Suddenly it hits me. “Shit! We gotta get Hayli!”
Triple D responds in unison, “What?”
“Hayli!” I shout jumping to my feet. “We gotta get her before The Devil does. He kidnapped Jovi, but what's to stop him from using Hayli to prove a point that he's fucking serious.”
“Damn,” Daniel mutters and stands. “Baby bro's got a point.”
“Trying to prevent a mess rather than create one. Refreshing,” Drew sighs sarcastically.
I ignore his comment and state, “Let's go get her.”
“No.” Madden points a finger at me. “You fucking stay.”
“What-”
“I don't want you fucking leaving this house unless you absolutely have to. There's nothing stopping The Devil from picking you up-”
“He doesn't want me! He just wants his package!”
“He wants it all!” Madden stands abruptly. “How fucking hard is that for you to get? He doesn't just want his package! He wants your head on a stick for fucking him over! He wants his package! He wants the rest of us in a position to do his errands and bitch work until we die! We've already got a debt I'm stuck paying! Do not for one minute think The Devil isn't all about making it so much fucking worse!”
I whisper, “What's the debt?”
Madden sighs, “It's not important.”
“Clearly it is,” I argue, anger surging inside me. “If it wasn't for your fucking debt the rest of us wouldn't haven't been stuck in this goddamn lifestyle! So tell me, Madden! What the fuck was the debt!”
Knox tries to invade, “This conversation-”
“You wanna know?” Madden steps closer to me. “You really wanna fucking know?”
She tries again, “Madden-”
“Dad only worked for The Devil in the beginning to get us all to a place where we were okay. Where he could fucking feed and clothe us without worrying if this would be the day he was gonna get let go of by some dick head boss. He got us to a point where we didn't have to fucking slum it and then being young, and stupid, and a fuck up, I made a huge mistake that I should be in jail for. Instead, he called The Devil for a fucking favor. The last job he did for him, which wasn't the last of what he had agreed to is what got dad is prison. Those unfinished jobs got rolled over to me. Me! That debt fell in my lap! It became my responsibility to fucking do it in order to keep all of us alive! And I don't mean in this cushy lifestyle, I mean keeping him from killing us! It's my fault we're in this position now! It's my fault dad's dead! I tried to keep all of you out of this! I tried to keep all of you from having to be a part of this but fuck...The Devil is always three steps ahead, Merrick. So listen to me for once asshole. Sit. Down. Let Triple D get Hayli.”
Instead of doing what he says, I walk out of the room leaving him to do what he always does. Make all the fucking choices.
I don't doubt my brother. I don't doubt that what he wants is just to keep my alive, but I hate this feeling of uselessness. I am utterly useless. I should be the one coming up with ways to rescue the love of my life, not just sitting here twiddling my fucking thumbs.
About an hour later my bedroom cracks open and Knoxie's face appears around the door. “Still stewing?”
“Is Madden?”
“He left,” she replies.
“Where?”
“Not sure,” she answers dropping down beside me on the edge of my bed. “He's barely speaking to me.”
“Sorry,” I instantly apologize. “I didn't mean to...fuck up whatever-”
“You didn't,” Knox states pulling her legs to her chest. “It is what it is.” With a shrug she mutters, “I just hate when he shuts me out like this.”
“Of all people, you would think you would be the one he let in.”
“You would think,” she mumbles. “I was the first one who knew he had to start to work for The Devil. I was also the first one by his side to help.”
Fuck. I didn't know that.
After a long pause I ask, “Do you know what it is Madden did back then? What he did to make dad call in that favor?”
“No,” Knox sighs deeply. “But I remember the night. Usually when times get a little uncomfortable, not typically this bad, we reflect on it. Most of the time I grab him a burger from Bab's Burgers, a large onion ring, and we sit in the garage and relive the moment.”
Seriously...is she talking about Madden? Cold as fuck. Distant as shit. Hard as a fucking rock, Madden?
“That night, he crawled into my bedroom through the window. He was terrible at sneaking in. Always tripped over something. That night it was a pair of my heels. He came in and slipped into my bed. He held me so tightly I couldn't breathe. His arms were caging me in right under my ribs. It fucking hurt, but he was trembling. Totally shaken up from whatever had happened,so I just let him stay that way. He never spoke about what actually went down. He just laid there until the sun rose. Hell, he never spoke about coming to me that night to anyone else. I hadn't either until this moment. But that's the closest the two of us have ever been. Probably the closest the two of us ever will be.”
For her sake as much as his, I pray that she's wrong about that.
There's a small knock on the door before Hayli joins us, a frightened expression on her face. Immediately I rush over and she throws herself into my arms. A small sigh comes out of me.
Not at all like hugging my girl, but it is like having a small piece of her back with me. This is better than nothing. Besides if I had to be responsible for Hayli dying too I...I don't know what I would do with myself. At least I can tell Jovi that I saved her best friend. Maybe that'll help her forgive me.
“I'm scared, Merrick,” she whispers in my ear.
“Me too.”
We stay embraced for another moment before she pulls back and slugs me in the shoulder. “Ouch!”
“That's for getting me into this shit!”
Knox giggles and leans back on her palms. “I knew I liked you.”
One Knox is enough. We don't really need two of them.
Unsure of what else to say I sigh, “I'm sorry.”
“Don't be sorry.” She folds her arms across her chest. “Be smart.”
“I will be.”
“Be quick.”
“You better fucking believe it.”
Stabbing me in the chest with her pointed finger she demands, “Be the one that brings my best friend back.”
“At any cost,” I firmly assure her.
“Good, Romeo,” Hayli whispers before flopping down on the bed next to Knox. “I need Jovi.”
“I need her too.”
In a defeated tone she asks, “So what's next?”
That's a good question. That's a damn good question.
Jovi
Seeing his face immediately makes me smile. The playful smile I've fallen head over heels in love with is not one I'm sure I could ever live without. Merrick's hand reaches for me through the open window. As soon as I reach for it, there's a burning sensation in my back. The high pitched ringing in my ears is enough to drop me to my knees, but the throbbing pain is what floors me. My eyes drop to the floor where there's a dark red puddle. My blood? That's gotta be my blood. Who else's blood would it be? I take another two breaths before all goes black.
Terrified I shoot up, inhaling sharply, desperate to get as much air in my lungs as possible.
Thank God that was just a dream. It was right?
I touch my chest then my back, the thin string around my wrist wiggling around. While I'm double checking for wounds, a gorgeous female with a dark braid strolls in the room breakfast in her hands again.
Who is she? Do I know her?