Disarray the hallowed cr.., p.16
Disarray: The Hallowed Crows MC 4, page 16
We share a look, and the bastard smirks as if he knows exactly what I am thinking, then as if to be sure to piss the Mayor off even more, he pulls me in for a kiss. His mouth hot and insistent against mine, as he pushes me against the car and forces his tongue into my mouth until I relent. When he pulls back I am panting, but all he does is curl an escaped tendril of hair around my ear.
“Stay by Angel’s side, Princess, he’s got your back.” I nod at his words, already knowing the plan we made before we left.
With the guys being recognizable from their cuts alone, we deemed it made the most sense for Angel and I to enter the building alone. I’ve got a gun tucked beneath my jacket, a knife under my sleek dress, and a burner phone with a tracker hidden in the fabric of my boots. Angel is also armed to the teeth beneath the suit he is now wearing, the blood from his hands conveniently washed away. As Aiden releases me, I move towards my best friend with a solemn smile.
“You sure you’re ready for this, Becca?” He asks, his brow furrowed with concern, and it’s weird to see him as anything other than the boy I grew up with. Yet somehow, I can see the man he has become, the ease in which he commanded the room and men before, the way he looks ready for business and killing right now. He was right, he might have been a Crow first, but right now he is nothing but a Ghost.
I nod my head, words escaping me, as my heart pounds in my chest in anticipation of whatever we are about to find inside. Then I slip my arm through his and we move towards the doors of the building as one. It’s a midweek afternoon, so I’m not surprised by how quiet it is when we enter. We approach the front desk and give the details of my father’s box, and a copy of his will over to the clerk, who runs a check on her computer, and then happily leads us into the back where my father’s box awaits.
Once she has pulled his box down and placed it on the table, using her own key, she excuses herself to give us some privacy, and then Angel takes the other key from me and opens it, before taking a step back to let me look inside. It takes a few seconds for my feet to move, but when I finally step forward, I am surprised to find that the only thing sitting inside the box is a large brown envelope with my name on it. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I guess it was something more.
I reach inside to retrieve the envelope and when I lift it out, I notice how thick and heavy it feels compared to how it looks. Flipping it over I see the seal hasn’t been tampered with, so I pick at the corner until it starts to pull away, ripping it open so I can look inside. I tip out the contents on the table and find a few thick stashes of bills that equate to more money than I can even count right now, a stack of photographs tied together with some string, some official papers that look to be drafted up by a lawyer, and another small sealed envelope addressed to me.
My eyes flash up to Angel’s but he looks just as confused as I do, as his own eyes roam over the contents of the box with a frown. I guess he was expecting more too. I mean, it’s not like I was expecting the box to have a whole bunch of answers, but at first glance it seems to offer nothing. Knowing that anyone could come back here any minute, I know this isn’t the place to delve deeper into what my father left behind, so I shove the money back into the safety of the box, pushing it towards Angel so he can lock it. Then I scoop the papers and letter back into the larger envelope and signal for us to leave.
I know the Crows waiting outside will be getting impatient, so I wait for the woman to come back and secure the box, and then we give our thanks and leave the same way we came. When we push through the doors and get back outside, only my three Crows are waiting, the rest are inside their cars awaiting our next move. I am heading straight for my guys when that familiar tingle burns down the back of my spine and freezes me in place.
Two years I spent with Carter. Two long years, and if I learned anything in that time, it was to always be aware of my surroundings, it’s how I know. He’s here, he’s watching me. My eyes fly around, scanning and searching for his hiding place, but I come up empty. Fear grips me like a knowledgeable vine going straight for my jugular, and it takes everything I have to remain upright. He’s here, I know he is, I can feel him.
“Becca, what’s wrong?” Angel asks, pulling at my arm, as the Crows descend around us.
My mind works as fast as it can, trying to ascertain every possible situation that could occur right now, and I plaster a smile on my face as I look at them. “Keep your eyes on me, do not react, do not make a scene,” I demand, reaching out to touch Aiden’s chest in what would be seen as a loving gesture, but really it’s because I know he is the biggest flight risk and I need to keep him next to me. “Carter is here somewhere.”
I feel the President tense beneath my touch, and I step forward and put my arms around his neck before he can react any further. He sees the move for what it is, a distraction, one he welcomes as he takes a breath and whispers, “Are you sure? Where?”
Ezra and Killian crowd around my back, as Angel pulls out his phone in a casual manner and starts to type out a message, to whom, I don’t know. “Yes, I’m sure, I can feel him watching me.” I think they might laugh at that, at me having a feeling rather than being certain, but after two years in captivity, you learn to trust your gut.
To my surprise, Aiden smiles, leaning in for a kiss, but instead whispers against my mouth, loud enough for the other two to hear, “So what’s the plan, Little Sully?”
I smile at the use of my childhood nickname, love and memories flooding me from the inside out at the trust they are putting in me, but I am finding it hard to even think. The image of Angel’s bloody hands is at the front of my brain, my father’s handwriting scrawled across the envelope in my hand. Both of them remind me of what I have already lost, and how I am not willing to lose anything else. We have to end this, and the only way to do that is to draw him out.
“I need the keys.” I step out of their embrace and hold my hand out for the car keys, to which Aiden hands over without any hesitation. Then I turn my head towards Angel who is already watching me. “Follow behind us and keep your eyes open. Have Lincoln pull the CCTV footage of the surrounding areas for the last hour, he knew we were here and we need to find out how.”
I don’t wait for a response, I just move around to the driver’s side of the car and get inside. I fasten my seatbelt, wait for the others to get in, and then watch for Angel and the rest of the Crows to be ready to leave in the cars behind us. Then I pull out into the road and head towards a place I thought I would never go again.
The drive to Demise is a short one, and when we pull up outside I hear one of the guys in the back curse beneath their breath. They know the story of this place, what went down the first night I came here, so I am sure they are wondering what we are doing here now.
I park out front, thankful it’s the middle of the day and that it’s quiet, and wait for the other two cars to arrive. While I wait, I pull the burner from my boot and dial Elle’s number from memory. For this to work I am going to need a favor. She answers in two rings and when I tell her what I need, she agrees quickly, disconnecting the call, and then calling back less than two minutes later to tell me it’s done.
Once I have the rest of the Crows in tow, Aiden turns to me and asks, “Rebecca, what are we doing here?” His shoulders are tense, and his face is set into a frown. I’m sure he wants to be here even less than I do.
“We are having lunch,” I say simply, gesturing for them to follow me inside where the host is already waiting for us.
The staff and a few patrons that are dining let their eyes stare at the cuts across my guys’ backs, but I keep my head high and act like I am the goddamn Queen, as we are led to a large table in the center of the restaurant. Perfect. I take a seat, pulling the napkin into my lap and lifting my eyes to the guys until they all reluctantly follow suit.
The waiter comes by and I order water, wine, and steaks for everyone, the most expensive on the menu, courtesy of my favorite King, and then I sit back and survey the view from the windows. Watching. Waiting. The guys are all tense around me, but for me it’s like a switch has flipped inside of me. I want him to come and find me, to try and take me from them again, because I know exactly how it will end.
Once our food is delivered, the guys have settled down a little bit, chatting quietly amongst themselves, but letting me stew in my own little world as I keep my gaze firm on the outside world. It isn’t until Killian leans in close, his enforcer mind taking charge as he asks, “What is the point of all this, Bex?”
For the first time I break my stare to look at him, and when our eyes lock I know he sees the recklessness on my face. The need for this to be over, and for Carter to be dead. He knows as much as I like the pain and suffering, that if it isn’t from him, or them, then I can’t bear it. It’s also why I feel no regret in leaning forward and kissing him, in tasting the need for revenge on his lips, before I pull back and respond, “The point is, I know him better than anyone. I know how he thinks, how his mind works, and I know how to push him, and you see when you push something too far…” I trail off and he finally smiles in understanding.
“There is only so long before it pushes back,” he murmurs, his thumb coming up to trace my freshly kissed lips. “You truly are astounding, Sweetheart.” I shrug at his words, acting like they don’t make my heart jump inside of my chest, as I slink back into my seat and return my stare to the window.
The rest of the meal is eaten with the guys a lot more relaxed in what we are doing here. They smile, eat and drink, and act like nothing can get under their skin. Yet all the while I see their eyes remain clear and focused, their bodies ready for action whenever required, and for the first time ever I feel like we might actually win this war and come out unscathed, with only the few scars we’ve already got.
By the time we leave the restaurant a couple of hours have passed, and as we walk out onto the street I don’t get the same feeling as before. He’s not here, not anymore, but there is still something in the pit of my stomach that tells me that he wouldn’t have just left without doing anything.
Aiden insists on driving back to the apartment, and I don’t battle him on it. Instead, I slump in the front seat beside him feeling a little resigned that my plan didn’t seem to work. Then we start the drive back, and just before we cut off onto the highway, I feel the need to see home.
“Stop by the clubhouse before we leave,” I say, turning to look at Aiden, as the other two perk up in the back.
“Why?” Ezra asks. “It’s probably still taped up,” he adds, and I’m sure he’s right. The police won’t have unsealed it as a crime scene yet, but my gut is telling me we need to go there.
I don’t say anything in response, and thankfully that’s enough, because Aiden turns towards the place we all call home, and it isn’t until we are pulling up across the road that I start to feel better. Ezra was right, the place is still surrounded by police tape, and without any lights on inside it looks cold and empty. Nothing like what I am used to, and from the silence surrounding me, I’m sure the guys feel the same.
We all climb from the car without a word, and I hear the others pull up behind us and follow suit, no questions asked, and I let my eyes travel over every inch of it as we get closer. It isn’t until we reach the front gates that I notice there is a gap in the fence, in the same place where I jumped over it when I was fourteen. It stands out because there have never been gaps in the fence before, hence the reason I used to have to climb it in the first place.
I move towards it, crouching down to peer through, and then slipping inside it before any of the Crows can protest. I know they’ll follow, and if the curses behind me are anything to go by, they can’t get through as easily as I did. Nothing looks out of place as I look around, but I feel a pull towards my father’s garage, and I don’t know if it’s because we have just been to his deposit box, or something more, but I walk in the direction of the back lot, my hand reaching beneath my jacket to grasp my gun in case I find anyone waiting. I won’t be caught unprepared again like I was with Mitch.
When I round the corner I freeze, someone stumbling right into the back of me, but I can’t turn around to check who it is, because my focus is on the bunch of roses resting across the door to my father’s sanctuary. I know when everyone else sees them because I hear weapons get drawn and footsteps spread out, as they start to search the area. I want to tell them that it’s a waste of time, because I know Carter is no longer here, but I can’t move as I stare at those fucking roses.
If I never saw another rose again for as long as I live it still wouldn’t be enough, but it’s the white piece of card that is attached to them that always instilled fear in me. Never the flowers, always the words that came with them, and then I move on instinct, my gun now drawn and in my hand, as I storm towards his latest gift and snatch up the note he left behind.
You can run but you can’t hide!
I’M COMING FOR YOU MY LITTLE ROSE
XOXO
I don’t even get a chance to say anything before I am being grabbed and dragged back towards the fence. “We are leaving now!” Aiden’s voice is like fire, as he covers my front with his body, his own gun drawn and ready to shoot.
The other Crows are panning out around us, and I can hear Angel spitting orders down the phone to someone, his tone as vicious as Aiden’s, as we all move towards the front gate and rip it open, ducking under the police tape and moving back to the cars. Aiden doesn’t relent until he has me tucked back into the safety of the car, and doesn’t move to get inside until both Killian and Ezra are in the back seat.
We pull back out into the road, our eyes everywhere all at once, and none of us settle down until we have arrived back into the underground garage, had Blade’s guards check the perimeter and cameras, and are all safely back in our apartment upstairs. All of the guys still have their weapons out like they expect Carter to burst through the door any second, and all I can do is clutch the large envelope from my father’s box like my life depends on it.
Angel is the first to break the silence, storming in from outside where I can still see his men guarding the door as he says, “Lincoln is trolling through the CCTV footage now, he will let us know when he finds something.”
I nod, only half listening as I turn to my three Crows and watch them. Ezra is sitting at the table rereading all the information we have on the Mayor, Killian is on the sofa, pulling apart one of his guns and cleaning it, and Aiden is leaning against the wall, flicking a knife open and closed in his hands with his eyes completely locked on mine.
“Well, I think it’s safe to say we drew him out,” Irish cuts into the silence, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. “Now what, Bex? Like you said, you know him better than anyone.”
All eyes turn to me, but I have no idea what to say to them, how to explain that I have never once got past this part. Yes, I would break the rules sometimes and be punished for it, but then I would just accept the roses and whatever note came with them, and move on until the next time it happened. I didn’t care back then, the only thing that mattered was submitting to him and keeping the Crows safe. This is new territory, even for me.
“I don’t know how to end this,” I start, my words trembling slightly as I admit that fear out loud. “I don’t know how to keep pushing him until there is no going back. With Carter, there has never been a point of no return. He always had room for more, and only ever had one goal when it came to me, to make me perfect enough to become his wife.”
My words settle over the room and silence descends until Aiden steps forward, moving until he is right in front of me. “I have a plan.” Four words, four simple words that make me fall even more in love with him. “Do you trust me?” He asks, and I don’t know why, but his question makes me pause.
Do I trust him?
I think about everything that has happened, everything he has done, as his eyes search mine for an answer. When I don’t respond he grabs me and asks again, “Rebecca, do you trust me?”
His fingers dig into the spot I always choose to ignore on my upper arm, and I know what he feels, and I see the plan forming in his mind as he looks towards the box of things that Elle gave us. Those emerald eyes silently convey what we need to do, what he’s suggesting, but will it be enough?
There are a million reasons I should say no and only one reason that I can think of to say, “Yes, I trust you.” The relief my words give him is instant, I feel it in the way his grip loosens, see it in the way his eyes soften. We’ve come a long way, and no matter what we have to do, we will fight to survive, because I don’t just trust him, I love him. I love all three of them, and this is not how we end.
Aiden nods, taking a deep breath as he holds my stare and digs the knife into my arm. I scream out in pain, but this is the way it has to be.
You can’t call murder without losing a little blood.
This is the kind of day I never thought I would have. One I never let myself imagine, not with anyone, but especially not with her. Not because I never wanted it, or because I don’t love her because I do, but because I don’t deserve it, and I sure as fuck don’t deserve her. Yet here I am, waiting for her anyway. If Connor were alive I doubt we’d have ever got this far. In fact, I am pretty sure it would have been me six feet under, and my two brothers beside me, because despite the possession I feel for her, they have her heart too. It isn’t just her and I, and it was never going to be, I just took too long to realize that. It was always going to be the four of us, just like that first day we met her, just like that first night we took her. She is ours and we are hers, until the end.
