Chapter Two
Moth
Her scent lingered on my jacket as I rode through the town, hunting my prey. I'd only caught a glance of Alia's ex's car, but I'd memorized the first part of the number plate. It was gone midnight now, and the bastard was probably on his way to sit outside her house.
Turning the bike, I headed back. I had no idea why I was checking her house again, I should've been heading to meet the boys. Alia Brown hadn't recognized me when she'd found me on the bridge, but I'd known her instantly, despite not seeing her for many years.
My insides burned at the memory of her. Why had I rescued her from her stalker?
My Bluetooth buzzed in my ear and I reached into my pocket to answer my phone.
“Moth,” Ant barked, “where's the fucking pizza? You left over an hour ago.”
Grunting, I slowed my bike when I spotted the car I'd been searching for, heading in the opposite direction to Alia's house. Good, the bastard was obviously leaving her alone.
“I got distracted,” I snapped, revving the engine and heading home. “Someone else will have to get it.”
Cutting off the call, I sped home, ignoring the texts that no doubt called me a cunt.
As I entered our street and drove onto the drive, I looked at our detached house. It rose higher than most buildings, with five floors and half an acre of grounds. Each of us had a floor to ourselves, close but not too close, just how I liked it.
“Brother!” Fly shook his head as he came out of the front door. “Pizza duty is an honor, you can't fuck it up.”
“What can I say?” I muttered, “I needed to feel the wind tonight.”
Taking my helmet off, I secured the bike in the garage and headed to the front door. Before I could reach it, a hand clamped on my shoulder, stopping me in my tracks.
“Not the bridge again?” Fly's voice was tight.
Sighing, I turned to him. He was my closest friend, the one who had hidden with me in closets and covered for me when I'd been caught stealing food. The beatings the man had taken for me made it hard to push him away.
“It's fine.” Rolling my eyes, I actually laughed. “A blast from the past stopped me from doing anything stupid.”
Fly ran a hand over his spiked mousey hair, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “Oh yeah? Who?”
“Alia Brown.”
His eyes widened, his cheeks puffed as he exhaled. “Shit. Did you commit murder? Is that why you're laughing?”
With a quick shake of the head, I waved away his concern. “As much as I hate her, I'm more calculated than that. Actually, the bitch needed help from a stalker-ex.”
“And you told her to fuck off, yes?” Zipping up his leathers, he stared at me.
“Can you bitches stop gossiping,” Ant called from a window above, “and get the fucking pizza? I'm starving.”
Fly backtracked towards his bike, eyeing me suspiciously. “This conversation isn't over.”
Clenching my fingers around the rim of my helmet, I shrugged and turned, going through the open door of our home.
A short hallway led to a set of stairs and a door on the left led into Fly's apartment. Ant was on level two, Spider was on the third, and finally, I was on fourth. There was another apartment above me, used it for storage.
Jogging up the stairs, I paused at Ant's door, listening to the guys inside, who were joking about some chick. Apparently, she had a thing for scars. Good job really, Ant had enough of them.
Tucking my hands in my pockets, I contemplated my next move. My fingers grazed something that hadn't been there before. Pulling out Alia's card, I glared at it, pissed that I hadn't noticed her put it in my pocket.
Ant's door flung open and he almost barreled into me. “Dude, what are you doing? I was just coming to look for you.”
“I'm debating whether to leave you fuckwits to it.” My snapped response was met with a smirk.
Reaching out, Ant clasped my shoulder. “All the more reason for you to join us.”
I knew there was no point in fighting, he would hound me until I gave in or actually went to carry out my intended plan for the evening.
Entering his apartment, I glanced around the open plan space.
The kitchen was immediately in front of me and the living area stretched beyond that.
Immediately on the right, an archway led to a corridor, which had three doors leading off it.
Two bedrooms and the bathroom in between.
At the end of the corridor, an outside door opened up to the balcony.
Every apartment had been laid out in the same way, identical to one another.
We’d wanted the least fuss when we’d bought the house and had it converted.
Shit, it had been a minute since we'd escaped and found our haven.
“Want a beer?” Ant held a bottle towards me.
Spider was on the couch, lounging with his snacks. A horror film played in the background, but the boys were busy playing poker.
“Where's the pizza?” Spider called, standing up to stretch.
He was the shortest of us, only standing at six foot. His hands almost touched the ceiling as he reached up, his T-shirt rising, revealing the V of his hips.
Shrugging out of my leathers, I laid them on the kitchen counter and took the bottle of beer. “I got distracted. Fly's getting it now.”
“Everything okay?” Spider went towards the archway, his long hair brushing his shoulders as he looked across at me.
Swigging from the bottle, I leaned on the side of the island, not ready to immerse myself in their antics. “My mom’s been posting on Tiktok, talking about her sudden freedom from a cult.”
The guys went silent, their gazes snapping to me. Ignoring the scream from the television, they stared intently, waiting for me to go on.
“I’ll keep an eye on her.” Another swig.
The silence continued and my heartbeat pounded in my head.
Ant cleared his throat. “Do you think we could be compromised?”
Raising my eyebrows, I looked at him. We'd been hiding since we escaped, only going by our nicknames and keeping a low profile. No one knew who we really were, and they never would, so the chance of her finding us was slim.
“I don't think so.” I scratched the stubble on my jaw. “She just said she wishes things had turned out differently and talks about moving on.”
Spider moved from his frozen position, gripping my elbow tightly. “She needs to be careful or her life will be in danger. Don't let it affect you, man. You're strong now.”
I snorted and took another swig, downing the rest of the bottle. The cool liquid hit my stomach and I breathed out. When I didn't reply, Spider released me and went to the bathroom.
“Come on,” Ant said, moving over to the living area. “You've got some catching up to do.”
Stepping over to the couches, which were arranged to face the left wall, I slumped on the free couch, staring at the TV in front of me.
“Did you search for her?” Ant placed his elbows on his knees, muscles bulging as he leaned forward.
I shook my head, frowning. “No, I fucking didn't. I may have been searching for cult posts…”
“Fuck.” Ant stared at the cards on the table. “Does that mean she’s been allowed to go free? With a phone?”
Following his gaze, I zoned out, remembering the day they'd taken my mother's phone away and insisted that she never contact my father again. The dead inside me was loud as I pictured her face, serene and accepting, despite the fact she'd just cut my favorite person out of my life.
“We need to be wary.” I pushed my flat words from my throat. “Just in case she has a motive.”
Spider came back into the room, wiping his wet hands on his jeans. The key sounded in the lock and Fly appeared, kicking the door once it was open.
“Dude!” Ant shouted, “Treat my pad with a bit of respect, please.”
“You shouldn’t have ordered so much pizza, you greedy fucks,” Fly said from behind the square boxes piled in his arms.
Normally, I would've smiled, but my mom’s video had awakened the demons inside me. We'd escaped from hell years ago, and although we'd worked hard to rebuild our lives, hell had a way of keeping its grip.
“Bring it straight to papa.” Spider rubbed his hands together and went to the kitchen counter, where Fly deposited the pizza boxes.
Fly widened his eyes at me before opening one and sneering. “It's stone fucking cold because you didn’t pick it up.”
“His mom has left the cult,” Spider said, “leave him be.”
My best friend's eyes widened even further. “What the fuck? I know you said you'd had a bad day but that's not possible. Are you sure?”
“She posted a video on Tiktok.” I repeated myself, getting up to retrieve another beer from the fridge. “She probably just trying to lure us back with lies.”
Fly gripped the kitchen counter, his knuckles going white. Out of everyone, he was the most paranoid that we'd get caught out by our past. Even if we did, they had no hold over us anymore. Our actions before our escape made it impossible for them to take us back.
“Can we please just eat pizza?” I pleaded, going to the box and taking out a slice. “Oh fuck, that is cold.”
The boys started to debate the idea of ordering more as I took out a plate, piled it with slices, and tossed it in the microwave. It wasn't the same, but now the shock of earlier had worn off, I was starving.
“Guess who I bumped into tonight?” I casually said as I took my plate over to the couch and sat.
The others copied me, clearly giving up on the idea of good pizza. Yes, I'd fucked up by going to the bridge instead of the pizza place, but it was still perfectly edible.
Spider relaxed his shoulders and shrugged. “Don't keep us in suspense, it can't be any worse than your other bombshell.”
Swallowing my mouthful, I widened my eyes. “Don't bet on it.”
“Who the fuck is worse than your mother?” Ant said, coming to join me with his loaded plate.
Looking at each of them, I tried to rein in my smile. “Alia Brown.”
And in unison, just as expected, they all cursed. “FUCK!”