Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
RORY
“Are you sure you’re safe here?” Jensen asked me for the millionth time as I leaned against the side of his Lamborghini. We were at Slash’s house the following day, and he’d insisted on him and Lukas following me to make sure I got here okay.
I couldn’t really blame them, but I was tired of us looking over our shoulders every second we stepped out of the house. I wanted five minutes alone, and they’d thankfully agreed when Skeeter told them about Slash’s security system.
His tech room also doubled as a safe room if I hit a panic button, the room locking me in until I either shut it off, or someone came to get me.
If anyone showed up or shot at the house, I’d head straight in there and lock it.
“I’m fine. Skeet’s only around the corner, and I’ll call if I need help. I have my gun, knife, and my phone will be on me at all times,” I said, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. “I’m a pretty good shot.”
“I don’t like leaving you here alone.”
“I’m going to murder someone if I don’t get some me time. I can sit here in Slash’s stalker room and try to keep searching for Max and Mom.”
“Fine. We’ll be at mine if you need us,” he sighed, and Lukas unbuckled himself and leaned across him to give me a kiss too.
“Be safe, baby,” Lukas said, thankfully not arguing with me like I’d expected him to.
I was pretty sure Jensen had sucked his soul from his body before breakfast, mine too. It was so good to be able to come without my body hating me for it now the bruises were fading.
The guys waited for me to lock myself inside the house before leaving, and I made sure the security system was on before I headed into the tech room, not wanting someone to sneak up on me.
Once I turned the computer on and the monitors all lit up, I opened the hacking apps that Diesel had taught me to use, waiting for them to load. At least Slash had it set up so that Hunter couldn’t hack my shit, it was one of the only things Hunter claimed he’d struggled with.
I spent an hour scanning local cameras manually, not being able to access all of them, but a lot were easy to hack into, thanks to the app. It did it all for me.
A notification pinged in the Heights, and I opened it to find Max looking right at me. He was in a house, presumably on a laptop as he talked to someone on a call.
“I’ll send you the money tomorrow,” he gritted out, and I shuddered a little as Razor’s voice replied.
“You owe me money and that cunt of a daughter. You want an extension? I won’t just take interest, Donovan, I’ll be taking fingers. You said they’d fucking let her go, and now I’ve got a war on my doorstep.”
“I didn’t think you’d go in guns blazing. How is that my fault? Besides, with Slash gone, it should be easy to take down Skeeter. Make them either join you, or die.”
“Spoken like a true businessman with zero street sense,” Razor tsked. “The Psychos have friends in high places.”
“You have the Kings.”
“Don’t be fooled. The Kings have no one’s backs but their own. Now that Skeet’s all cozy with the Holloways, it complicates things. I’d hoped the drive-by would have Josie throw them out on the street, but if anything, she’s only pulled them in more.”
Max snorted, not seeming surprised. “She’s a do-gooder, that’s why.
I’d intended on marrying her and taking both her and her son out, but her will is so airtight that I’d never see a fucking cent anyway.
If anything happens to Caden, I still wouldn’t get any because she’s divided her fortune among the other boys in that situation.
Tristan refusing to divorce her probably saved me from wasting my time. ”
“It’s not like you need the money anyway, you greedy piece of shit.”
That made me frown. Max was broke, Skeeter had gone through all of his possessions and bank information, so unless he had wads of cash lying around, he had nothing.
“If you give me until tomorrow, I’ll add another ten thousand for you if you make it hurt when you get your hands on Aurora. She acts tough, but she’s just a scared little girl. I’ll send you the video I have of Tristan with her. Might give you some ideas.”
“Ten thousand to role play her first assault? Tomorrow? Make it fifteen and you have a deal,” Razor answered, and Max grumbled to himself for a minute before agreeing.
“Fine. I’ll meet you tomorrow at our usual spot.”
“Good.” He hung up without a goodbye, nausea swimming in my throat to the point I almost puked. But then I noticed a location marker, all my sickness forgotten about as I realized his phone had pinged in the system.
I was out the door and in the Mustang in seconds, putting my phone on the stand to track the marker in case it moved.
He was in the Heights, not too far from our old house, and I floored it to make sure I got there before he could leave. This was my chance to confront him, the only way I didn’t lose him again.
I remembered to use my brain when I got close, slowing the car and being gentle with the gas to try and keep it as quiet as possible. The neighbors wouldn’t say shit, but if Max heard me coming, he could call the cops.
Did I use a gun? It would be too loud, I didn’t have a silencer, but a knife would require me getting close to him and it could make one hell of a mess. I’d have to ditch it too, and I really liked this one.
I went back and forth with myself for a while until I arrived near the street, turning the engine off, and walking the rest of the way to creep around the side of the house. It was quiet, but the tracker said his phone had pinged here three minutes ago, so surely I hadn’t missed him.
The door opened silently, and I couldn’t believe the stupid fucker hadn’t locked it considering he had so many people after him. It showed his arrogance, and that was what would get him killed.
I heard him talking on the phone to someone, staying hidden as I waited. Running in and killing him when someone was there to hear it wasn’t a great idea.
He almost saw me when he walked in after hanging up, making me jump when he tossed the phone on the counter with a snarl.
“You kill three hookers and all of a sudden, no one trusts you with their hookers.”
Like that wasn’t a good reason to cut him off.
I gripped my gun in hand, stepping out from behind the door that I’d been hiding behind, and I could tell when he turned that I’d surprised him.
“I wouldn’t trust you with hookers either,” I scoffed, and he rolled his eyes.
“They’re disposable. What are you doing, Aurora? Playing mafia princess?”
“Slash is dead because of you,” I bit out, pointing the gun right at him. “Hunter got shot because of you. I can’t go anywhere alone without someone sticking to me like glue because of you.”
“I heard you’d started jumping on Devil cock. You just can’t stop, can you?” he sneered.
“Tell me where Mom is and I won’t kill you.” That was a lie, but he didn’t know that.
“I already told you, she’s long gone. I will never help you find her because why should I? You took away the only woman I’ve ever cared for, so I’ll do the same to you. You will never find peace, always searching for her in a crowd and wondering if she’s thinking of you. She’s not, FYI.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“You do just a little bit. She never came back for you. You were expecting her to show up on your birthday, weren’t you? I bet it was disappointing to know she wasn’t even thinking of you. She’s only ever cared about your sister, and she doesn’t even know that the baby she lost isn’t even dead.”
My stomach dropped, and I glared at him. “You’re lying.”
“Am I? I never wanted you, I only agreed to a child because my wife wanted one so badly, and I would have given her anything she ever wanted. Marla becoming pregnant was never the plan, and when she refused to get an abortion, I made sure that baby didn’t come home with her from the hospital,” he snapped, curling his lip in disgust.
“Why did you take me home then? Why didn’t you give me up too?” I demanded, wishing he’d just let me go instead of tormenting me for years, blaming me for something I had no control over.
“At first, I figured you’d look like her and it would be a comfort, but I soon learned the more you took on her features, the more I grew to hate it. It was like a punch in the guts seeing so much of that angel in such a demonic little girl.”
“That’s right, I was a little girl!” I threw back. “You hit me, screamed at me, degraded me, and the second I grew tits, you used me to pay off debts!”
“You should be thanking me. Look at you now being all strong and sexually experienced.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“Says the girl who’s being used as a cum bucket,” he snorted. “Sometimes I think I kept the wrong child. Claire will become someone important one day, unlike you.”
The way he was looking at me made my stomach twist.
“Claire?”
“Yes, that Davidson girl from the academy. Her parents were more than happy to take her. Although, I heard your influence lately has been getting her into trouble with that gang. Feel free to sink yourself, but not her.”
There was no way in fucking hell that Claire was my sister. She was the complete opposite to me.
“You’ll never find Marla, and she’ll never know the truth about the daughter she actually birthed. Tragic, really,” he sighed dramatically, his eyes widening as he must have seen something in mine.
The anger, resentment, pain, and unanswered questions became silent, a numbness washing over me. I’d never get answers about Mom, I’d have to find her and tell her about Claire, even if that meant sharing my mom with the one bitch I despised.
I’d intended on dragging this out, to make him suffer for his sins, but then I wondered why I wanted to waste any more time on the piece of shit. It had been eighteen years of hell, and I was ready for it to be over.
I fucking deserved to heal.
“Fuck you, Max. I hope you burn in hell,” I said calmly, pulling the trigger with zero regrets.