Rampage: Explosion (Death Dwellers Legacy Generation #9)

Chapter 1 – Harley

Silence wrapped around Harley Banks and threatened to smother her.

Alone in her aunt and uncle’s log cabin, the weight of her bad behavior and stupid decisions pressed in on her, and she wondered if she screamed, screamed from the depths of her soul, would the exposed wooden beams absorb her misery.

Or would the noise ricochet in a never-ending echo that burst her eardrums.

She regretted not going to Diesel Caldwell’s birthday party.

She wouldn’t have been in Uncle Val and Aunt Zoann’s house, thinking…

when thinking wasn’t good or safe for her.

She should have gone, despite her falling out with his brother and sister, she would’ve been welcomed.

Except it was so hard to overcome everything that had happened in the past week and paste on a smile, pretending all was well.

Nardo wasn’t a problem any longer. He and his father were dead. Pillar of Earth, Willard, had been exposed. Yet Harley felt exposed. Unsafe. Icky and dirty, a lingering feeling she didn’t know how to overcome.

Daddy had been texting her. He’d come to Aunt Zoann’s several times to visit her, but Harley had only been able to swallow her shame to see him once. She didn’t want to see anyone. Instead, she wanted to cave into herself and hide for the rest of her life.

However long that might be. She was just exhausted.

Lolly had also tried to reach her. Harley didn’t know what to say or how to apologize, so when a text from Mattie came through inviting Harley over, she almost declined.

But she was still alone in the house, still miserable and overwhelmed by frightening thoughts. Everyone else was still at Diesel’s party. She could run away. Drown herself. Slit her wrists. Hang herself. Except she couldn’t.

She could never put Aunt Zoann and Uncle Val through the trauma of finding her body. Instead of sitting on the sofa that doubled as her bed, Harley fired off a text to Aunt Zoann and told her she was going to visit Mattie.

#1 Auntie: Have fun, sweetheart. I won’t be much longer. If I’m asleep when you get back home, wake me up. We need to talk.

Harley studied her phone, thought about calling her mother, but knowing it wasn’t a good idea. Earlier, Mommie declined the call. Harley’s rock bottom mood couldn’t handle more rejection, even if she deserved the treatment.

Just as she was pulling on her sneakers, the doorbell rang. Sighing, she grabbed the sneaker she hadn’t put on yet and walked to the door. Her uneven gait made her smile.

A glance through the peephole revealed Aunt Kendall. Concerned something had happened, Harley hurriedly opened the door.

“Hi, darling,” Aunt Kendall greeted.

Shame coursed through Harley and she lowered her lashes. “Aunt Zoann is at Diesel’s party,” she mumbled.

“I’m not here for Zoann, sweetheart. I asked Mattie to invite you over, then she reminded me of your fear of the dark.”

Harley nodded, still unable to meet Aunt Kendall’s gaze.

“Oh, darling,” she murmured, taking Harley into her arms and hugging her tightly.

For some reason, that was all it took for Harley to burst into tears and hug Aunt Kendall back, never more grateful for her.

Harley spoke through her tears, but she couldn’t process her words. They just fell from her lips in humiliation and misery and sorrow.

“Come, let’s go inside and talk,” Aunt Kendall said, tears clogging her throat.

“I’m sorry,” Harley said, that statement clear in her head. “I’m sorry.”

Aunt Kendall took Harley’s face between her hands. “Listen to me, love. You have nothing to be sorry for. Those fuckheads are to blame.” She lowered her voice. “I know all about Ryan’s role. I also understand why it’s a secret.”

Dropping her hands, she stepped back and tangled her fingers through her hair then brushed past Harley and sailed to the den, basically Harley’s bedroom.

Closing the door behind her and afraid she’d angered her aunt, Harley found Aunt Kendall pacing, her arms folded. Even in jeans, an oversized sweater, and sneakers, she was elegant.

Harley stumbled to the sofa.

Aunt Kendall drew in a breath, then sat next to Harley. “I came to check on you because I knew you were here alone. That’s a dangerous place to be with the trauma you’ve suffered.”

Harley bowed her head. Daddy and Lolly told her to stand tall, if only because their blood flowed in her veins, but she’d never felt more broken.

“Right now, everything seems bleak. Unsurvivable.” Aunt Kendall allowed that word to linger between them.

“It’s going to be day-to-day, Harley. I’m not saying it’ll be easy because it won’t be.

You’re bowed, not broken,” she murmured as if she saw Harley’s innermost thoughts.

“Don’t let those motherfuckers win. Not Ryan, Nardo, or his fucking father.

Especially don’t let that Bart fuckhead defeat you. ”

“It feels as if they already have,” Harley whispered. “I’m so ashamed, Aunt Kendall. Of what they made me do and what they did to me. I’m ashamed of how I acted.”

Aunt Kendall tipped her head back. “Goddamn. You all are so fucking young to be going through this. My Matilda is nine months away from fourteen.”

“I’m nine months away from sixteen,” Harley said glumly. “If I make it there,” she added under her breath.

Aunt Kendall covered her face and shuddered, then looked at Harley.

“Your Uncle Christopher has me looking into the club and family history. I was always so grateful for our stability. The club’s.

Our children. Our marriages. Even before I began piecing together the legacy of those original fuckheads.

But we aren’t much different, darling. It’s just another time and another place, a different cast, where club life tightens its grip. ”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring, Aunt Kendall,” Harley said quietly. “It almost sounds like a warning.”

“It wasn’t meant to be reassuring and, yes, it is a warning. Club life will swallow you whole and leave your life and your sanity in shreds. You must be tough.”

“I try to be, but I feel as if I’ve lost so much.”

“Did Ryan force himself on you?” Aunt Kendall blurted.

“No,” Harley whispered. Ryan wasn’t that horrible. “It was consensual.”

“And now?”

“He barely talks to me. Mommie told me I could go to Rebel’s dinner party with Kaia since Daddy would be there. I didn’t act the best, so Ryan left with me. He…we…” Harley swallowed and shrugged. “He hasn’t talked to me since.”

“Fucking prick,” Aunt Kendall grumbled just as Harley heard the front door opening.

“I have to text Harley,” Aunt Zoann said, her voice traveling down the hallway.

“Okay, Puff,” Uncle Val responded, their footsteps echoing in the silent house.

“I’m home, Aunt Zoann,” Harley called as Aunt Kendall got to her feet.

“Is everything okay?” Aunt Zoann asked when she saw Aunt Kendall.

“I came to check on Harley,” Aunt Kendall told her. “When Mattie told me that she hadn’t gone to the party, I thought maybe she could use company. Since the ground lights aren’t very effective, I decided to walk here.”

“Let me know when you’re ready to go back home, Kendall,” Uncle Val said. “I’ll walk you there.”

She got to her feet. “I’ll be ready in a minute. I have an early morning and a full day ahead.”

“On a Sunday?” Aunt Zoann asked.

“Unfortunately, since the DNA tests are Wednesday,” Aunt Kendall grumbled, then leaned over and kissed Harley’s cheek. “You and I will go to a spa as soon as I’m free.”

“Okay.”

“Whenever you’re ready, Kendall,” Uncle Val said.

“Thanks, Val, but I’ll be fine,” Aunt Kendall with a smile and looked at Aunt Zoann. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah.” Aunt Zoann hugged Harley. “Give me a few minutes, baby.”

“Okay, Aunt Zoann.”

The minute the two women walked out, Uncle Val came to Harley and sat next to her.

“I’m sorry, Harley,” he told her softly. “I’m so fucking sorry for what Ryan did to you.”

“It isn’t your fault, Uncle Val. And he did it to Rebel and Mattie, too.”

Uncle Val scrubbed a hand over his face. “This is hitting Puff so hard. I think she knows Ryan more involved than we telling her. For the past three mornings, she’s thrown up.”

Harley frowned.

“But we grown motherfuckers. We’ll get better. Your daddy one of my best fucking friends and to know my kid hurt his baby girl is tearing me apart. Tell me how I can make it better for you. I already kicked Ryan’s ass. Do you need me to do it again?”

“That would make Aunt Zoann really suspicious,” Harley said. “Besides, he wanted Molly back. He succeeded.”

“Barely. He did that shit, too.” Uncle Val shifted. “Has he at least apologized to you?”

“Not since the night Rebel confronted him.”

“I still… Never mind. You’d probably think I’ve lost my fucking mind and think I’m not ashamed of him.

I am, Harley. And I’m sorry. I can’t say that to you enough.

Besides thank you. None of you girls have to keep this shit to yourselves but thank you for loving my Puff enough to protect that little fuckhead. ”

“It isn’t only for her, Uncle Val. Mainly her, but it’s for you and Daddy, too. Families protect each other. It’s for Ryan as well.”

Uncle Val gave her a curious look and cocked his head to the side. “How so?”

“He was accepted and it finally dawned on him that CJ isn’t his enemy. He was acting like one of the family. He deserves to be punished for what he did, but he also deserves a second chance. Everyone should have that.”

Uncle Val smiled at her and patted her shoulder. “Mort would be so fucking proud of you.”

“Would he, Uncle Val?” she said, her despair returning. “I owe him so many apologies.”

“No, baby. Only one’s needed. Genuine, from the heart. But your old man love the fuck out of you. For him, it’s all good.” He got to his feet.

“Uncle Val?”

Turning, he gave her a questioning look.

“You’re Ryan’s father and you’ve loved him his entire life. I don’t hold it against you or think any less of you that you still love him and probably always will.”

He nodded, gave her a small smile, and walked out.

A few minutes later, Aunt Zoann came to her. Her step wasn’t as light as it had been when she first arrived and Harley wondered what Aunt Kendall might’ve said. Hopefully, she hadn’t outed Ryan.

Aunt Zoann’s teary, whiskey-colored eyes alarmed Harley and she straightened.

“What’s the matter?”

Instead of answering, she sat next to Harley and hugged her tightly. She started to cry.

“Goddamn,” she said a few minutes later. “I don’t know why I’ve been so fucking emotional. I’m not a crier.”

Pursing her lips, Harley pulled back from Aunt Zoann and studied her.

“Kendall thinks you were considering harming yourself,” Aunt Zoann said before Harley spoke. “Were you?”

Unsure how to answer, Harley shrugged.

“Oh, baby. I have to talk to Mort, Harley. You can’t do this on your own. You need therapy.”

“If you say so, Aunt Zoann.”

She grabbed Harley’s hands and held them tightly. “When I was seventeen…” She pressed her lips together, but a sob still escaped her.

“Puff?” Uncle Val called, rushing into the room.

Aunt Zoann didn’t seem to hear him. She stared at Harley, tears rolling down her cheeks, a distant look in her eyes. “I hate to think about it.”

Uncle Val sat next to Aunt Zoann, which sandwiched her between him and Harley. “Then don’t, babe. Don’t—”

“No! She needs to know. She can’t.” Turning to him, she hugged him. “I hate thinking about it. It’s been so long since I’ve talked about it and now I’m just a wreck.”

He slowly wrapped his arms around her, a pained expression on his face. “Don’t talk about it, Zoann.”

“She has to know, Matthew. Tell her it isn’t the end of the world and she can survive. Mama wouldn’t let me get help, but once I talk to Mort and Roxy, they’ll do it for her.”

A frown pleated Uncle Val’s brow. “She hears you,” he said gruffly. “Okay? She hears you and we’re going to make sure she gets whatever she needs. Her, Mattie, and Rebel. Okay, babe?”

Pulling away from Uncle Val and turning back to Harley, Aunt Zoann hugged her again. “I’m sorry, baby. After Kendall talked to me, I came in here intending to act like a fucking adult and help you.”

“It’s okay, Aunt Zoann. You are helping me. I know what you couldn’t say and just knowing…you survived—”

“It was a long, hard road,” Aunt Zoann admitted. “But we are all here for you.”

Unsure how to bring up her suspicions on what might be wrong with Aunt Zoann, Harley nodded.

“God, I wasn’t this emotional during my pregnancies…” Aunt Zoann froze and gasped. “Oh shit! Oh shit! Oh shit!” she chanted. “When was my last period?” she asked no one in particular, and jumped to her feet, then looked at Uncle Val, who’d lost his color. “Matthew, I think I’m pregnant.”