halter top with a collar fastened around her gorgeous neck with little chains that run across her tits, peeking out her hard nipples.
The look is complete with a leather thong that has more chains running down her pussy that’s connected to the strap that sits between her cheeks.
Fucking gorgeous, but wait, is that the girl from Montauk?
She spins around the pole as I watch her through the tempered glass that I thought was a mirror. Why does she look so familiar?
“Beauty?” Rick whispers, lighting a joint and passing it to me.
“What did you just say?” I ask as I take the joint from his hand while his eyes narrow at the glass, causing his jaw to tick. He stands, but one of the bouncers pushes him back to his seat.
“Casp, that's Beauty. What the fuck is she doing in there?” he spits, and I shake my head.
“It can’t be! That looks like the girl from Montauk,” I reply, and his eyes bounce to mine, but I look away to stare at her. I’m closer to the window than he is.
“What girl from Montauk? When?” he asks, but when I go to reply, the door behind her swings open and my eyes widen.
“Axel?” we both say at the same time, and now it’s my turn to stand.
“What the fuck is this? Why is my brother here? Who’s the girl he’s with?” I yell as Armando takes his gun out, cocking it.
“Sit the fuck down!” he orders as I look back at Axel who has a knife in his hand as he stares at the girl with such disgust. She backs away from him as he goes to sit in the chair in the corner.
“I want him out of there. Now! You don’t understand. He will kill her!” I shout.
“That’s precisely the point. Now sit the fuck down!” the senator commands, and I sit. There’s nothing I can fucking do at this point.
“Casp, we have to do something!” Mav grits. I know, man. I know. I need to fucking think how the hell to get out of this fucking situation. Fuck!
“Just shut up. I need to think!” I spit, and Rick huffs as his hands ball into fists at his side.
“Are you going to introduce me to these guys who are gawking at my girl,” Johnny says, and my head snaps to his.
“Your girl? Who is she?” I ask, and he smirks.
“That’s my little Gumdrop.” As soon as the words leave his lips, I growl so deep in my chest, then I feel my brother's hand on my arm in warning to calm down. Our girl is in there with our brother who is going to kill her! FUCK! This is not the time to be fucking calm!
“Your Gumdrop? HA! Wanna know where she got the name?” I ask, and he leans forward, taking a hit of his own joint while the other men watch what's going on through the glass.
“I gave it to her.” He grins, and I laugh.
“Wrong. I gave her that nickname last year. Plus, her gumdrops taste so fucking sweet.” I smile sinisterly as I flick my lip ring. His eyes narrow at me, and I flip him the finger. He goes to rise, but Senator Callaghan gets his bitch in check.
“Calm down. Nothing like a family reunion,” he taunts, and I still.
“What do you mean family reunion? With Axel? Are you going to let us see him?” Rick asks, hoping that’s exactly what this fuck meant.
“Ahhh, my Little Puppet, Axel, is too busy for you two tonight. That’s not what I meant.” He grins, and my heart stops. I look at Rick then at Johnny who has the same confused expression on his face.
“You want to do the honors or shall I?” he asks, and I shake my head. No! Don’t fucking tell them. “Very well. Johnny, What’s your name?” he asks, and I brace myself as the room begins to slow as Johnny begins to speak.
“Johnny Walker Cyprus,” he states, and I hang my head down. Fuck!
“Okay, he has the same last name as us, okayyyyyy…” Rick trails off, but Johnny doesn’t say anything.
“Not just the same name but the same mother.”
“What?” they both say as Rick punches me in the shoulder.
“You knew about this?” he asks, but before I can plead with my brother, I get interrupted.
“There has to be a mistake. Is your mother’s name Carly?” Johnny asks, and we both nod. Silence. Just pure fucking silence.
“That’s not it. Armando, Esteban. What is the reason we are here this evening?” he asks as they take their eyes off Presley and Axel, who I refuse to look at. They will do nothing but distract me and piss me off. I need to focus right now to keep us alive.
“We made a deal with Caspian to keep his secret, and if we kept it, he had to do a few jobs for us of which he failed to do one,” Armando answers.
“Which was?” the senator asks. Don’t you fucking say it! God damn it!
“He was to kill The Radleys as his last payment from us. Otherwise, his secret would be spilled.”
“Stop! I will fucking do it!” I spit, but they laugh, ignoring my pleas.
“So what does this have to do with us?” Rick asks, and I just want to punch him in the mouth. Stop asking fucking questions. Fuck! A scream has my head snapping towards the glass, and I immediately get up, running over to it. Pounding against it.
“STOP! STOP! STOP! NOOOOOOO!!!” I scream as I’m pulled back and thrown onto the floor. The barrel of a gun is pointed at my head.
“Johnny come here,” the senator orders, standing next to the bouncer as Rick thrashes against the other. “You want to know how your mother died?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“Fuck you!” I spit, and he smiles.
“Your brother did it! He took a rig, loaded it up, and sent it right through her veins.”
“You motherfucker!” I growl.
“No! Axel! Stop!” Rick screams, trying to fight off the bouncer. Everything is happening so fast that I don’t realize the barrel of the gun is pressed under my chin and Johnny has the collar of my shirt in his fist.
“Is that true? Did you kill our mother?”
Bang!