Vesper
Fifty-Eight
Bam!
Bam!
Bam!
My fist slammed against the punching bag in vigorous strikes until a searing pain radiated up my arm and my knuckle split open.
I needed a different outlet, but I never handled grief well.
When I was a little girl and lost my abuela, I went on a bender.
I stayed locked in my room, sharpening sticks before going outside and stabbing them into the dirt.
And then Violet died, and I spiraled. I found the drunk driver and burned him until his body was unrecognizable before getting rid of the remains.
There was tension radiating in the clubhouse because of Widow and Hades.
I knew Widow would have issues with her, but I didn’t expect it to escalate like this.
If it wasn’t for Rory, she would have killed Hades where she stood—but one thing about her was she didn’t want to hurt our girl.
Widow was pigheaded and blind to the fact that her rejection still hurt mariposa.
I wiped the sweaty strands of black hair from my face, smearing blood across my forehead.
My muscles were screaming in agony, but it didn’t compare to the ache taking root inside me.
I needed to let up and breathe, but I couldn’t.
The storm raging in my mind was powerful, and it was never a good idea to allow it to fester.
I knew my emotions better than anyone else, other than Cinder.
Allowing my loss and anger to take control over me would lead to more destruction.
There were too many emotions in my mind, and I knew I would spiral.
The Vipers didn’t need me going on a bender right now, and neither did Rory.
She needed us. When we found this bastard then I could let everything out and make him pay for all the damage he did.
Cinder saved a lot of the Vipers, but what no one else realized was how much Rory helped her.
Rory always talked about Cin rescuing her, but the truth was they saved each other.
How were we going to function without her?
Not just as leader of the Vipers, but as a friend and a sister?
The clubhouse was agitated, and with that, we were distracted.
How were we supposed to keep it together if we were grieving?
Grief was different for everyone, and the entire town would mourn Cinder.
I needed to make sure Rory was okay. Hell, I needed to make sure everyone was okay.
Widow would step up to lead us, but she would hide her feelings behind that mask she wore.
She would make sure everyone else was okay before she realized she needed to check on herself, as well.
I didn’t know how, but one day we would figure this out and find a way to move past our grief.
I grabbed the bag, using it to steady myself as I controlled my breathing. I needed to be okay, not just for myself, but for the Vipers, for Rory, and for Widow. What I wanted was to find the asshole who killed her.
Fuck.
The door to the gym creaked open, and I turned my head to see Hades leaning against the door, watching me. I wiped the sweat from my face as I followed her eyes dropping to the V of my abs. I should walk away from her, but instead I stepped closer, caging her in with my body.
“What do you want, hellfire?”
“I want to talk.” Her voice was low, amused, but there was a rawness under it. Her eyes were studying me, watching me. There was something intoxicating about that beautiful gaze of hers…Wait…no. “Vesper.”
My eyes traced to her plump lips, licking my own as she watched me intently. I needed to back away and get my head on straight. “Talk, hellfire.”
“I don’t think Cinder’s dead.” Those five words derailed my world. The idea of her still being alive echoed in the back of my mind. “We heard a gunshot. We don’t have a body or any proof that she is gone.” There was no proof yet, but what could Hades do?
Did I trust the enemy or did I trust the gut feeling and work with the enemy? God, if Cin were here, she would castrate my nonexistent dick for even thinking of partnering with her or the…it didn’t matter what I was thinking.
“And if she’s alive?”
“We bring her back to Rory.”
“This person’s a professional. We don’t know who he is or where he took her. Cinder could be dead.”
Hades sighed, her mesmerizing eyes looking into mine. “And if there is even a small possibility, I want to take that chance for Rory. Don’t you want to see our girl smile again?”
The words hit me like a sucker punch. Our girl.
I wanted to see that smile again more than anything.
If there was a chance Cinder was alive, we needed to take it so we could reunite them; the alternative though, if she was truly dead, would only add salt to the wound.
I needed to do whatever I could because without Cinder, the Vipers would fracture and our enemies could wiggle their way in when we were distracted.
“We need to talk to Rory about it, too. We all need to work on this together,” Hades said.
Finding Cinder would be a priority along with protecting Rory. If he wanted her, he would have to put up one hell of a fight.