Melissa
I’m back down in the Lost Souls basement and instead of Danny tied to the chair, Kyle is and Danny is the one circling him and taunting him.
I can’t hear what he’s saying, but I can see Kyle’s face clearly and he’s sweating with fear.
Everywhere I look, Lost Souls are dead and are slumped on top of one another in the corner. No one is here to save Kyle this time, only me and I can’t move.
“Let him go,” I scream but they don’t hear me.
“Danny, please, don’t do this!”
It’s no use, they don’t hear me and neither of them look my way. Danny yanks Kyle’s hair back and exposes his throat. The gleam on the knife he holds in his other hand nearly blinds me and an unnatural, feral scream bursts from me when he drags the blade across his throat. Blood begins to flood the basement and I’m drowning…
My blood is rushing when I wake and my breath is rapid. I roll onto my side and pull the covers up to my chin. Rain beats hard against the window and it soothes me. I close my eyes and Danny and Cayden are all I can see. Kyle is safe in the next room and they are with the club. I know the club are wondering why I don’t give a shit about them, but the truth is, we’ve never been a close family. I never would have thought I would want them dead but after everything I’ve seen them do and then Danny not going to save Kyle tipped me over the edge. Cayden will always follow Danny and Danny will always look out for himself. Kyle on the other hand, needs guidance. I wonder why Kyle went back to the club last night, and while Dex is asleep downstairs and away from us, I get up and plod through to the spare room.
I quietly push open the door and hope the squeak doesn’t wake our Lost Soul. Kyle is sound asleep and I creep around the side of the bed and sit beside him. I nudge him until he slowly wakes up and bite my tongue when he looks at me like he wants to swat me away like a fly.
I put my finger to my mouth, motioning for him to keep quiet and whisper, “Tell me why you went back to the club?”
Bleary eyed, he yawns and shuffles up the bed until he is sitting up. He refuses to look at me and I itch to force him.
“Kyle, so help me, start talking now.”
“I went there to ask if I can prospect for Cas.”
No, no, no. This isn’t happening.
“Why?”
He shrugs his shoulder and I can’t help myself, I punch him in the leg.
“Jeez, Lissa,” he grunts, rubbing his thigh, “I liked it at the club.”
“You liked it? You liked being tied up and held prisoner for three days? Are you fucking high?”
“We both know they were never going to hurt me, Cas said so.”
“So you’re going to believe everything he tells you? You’re not like Danny or them, don’t do this, Kyle.”
“You’ve seen for yourself, they’re not like him.”
“They’re still outlaws, why would you throw away everything you’ve achieved already at college, your future to be like them?”
He leans forward.
“Because I’ve never felt more alive when I was there and you know I’m only at college to keep you off my back.”
I stand up and pace the room in frustration.
“I don’t think you’ve thought this through properly past the sluts and beer. Anyone who is in those clubs die and they die brutally.”
“You worry too much, you always do.”
“Worry? I saw what our brother did to that man called Oak. It was…he came back to them broken and dead, it will stay with me forever.”
He doesn’t look convinced and I struggle not to scream.
“Cas and the rest of them will do the same to Danny and Cayden, if not worse for what they’ve done.”
“And yet, you’re not running to try and save them. Why are you trying to stop me?”
“Because they’re animals and so are the Lost Souls.”
“Why are you sleeping with one of them then?” he sarcastically mutters.
“I haven’t.”
“Don’t lie, you’ve never been any good at it.”
“It’s not going to happen again.”
“Lying again,” he tuts, “But hey, I don’t tell you who you can and can’t sleep with and you can’t tell me how to live my life.”
Frustrated with his stupidity, I leave him with his ridiculous dreams and go in search of coffee.
Dex is asleep on the couch and I can’t make my feet move onto the kitchen. An ache builds within me watching his bare chest rise and fall with every breath he takes. I don’t know if he’s the one for me but I do know I can’t stop thinking about him and when he’s near, I can’t think about anything but him. He ignites a fire like no other man has before. Why can’t he be anyone else? Why can’t he like me as much as I have come to like him and own it? Men complain women are hard to understand, but men are just as bad. Well, no more. Kyle is my only concern now. I will stop him from prospecting and joining the Lost Souls, I just have to figure out how.
"It was you who said it was rude to stare," he says, making me jump.
"I thought you were sleeping," I say, backing away as he sits up and works out a kink in his neck.
"I'm going to make coffee; do you want some?" I ask, trying to keep my eyes off his delicious bare chest.
"Sure."
I turn and walk into the kitchen before his body puts me in a trance. I can't afford to be sucked in by him.
"You've woken up in a good mood," he says, leaning against the door frame.
"I'm home, and my brother is home, why wouldn't I be happy?"
"Because I'm here."
This does make me happy, not that I will tell him that.
"I gained some clarity through the night, do you know what conclusion I came to?"
"What?"
"I don’t hate you but I don't like you. I confused liking you with you being nice when I was in a situation I was afraid of. I also confused feelings beginning with lust for your body. So, I conclude that, while I was and still am in a tricky predicament, I latched onto you so I decide to unlatch myself and move on."
He straightens up and clears his throat.
"That's good," he nods.
"Good," I agree, "So, I'm going to make coffee, you're going to put your shirt on and then we'll eat breakfast."
And it's in this moment I know how to keep my eye on Kyle. To make friends with the men he wants to join.