41. Kaleb
Kaleb
She came back. Fuck, she came back!
And now, I wish she didn’t.
She was right to leave. To run as far as her fucking legs could take her. To get away from Havenport Harbour until it was nothing but a bad memory. Even though my selfish heart roars at seeing her, she shouldn’t have come.
Because now I’m going to watch her die. And I can do absolutely nothing to stop it.
Jacob has a knife to her throat. But that’s not what scares me the most. It’s the unhinged look in his eyes.
He knows he is about to lose. The noise outside isn’t just a drive-by.
It’s mayhem that smells and sounds and tastes like the Devils.
His brother is lying dead. No. More than dead. Fucking ruined, on the ground next to them. And he is going to use her as a bargaining chip.
“Step back from her,” I growl, yanking at the chains behind my back.
They don’t budge and panic claws up my throat. Of course, Isaac doesn’t listen. His attention is on the body at his feet, lip twisting in an ugly snarl.
I’m so fucking proud of her. She walked into this room with her chin held high, and nobody deserved the kill more than she did.
And fuck did she do it well.
If we weren’t about to die, then my cock would be rock fucking hard. Seeing that was... fucking perfection.
One of the monsters from her childhood, gone forever. But one remains. And that scares the shit out of me.
My eyes bore into her, soaking her in. Ethan’s blood is splattered over her clothes and her face, and her chest heaves with the effort it took to kill a man with a wooden stick.
She swallows, and the knife digs into her, just enough to split the skin.
A small drop of blood forms around the knife before disappearing down her shirt.
But she doesn’t look scared.
Her eyes soak me in, and her bottom lip trembles.
“I’m sorry, Kaleb,” she whimpers.
Echoing gunshots drown out her words. But I see it. I fight harder against the restraints, desperate to get to her. To hold her and feel her pulse under my fingers. To make this right.
Throwing myself forward, the restraints snap tight around my wrists and blaring agony screams in my shoulder. It’s nothing compared to my need to get to her.
Kai is here. I know it with every fibre of my being.
Just as I knew he would come.
He’s going to see her die. And I’m going to have failed him. Again.
If we get out of this, he’ll never be the same.
The small piece of humanity that Roxy brings out in him will be smothered before it even got a chance to breathe. She waltzed into our lives and ignited parts of Kai that I thought were dead.
She made him laugh.
Made him care. Made him love.
Growling through my teeth, I fight like a rabid animal, tugging and tearing and pulling. Nothing is budging. Warmth drips down my hand as I twist and pull and fucking fight against everything holding me here.
Just like I used to do.
“Fuck!” I roar, putting my whole body into the next pull.
It’s useless, but I don’t stop. I can’t fucking stop. Not while that blade is against her throat.
She keeps pleading her apologies. Useless fucking apologies that I don’t care about.
Whatever happened, whatever brought her to that decision, it doesn’t matter. She came back.
She risked everything for us. For me.
Tears pour down her face. My ears ring from the gunshots.
Isaac is staring wide-eyed at Ethan’s bloody excuse for a head. Roxy’s pleas seem to pull him from his trance, and he moves, bringing her with him.
My throat is raw from my roar. One she won’t hear. A moment later, three Wraiths come in and force me to follow them. My body trembles with the fury and potent fucking fear like I’ve never felt. Not for me. Never for me.
When the hall opens up into the main loading bay, the shooting stops. The fighting ceases. Isaac’s bargaining chip worked.
A boot against my back has me falling against the concrete, and my face collides with the cement. Everything spins, dots forming in my vision. With all my strength, I force myself up. It will kill me to see her go like this. But my own selfishness won’t allow me to let her do it alone.
Bodies blur and the ground dips from beneath me. I try to focus on her, but everything keeps moving. Narrowing my eyes, I spot her.
Standing in front of a kneeling Kai, with the knife still at her throat. Nobody moves. Hundreds of Devils stand amongst the carnage with their guns still raised. Blood puddles over the ground and dead lay everywhere.
The Devils are tense, waiting for the instructions to kill every remaining Wraith. Which is barely two dozen.
Ash is behind Kai, watching it all play out.
“Go,” Kai orders.
None of them moves. Their eyes shift to each other, but nobody lowers their weapons. To them, it doesn’t make sense. It’s an easy win. A few more rounds fired, and we leave here.
Except one.
Isaac’s muscles ripple, his arm tightening around his sister.
“Either they leave, or she dies,” Isaac spits, head rapidly searching the space.
Most likely counting his Wraiths. Seeing how royally he has fucked up.
“Don’t,” Roxy whimpers. “I did this, Kai. I’m so sorry. I knew what coming back would mean.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Isaac roars in her ear, making her flinch.
My heart cleaves down the middle, seeing her scared. Listening to her beg as if her life isn’t the most precious thing on this earth.
“You heard me,” Kai yells. “Fall back!”
Still, they don’t move, and Kai’s chest heaves with something that looks like a sob. Kai fucking breaks.
“Go!” he screams, his voice cracking through the building. He rises to his feet, finding his gun. Instead of pointing it at Isaac, he spins behind him. To the Devils. “Get the fuck out! All of you! Fall back, that’s a fucking order!”
I’ve never heard him sound like that. Desperate and scared. Unravelling before my eyes.
“Like fuck we are leaving you,” Danny growls, tightening his grip on his gun.
Ash spins. “You heard him. Go!”
Roxy sobs.
Slowly, they lower their guns. None of them wants to go. I can see it in the way they move, ready to turn back in an instant. Leaving us here goes against everything they stand for. Everything they’ve been trained for.
“No! Stop!” Roxy screams, fighting against Isaac’s hold. “Don’t listen to him! Don’t go!”
“Roxy,” Kai warns in a raw whisper.
“Don’t leave them here because of me!”
She’s frantic, throwing herself around and forcing the knife to slice deeper into her skin. She bucks against him, and my heart leaps into my throat.
“Stop moving!” I roar, my sanity slipping through my fingers.
This can’t be real. This can’t be fucking happening.
She ignores me. Fighting and pleading for the Devils to come back. Her voice shreds from her, tears sliding down her cheeks.
“You can’t do this!” she sobs at their retreat. “Please! Fuck, please! Don’t do this!”
The final scream that rips from her chest is laced with devastation. Her sobs slash through me.
“I’m sorry,” she wails. “I’m so fucking sorry!”
Kai’s eyes search her frantically, and he moves towards her. Isaac snarls, stepping back with Roxy in his arms.
She’s lost to her guilt. Her grief.
“Over there,” Isaac jerks his chin to where we are.
Kai listens, walking backward and lowering to his knees next to me, his palms up. Surrendering completely.
“I’m here,” he grits out. “Now let her go.”
Isaac laughs an unhinged cackle that carries through the loading bay. It’s on the hysterical side, breathless and high; the man is losing his mind in front of us.
“You don’t give the orders anymore.”
Kai’s jaw flexes. Now that the Devils are gone, I can see the full extent of what remains. Bodies everywhere. Mostly Wraiths, but Devils too. Blood already tickles towards the drains, all of it mixing together until I can’t tell Devil from Wraith.
The space feels empty. Rumbling motorbikes start outside before they begin disappearing. The sound I've grown to love, fading away in the distance.
They are leaving. And we are staying.
I look around once more.
Ash. Xavier. Griff barely upright with blood soaking the leg of his jeans and Leon cradled against him.
Kai and me.
And her.
All of us either on our knees or with a weapon pressed against skin.
The dozens of Wraiths remaining seem to be looking around. Men who were just about to run minutes ago, stepping back into the light with their guns raised.
One of them fucking smiles.
My stomach sinks. We had them.
“Let her go,” I growl, repeating my brother’s words. “You won. She can leave now.”
“No,” Roxy cries, gritting her teeth. “Kaleb, I’m begging you, stop this! This is crazy!”
Her eyes move desperately between me and Kai.
“Roxy,” Kai heaves. “Please.”
“Why would you do this?” she weeps. “Why would you do this for me?”
Kai doesn’t answer. He doesn’t need to. Everything he feels is written on his face for the first time ever.
A sob tears from her. “You stupid fucking idiot.”
From my periphery, I see my brother’s lips twitch.
“Kai,” she begs, quieter this time. “Call them back.”
Isaac jerks her hard enough to make her cry out. Every muscle in my body locks, and Kai jumps halfway to his feet. Twelve guns lift in an instant.
“Stay the fuck down!” Isaac roars.
Kai slowly lowers himself again.
“Get up,” Roxy begs. “Please, Sunshine, get up.”
His eyes close for a split second at the name. Then he gives his head a soft shake.
“This has been fun to watch,” Isaac drawls, a cruel smile curving on his face. “But this bitch just killed our brother.” He snarls into her ear, “I’m going to cut your fucking head off and then I’m going to kill your little boyfriends too.”
He turns to his Wraiths. “If any of them move, put a bullet in their fucking heads.”
“I hope Ethan is waiting for you in hell, little sister,” he grits. “Then he can have the chance to do what I’m about to do.”
The muscles in his forearm ripples, and Roxy takes a grounding breath. Her eyes fall on us. On my brother and me. The men who dole out pain for a living.
My arms pull at the restraints, but nothing budges.
Not for the first time in my life, there is nothing I can do. And again, not for the first time, I pray.
I don’t know who I’m praying to. God. The Devil. Every fucking soul I’ve sent somewhere before their time. Whoever might be listening to a sinner like me.
Please. Don’t take her.
I’ll repent. I’ll fucking beg. I’ll drag myself through hell and back to make sure she gets a chance at a happy life.
Maybe repentance isn’t forgiveness.
Maybe it’s a sinner on his knees, finally finding something he loves more than his own fucking sins.
“I love you,” she whispers.
My brave girl closes her eyes to brace for what is about to happen.
Kai jumps to his feet, getting halfway to her before a gun goes off. His body jerks with the impact, blood spraying.
Roxy screams. Kai continues impossibly, and he’s almost there but another bullet hits him. He falls to his knees in front of her.
Isaac snarls. “Say goodbye, bitch.”
I watch in horror as his arm flexes, the knife sliding. She’s going to die. In front of my brother, who has been shot twice now.
I failed again.
Failed both of them.
The air whooshes out of my lungs and I can barely keep my eyes open. But I deserve this. Deserve the pain of watching what I couldn’t fix.
Another gunshot ricochets through the air. It takes me a second to realise what is happening. Isaac’s eyes are wide. Unseeing. And then he drops to the ground, blood pooling around his head.
Roxy jumps away from him, clutching her throat. Coming away with only a tiny cut across her delicate neck. The Wraiths turn, guns raised.
As Zeke walks through the door.