Kyla
If I bite my tongue any harder, I’m going to pierce the soft flesh. After our chat earlier, I got the message loud and clear and every time I hear something I don’t like, I bite down and keep my mouth firmly shut.
Every now and then, Ricky’s arm squeezes around me and I nudge closer to him as much as I can as we sit at the table in the kitchen. Alannah laughs at something Cas says and kisses him upon his cheek. Slade sits on the counter top with Kristen leaning against him as he rubs her stomach, and Bonnie leans her head on Sparky’s shoulder as she snuggles against him. Even my dad is keeping my mom close. I want to know how they all get on with it, with everything that is going on and that has happened, how can they chat and laugh like life is perfectly normal?
A crash comes from the front door and Noah and Niall burst through into the kitchen. Cas and the rest of them aren’t on alert though, and when I see Noah’s smile, my blood runs cold. It’s not an easy-going smile, it’s laced with evil.
Slade slips off the counter and Cas stands beside him. Cas tips his chin, wanting to know what news he brings.
“We’ve got three of them,” he boasts.
It doesn’t take a genius to work out he’s on about Devil’s Bastards and my heart sinks. Surely they haven’t brought them here?
My dad, Ricky, and Sparky are on their feet before he can say another word and I lose all of Ricky’s heat.
He looks down at me, and I can see the flames in his eyes burning bright. This is what he wanted, what he needed to be discharged to do.
My teeth dig into my tongue again and I wince from the pain.
“You should go up to bed, I’ll join you soon.”
There’s no point asking him to join me and leave the Devil’s Bastards to the others. I don’t bother saying anything.
I get up before he can reach out and grab my hand, I leave the kitchen and take the stairs until I’m in our room and on my own. I sit on the end of the bed and listen to doors slamming open and shut. The sounds of excitement and imminent payback bounces around the cabin and then everything is silent.
A moment later, deep, male voices come from the back of the cabin and I creep over to the window. I remember opening it this morning and I’m thankful I did now.
It’s always so dark out here at night, but with all the lights shining out of the cabin windows I see Lost Souls circling around three men on their knees with their hands tied behind their backs. Cas continues to circle the men and he’s lost his limp, obviously not wanting to show his weakened leg from the blast their club inflicted.
I keep to the side of the window and stay out of sight if anyone were to look up here. I search out Ricky and he’s standing next to my dad.
“Where’s Danny?” I barely hear Cas ask.
No one says a word and my dad pounces forward and punches one of the men in the back of the head. The guy falls forward and struggles to get up with his hands bound.
Sparky hauls him back up to his knees by his hair.
“Speak when you’re spoken to, motherfucker,” Dad growls.
His tone takes me back to when I was first brought to the club and found out who he really was. He didn’t call me a motherfucker, but he used the same disgusted tone.
“He…he’s everywhere,” one of them stutter.
“What do you mean?” Cas demands to know.
“He doesn’t like staying in one place for too long, he moves around day to day and he never stays in one place more than once.”
“What are we talkin’, motels?” Sparky asks.
“Sometimes.”
“They’re not here to answer questions, they’re here to die,” my dad snaps, losing patience and Ricky laughs in a way I haven’t heard from him before.
He looks to Cas and he nods his head slightly. He steps forward and pulls a gun from the back of his waistband. Silence falls around the brothers and I hold my breath as he points it towards the guy on the end of the line-up.
A matter of seconds pass before the shot goes off and echoes around the cabin. I gasp as the guy slumps to the ground and I quickly slap my hand over my mouth.
No one looks my way and I stand frozen, willing myself to move. Sparky and my dad are the next ones to pull out their guns and they both stand behind the two guys who are still breathing.
Sparky’s lips move and I guess he’s counting down because simultaneously two shots go off and the three Devil’s Bastards who were brought here alive, are now all dead.
“Pope, take Slade and Noah and get rid of the bodies, then come straight back here,” Cas orders him and I realise now, just how far my dad and Ricky will go for this club.
My dad gets on with his order and hauls one of the guys up and flings him over his shoulder like he weighs nothing. Slade and Noah choose to drag the bodies and they all disappear from my sight.
The others start heading into the cabin and I quickly undress and climb into bed. I don’t bother with finding a pair of pyjamas in my bag and shiver when the cold sheets touch my warm skin.
I imagined Ricky would come up straight away but he doesn’t and I lay there regaining control of my breathing as I listen to the guys celebrate. I listen to one of the kids wake up crying from the music thumping around the cabin and I listen to cheers and promises of further bloodshed.
Ricky didn’t hesitate once squeezing the trigger, nor did my dad. They were determined, and I know they won’t lose any sleep tonight over what they have done.
I’m falling asleep when the door creaks open and then closes. I lay there unmoving as Ricky thinks his creeping around is quiet. He stumbles onto the bed and the beer on his breath hits me.
He’s drunk. He’s unbelievable, his first night out of hospital and he’s been drinking.
Throwing the sheets off, I push him off my legs where he landed and move around the bed and untie his boots.
He’s doesn’t move and he doesn’t say anything, he hasn’t fallen asleep because he snores like a freight train when he’s been drinking.
“Come on, you can’t lay across the bed like this all night,” I say, nudging his legs.
“Aren’t you gonna take my jeans off?” he mumbles.
“If you move I will.”
In the end, I help as much as I can and he settles on his side of the bed. He’s no good at helping me wriggle him out his jeans and I curse him a handful of times. Eventually, I throw the jeans on the floor and pull the covers over him. My side of the bed is still warm and he pulls me flush against him so my back is against his chest. His heart thumps heavily and he sighs.
“Did you watch?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“I told you to come up here because I knew you’d look.”
In the past, my dad and Ricky have tried to shield me from witnessing such things. Banging on about protecting me, putting me a safe bubble in case something sets me off and I go looking for a hit of something stronger to deal with it.
“Why?”
“I wanted you to see that no matter what happens to us, we will always overcome them and we will always survive.”
I go to turn around to face him but he tightens his hold on me and I stop.
“I love you, babe. There isn’t a man alive I wouldn’t kill if it meant you are safe. Go to sleep, because you’re going to need your energy tomorrow.”
“What’s happening tomorrow?” I dread to ask.
“I’m joining the hunt and no doubt you’re going to fight me about it,” he chuckles.
I don’t find him funny. For the last time today, I bite my tongue and stay quiet. I fall asleep hating the fact it’s one rule for the brothers and another for us old ladies.