Chapter 19
Silas
Time has dragged on slowly. We’ve spent the majority of our time at Chaos just hanging out with Hunter and Hoax. It’s been a nice reprieve, but now it’s time to go back. The ceremony is tonight and my stomach is in knots. I’ve relayed all the information I had to Matt, but he already knew the mayor was dead. Shit, everyone knew. The cops still can’t find who did it.
As far as my dad goes, I asked Matt to wait until after the ceremony. I didn’t give him a reason, and I didn’t let on that his life would be forfeit as well then. I dropped Angel off with Tamsyn to get ready while I got ready with the guys. Now I stand, ready to get this shit over with, and I pray Matt keeps to his word. I’d hate to have to make a scene here at the ceremony, but I’ll do it, and we all know it.
I zoned out for a lot of it, except for when Tamsyn decided to challenge another princess for Rylan. I can’t say I didn’t see that coming, but I was shocked as fuck when she actually killed her. I wasn’t sure Tamsyn had it in her, but I guess we all do things for love. When it’s our turn, I do what’s necessary and take The Oath with Angel. Allowing her to go back to the line is what kills a piece of me. I didn’t want to let her go.
When hoods are placed over our heads and our hands are tied behind our backs, I lose it. I scream, losing my shit, and when I hear Angel screaming from pain, I’m amped and ready for a war. It isn’t until the branding iron touches my flesh that I wonder what the hell is going on.
At some point, I passed out, and when I woke up, we were dumped in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for us, Hunter had our backs. When everything was said and done, we all decided to move to Florida. That’s where we’ve been since then.
“What are you thinking about?” Angel asks as she scoots closer to me, laying her head on my shoulder.
“Going back.”
“What? Why?” Now she’s up, sitting on the edge of the bed, looking at me like I’ve lost my fucking mind completely, and maybe I have.
“I have unfinished business,” I state. She shakes her head and climbs off the bed, pacing the room.
“Seriously? We said we weren’t going back!”
“No, we didn’t. I said not right now,” I remind her of our conversation. Angel huffs out a breath and grabs her phone. I watch her dial a number, but I don’t know who the hell she’s calling until she’s yelling into the line.
“Tell your boy no, Rylan! Tell him it’s a stupid idea!” She screams, and I smirk. She didn’t know I had already talked to Rylan about this, and he agreed to go back with me, and so did Levi. “What do you mean? You agreed? Fuck! I hate you both!” She screams before hanging up on him while I laugh.
“You get that out of your system?” I ask her, propping my head up on my hand.
“Why, Silas? We’re free. We don’t have to be there anymore. We never have to go back or see them again.”
“I told you, I’m not finished. When I took that Oath to you, I made promises, and I’m not about to break them.”
“But I don’t care anymore. Aren’t you happy with me?” she asks, nearly pleading with me.
“You know I am, Angel. You know I love you, but you also know this wasn’t over,” I tell her. She knows. She just doesn’t want to admit it. I said I was going to handle my dad and Matt, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing. They hurt her, they used her, and they allowed her to be used. This is not how their story ends. They don’t get to continue breathing. And Tom? Oh, when I get Tom, the things I’m going to do to him.
“It could be over if you let it go.” I motion for her to come to me, and she does, much to my surprise. She climbs back on the bed, and I pull her into my arms.
“We don’t know what’s happening over there. We don’t know what they’re doing, Angel. They could be hurting another little girl,” I tell her softly, trying to reason with her.
“Don’t do that. Don’t use that shit against me, Silas.” In seconds, I flip her onto her back and hover over her. I pull her hands above her head and hold them with one hand and then grip her throat with the other. I squeeze until it cuts off her air supply, and then I make her listen. Angel bucks her hips, but it does no good.
“Listen to me and listen good before you fucking pass out. We’re going back. We’re going to finish what we fucking started, and we’re going to make sure those motherfuckers don’t hurt anyone else. Now you’re either on board, or you’re not. Either way, it’s happening. All you’re going to decide is if you’re chained up at Chaos until it’s over.” She blinks rapidly, and I know she’s probably seeing spots in her vision. Too damn bad for her.
“Now am I making myself clear?” She nods her head, and I release her throat. She coughs and catches her breath before I lean down and take it away again. I fuse my lips to hers, and I fucking kiss the girl who holds my black heart in her hands. I kiss her so she knows I’m doing this for her. So she saw what she told me went to my heart. I wasn’t lying when I said I was going to fix this. When I pull away, she’s gasping for air.
“Now get that sexy ass up, and let’s go meet with the others,” I tell her. I roll off her and climb out of the bed, but I can still feel her eyes on me. I look over my shoulder, and she smiles.
“I wasn’t sure how I’d like an ass tattoo, Silas, but on your ass, it really looks hot,” she teases. I’ve gotten more tattoos since we’ve been in Florida. My whole left side is covered now, and Angel seems to like looking at them.
“Yours is next,” I tell her. She laughs and shakes her head.
“No way am I tattooing my ass.”
“What about your chest?”
“What would I even put there?” she muses as she climbs out of bed and grabs her clothes.
“My name.”
“You would like that, wouldn’t you?”
“You know I would. Then when you wear those slutty little bikinis out on the beach, everyone knows who you belong to,” I tell her.
“I might just like having your name tattooed on me.”
“Yeah? We can make that happen, baby.” After our brands were burnt off, none of us knew what to do. That was who we were and what we were. That was all taken away from us in the blink of an eye.
Over the last couple of months, we’ve been talking with Hunter and Hoax. After Matt was stripped of being a leader, my dad was put in his place, and I bet you can’t guess who was made his right-hand man. Fucking Tom. The little motherfucker came back out of nowhere after all this shit happened and took his place like he never left.
Hunter has been trying to get us to come back and clean that shit up. He wants us back as Kings. He’s talked with the younger Kings, and none of them really want to follow my dad and Tom. From what Hunter said, they’re twice as bad as before. They limit the girls’ outside time. They don’t get to go to school on campus anymore as they’re to be homeschooled. It all seems like a huge fucking mess to me, and I’m not sure just yet I want to clean that up. I’m happy here in Florida. We’re safe; she’s safe. The girls love it, and we do what we need to do. We’ve talked about looking into opening up and running some clubs down here, but nothing is solid yet.
Would I mind being back in California? No, I wouldn’t. That place is home, no matter how you look at it. The good and the bad. That’s where I was raised and taught to be who I am today. Maybe I’m not the best man in the world, but I am who I am, and I can’t forget that.
Rylan feels the same way. We’ve talked about it. Levi is on the fence. He isn’t happy here, and he wasn’t happy there. I honestly don’t know what the hell to think about him anymore. He’s become distant and not wanting to be around us as much. Maybe it’s just his way of dealing with everything, I don’t know. I miss the guys we used to be, but I love the man I am when I’m with Angel. She softens me in ways I didn’t know I needed. She has my back when shit goes down, and she’s never left my side.
“You’re lost again,” she observes, pulling my attention back to her.
“Sorry.”
“It’s a lot, Silas, but you’re doing great.” Hearing her say that to me brings a smile to my face. Don’t get me wrong, I will still fuck her chained to a wall, but she is good for me.
“Thanks, baby. Let’s go. Rylan wanted us there a while ago,” I tell her. We walk out of the bedroom and down the stairs, heading out the front door. We don’t live far from Ry and Syn. Levi decided on an apartment for Becky and himself in the city. I’m not sure why when he could have had a fucking beachfront like the rest of us, but I suppose that’s his way of healing.
We walk down the block and over to the small diner where we’re supposed to be meeting. When I walk in, I see Levi already here, but not Becky. We walk over and fist-bump before we sit.
“Where’s Becky?”
“She didn’t feel like coming.”
“She okay?” I ask. He nods his head, but I can tell something is wrong. I won’t push him, though. We order some drinks, and Rylan and Syn come walking up.
“You’re late. You bitched me out not to be late,” I taunt as he sits down next to me.
“And I bet you weren’t here on time either,” he snaps at me before we both laugh.
“I have all the time in the world, man.”
“I know that’s right.” The girls excuse themselves to get some alcoholic drinks before the three of us start talking.
“So Hunter thinks we need to do this soon,” Ry states, looking between us.
“I agree,” I say.
“I don’t want to fucking go back there. I’m not saying I don’t want them all dead; I do, but I just don’t want to be back there,” Levi blurts.
“I get it. You don’t really have shit to go back for.”
“Don’t act like I don’t fucking care about the girls, Silas! You know I do, and I’d fucking do anything for them!” he snarls at me.
“Not what I meant, and you know it. Calm the fuck down. What the fuck is your problem?” Levi sighs and runs his hand through his hair.
“Becky’s pregnant.” Ry and I share a look, not understanding what the problem is.
“And?”
“And I’m not sure I want a kid,” he admits, looking up at the two of us. Shit. I never thought about that. Angel and I don’t have that issue, as she can’t have kids. I never really thought about Levi and Becky, though.
“I didn’t even know you two were fucking!” Rylan adds.
“Twice. Fucked twice, and now she’s pregnant.”
“Wait. Why have you only fucked her twice?” I ask, confused a little.
“We aren’t that into each other, Silas. Fuck, we were pushed into a fucking marriage neither of us wanted.” Damn. I didn’t think of it that way.
“Fuck, Levi. I’m sorry, man. What do you want to do?”
“She wants to keep it. I don’t.”
“Fuck,” Ry grumbles.
“You two have to talk it out. Is she willing to take care of it without you?” I ask him. He shrugs.
“I don’t know. I told her financially I would take care of shit, but I can’t be a dad.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want to be. I’ve never wanted kids, man. I just look at us and all the fucked up shit we had to go through, and I can’t see being someone’s dad.”
“You know you’re not like that, right?” he nods.
“I know, but that doesn’t change the facts.”
“I’m sorry, Levi. I don’t know what to say,” Rylan adds. I don’t either, so I don’t say shit.
I sit back in my seat and take in two of my best friends and wonder how the fuck our lives are going to turn out.