Slay (Storm MC #4) (25 page)

“I don’t think you’re ever too old, and I also believe a woman is better off on her own than letting a man treat her like shit.”

“Yeah, I can see that now, but you’ve got to remember, I grew up in the club lifestyle and all I’ve ever known is women who put up with this kind of shit.”

“So, does your son treat his girlfriend like that?  And does Madison’s husband treat her like that?”

She shook her head.  “No, Madison would never stand for that.  Hell, she would cut J’s balls off if he so much as looked at another woman.  And although Scott has a wild temper, he’d never treat Harlow the same way his father treats women.”

“Thank fuck for that.  I thought Madison seemed to have J under control.”

She laughed and drank more of her water.  “Yeah, you could say that, although I think it goes both ways for them.  He’s got just as much control over her.”

“A good match by the sound of it,” I mused.

She looked at me thoughtfully.  “I’m relieved Marcus’s sons didn’t turn out anything like him insofar as the way he treats women.  You’ve got a good man there in Blade.  I’ve never had a lot to do with him, but I can tell he’s special.”

“He really is,” I agreed.

A customer interrupted us, and Sharon turned away to serve him.  I left her so I could go wipe down tables and clean up empty glasses.  When I came back to the bar, she was deep in conversation with a man who didn’t look happy with her.

Fuck, he looks like Donovan.

I took in Sharon’s tense body language and decided to step in to make sure she was okay.  As I approached, the man turned angry eyes on me and I noticed the faded bruises on his face.  “What the fuck do you want?”

“I take it you’re Marcus,” I said, standing my ground.  I wouldn’t let this fucker intimidate me.

“And what’s it to you?”

“This is my bar, and Sharon’s working, so you need to leave.”

He’d been leaning across the bar and now straightened.  “I’m here for a drink, that’s all.”

I raised my brows.  “Really?”

“Yeah.”  He turned back to Sharon.  “I’ll have a beer, babe.”

I watched her flinch at his term of endearment, but she quickly grabbed him a beer.  Placing it on the bar, she said, “You can sit at a table away from the bar, Marcus.  I’ve got work to do.”

Surprisingly, he did as she said and left us to go and sit at a table.

“Are you okay?” I asked her once we were alone.  “Do you want me to call Jess in so you can go home?” 

“No, I won’t let him win.  This is just the beginning, Layla, and he needs to know I’m serious about this being over.”

I admired her determination.  “Good.  I’m with you on this so whatever you need, you just let me know, okay?”

“Thank you,” she said softly, and I knew in that moment, Sharon didn’t have a lot of friends offering to be there for her. 

“Sharon, did you leave the house or did you ask him to leave?”

“I told him he had to go.  I’m not leaving it.”

“Did he go?”  I had a feeling Marcus would be hard to get rid of.

“I don’t know, because I had to come to work.  I told him to be gone by the time I got home this afternoon.”

“Have you told Scott and Madison yet?”

Sadness crossed her face.  “I’m not close to Scott at the moment, and Madison and I are still on shaky ground, so I haven’t told either of them.  I will, though.”

“Today?”

She grimaced.  “I don’t want to drag them into it, Layla.  I need to do this on my own, and then begin to rebuild my relationships with them.  But...I’ve got to find myself first, you know?”

I nodded.  “Yeah, I get that, but I’m concerned you might need at least Scott’s help on this.  If Marcus won’t take no for an answer, it could pay to have Scott behind you.”

“I’ll think about it.  Please don’t tell anyone yet.”

I could read between the lines.  She didn’t want me to tell Donovan.

Nodding, I said, “Okay, it’s your call, but I really want you to think about it.”

“I will,” she promised.

I turned to look at Marcus and found him staring at us while he drank his beer.  Fuck, this afternoon was about to go to complete shit.  I was sure of it.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Blade

I closed my eyes and sent a prayer of thanks to the universe.  I’d given up believing in God a long time ago, but my belief in the forces of good was slowly being restored. 

When I opened my eyes, I found my mother smiling up at me.  “It’s good news, right?” she asked.

“Yeah, it’s good news.  When do you start?”

“Next week.  Thank you for helping me get this job.  I think it’s just what I need.”

I had no doubt.  I’d watched Sharon Cole working at Layla’s bar, and saw the change in her, so I’d put the feelers out with my contacts regarding a job for my mother.  I kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, but perhaps she wouldn’t have been ready for it until now.

“Has Marcus been around?”  I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

“No, I haven’t seen him since the day of your fight.”

Thank fuck
.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.  Pulling it out, I saw Layla’s name on the screen.  Holding it up at Mum, I indicated I needed to take this.  She smiled and left me to it.  “What’s up, baby?” I asked, answering the call.

“How far away from the bar are you?”  Her tone put me on high alert.

“About fifteen minutes.  Why?”  I went in search of Mum while Layla kept talking.

“Marcus is here, and it’s not pretty between him and Sharon.  I’m concerned.”

Fuck.

“I’m on my way, but until I get there, I’ve got some guys watching your bar so I’ll send them in to watch him.”

“Thanks,” she said, ending the call.

I found Mum in the kitchen.  “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll call you later and check in.”

She nodded and gave me a hug.  “Love you, baby,” she said as she let me go.

“Love you, too,” I said and headed out to the car.  Layla’s voice over the phone had told me everything I needed to know.  Marcus was going to be a problem, and I needed to get there as fast as I could.

On the way, I called Scott and asked him to get over there as soon as possible.  Better to have both of us there to deal with Marcus.

The traffic was a bitch and it took me longer to get there than I thought it would.  By the time I parked the Jag, my head felt like it would explode from the anxiety tearing through me.  Worry about Layla getting hurt filled me, and I bolted out of the car and into the bar.

Thank fuck three o’clock was a quiet time for the place.  Layla stood at the bar serving the one customer she currently had.  Sharon and Marcus were nowhere to be seen.  I walked to her and raised my eyebrows in question.

After she finished with her customer, she pointed towards the back of the bar.  “They’re outside in the back alley.  Marcus has had a bit to drink, Donovan.  When he started getting angry with her, she took him outside.  Your guys followed them, so, hopefully, that means she’s okay.”  Her worry was clear, but I was simply glad she hadn’t been hurt. 

“I’ll go see what’s going on.  You stay here, yeah?  Don’t come out there, because if Marcus hurts you, he won’t be leaving here in anything but a fucking body bag,” I said, and, at her nod, I left to go out to the alley.

Angry voices filtered through as I pushed the back door open.  I took a step outside and came face to face with Sharon yelling at Marcus.  “I should never have married you!  You couldn’t keep your dick to yourself before we got married, and you still can’t keep it to yourself.  If you thought I didn’t know about your new piece on the side, you’re a fucking idiot.  She’s welcome to you.”

No fucking surprise there.

Marcus took a step closer to her, anger rolling off him.  “She means fucking nothing to me, babe.  None of them have.”  His gaze flicked to me, and, while staring at me, he added, “Not even Stella.”

Blood roared in my ears, and I clenched my fists.  As the craving for his blood threatened to take over, I forced myself to remember Storm needed him alive.  Killing him would only cause them more problems, and that could possibly have an impact on Madison.

Fuck.

Sharon slapped him.  “You think that makes it okay, asshole?  You’re a fucking pig to women.”

He grabbed her hand, pulling her to him.  “You think you can walk away from me that easily?  Fucking try it and see what happens,” he threatened her.

My guys had been hanging back but they both took a step forward.  I held up my hand to halt them and walked toward Marcus.  “Let her go,” I demanded.

Training his filthy gaze on me, he snarled, “This is between me and my wife, Blade, so you can fuck off and leave us to sort it out ourselves.”

I kept walking.  “No way am I leaving, and there’s no fucking way you’re beating your wife up again.”

He shoved her away and came at me.  His fist tried to connect with my face, but I blocked it and punched him in the gut.  As he stumbled, I punched him hard in the face.  Bone crunched and blood spurted.  My demons roared to life at the sight of that blood, and in that instant, I succumbed to the darkness.  I let it pull me under and take over my soul. 

My father was as good as dead.

For every punch I got in, I recalled a childhood hurt. 

For every punch he got in, I remembered why his time was up.

My father would
never
hurt another human being again.

Every emotion I’d experienced at my father’s hands bubbled up as I kept punching.  Blindly, madly punching.  I was a crazed man.  My father had made me this way, and this was his reckoning.

His sins were finally coming back to haunt him.

I blocked out the world as I fought to end his life, so it wasn’t until strong hands pulled me off him that I heard someone yelling out my name.

Scott.

“Blade!  Fuck, don’t kill him,” he thundered, while fighting to pull me away.

I tried to punch Scott so he’d let me go, but he’d anticipated that and punched me first.

Motherfucker
.

The pain roared through me, but I breathed through it, raising my arm to take aim again.  However, another set of arms grabbed me.

Griff.

They held me back, and Marcus staggered forward, his mouth twisted in a sneer.  Blood dripped down his face as he threatened me.  “That’s the last fucking time that happens, you worthless piece of shit!  I should have made your mother fucking abort you all those years ago.”

His words didn’t hit their mark.  Not anymore.  He’d shredded me for too long now, and I’d finally realised his words were as meaningless as he was.

Bang!

The shot rang out loud and clear, and the bullet that hit Marcus sent him reeling back.  My head snapped around to find the perpetrator, and I was stunned to find Sharon staring at him with a gun in her hand.  She began walking toward him, her intent to shoot him again evident.  Scott let me go so he could halt her progress, but Sharon was lost in some kind of crazed state, too, and Scott struggled to stop her. Griff let me go, moving quickly trying to help Scott.

I didn’t give them my attention at all.  It was focused completely on Marcus, and on the pain he was in.  He deserved that pain and so much more for everything bad he’d ever done in his life.  My demons took over again, and I pulled my knife from its sheath.

My father lay on the ground, staring up at me with a look of sheer terror as I approached. 

Yeah, motherfucker.

My head pounded as the rage took over. 

The rage I’d lived with my whole life. 

The rage I’d done my best to deny and keep locked deep in my soul. 

It swirled up through me, and my chest threatened to explode as it desperately fought to be let out. 

And then...

I stopped fighting it.

I let it consume me.

I let it shatter around me, and, in that moment, I met the darkness I’d hidden even from myself.

My darkest moment.

The first time the blade sliced through his flesh, satisfaction like I’d never experienced before rushed through me.

The second slice produced a strong sense of justice. 

The third slice, however, brought with it all the anger I’d bottled up my entire life.

I lost track after that as I stabbed my father to death.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Layla

I lay on the bed next to Donovan and held him while he slept.  It had been about five hours since he’d fallen asleep, and it was the most peaceful I’d ever seen him.  Usually, he thrashed about in his sleep and called out Ashley’s name.  Tonight, he hadn’t moved, except to curl closer to me.  He now lay with his head on my chest and his arm across my body, holding me.

He’d killed his father this afternoon.  I didn’t have a clue what was happening in the back alley until Griff came in and asked me to close the bar so they could ensure complete privacy while dealing with it.  I’d immediately done what he’d asked and gone to find Donovan.  Pain had pierced my heart when I’d found him on his knees on the ground out the back, covered in his father’s blood.  When I’d knelt next to him, he’d looked at me with such a haunted expression on his face.  I’d never seen someone so broken in my entire life, and the need to make it all better had overwhelmed me. 

Nothing would make this all better for him, though.

I’d eventually managed to get him to stand, and Scott had helped me get him upstairs to the bathroom where I stripped his clothes off and put him under the shower.  Scott had left us so he and Griff could take care of Marcus’s body and the mess in the alley.  They also had to take care of Sharon who had fallen apart, too.

That had been about six hours ago.  Once I’d cleaned Donovan up, I’d gotten him into bed, but he hadn’t fallen asleep straight away.  He’d spent a long time staring into space before finally succumbing to sleep.

I’d hated seeing him like that.  It wasn’t the strong, powerful man I knew.  And I hated his father even more for it.  As far as I was concerned, his father had deserved everything he’d got today.