Brutal (39 page)

“Your son,” I say shaking my head. “I want to know why. And where is home?”

“He’s obviously sick,” he says. “He’s an addict, and he isn’t that creative. If he said it’s time for her to come home the only place that makes sense is her home.”

“Her place is secure,” says Rafe.

“I said her
home,
” he says. “The house she grew up in. Let’s go. We’ll talk on the way.”

“Wait,” says Tony, looking at Max and Julian, who nod. “We’re coming.”

“Don’t get in our way,” says Rafe. “Is he a threat to them both?”

“He isn’t my son anymore, Rafe. I need you to understand that,” he says. “He’s an addict. I haven’t been able to get through to him in years. Is he a threat? Yes. He’s also unpredictable. He’s always wanted Venessa’s attention, and when he started using during his senior year, Venessa stopped coming around, and that pissed him off even more. I kept him from her as best as I could. Those two were raised side by side, and the sun rose and set in his eyes for that girl. He took her rejection hard. He used to sit in her tree house and wait for her to come outside or come home. When she tried to date, he wasn’t just jealous, he was violent. It’s no secret he doesn’t like Macy. If anyone can get through to Venessa, it’s her, and he doesn’t like that. Macy was always against her relationship with Gary. I don’t know where we went wrong with that boy, but if he hurts those girls, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“He’s been at the club, watching her for a while,” says Rafe. “Why not approach her?”

“Max said he tried, but had him shut down,” I say.

“We’ll take the Yukon,” says Rafe. “You three take Max’s car. We’ll need all the room we can get.”

We all split up into our respective vehicles, and the Captain gives Rafe directions and the others follow close by. Looking at the Captain, he looks resigned to the fact he’s lost his kid, but determined to save Venessa. Rafe, on the other hand, is out for blood like I am. Our women are in danger, and my biggest fear is that my Angel won’t be able to hold her own against this guy, let alone take him if he’s fucked up. He’ll have super strength, and she won’t. She’ll be focused on Macy, not herself. My biggest worry is that she’s not even close to being 100%.

“When we get there, I’m not your Captain,” he says.

“We ain’t Detectives,” says Rafe. I nod, unable to say anymore.

“Gary won’t waste time,” he says. “He’s impatient and impulsive. He is quick to be violent. Venessa will push him, so I expect him to react and, knowing her, so does she.”

“Would he force himself on her?” Rafe asks and I punch the door.

“If provoked,” he says. “I’d say yes. She has a way of pushing Gary, always has. He always has to prove himself to her. If she pushed him too far…”

“Drive faster,” I say. “How much farther?”

“About 5 minutes,” he says.

“What do you have on you, Cap, and how are we handling this?” asks Rafe.

“I’m loaded,” he says. “Get Venessa. Rafe, you get Macy, and I’ll handle Gary.”

“What about the other three?” asks Rafe.

“I don’t give a fuck about them, as long as they don’t get in the way,” says the Cap.

I stare at my phone, willing it to give me something. A  text, a call, anything. I need to know she’s okay. I need her to know I’m coming for her. To center myself, I thumb through the pictures she took of us again. She sent me a ton, and I saved them to my phone so I’d quit taking hers. In some we’re smiling, others we’re serious, but in all of them we’re in love. I’m not a praying man, but this one time, please let me save her.

H
e’s taunting me, I let him. His strength is waning, because whatever he’s on is slowing him down. I need Macy to stay quiet, and I need to wait for my opening. Problem is, my strength is about gone, too. I’m in and out of it as it is, and the pain in my head and neck is so bad, I feel like I need to vomit. I just need my hands. He was sloppy with the knots, but I don’t know if I have the strength to pull myself up. Time is running out, I can feel it. My thoughts go to Rogan and I center myself by drawing on his strength. He wouldn’t give up. I think of Rafe, and how he and Macy deserve a chance. I think about the Captain, and how hard this will be for him. Last, I think of the family that I lost and how I’m not ready to die yet, not like this. What would my dad do?

I hear his feet shuffle, and I know he’s focused on Macy again. I hear her grunt, and know he’s forcing her to stand. I can hear her struggling. Where is he taking her? Listen, Venessa, listen.

“She’s losing a lot of blood, Macy,” he says. “Look at her. She’s doing this for you. Suffering, fighting, she came here for you. Tell her that all this can stop if she opens her eyes.”

She says nothing.

“Tell her!” he screams, and then hits Macy so hard she cries out.

“No,” she says fighting tears.

“Fucking tell her, you stupid bitch, or I will kill you where you stand,” he screams.

“Anything you do to me, Venessa will do ten times worse to you,” she says proudly. “Won’t you Venessa?”

On the inside, I smile. Macy is a fighter, but I know she’s hurting. I appreciate what she’s trying to do, but I can’t let him continue to hurt her. If he’s looking to break me, hurting her will do it. Macy knows it, I know it.

I must have let my smile show on my face, because he punched me so hard I felt my teeth rattle. The pain doesn’t start and stop in any one spot, it’s everywhere.

“You think this is a joke, Nessa?” he asks. “You think I’m playing games?

“She’s not going to answer—“ she tries, but he hits her again, silencing her.

“Bitch, I will fucking end you if you open that mouth again,” he says.

Now, here’s what I know to be true. Gary is a lot of things, yeah? Impatient is one of them. He also can’t focus on more than one thing at a time. Macy knows this as well as I do. The goal here is to use his impatience against him.

I let out a fake moan to get his attention. Of course, it works. He’s a fucking idiot.

“Nessa?” he asks. “What hurts?”

Again, I moan.

The thing about Gary is he does actually have feelings. Drugs may confuse them now, but they’re there. His concern for me outweighs the wrong he’s done. When we were kids, it was his heart that I loved most, it's that same heart I’m going to rip from his chest in a little bit.

“Nessa?” he asks. “I don’t want to do this, tell me what hurts.”

“It’s her head,” says Macy. “You need to check her staples. She hasn’t had any meds since she was released, and she’s bleeding, Gary. If she passes out, she could go into a coma.”

“Fuck!” he yells touching my face. “I’m sorry Nessa, I didn’t mean it. Stay awake, baby, please.”

I take this time to brush up on my one semester of acting, and promptly ‘pass out’.

“Shit, Gary,” she says. “She needs to lay down. She’s bleeding too much, and you have to stop it.”

“I don’t know how to—“ he starts. “You stop it, you’re a nurse! Make her stop bleeding, I can’t lose her.”

“Move over,” she says. “Untie her hands, Gary, I need to make sure her blood's flowing.”

“Fix her with her hands tied,” he says.

“You may hate me, Gary,” she says. “But if you don’t listen to me, you’ll lose her! Untie her fucking hands, and let me do my job!”

I feel my hands being freed, and then Macy starts rubbing them to get the circulation back. She knows if I’m going to get us both out of here, I’ll need my hands and a shit load of luck.

“Move,” he says, coming over to me. “Nessa, is that better?”

I moan again, reaching for my head to check the damage for myself. I touch my open wound, and begin mumbling, and he leans in to hear me.

“What, baby?” he asks. “I can’t hear you.”

Opening my eyes, I repeat myself. “I said, I’m going to kill you”

Then, I attack.

“
G
od damn doors jammed,” says Rafe.

“Move,” says Julian. And he does this kung fu thing and kicks the door wide open. Under different circumstances, I’d be impressed.

We storm the place, but it’s quiet. Too fucking quiet. Anyone in here, no doubt, has heard us.

The two dead bodies between the living room and kitchen explain why no one heard us. We split up and check rooms with weapons drawn, but we come up with nothing. The room I check had to be hers growing up. The walls are pink, and there are spots of paint missing from dozens of posters adorning the walls. I open the closet and get confirmation it had been her room. Her name, Gary’s name, and Macy’s name (as well as two others) are all scribbled like graffiti all over the back of the door. These three, at one time, were friends. No longer.

Rafe leads with Max and Tony coming from the kitchen, all shaking their heads.

Meeting back in the living room, we all look to the only door left. The basement. The Cap leans his ear in, and shakes his head telling me it’s quiet. Unless we called this wrong, it’s the only place left to look.

I put up my hand, demanding quiet. I can hear someone.

“If you don’t listen to me, you’ll lose her! Untie her fucking hands, and let me do my job.” Macy.

I hear him asking her if she’s better. He calls her Nessa. I’ll fucking kill him.

It gets quiet again, and I crack the door. Then I hear him ask her to repeat herself, because he can’t hear her.

Then I do hear her, and my fucking blood straight up freezes.

“I said, I’m going to kill you,” she says, then all fucking hell breaks loose. “Macy! Run!”

Single file, we rush the basement. I go first, followed by Rafe, then the Cap. I can’t be sure, but the other three stayed up in case of trouble. When I turned the corner, what I saw will never leave me for as long as I live. Rafe secures a very pissed off and bleeding Macy, while Venessa goes toe to toe with a man easily my size. I can’t fire, for fear of hitting her. The Cap is frozen beside me, not believing what he’s seeing, either. Venessa’s face. Holy fuck. This piece of fuck worked her over like they went four god damned rounds in the octagon. She’s bleeding everywhere, but when Gary turned and registered us, he reached for his gun, first aiming at Macy. That’s when Venessa got fucking hostile, so fucking hostile I can’t even put it into words.

For as long as I live, I’ll have no words.

T
ime's up.

I use his shock at seeing my eyes open as my chance to get Macy out. I wrap my legs around his waist, and take both arms, pulling him into a headlock.

“Macy! Run!” I yell.

She doesn’t hesitate, thank god.

He doesn’t either. He starts punching my sides relentlessly. I have no choice but to loosen my grip. I take a quick look to see if Macy is clear, and I see Rafe grab her and rush her to the stairs. So they made it, then? I can’t see very well, and breathing is a struggle. He rocks me upside the head again, and I hear Rogan (more than see him) inhale sharply. I feel Gary’s arm move, and know he’s reaching for his gun. At the thought of him hurting the people I love, I become eerily resolute. I may die down here, but he’s coming with me.